Contrary synonyms
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Contending or acting against; as, antagonistic forces.
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- Contending or acting against; as, antagonistic forces.
- Showing antagonism; acting in opposition
Feeling or showing enmity or ill will:
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- Feeling or showing enmity or ill will:
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of an enemy:
- Being in opposition; opposed:
Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse:
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- Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse:
- Like an enemy; hostile; unfriendly
- In opposition; adverse; unfavorable
Being in diametrical opposition:
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- Being in diametrical opposition:
- Exactly opposite
- Pertaining to antithesis, or opposition of words and sentiments; containing, or of the nature of, antithesis; contrasted.
That acts in opposition, tends in an opposite direction, or is opposite or contrary; opposed or opposing
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- That acts in opposition, tends in an opposite direction, or is opposite or contrary; opposed or opposing
- Contrary; opposing:
Coming, said, done, etc. before the usual or expected time; premature
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- Coming, said, done, etc. before the usual or expected time; premature
- Occurring too soon; premature:
Moving in an opposite or opposing direction:
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- Moving in an opposite or opposing direction:
- Acting or serving to oppose; antagonistic:
- Contrary to one's interests or welfare; harmful or unfavorable:
Unfavorable; inauspicious:
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- Unfavorable; inauspicious:
- Not propitious; unfavourable, untimely
Characterized by or resulting from willful opposition or resistance to what is right, expected, or reasonable:
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- Characterized by or resulting from willful opposition or resistance to what is right, expected, or reasonable:
- Deviating from what is considered right or good; wrong, improper, etc. or corrupt, wicked, etc.; specif., sexually perverted
- Willfully opposing or resisting what is right, expected, or reasonable:
Inclined to contradict or deny
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- Inclined to contradict or deny
- Involving a contradiction; inconsistent
- Given to contradicting:
Showing such determination
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- Showing such determination
- Determined not to follow orders, advice, etc. but to do as one pleases
- Determined to do as one pleases, and not as others want.
Done or carried on in an obstinate or doggedly persistent manner
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- Done or carried on in an obstinate or doggedly persistent manner
- Characterized by a refusal to change one's mind or course of action; dogged or persistent:
- Difficult to treat or deal with; resistant to treatment or effort:
In the habit of balking; stubbornly resisting
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- In the habit of balking; stubbornly resisting
- Difficult to operate or start:
- Given to stopping and refusing to go on:
Refusing to move, especially in a forward direction.
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- Refusing to move, especially in a forward direction.
- Refusing to move. Used of a horse or other animal.
- Characterized by impatience or an absence of calm; unsettled:
Conforming to no fixed rule or pattern; unpredictable; irregular; capricious; erratic
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- Conforming to no fixed rule or pattern; unpredictable; irregular; capricious; erratic
- Going somewhere not intended or desired:
- Deviating from what is desired, expected, or required, especially in being disobedient or in gratifying one's own inclinations:
Doing as one pleases; self-willed
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- Doing as one pleases; self-willed
- Said or done on purpose; deliberate:
- Stubborn.
Difficult to melt or work; resistant to heat:
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- Difficult to melt or work; resistant to heat:
- Resistant to treatment:
- Having a high melting point. Ceramics that are made from clay and minerals are often refractory, as are metal oxides and carbides. Refractory materials are often used as liners in furnaces.
Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting opposition
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- Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting opposition
Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
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- Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature, ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
- Difficult to handle:
- Note: Cantankerous is generally used to describe an unpleasant elderly person in a slightly pejorative manner. However, the term can be used to people in general, livestock, and machinery as well.
(By extension) Difficult to deal with; contrary or troublesome.
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- (By extension) Difficult to deal with; contrary or troublesome.
- Alternative form of cross-grained.
- (Of timber) Having an irregular rather than a parallel grain.
(Archaic) Disobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.
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- (Archaic) Disobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.
- Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
- Not easily controlled; stubbornly willful; contrary
Perverse; inimical.
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- Perverse; inimical.
- (Now Chiefly Dial.) Contrary; esp., perverse
(Logic) A proposition obtained by conversion.
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- (Logic) A proposition obtained by conversion.
- A thing related in a converse way; the opposite
- An interchange of thoughts and feelings by means of speech or sign language; conversation.
The exact opposite
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- The exact opposite
- A figure of speech in which sharply contrasting ideas are juxtaposed in a balanced or parallel phrase or grammatical structure, as in
- The direct or exact opposite:
against
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opposed
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opposite
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unfavorable
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obstinate
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contrast
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opposite
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Situated on the opposite side or sides of the Earth.
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- Situated on the opposite side or sides of the Earth.
- Diametrically opposed; exactly opposite.
- Diametrically opposite
Of, relating to, or marked by antithesis.
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- Of, relating to, or marked by antithesis.
- Pertaining to antithesis, or opposition of words and sentiments; containing, or of the nature of, antithesis; contrasted.
- Exactly opposite
- Of or relating to an antonym or antonyms.
Tending to contradict or oppose, contrarious.
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- Tending to contradict or oppose, contrarious.
- Inclined to contradict or deny
- Given to contradicting:
Reversed in position, order, action, etc.; opposite; contrary; turned about
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- Reversed in position, order, action, etc.; opposite; contrary; turned about
Contrary; opposing:
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- Contrary; opposing:
- That acts in opposition, tends in an opposite direction, or is opposite or contrary; opposed or opposing
Of, relating to, or along a diameter.
