contrary

contrary is on the Academic Word List.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈkɒntrəri/ or /kənˈtrɛəri/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈkɑntrɛri/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧trary

Preposition

Preposition contrary

1. If an act or idea is contrary to something, it is against it.

   The president's actions are contrary to the constitution and therefore illegal.

2. You use contrary to ${\displaystyle x}$ when ${\displaystyle x}$ is different from the truth.

   Contrary to popular belief, the oil companies cannot control the price of crude.

   What she told me was contrary to everything I had ever heard.

   Contrary to popular myth, women are not worse drivers than men.

Adjective

Positive contrary

Comparative more contrary

Superlative most contrary

1. A contrary view, sentence, etc. is opposite to other ones.

   The contrary view is that these kind of projects are a waste of money.

   The only thoughts he had were contrary ones.

2. A contrary person tries to be different from other people or does not often agree with others.
3. The contrary is the opposite of an idea, sentence, etc.

   It is best to believe people are good, at least until the contrary is shown.

   This is not necessarily bad; on the contrary, it is sometimes quite useful.

Related words

• contrarily
• contrariness
• on the contrary
• to the contrary