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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Her image is now shorthand for beauty, decadence, rebellion, and misogyny.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025 -
Also on display was a 1774 letter from King George III to Prime Minister Lord North, acknowledging the escalating rebellion in the American colonies and referencing the Boston Tea Party as a pivotal moment in deteriorating relations.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Grassley and other Republicans argue that by the time Smith formally inherited the case, the groundwork had already been laid for a wide-ranging operation that effectively criminalized political opposition.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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Modern conservatism developed its own history and internal logic, emerging not merely in opposition but alongside liberalism as a powerful response to the social and economic upheavals of the early 20th century.—
Allan J. Lichtman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Others including, longtime Sacramento resident Richard Alcala, viewed the festivities as an act of defiance against the current presidential administration.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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In Schorr’s photograph, the duo, played by Julia Garner and Cole Escola, is more ambiguous, more gender-flouting, projecting an air of affectionate defiance.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While this change reduces the explicit admission of willfulness, a narrative is still required.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The coronal hole had a negative polarity that wasn't supposed to give us big geomagnetic storms or subsequent auroras, Skov explained.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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According to scientists, a molecular dipole arises when a molecule has partial positive and partial negative charge regions, giving the molecule an overall polarity that points in a specific direction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This element of female rebelliousness is very important to me.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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This was an audience of almost 500 students and zero disrespect.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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They've been taught, implicitly or explicitly, that disagreement equals disrespect.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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