- the opposite fact, event or situation
- In the end the contrary was proved true: he was innocent and she was guilty.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French contrarie, from Latin contrarius, from contra ‘against’.
Idioms
See contrary in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee contrary in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishon the contrary
- used to introduce a statement that says the opposite of the last one
- ‘It must have been terrible.’ ‘On the contrary, I enjoyed every minute.’
quite the contrary
- used to emphasize that the opposite of what has been said is true
- I don't find him funny at all. Quite the contrary.
to the contrary
- showing or proving the opposite
- Show me some evidence to the contrary (= proving that something is not true).
- I will expect to see you on Sunday unless I hear anything to the contrary (= that you are not coming).
Check pronunciation:
contrary1