What is contrary?
What is contrary?
- Opposed, as in character or purpose: contrary opinions; acts that are contrary to our code of ethics.
- Opposite in direction or position: Our boat took a course contrary to theirs. See Synonyms at opposite.
- Music Moving in the opposite direction at a fixed interval: playing scales in contrary motion.
- Adverse; unfavorable: a contrary wind.
- Given to recalcitrant behavior; willful or perverse.
- Something that is opposite or contrary.
- Either of two opposing or contrary things: "Truth is perhaps . . . a dynamic compound of opposites, savage contraries for a moment conjoined” ( A. Bartlett Giamatti).
- Logic A proposition related to another in such a way that if the latter is true, the former must be false, but if the latter is false, the former is not necessarily true.
- In an opposite direction or manner; counter: The judge ruled contrary to all precedent in the case.
- by contraries Obsolete In opposition to what is expected.
- on the contrary In opposition to what has been stated or what is expected: I'm not sick; on the contrary, I'm in the peak of health.
- to the contrary To the opposite effect from what has been stated or what is expected: Despite what you say to the contary, this contract is fair.