contra

See also: Contra, contrà, and contra-

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntɹə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Preposition

contra

1. Against; contrary or opposed to; in opposition or contrast to.

Synonyms

• against, anti

Antonyms

• for, pro

Related terms

• contra-
• contra proferentem
• per contra
• semen contra

Translations

against, contrary or opposed to

Bulgarian: против (bg) (protiv) German: gegen (de), im Gegensatz zu m, contra (de), anti, wider (de) Latin: contrā (la) Old English: aġēn Polish: kontra (pl) Swedish: kontra (sv) Tagalog: kontra

Adverb

contra (comparative more contra, superlative most contra)

1. Contrary to something.
   • 1893 November 30, “The W.C.T.U. Convention. Interesting Reports Considered in Relation to the Several Departments of the Work. Suggested Lines of Development—Programme for the Closing Day.”, in The Daily Colonist, volume LXX, number 148, Victoria, B.C., page 3, column 1:

     […] it is useless to pray “Thy kingdom come” and vote contra or stay away from the polls; […]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:contrarily

Translations

contrary to something

Arabic: عَلَى اَلْعَكْس (ʕalā l-ʕaks), عَلَى اَلنَّقِيض مِن (ʕalā n-naqīḍ min), ضِد (ḍid) Egyptian Arabic: عكس (ʕakss), ضد (ḍeḍ) Bulgarian: напротив (bg) (naprotiv), наопаки (bg) (naopaki) German: gegen (de), im Gegensatz zu m, contra (de), gegnerisch (de), gegengesetzt, entgegengesetzt (de) Polish: wbrew (pl) Romanian: împotrivă (ro), contra (ro)

Noun

contra (plural contras)

1. (business) A deal to swap goods or services.
2. (politics, derogatory) A conservative; originally tied to Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries.
3. (accounting, often attributive) An entry (or account) that cancels another entry (or account).

   Synonym: counterentry

   a contra position; a contra entry

   The sum for each contra account is shown in the last column.

4. (music, informal) Any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass.
5. (dance) A contra dance.
6. (obsolete, US, New England, dance) A country dance.
   • 2001, Ellen Koskoff, editor, The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America, Garland Publishing, page 232:

     Folk histories record that contras were gradually displaced by the introduction of the quadrille and the new couple dances.

Derived terms

• anticontra

Translations

(business) a deal to swap goods or services

(accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry

Dutch: contrarekening f Finnish: vasta- (fi) (in compounds), vastatili (account), vastakirjaus (entry) German: Gegenkonto (de) n, Gegenbuchung f, Gegenposition f, Gegenrechnung f, Kreditseite f Polish: no equivalent term in Polish, but see konto wykluczające inne konto n

(dance) a contra dance

German: Contra Tanz m, Kontratanz m

Verb

contra (third-person singular simple present contras, no present participle, no simple past or past participle)

1. (accounting) To undo; to reverse.

   to contra a position (an entry)

Translations

(accounting) to undo an entry

German: zurückbuchen, ristornieren, stornieren (de)

Anagrams

• Cantor, Carnot, Carton, Catron, TRACON, cantor, carton, corant, craton, tracon

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontɾa/ [ˈkõn̪.t̪ɾa]
• Rhymes: -ontɾa
• Syllabification: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. alongside, beside, next to

   Synonym: xunto

2. forward, in front

   Synonym: delantre

3. against (reduced)

   Synonym: escontra

Related terms

• escontra

Interjection

¡contra!

1. interjection of exclamation or anger

   Synonyms: carape, meca

Further reading

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “contra”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “contra”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1ª edición, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, 2000, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈkɔn.tɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈkon.tɾa]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔntɾa
• Hyphenation: con‧tra

Adverb

contra

1. against
   • 2009, Jean Grave, Les Aventures d'en Nono:

     Més endavant, va parlar contra la gent sense família

     But before, he spoke against people without family

Noun

contra m (plural contres)

1. con (disadvantage)

   Antonym: pro

Related terms

• contra-
• contrari

Further reading

• “contra”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “contra”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “contra” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “contra” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Adverb

contra

1. against

References

• Bartoli, Matteo (1906), Il Dalmatico: Resti di un’antica lingua romanza parlata da Veglia a Ragusa e sua collocazione nella Romània appenino-balcanica, Rome: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, published 2000

