Contrary \Con"tra*ry\ (? or ?; 48), a. [OE. contrarie,
contraire, F. contraire, fr. L. contrarius, fr. contra. See
Contra-.]
1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition;
adverse; as, contrary winds.
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And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not
hearken unto me. --Lev. xxvi.
21.
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We have lost our labor; they are gone a contrary
way. --Shak.
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2. Opposed; contradictory; repugnant; inconsistent.
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Fame, if not double-faced, is double mouthed,
And with contrary blast proclaims most deeds.
--Milton.
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The doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be
contrary to the sacred Scripture. --Whewell.
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3. Given to opposition; perverse; forward; wayward; as, a
contrary disposition; a contrary child.
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4. (Logic) Affirming the opposite; so opposed as to destroy
each other; as, contrary propositions.
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Contrary motion (Mus.), the progression of parts in
opposite directions, one ascending, the other descending.
Syn: Adverse; repugnant; hostile; inimical; discordant;
inconsistent.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Contrary \Con"tra*ry\, n.; pl. Contraries.
1. A thing that is of contrary or opposite qualities.
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No contraries hold more antipathy
Than I and such a knave. --Shak.
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2. An opponent; an enemy. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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3. the opposite; a proposition, fact, or condition
incompatible with another; as, slender proofs which rather
show the contrary. See Converse, n., 1. --Locke.
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4. (Logic) See Contraries.
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On the contrary, in opposition; on the other hand. --Swift.
To the contrary, to an opposite purpose or intent; on the
other side. "They did it, not for want of instruction to
the contrary." --Bp. Stillingfleet.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Contrary \Con"tra*ry\, v. t. [F. contrarier. See Contrary, a.]
To contradict or oppose; to thwart. [Obs.]
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I was advised not to contrary the king. --Bp. Latimer.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
contrary
adj 1: very opposed in nature or character or purpose; "acts
contrary to our code of ethics"; "the facts point to a
contrary conclusion"
2: of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true
but both may be false; "`hot' and `cold' are contrary
terms"
3: resistant to guidance or discipline; "Mary Mary quite
contrary"; "an obstinate child with a violent temper"; "a
perverse mood"; "wayward behavior" [syn: obstinate, perverse,
wayward]
4: in an opposing direction; "adverse currents"; "a contrary
wind" [syn: adverse]
n 1: a relation of direct opposition; "we thought Sue was older
than Bill but just the reverse was true" [syn: reverse,
opposite]
2: exact opposition; "public opinion to the contrary he is not
guilty"
3: two propositions are contraries if both cannot be true but
both can be false
WordNet (r) 2.0
275 Moby Thesaurus words for "contrary":
abjuratory, abnegative, adversary, adversative, adverse, adversive,
alien, antagonistic, anti, antipathetic, antipodal, antipode,
antipodean, antipodes, antipole, antithesis, antithetic,
antithetical, antonym, antonymous, argumentative, assorted,
at cross-purposes, at loggerheads, at odds, at opposite extremes,
at variance, at war, awkward, back to back, bad, balancing, balky,
bulky, cantankerous, choking, clashing, clumsy, compensating,
competitive, con, conflicting, confounding, confronting,
confutative, confuting, constrictive, contra, contradicting,
contradictory, contradistinct, contrapositive, contrarily,
contrarious, contrariwise, contrasted, contrasting, contrawise,
contumacious, converse, conversely, counter, counteractive,
counterbalance, counterbalancing, countercheck, counterpoint,
counterpoise, counterpoised, counterpole, counterproductive,
counterterm, countervailing, cranky, cross, cross-grained,
crosswise, cumbersome, dead against, denying, departing,
detrimental, deviant, deviating, deviative, different,
differentiated, differing, difficult, disaccordant, disaffirming,
disagreeable, disagreeing, disallowing, disavowing, disclaiming,
discordant, discrepant, discrete, discriminated, disharmonious,
disjoined, disowning, disparate, disproportionate, dissentient,
dissenting, dissident, dissimilar, dissonant, distinct,
distinguished, divergent, diverging, divers, diverse, diversified,
enemy, eyeball to eyeball, face to face, foil, foul, fractious,
froward, grating, hard, harmful, headstrong, heterogeneous,
hindering, hindersome, hostile, hulking, hulky, immiscible,
impractical, in disagreement, in opposition, in opposition to,
in the way, inaccordant, inauspicious, incompatible, incongruous,
inconsistent, inconsonant, inconvenient, inharmonious, inhibiting,
inhibitive, inimical, inopportune, insubordinate, interrupting,
interruptive, intractable, inverse, irascible, irreconcilable,
jangling, jarring, just opposite, many, miserable, motley,
multifarious, negative, negatory, nonconformable, nonconforming,
nonconformist, noncooperative, nonobservant, nose to nose,
not easy, obstinate, obstructing, obstructive, obstruent, obverse,
occlusive, offset, opponent, opposed, opposing, opposite,
opposite number, oppositely, oppositional, oppositive, oppugnant,
ornery, out of accord, out of whack, overthwart, perverse,
perversely, polar, poles apart, poles asunder, ponderous,
rebellious, recalcitrant, recanting, recusant, refractory,
refutative, refutatory, refuting, renunciative, renunciatory,
repressive, repudiative, repugnant, restive, restrictive, reverse,
revocative, revocatory, rigorous, rival, self-willed, separate,
separated, setoff, several, sinister, squared off, stifling,
strangling, stressful, stubborn, stuffy, sulky, sullen,
suppressive, the contrary, the other side, troublesome, troublous,
trying, unaccommodating, unadaptable, unadjustable, uncompliant,
unconformable, unconforming, uncongenial, uncooperative, unequal,
unfavorable, unfortunate, unfriendly, unhandy, unharmonious,
unlike, unlucky, unmanageable, unpropitious, unruly, unsubmissive,
untoward, unwieldy, variant, varied, variegated, various, varying,
vice versa, vis-a-vis, wayward, widely apart, worlds apart,
wretched, wrongheaded
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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