variants
or diametrical
as in contradictory
being as different as possible
that husband and wife have seemingly diametric personalities, but somehow their marriage works
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Recent Examples of diametric
Tonight’s penultimate episode of season two feels like an anti-climax — not just a letdown generally, but the diametric opposite of a climax.
—
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2026
There is a war coming, and Iger’s and del Toro’s diametric comments only begin to hint at it.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
Springsteen and Landau — played with precision and intensity by Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, respectively — went all in for the production and promotion of a film that’s the diametric opposition of jukebox musicals like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
But the less obvious stimuli for weeping can also be seen as the diametrical opposites of the things that make a joke funny.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Its diametrical opposite might be the epigraph, the upfront citation, not relegated to footnote or endnote and often in italics — a phenomenon no one could fail to observe.
—Elisa Gabbert, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Since the advent of the Patrick Mahomes Era, the Chiefs are 15-3 in the postseason — a diametric contrast for a franchise that had won just one of its previous 12 playoff games and tormented its fan base into what might be called rational paranoia.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2025
Since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, American voters now face an unusual choice between two candidates who are almost diametric opposites – people who are different in nearly every way.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
The British Academy's judgements are sometimes in agreement with those of the American Academy, and occasionally in diametric opposition — which is precisely their prismatic value as an Oscars handicapping tool.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2026
There is a war coming, and Iger’s and del Toro’s diametric comments only begin to hint at it.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
Springsteen and Landau — played with precision and intensity by Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong, respectively — went all in for the production and promotion of a film that’s the diametric opposition of jukebox musicals like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025
But the less obvious stimuli for weeping can also be seen as the diametrical opposites of the things that make a joke funny.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Its diametrical opposite might be the epigraph, the upfront citation, not relegated to footnote or endnote and often in italics — a phenomenon no one could fail to observe.
—Elisa Gabbert, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Since the advent of the Patrick Mahomes Era, the Chiefs are 15-3 in the postseason — a diametric contrast for a franchise that had won just one of its previous 12 playoff games and tormented its fan base into what might be called rational paranoia.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 10 Jan. 2025
Since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, American voters now face an unusual choice between two candidates who are almost diametric opposites – people who are different in nearly every way.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 25 July 2024
The British Academy's judgements are sometimes in agreement with those of the American Academy, and occasionally in diametric opposition — which is precisely their prismatic value as an Oscars handicapping tool.
—Guy Martin, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diametric
Adjective
-
Which may make his initial approach seem a bit contradictory to the expectation.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The high court typically weighs in on cases where multiple judicial circuits have contradictory rulings on the same matter, but Bill Shipley, a former federal prosecutor, believes the justices could take up the case before such a split among the appeals courts.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
However, taking high doses of zinc for a long time can have the opposite effect, weakening immunity.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
11 Feb. 2026
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Kodjoe made his Broadway debut in the 2008 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, opposite James Earl Jones.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The video of the incident, now seen across the world and studied by non-partisan law enforcement experts, provides contrary evidence.—
Ken Molestina,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diametric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diametric. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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