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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrariness
James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Ricks had to introduce conflict and contrary opinions in meetings to induce richer discussion and honest evaluation of projects and their risks and benefits.
—Alice Park, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
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
Adjective
House Republicans who have been pressed about their position have contended, despite a contrary view from experts, that the Trump cuts can be executed without taking services from Medicaid recipients.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Ricks had to introduce conflict and contrary opinions in meetings to induce richer discussion and honest evaluation of projects and their risks and benefits.
—Alice Park, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
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
Adjective
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As with most things, men and women have received contradictory messaging about it.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
14 June 2025
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Such perspectives make Wax’s Izzy a multi-layered and often contradictory character: self-assured, yet also self-doubting; brazen, yet guilty; fearless, yet also fearful.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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Next, Negan saw Annie… and Joshua (whose smile was as mischievous as we’d been told).—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
15 June 2025
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View More On the cover, a young Chenier holds a 25-pound accordion the length of his torso, a big, mischievous smile on his face.—
Reya Hart,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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From the start, Handy argues, the on-screen adventures in teen movies have been targeted to a double audience of rebellious teens and anxious adults.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2025
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In addition to provoking rebellious and impulsive actions, this unpredictable synergy can abruptly derail plans.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Notably, the party opposite to whomever is currently in the White House has a history of winning the Virginia governor's mansion and the right to serve a single non-consecutive term.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
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Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.—
Ganesh Rao,Chloe Taylor,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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The Renaissance’s old love language — the naughty puns, the sighs of longing and strategies of seduction, the paeans to the beauty of beloveds masked by fanciful Greek and Latin names — had grown obsolete long before Millay’s time.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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They are seen flinging a pizza box into their bucolic yard, smearing their faces with paint, raising their middle fingers, and saying naughty words.—
Peter Tonguette,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Yet none of this has dampened Mr. Trump’s enthusiasm for bringing U.S. influence to bear in trying to end the rebel incursion – in part because the fighting has affected a region that holds some of Congo’s main rare earth deposits.—
Ned Temko,
Christian Science Monitor,
12 June 2025
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The government in Colombia has struggled to contain violence as rebel groups try to take over territory abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia following its peace deal with the government.—
Escher Walcott,
People.com,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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By the nineteen-sixties, the hibakusha identity was established enough, and the condition of Korean survivors bad enough, that a transnational movement started to take shape.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
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Bane is a 41 percent career 3-point shooter who, in his five prior seasons, never shot worse than 38.1 percent from deep in a season.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Kim Kardashian made a defiant walk into Paris' Palace of Justice in May, to face the criminals who held the reality star at gunpoint and robbed in 2016.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
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In an era defined by digital speed, algorithmic curation, and disposable listening, Gearbox Records has carved out a defiant space for intentionality, sonic depth, and analog fidelity.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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