1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
cursed the contrariness of her beloved mutt when it refused to come back inside the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the quality or state of being as different as possible
a contrariness between his professed altruism and his blatant selfishness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrariness
Noun
-
View gallery - 5 images There's a rebellion underway against the always-on, infinitely-scrollable nature of the smartphone.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 June 2026 -
Within weeks, the new hypernationalist government mounted an effort to suppress the Russian language in the Donbas, provoking a rebellion among ethnically Russian Ukrainians.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Yet other, more controversial projects, exacting irreversible change to capital institutions, are facing greater opposition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The Armenia Alliance bloc led by former President Robert Kocharyan is hovering around 10%, while the rest of the splintered opposition remained in the mid to low single digits.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
For this poet, the first place of childhood and language is his village in the South, a place that has continued to exist in defiance of some of the most brutal forces of occupation, aggression, and now unabashed annihilation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
In a 230-191 vote, the House approved the bill in defiance of House GOP leadership.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Next, there’s Fernet Branca, similar in intensity to Green Chartreuse but with an opposite polarity.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
30 May 2026
-
One key to Bad Mary’s persistence in the American mind can be found in the temperamental polarity that first drew Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln to each other.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.—
David Brooks,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Though the Durutti Column had been a disaster, Wilson was fascinated by the guitarist, who admired punk’s willfulness even though his own musical taste tended toward jazz, blues, and the classical tradition.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The pseudo-goth hair and costume choices speak to an inner rebelliousness that isn’t so much unleashed as forced loose by a system that values the appearance of a mythical impartiality over her humanity, leaving her with little recourse but to step outside the confines of the law.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2026
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The idea is a partial and symbolic sharing, and the purpose is to break the link between hard work and disrespect.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
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Historical novelists are often charged with disrespect and unseriousness, of ransacking the archives for sensational scenery to hang behind their conventional family sagas and love stories.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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