Synonyms of contradictory

contradictory

adjective

ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē 

as in opposite

being as different as possible

contradictory predictions regarding stock prices that were of no help to investors at all

Synonyms & Similar Words

• opposite
• contrary
• unfavorable
• antithetical
• divergent
• negative
• hostile
• polar
• diametric
• adverse
• antipodal
• antagonistic
• antipodean
• unlike
• counter
• disparate
• dissimilar
• reverse
• cross
• alien
• inverse
• antipathetic
• converse
• unalike
• obverse

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• similar
• analogous
• like
• same
• noncontradictory
• identical
• equivalent
• alike
• synonymous

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective contradictory differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of contradictory are antithetical, contrary, and opposite. While all these words mean "being so far apart as to be or seem irreconcilable," contradictory applies to two things that completely negate each other so that if one is true or valid the other must be untrue or invalid.

made contradictory predictions about whether the market would rise or fall

When can antithetical be used instead of contradictory?

The synonyms antithetical and contradictory are sometimes interchangeable, but antithetical stresses clear and unequivocal diametrical opposition.

a law that is antithetical to the very idea of democracy

When is it sensible to use contrary instead of contradictory?

While the synonyms contrary and contradictory are close in meaning, contrary implies extreme divergence or diametrical opposition.

contrary assessments of the war situation

Where would opposite be a reasonable alternative to contradictory?

The meanings of opposite and contradictory largely overlap; however, opposite applies to things in sharp contrast or in conflict.

opposite views on foreign aid

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of contradictory

Reconciling these seemingly contradictory properties using the same math is one of modern physics’ great challenges. —Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2026

Versions offered by government officials and the family’s attorney and neighbors offer contradictory versions of whether the parents were given adequate opportunity to leave the child with someone else. —Valerie Gonzalez, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026

Instead of forcing an interpretation upon her audience, de Araújo trusts us to make sense of her characters’ contradictory, if not downright counterproductive mindsets. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026

Buffalo owner Terry Pegula made the Bills’ situation much, much worse with his rambling, bumbling, sometimes contradictory media session, taking wide receiver Keon Coleman to task publicly. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026