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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contrary
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.
—
Literary Hub,
29 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
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your nonfiction development pipeline grow?
—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Mar. 2026
His couplets—stitched together by a rhyme—typically saunter in contrary directions.
—
Literary Hub,
29 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
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Decision-makers, overwhelmed by contradictory data points, quietly revert to gut instinct and historical bias.
-
My will is scattered, directed toward many contradictory things, and easily distracted.
Adjective
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The bride and groom both wore custom Christian Dior looks designed by Jonathan Anderson, who’s known for elaborate, mischievous designs.
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Months after Scary Movie's release, Abrahams starred as the mischievous Denny Byrnes in Meet the Parents (2000).
Adjective
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This could bring about sudden ideas, or trigger rebellious impulses and creative imagination.
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In 2000 at age 15, he was sent to live in Australia with a host family because his father thought Zhang was too rebellious to stay in China.
Noun
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The Elora is positioned to be the opposite of that, optimized at every corner for folks who have no previous experience with RVing at all.
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But one prominent tech entrepreneur believes the opposite is true for teams that want to win.
Adjective
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Has Greta eaten or chewed on anything naughty?
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The play was naughty stuff in 1925, when the show, starring Tallulah Bankhead, got banned.
Adjective
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Starmer had previously vowed to stand in any formal Labour leadership race triggered by rebel lawmakers who feating a 2029 election wipeout sought to replace him.
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Many rebel groups are offshoots of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which had been fighting to overthrow the government since the 1960s and had been the country's largest guerrilla organization.
Adjective
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That if you were deemed, as an enslaved person, if you were deemed troublesome or in some way unwanted, you would literally be sold down the river from the more northern states to the deeper south where you would potentially be treated even worse.
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Offer Real Value, Not Leftovers Most product bundles fail not because the idea is bad but because the execution misses what consumers actually want.
Adjective
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Femi was defiant as he was interviewed in the ring following his victory.
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Laurie Whitwell Were South Africa unlucky after defiant defensive display?
Cite this Entry
“Contrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrary. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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