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contrary English

Meaning contrary meaning

What does contrary mean?
Definitions in simple English

contrary

The contrary is the opposite of an idea, sentence, etc. It is best to believe people are good, at least until the contrary is shown. This is not necessarily bad; on the contrary, it is sometimes quite useful.

contrary

If an act or idea is contrary to something, it is against it. The president's actions are contrary to the constitution and therefore illegal. You use "contrary to mathx/math, mathy/math" when people believe mathx/math, but in fact mathy/math is true. Contrary to popular belief, Eskimos don't have huge numbers of 'snow' words. What she told me was contrary to everything I had ever heard. "On the contrary",which is from Hamlet

contrary

A contrary view, sentence, etc. is opposite to other ones. The contrary view is that these kind of projects are a waste of money. The only thoughts he had were contrary ones. A contrary person tries to be different from other people or does not often agree with others.

contrary

very opposed in nature or character or purpose acts contrary to our code of ethics the facts point to a contrary conclusion (= reverse) a relation of direct opposition we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true but both may be false 'hot' and 'cold' are contrary terms exact opposition public opinion to the contrary he is not guilty a logical relation such that two propositions are contraries if both cannot be true but both can be false (= obstinate, perverse, wayward) resistant to guidance or discipline Mary Mary quite contrary an obstinate child with a violent temper a perverse mood wayward behavior (= adverse) in an opposing direction adverse currents a contrary wind

Synonyms contrary synonyms

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Topics contrary topics

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Examples contrary examples

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Simple sentences

And yet, the contrary is always true as well.
You are young. I, on the contrary, am very old.
If you do that, it will only bring about a contrary effect.
It is contrary to reason.
It is contrary to the morals.
Everyone believes his story since there is no evidence to the contrary.
I have no proof to the contrary.
You think I have nothing to do; but on the contrary, I am very busy.
My opinion is contrary to yours.
I know nothing to the contrary.
They say he is guilty, but I believe the contrary.
What he has said is contrary to fact.
He's not lazy. On the contrary, I think he's a hard worker.
There is evidence to the contrary.
It isn't true that Jack is no good at music; on the contrary, he plays the piano well.
The result was contrary to his expectations.
My point of view is contrary to yours.
His response was contrary to our expectations.

Movie subtitles

On the contrary.
On the contrary. I like you, Gwymplaine.
On the contrary, it may prove to be most enlightening.
On the contrary, it may turn out to be of great importance.
On the contrary, he's pleased.
Quite on the contrary!
On the contrary, I'm quite satisfied.
On the contrary, we were just talking about.
On the contrary, my dear Rebecca.
No, on the contrary, a lady of rather good judgment.
Furthermore, it is madame's wish that while half of the interest. shall be deposited as usual in madame's account, the other half, contrary to custom, shall be delivered in cash into madame's personal custody.
I never have. On the contrary.
On the contrary, we seem like milksops compared to you.
If you've heard any report to the contrary, it's based on malicious rumour.
Will you slaughter all of contrary faith, Archbishop?
On the contrary. I've always been told what to do and how to do it and when and with whom.
Goes contrary with me.
Give me your forgiveness Dan, for ever haven been a wife to you. Oh, what a most contrary's ever been to this.
Why, on the contrary.
On the contrary, a relation.
That's quite the contrary.
On the contrary, I'm looking forward to it.
Quite the contrary.
On the contrary it was I who was expelled.
Quite the contrary, they could really easily do something.
Quite the contrary, we contradicted it, right Macky?
As for distant and forbidding on the contrary, but you also were a little the worse, or better, for wine and there are rules about that.
Well, I have information to the contrary.

News and current affairs

On the contrary, by and large it was the critics, not the supporters, of these measures who found themselves in trouble.
On the contrary, expansion takes away the worries - be they real or imagined - that surround the situation of the large Russian-speaking populations that now live outside of Russia but within the borders of the former Soviet Union.
On the contrary, everything becomes brighter.
On the contrary, what is rotten in Ukraine is not its constitution, but its president, who is mired in charges of corruption and orchestrating the murder of journalists, and who is shunned by other world leaders.
On the contrary, the feminism expressed by women such as these Afghani heroines should educate us in the West about our own shortcomings.
On the contrary, before the Civil War you could start out splitting rails, light out for the Western Territory, make a success of yourself on the frontier, and wind up as President - if you were named Abraham Lincoln.
On the contrary, they are now the government's partners in a joint venture to manage this dishonest scheme.
On the contrary, American policies typically inflame the situation rather than solve it.
On the contrary, they are puzzled about why we view the current low level of US long-term interest rates as worrisome.
On the contrary, it has become more rigorous and covert.
On the contrary, in the aftermath of the Iraq War, relations between the US and its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, are at their lowest level in years.
On the contrary, a shakeout of less productive jobs, for example, would at first raise unemployment, increase government outlays, and reduce private spending.
On the contrary, psychological studies invariably show that people care not only about their absolute income, but also about where they stand in the social pyramid and whether their position is fair.
On the contrary, the EU regards international cooperation as fundamental in the fight against terrorism.
On the contrary, events have imposed an agenda on Europe that we cannot escape and for which solidarity - true union - will be needed.
Contrary to popular perception, the public-sector wage bill is only of marginal importance.
On the contrary, it may have prompted the arrest of a lower-level indictee for crimes in Darfur.
On the contrary, experience is overrated, often constraining the courage needed to face tomorrow and build an unprecedented new world.
By the time the next presidential term starts in January 2013, and contrary to the current narratives advanced by the Obama and Romney campaigns, the incumbent will find himself with limited room for maneuver on economic policy.
On the contrary, until the Egyptian army removed him from the presidency, the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi was coming to be seen by many as America's man in Cairo.
Or, on the contrary, is decisive US support essential to Myanmar's fledgling reform process?
On the contrary, the Obama administration has already begun the discussions it promised on upgrading Israel's strategic capabilities.
Contrary to most commentary, this is not a growth strategy, but rather an attempt to limit the considerable risk of another major downturn, induced by further balance-sheet damage in the housing sector.
On the contrary, the Allies chose to maintain the pact and to extend it to numerous Russian neighbors.
On the contrary, it may be impossible to win North Korea's assent to denuclearization in the absence of far-reaching domestic change.

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