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

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2
as in opposition
the quality or state of being as different as possible a contrariness between his professed altruism and his blatant selfishness

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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

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

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

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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

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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
Noun
  • During the Sengoku period, clan leader Isshin Ashina leads a successful rebellion against the rulers to secure Ashina’s independence.
    — Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • According to a recent paper by the French Institute of International Relations, the SAF and its supporters claim to be putting down an armed rebellion as Sudan’s legitimate government.
    — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • Despite some opposition from a handful of progressives and hardline conservatives, the stopgap measure, which the Senate already approved in a bipartisan vote in August, overwhelmingly passed the House, too.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In a key development, CSU dropped its opposition to the bills after resisting past efforts out of concern that far less costly community college degrees could siphon students from its campuses.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • Appointments to Iran’s senior security leadership in the past month, however, have signaled Tehran’s defiance after weathering decades of sanctions.
    — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Even in that moment of defiance, though, he is drawn back toward his actual father.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • At about 230 kelvin, or minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the researchers found that strain could change the polarity of this Hall signal.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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

Phrases Containing contrariness

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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 5 Sep. 2026.

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