contrary

From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contrārius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contrā (“against”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntɹəɹi/, /kənˈtɹɛəɹi/, (haplology) /ˈkɒntɹi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntɹɛɹi/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• (some pronunciations) Rhymes: -ɛəɹi

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

   contrary winds

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 26:21:

     And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me […]

   • c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:

     We have lost our labour; they are gone a contrary way.

2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
   • 1847, William Whewell, “Sequel to Copernicus—The Reception and Development of the Copernican Theory”, in History of the Inductive Sciences, from the Earliest to the Present Times. […], new edition, volume I, London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], →OCLC, book V (History of Formal Astronomy after the Stationary Period), section 4 (The Copernican System Opposed on Theological Grounds), page 419:

     Galileo [Galilei]'s zeal for his opinions soon led him again to bring the question under the notice of the Pope, and the result was a declaration of the Inquisition that the doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred scripture.

3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

   a contrary disposition; a contrary child

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

1. Contrarily

contrary (plural contraries)

1. The opposite.
   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     No contraries hold more antipathy
     Than I and such a knave.

2. (logic) One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.
   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC:

     If two universals differ in quality, they are contraries; as, every vine is a tree; no vine is a tree. These can never be both true together; but they may be both false.

• witherward

• (logic): subcontrary
• contrarian

contrary (third-person singular simple present contraries, present participle contrarying, simple past and past participle contraried)

1. (obsolete) To oppose; to frustrate.
   • 1549 April 29 (Gregorian calendar), Hughe Latymer [i.e., Hugh Latimer], Augustine Bernher, compiler, “[27 Sermons Preached by the Ryght Reuerende Father in God and Constant Matir of Iesus Christe, Maister Hugh Latimer, […].] The Seuenth Sermon of Maister Hugh Latymer, which He Preached before King Edward [VI], the .19. Day of Aprill.”, in Certayn Godly Sermons, Made uppon the Lords Prayer, […], London: […] John Day, […], published 1562, →OCLC, folio 93, recto:

     You that be of the court, & eſpecially ye ſworn chaplains beware of a leſſon that a great man taught me at my firſt coming to the court he told me for a good will, he thoughte it wel. He ſayd vnto me. You muſt beware how ſo euer ye do that ye cõtrary not the king, let him haue his ſaiyngs, folow him, go with him. Mary out vpon this counſel, ſhal I ſay, as he ſayes?

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 47, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     The Athenians having left the enemie in their owne land, for to pass into Sicilie, had very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune […].

2. (obsolete) To impugn.
3. (obsolete) To contradict (someone or something).
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter LXXVII, in Le Morte Darthur, book X:

     thus wilfully sir Palomydes dyd bataille with yow
     & as for hym sir I was not gretely aferd but I dred fore laūcelot that knew yow not
     Madame said Palomydes ye maye saye what so ye wyll
     I maye not contrary yow but by my knyghthode I knewe not sir Tristram

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     I finde them everie one in his turne to have reason, although they contrary one another.

4. (obsolete) To do the opposite of (someone or something).
5. (obsolete) To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.
6. (obsolete) To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
7. (obsolete) To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

• contra
• counter

• “contrary”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “contrary”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “contrary”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “contrary”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.