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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mischievous
engaging in or marked by childish misbehavior
a contrary child who wouldn't behave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rebellious
given to resisting authority or another's control
the contrary soldier is facing a court-martial for insubordination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 contrary
Ken Molestina, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
As a result, students often actively reject contrary points of view.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026
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 contrary
Adjective
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
As a result, students often actively reject contrary points of view.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 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 contrary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrary
Adjective
-
The witness who identified Castorena as the shooter gave contradictory statements about what the suspect looked like throughout the investigation and trial, leading to the case being overturned.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
-
The latter question seems to weigh profoundly on Hamaguchi, whose films feel at once meticulously calibrated and wildly audacious, and who here manages, as never before, to make those seemingly contradictory impulses coexist as one.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Like tapping into that mischievous kid in me.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
18 May 2026
-
There on the screen, staring back at me, are two gigantic black eyes and a mischievous smile stitched on a massive, crocheted head — features of the mysterious, endlessly cheeky mask that has become Chuyin’s signature.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
That would be a massive threat to the hegemony established by the film, especially for people at their most curious, rebellious age.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
And what could be more rebellious than sending a roomful of serious cinephiles screaming for the exits?—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In the Eastern Pacific, the opposite occurs, with favorable conditions supporting above-average hurricane season activity.—
Dan Peck,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
In the Pacific, the opposite happens, as wind shear is reduced during El Niños.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
-
But theatergoers around me couldn’t seem to get enough, no matter how repetitive the naughty humor became.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
When Aleppo fell in late November, in part due to that tunnel operation that cut off the regime's supply lines, the rebel groups made a split-second decision to continue the offensive.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
-
Fuel and fertilizer needed for the rice crop are just the latest necessities to become unaffordable in Rakhine state, which has been devastated by intense fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), one of the many rebel groups in the country.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
West Ham showed themselves to be a bad team, less than the sum of their parts and wholly ill-equipped for the challenge in front of them.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Each reiteration and exaggeration of Mary’s bad behavior is another civic stroke of the chisel that perfects the monumental Lincoln in our collective imagination.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s defiant bid to face down a rebellion left his future in the balance Wednesday, but that wasn’t going to stop the United Kingdom playing dress-up for the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
-
Plum is braless, her vest open to reveal a shimmery pile of silver chains, her abs on defiant display.—
Jade Chang,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrary. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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