contrary

1. 1.

   very opposed in nature or character or purpose

   “acts contrary to our code of ethics”

   “the facts point to a contrary conclusion”

   Similardifferent
2. 2.

   of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true but both may be false

   “`hot' and `cold' are contrary terms”

   Similarantonymous
3. 3.

   resistant to guidance or discipline

   “Mary Mary quite contrary”

   “an obstinate child with a violent temper”

   “a perverse mood”

   “wayward behavior”

   Synonymsobstinateperversewayward

   Similardisobedient
4. 4.

   in an opposing direction

   “adverse currents”

   “a contrary wind”

   Synonymsadverse

   Similarunfavorable

1. 1.

   a relation of direct opposition

   “we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true”

   Synonymsreverseopposite

   Broaderopposition
2. 2.

   exact opposition

   “public opinion to the contrary he is not guilty”

   Broaderopposition
3. 3.

   a logical relation such that two propositions are contraries if both cannot be true but both can be false

   Broaderlogical relation

Other forms of contrary

plural

contraries·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about contrary

What does contrary mean?

contrary means "very opposed in nature or character or purpose". That is the primary sense; the word has 7 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in contrary?

contrary has 3 syllables: con-tra-ry. The stress falls on "con". In IPA it is /ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/.

What is another word for contrary?

Close synonyms include obstinate, perverse, wayward, adverse, reverse. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is contrary a common word?

contrary is banded "Common" — everyday vocabulary in speech and writing. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.