contrariness

noun

Definition of contrarinessnext
1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey cursed the contrariness of her beloved mutt when it refused to come back inside the house

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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
  1. rebellion
  2. opposition
  3. defiance
  4. polarity
  5. willfulness
  6. rebelliousness
  7. disrespect
Noun
  • Kathleen insists that Lukas was likely incinerated, along with all of the other corpses that piled up in the Down Deep during the rebellion.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • In the film, out September 11, Garfield plays Ploughman, the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 July 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Nobody could accuse Keegan of lacking the quality to perform against elite-level European opposition, given his success with Liverpool and Hamburg.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • There has been some opposition, including from the Mauthausen Committee, Austria’s main Holocaust survivors’ group, which has argued both that a police station is inappropriate and that more should be done to draw attention to Hitler’s crimes.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • The protests mark a rare show of defiance against the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
  • But that successful act of cheating is central to Maradona’s legend, as is his defiance in the aftermath.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • Alternating magnetic polarities ensure reliable alignment into square lattice formations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
  • Its core strategies involve embracing both sides of challenging polarities, listening somatically and deeply to uncover common truths, and working from a sense of abundance and interconnectedness.
    — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of polarity
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
  • 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
Definition of willfulness
Noun
  • Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of rebelliousness
Noun
  • Otero Alcántara, who was serving five years on charges of showing disrespect to national symbols, was set to be released from Guanjay, a maximum-security prison roughly 35 miles southwest of Havana, on July 9.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
  • In 2022, a court sentenced him to five years in prison for public disorder, contempt and disrespect toward national symbols.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of disrespect
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.

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contrarily
contrariness
contrariwise
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Cite this Entry

“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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