contravene

verb

con·​tra·​vene ˌkän-trə-ˈvēn 

contravened; contravening

transitive verb

1

: to go or act contrary to : violate

contravene a law

2

: to oppose in argument : contradict

contravene a proposition

contravener noun

Did you know?

Contravene is most often used in reference to laws. So a government may take a company to court claiming that its policies are in contravention of national labor laws. The contravention of copyright laws is a big topic today especially where electronic information is involved. And a country might be punished if a trade organization finds that it's contravening international trade agreements.

Synonyms

• breach
• break
• fracture
• infringe (on or upon)
• offend
• traduce
• transgress
• violate

Choose the Right Synonym for contravene

deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid.

deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of.

denied the charges

gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said.

no one can gainsay her claims

contradict implies an open or flat denial.

her account contradicts his

contravene implies not so much an intentional opposition as some inherent incompatibility.

laws that contravene tradition

Examples of contravene in a Sentence

The overcrowded dance club contravened safety regulations.

the unauthorized reproduction of the image contravenes copyright laws

Recent Examples on the Web

Its attempt to designate Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins as acting special counsel was not an effort to contravene the lower court’s prohibition on recognizing a different special counsel because this was merely signaling who would take over if Dellinger was out (an inane argument). —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2025

And in a matter of days—and contravening laws and budgets passed by Congress—the Trump Administration has attempted not simply to redirect U.S.A.I.D.’s policy but to gut the agency’s capacity. —Atul Gawande, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2025

And when Chadian President Idriss Déby died and his son Mahamat seized power in 2021, clearly contravening the country’s constitutional order, the United States chose not to risk jeopardizing its security relationship with Chad by declaring the move a coup. —Jon Temin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2023

There are two aspects of your HOA’s project that could potentially contravene the governing documents, giving you a legal claim: First, whether the board is adding new amenities that didn’t exist before. —Jill Terreri Ramos, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French contrevenir, from Late Latin contravenire, from Latin contra- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for contravene

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean