contrary

[kon-trer-ee; for 5 also kuh n-trair-ee] /ˈkɒn trɛr i; for 5 also kənˈtrɛər i/

adjective

opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed:

contrary to fact; contrary propositions.

opposite in direction or position:

departures in contrary directions.

being the opposite one of two:

I will make the contrary choice.

unfavorable or adverse.

perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful.

noun, plural contraries.

something that is contrary or opposite:

to prove the contrary of a statement.

either of two contrary things.

Logic. a proposition so related to another proposition that both may not be true though both may be false, as with the propositions “All judges are male” and “No judges are male.”.

adverb

in opposition; oppositely; counter:

to act contrary to one's own principles.

Idioms

10.

by contraries, contrary to expectation.

11.

on the contrary,

in opposition to what has been stated.
from another point of view:
On the contrary, there may be some who would agree with you.

12.

to the contrary,

to the opposite effect:
I believe he is innocent, whatever they may say to the contrary.
to a different effect.

Origin

1200-50; Middle English contrarie < Anglo-French < Latin contrārius. See contra¹, -ary

Related forms

contrarily

[kon-trer-uh-lee, kuh n-trair-] /ˈkɒn trɛr ə li, kənˈtrɛər-/ (Show IPA), adverb

contrariness, noun

quasi-contrarily, adverb

quasi-contrary, adjective

Synonyms

1. contradictory, conflicting, counter. See opposite. 4. unfriendly, hostile. Contrary, adverse both describe something that opposes. Contrary conveys an idea of something impersonal and objective whose opposition happens to be unfavorable: contrary winds. Adverse suggests something more personally unfriendly or even hostile; it emphasizes the idea of the resulting misfortune to that which is opposed: The judge rendered a decision adverse to the defendant. 5. intractable, obstinate, headstrong, stubborn, pig-headed.

Antonyms

4. favorable. 5. obliging, complaisant.

Examples from the web for on the contrary

on the contrary, he was their enemy's enemy and thus their friend, emancipator and guardian.
on the contrary, rituals remain an important and enduring aspect of our daily life.
on the contrary, these societies are perfectly capable of changing.
on the contrary, he was exquisitely attuned to the feelings and emotions of others.
on the contrary: in some instances, important evidence leading to the prosecution of criminals may be scattered.
on the contrary, the monarchy is consistently enterprising.
on the contrary, superficiality is the norm, and everybody in the world knows it.
on the contrary, higher bandwidth has meant higher monthly fees, and that trend shows every sign of continuing.
on the contrary, it's relatively simple and gets easier with practice.
on the contrary, outcomes-based learning is an important part of any education.

British Dictionary definitions for on the contrary

contrary

/ˈkɒntrərɪ/

adjective

opposed in nature, position, etc: contrary ideas

(kənˈtrɛərɪ). perverse; obstinate

(esp of wind) adverse; unfavourable

(of plant parts) situated at right angles to each other

(logic) (of a pair of propositions) related so that they cannot both be true at once, although they may both be false together Compare subcontrary (sense 2), contradictory (sense 3)

noun (pl) -ries

the exact opposite (esp in the phrase to the contrary)

on the contrary, quite the reverse; not at all

either of two exactly opposite objects, facts, or qualities

(logic) a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true

adverb (usually foll by to)

10.

in an opposite or unexpected way: contrary to usual belief

11.

in conflict (with) or contravention (of): contrary to nature

Derived Forms

contrariness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin contrārius opposite, from contrā against

Word Origin and History for on the contrary

contrary

adj.

mid-14c., from Anglo-French contrarie, from Latin contrarius "opposite, opposed," from contra "against" (see contra).

If we take the statement All men are mortal, its contrary is Not all men are mortal, its converse is All mortal beings are men, & its opposite is No men are mortal. The contrary, however, does not exclude the opposite, but includes it as its most extreme form. Thus This is white has only one opposite, This is black, but many contraries, as This is not white, This is coloured, This is dirty, This is black; & whether the last form is called the contrary, or more emphatically the opposite, is usually indifferent. But to apply the opposite to a mere contrary (e.g. to I did not hit him in relation to I hit him, which has no opposite), or to the converse (e.g. to He hit me in relation to I hit him, to which it is neither contrary nor opposite), is a looseness that may easily result in misunderstanding; the temptation to go wrong is intelligible when it is remembered that with certain types of sentence (A exceeds B) the converse & the opposite are identical (B exceeds A). [Fowler]

As a noun from late 13c. Related: Contrarily; contrariwise.

Idioms and Phrases with on the contrary

on the contrary

It's the opposite, as in Is his shoulder hurting?—On the contrary, it's all better, or We thought you didn't like opera.—On the contrary, I love it. This phrase, at first put as by or for or in the contrary, dates from the late 1300s; on has been used since the mid-1800s.

contrary

see: