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
-
Call it nostalgia or a rebellion against the clean functionality of minimalism, but romantic, decorative textiles are having a moment.—
Hannah Coates,
Vogue,
13 Aug. 2025 -
In a world that equates stress with productivity, peace becomes a form of rebellion—and power.—
Jonathan Low,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Netanyahu confirms Israel plans to occupy Gaza Israel is expected to approve a new plan today to take over Gaza aimed at completely destroying Hamas and securing hostage releases, despite domestic and international opposition and warnings of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Ex-The View cohost Rosie O'Donnell believes that her former talk show will be canceled amid growing political opposition.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The weight of evidence indicates that Emery’s side, in defiance of their ongoing challenges, will not collapse completely because of an inherent robustness.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
-
The move comes in direct defiance of President Donald Trump, who rolled back immigration enforcement protection earlier this year for specialfspaces like churches and schools.—
Liam Hibbert,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This polarity question reveals solutions that honor both needs.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
The polarity principle in technical analysis dictates that prior resistance, once broken, should then be looked to for support (and vice versa).—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Elizabeth’s reaction to the very public display of disrespect by her son is Emmy-worthy all on its own for Rashad.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
14 Aug. 2025
-
While attempting to address the MTA’s anti-Israel agenda, Jewish guest speakers at board meetings faced blatant disrespect.—
Joanna Honig,
Boston Herald,
8 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share