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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrariness
Noun
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But the rebellion has also spurred a race to the bottom.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Confederate sympathizers carved up the old design, claiming the red-and-white Crossland pattern to signal rebellion loyalty.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Khanna was among 21 Democrats in Congress, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who sent a joint letter to Noem last week voicing opposition to immigration raids at the Super Bowl.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Others who were freed include Luis Somaza, a member of the Popular Will party, and Jesús Armas, an activist and former opposition councilman.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Some Iranians keep showing defiance anyway.—
Sanam Mahoozi Arlette Bashizi Saumya Khandelwal Stephen Marche,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
For the next 47 years the ban stood, though a few skaters still performed backflips in competition as a show of defiance.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
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The orphan’s predicament is as much a matter of willfulness as of survival—inseparable, as in the works of Charles Dickens, from a dream of being somehow rescued by the idea of an adult world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Experimental and first-principles studies confirm that MoSi2 exhibits axis-dependent conduction polarity (ADCP) in both the Seebeck and Hall coefficients.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Solar maximum occurs in the middle of that 11-year cycle, when the magnetic polarity of the sun flips.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The natural obstinacy and rebelliousness of Israa’s teenage years are hyperaccelerated by culture clashes with both her family and the other kids around her.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
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This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.—
Maressa Brown,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The stakes may differ, but the disrespect for local authority remains the same.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Swedish disrespect is real.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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