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
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And last week, former interior minister Lee Sang-min was sentenced to seven years in prison for participating in a rebellion.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026 -
South Korea’s Justice Ministry bans Yoon from traveling overseas as police, prosecutors and an anti-corruption agency expand competing investigations into allegations of rebellion and other charges.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When Europeans were asked about support or opposition to the creation of a regional army that included forces from their own country, 61% of respondents in Lithuania backed the idea, according to a YouGov poll in October last year.—
Domi Suskova,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The coalition parties together hold only 66 of the lower house of parliament’s 150 seats, so Jetten will have to negotiate with opposition lawmakers to find support for every piece of legislation his government wants to pass.—
Mike Corder,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In contemporary terms, joy is a psychological and neurobiological act of defiance.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The American founding was, at its core, an act of defiance against unchecked power.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Experimental and first-principles studies confirm that MoSi2 exhibits axis-dependent conduction polarity (ADCP) in both the Seebeck and Hall coefficients.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Solar maximum occurs in the middle of that 11-year cycle, when the magnetic polarity of the sun flips.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.—
Maressa Brown,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, walking out of class demonstrates disrespect to the teachers who care for their well-being and support these students on a daily basis.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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The stakes may differ, but the disrespect for local authority remains the same.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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