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- Of, relating to, or along a diameter.
- Designating an opposite, a contrary, a difference, etc. that is wholly so; complete
- Exactly opposite; contrary.
Placed or located directly across from something else or from each other:
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- Placed or located directly across from something else or from each other:
- Sharply contrasting; antithetical:
- (Botany) Growing in pairs on either side of a stem:
Relating to a pole, such as the pole of a magnet or one of the electrodes of an electrolytic cell.
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- Relating to a pole, such as the pole of a magnet or one of the electrodes of an electrolytic cell.
- Opposite in character, nature, direction, etc.
- Occupying or characterized by opposite extremes:
Turned backward; opposite or contrary, as in position, direction, order, etc.
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- Turned backward; opposite or contrary, as in position, direction, order, etc.
- Turned backward in position, direction, or order:
- Causing movement backward or in the opposite direction
In the habit of balking; stubbornly resisting
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- In the habit of balking; stubbornly resisting
- Given to stopping and refusing to go on:
- Difficult to operate or start:
Perverse; inimical.
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- Perverse; inimical.
- (Now Chiefly Dial.) Contrary; esp., perverse
Requiring considerable effort or skill; not easy to do or accomplish:
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- Requiring considerable effort or skill; not easy to do or accomplish:
- Not easy to endure; full of hardship or trouble; trying:
- Not easy to comprehend, solve, or explain:
Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
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- Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
- Not easily controlled; stubbornly willful; contrary
- (Archaic) Disobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.
Not capable of being endured, used, agreed to, etc. because disagreeable or unsuitable
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- Not capable of being endured, used, agreed to, etc. because disagreeable or unsuitable
- Not capable of being done easily or conveniently
- Extremely difficult to deal with or tolerate:
Having an ugly or mean disposition
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- Having an ugly or mean disposition
- Mean-spirited, disagreeable, and contrary in disposition; cantankerous.
- (Humorous, southern US) Mischievous, prankish, teasing, disagreeable but in a good way.
Willfully opposing or resisting what is right, expected, or reasonable:
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- Willfully opposing or resisting what is right, expected, or reasonable:
- Deviating from what is considered right or good; wrong, improper, etc. or corrupt, wicked, etc.; specif., sexually perverted
- Obstinately disobedient or difficult; intractable
Insistent upon having one's own way; headstrong, willful, disobedient, etc.
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- Insistent upon having one's own way; headstrong, willful, disobedient, etc.
- Deviating from what is desired, expected, or required, especially in being disobedient or in gratifying one's own inclinations:
- Difficult or impossible to manage, control, or keep in order:
One of a pair of antipodes.
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- One of a pair of antipodes.
- Anything diametrically opposite; exact opposite
- A direct or diametrical opposite.
Something that is the exact opposite or contrary of another; an antipode.
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- Something that is the exact opposite or contrary of another; an antipode.
- Two places on directly opposite sides of the Earth, such as the North Pole and the South Pole.
- A place on the opposite side of the earth
The second stage of the Hegelian dialectic process, representing the opposite of the thesis.
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- The second stage of the Hegelian dialectic process, representing the opposite of the thesis.
- The direct or exact opposite:
- A proposition that is the diametric opposite of some other proposition.
An interchange of thoughts and feelings by means of speech or sign language; conversation.
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- An interchange of thoughts and feelings by means of speech or sign language; conversation.
- A thing related in a converse way; the opposite
- Something that has been reversed; an opposite.
(Printing) The depression between the raised lines of the face on a piece of type.
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- (Printing) The depression between the raised lines of the face on a piece of type.
- (Football) A play in which most blockers move in one direction while the running back with the ball moves in the opposite direction
- The opposite; contrary
An opponent or antagonist.
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- An opponent or antagonist.
- Anything opposed or opposite
- Arranged as one of a pair on either side of a stem or twig. Maple and ash trees have opposite leaves.
A change to an opposite position, condition, or direction.
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- A change to an opposite position, condition, or direction.
- A mechanism, etc. for reversing, as a gear arrangement in a transmission that causes a machine, motor vehicle, etc. to run backward or in the opposite direction
- Movement in an opposite direction.
(Logic) Any of a pair of propositions, that cannot both be true or both be false.
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- (Logic) Any of a pair of propositions, that cannot both be true or both be false.
- Something that contradicts; an opposite
- (Logic) Either of two proportions so related that only one can be true and, likewise, only one can be false
(Logic) A proposition obtained by negating and transposing the terms of a given proposition
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- (Logic) A proposition obtained by negating and transposing the terms of a given proposition
- A proposition derived by negating and permuting the terms of another, equivalent proposition; for example, All not-Y is not-X is the contrapositive of All X is Y.
support
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attitude
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support
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support
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Synonym Study
- Balky implies a stopping short and stubbornly refusing to go on See also syn. study at opposite.
- Restive is applied to those who are impatient under restraint or discipline and hence are hard to control or keep in order
- Perverse implies an unreasonable obstinacy in deviating from what is considered right or acceptable
- Contrary , in this comparison, implies a habitual willful disinclination to accept orders, advice, etc.
Find another word for contrary. In this page you can discover 71 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for contrary, like: antagonistic, hostile, inimical, antithetical, counter, clashing, untimely, adverse, unpropitious, perverse and contradictory.
