contrariness 1 of 3

noun (1)

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

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

contrary

2 of 3

adjective

ˈkän-ˌtrer-ē How to pronounce contrary (audio)
1
as in contradictory
being as different as possible the other jurors seemed sure the defendant was guilty, but I came to the contrary conclusion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mischievous
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior a contrary child who wouldn't behave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control the contrary soldier is facing a court-martial for insubordination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

contrary

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈkän-ˌtrer-ē How to pronounce contrary (audio)
as in opposite
something that is as different as possible from something else the admonition that we should not return hate with hate, but rather with its contrary—love

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective contrary differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of contrary are antithetical, contradictory, and opposite. While all these words mean "being so far apart as to be or seem irreconcilable," contrary implies extreme divergence or diametrical opposition.

contrary assessments of the war situation

When is it sensible to use antithetical instead of contrary?

While in some cases nearly identical to contrary, antithetical stresses clear and unequivocal diametrical opposition.

a law that is antithetical to the very idea of democracy

In what contexts can contradictory take the place of contrary?

While the synonyms contradictory and contrary are close in meaning, 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 opposite be used instead of contrary?

In some situations, the words opposite and contrary are roughly equivalent. However, opposite applies to things in sharp contrast or in conflict.

opposite views on foreign aid

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of contrariness
Adjective
But there’s no shortage of people that take a contrary view. — Brent Lang, Variety, 9 Apr. 2026 Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your nonfiction development pipeline grow? — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
Soldiers, to the contrary, have regularly stood by as settlers engage in wanton violence against Palestinians. — Raja Shehadeh, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2023 And, it hadn’t been endorsed by big companies such as Pfizer, despite the company's claims to the contrary. — Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 23 Jan. 2023 See All Example Sentences for contrariness
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrariness
  1. rebellion
  2. opposition
  3. defiance
  4. polarity
  5. willfulness
  6. rebelliousness
  7. disrespect
Noun
  • In several instances these rituals were utilized during slave rebellions; the New York slave rebellion of 1712 reportedly began with a pact sealed in blood and powder, a practice with African religious parallels.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Freedom matters to you more than keeping up with traditions, which is where your financial savviness comes into play, not to mention rebellion.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Villa’s recent warm-up defeat to Bayern Munich, though a 2-1 loss, will have offered a useful gauge of what facing elite opposition demands and should stand them in good stead for the level of intensity this game in Salzburg will require.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • While Sacramento city and county officials have voiced opposition, state law limits the ability of local governments to block certain re-entry programs operated as residential homes for up to six people.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • Instead of crumbling in defeat, Rivera roared back with defiance.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • No wonder the new York head coach cut quite the forlorn figure on the touchline during the closing exchanges, even allowing for his post-match words of defiance for the boo boys.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • The weaponization of frontier AI flips that polarity, reducing the mean time to discovery of infrastructure vulnerabilities and the potential of accelerating data exfiltration from weeks and days to hours and minutes.
    — Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Alternating magnetic polarities ensure reliable alignment into square lattice formations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 10 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
  • The public weighted plain disrespect – how people are treated, apart from the economics – significantly more heavily than the philosophers did.
    — ESMT Berlin, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In the millions upon millions of words written and said about this World Cup, who has shown disrespect to players from Haiti, or any other smaller nation?
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of disrespect

Phrases Containing contrariness

Browse Nearby Words

contrarily
contrariness
contrariwise
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All