Finnish

Etymology

From Spanish contra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontrɑ/, [ˈko̞n̪.t̪rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ontrɑ

Noun

contra

1. Contra (anti-Sandinista fighter)

Declension

Inflection of contra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		contra	contrat
genitive		contran	contrien
partitive		contraa	contria
illative		contraan	contriin
		singular	plural
nominative		contra	contrat
accusative	nom.	contra	contrat
	gen.	contran
genitive		contran	contrien contrain rare
partitive		contraa	contria
inessive		contrassa	contrissa
elative		contrasta	contrista
illative		contraan	contriin
adessive		contralla	contrilla
ablative		contralta	contrilta
allative		contralle	contrille
essive		contrana	contrina
translative		contraksi	contriksi
abessive		contratta	contritta
instructive		—	contrin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of contra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative contrani contrani accusative nom. contrani contrani gen. contrani genitive contrani contrieni contraini rare partitive contraani contriani inessive contrassani contrissani elative contrastani contristani illative contraani contriini adessive contrallani contrillani ablative contraltani contriltani allative contralleni contrilleni essive contranani contrinani translative contrakseni contrikseni abessive contrattani contrittani instructive — — comitative — contrineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative contrasi contrasi accusative nom. contrasi contrasi gen. contrasi genitive contrasi contriesi contraisi rare partitive contraasi contriasi inessive contrassasi contrissasi elative contrastasi contristasi illative contraasi contriisi adessive contrallasi contrillasi ablative contraltasi contriltasi allative contrallesi contrillesi essive contranasi contrinasi translative contraksesi contriksesi abessive contrattasi contrittasi instructive — — comitative — contrinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative contramme contramme accusative nom. contramme contramme gen. contramme genitive contramme contriemme contraimme rare partitive contraamme contriamme inessive contrassamme contrissamme elative contrastamme contristamme illative contraamme contriimme adessive contrallamme contrillamme ablative contraltamme contriltamme allative contrallemme contrillemme essive contranamme contrinamme translative contraksemme contriksemme abessive contrattamme contrittamme instructive — — comitative — contrinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative contranne contranne accusative nom. contranne contranne gen. contranne genitive contranne contrienne contrainne rare partitive contraanne contrianne inessive contrassanne contrissanne elative contrastanne contristanne illative contraanne contriinne adessive contrallanne contrillanne ablative contraltanne contriltanne allative contrallenne contrillenne essive contrananne contrinanne translative contraksenne contriksenne abessive contrattanne contrittanne instructive — — comitative — contrinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative contransa contransa accusative nom. contransa contransa gen. contransa genitive contransa contriensa contrainsa rare partitive contraansa contriaan contriansa inessive contrassaan contrassansa contrissaan contrissansa elative contrastaan contrastansa contristaan contristansa illative contraansa contriinsa adessive contrallaan contrallansa contrillaan contrillansa ablative contraltaan contraltansa contriltaan contriltansa allative contralleen contrallensa contrilleen contrillensa essive contranaan contranansa contrinaan contrinansa translative contrakseen contraksensa contrikseen contriksensa abessive contrattaan contrattansa contrittaan contrittansa instructive — — comitative — contrineen contrinensa

Synonyms

• contrasissi

Derived terms

compounds

• contrasissi

Further reading

• “contra”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

contra

1. third-person singular past historic of contrer

Anagrams

• carton

Galician

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontɾa/ [ˈkon̪.t̪ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -ontɾa
• Hyphenation: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. against

Derived terms

• contra de
• pola contra

Noun

contra f (plural contras)

1. (usually in the plural) shutter

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022), “contra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018), “contra”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “contra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “contra”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “contra”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Further reading

• “contra”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkon.tra/
• Rhymes: -ontra
• Hyphenation: cón‧tra

Etymology 1

From Latin contrā.

Preposition

contra

1. (archaic) alternative form of contro (“against”)

Descendants

• → Maltese: kontra
• → Turkish: kontra

See also

• contra-

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

contra

1. inflection of contrare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• Tronca, tronca

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Preposition

contra

1. against