the contrary
noun
: an opposite or different fact, event, or situation
He was sure his sister had made a mistake, but the contrary was true: she was right and he was wrong.
Examples of the contrary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the contrary, the administration has removed sanctions from the Institute for Forensic Science, part of China’s Ministry of Public Security and implicated in the ongoing Uyghur genocide, in exchange for getting China to the table on its role in fentanyl supply chains.
—
The Editors, National Review, 15 May 2024
Louie blames his bad results on bad luck despite all the evidence to the contrary.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Quite the contrary, with political power linked to economic power and economic power linked to the economic rules set in our political processes.
—Joseph E. Stiglitz, Fortune, 12 May 2024
Moscow calls that an abrogation of previous British assurances to the contrary.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
On the contrary, it was rumored that this would be an almost impossible mission due to technical reasons.
—Billboard Brasil, Billboard, 3 May 2024
The critics warned the bill would give courts a green light to abandon reporter recruitment efforts and go all-in on electronic recordings, regardless of promises to the contrary.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, much of Thursday’s presentation focused on 2025 titles, several of them new, and even titles dated for 2026.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, the regional order appears to be sorting itself out without the United States, and the administration has not been able to prevent the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians and the physical devastation of Gaza.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The Editors, National Review, 15 May 2024
Louie blames his bad results on bad luck despite all the evidence to the contrary.
—Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024
Quite the contrary, with political power linked to economic power and economic power linked to the economic rules set in our political processes.
—Joseph E. Stiglitz, Fortune, 12 May 2024
Moscow calls that an abrogation of previous British assurances to the contrary.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024
On the contrary, it was rumored that this would be an almost impossible mission due to technical reasons.
—Billboard Brasil, Billboard, 3 May 2024
The critics warned the bill would give courts a green light to abandon reporter recruitment efforts and go all-in on electronic recordings, regardless of promises to the contrary.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, much of Thursday’s presentation focused on 2025 titles, several of them new, and even titles dated for 2026.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
To the contrary, the regional order appears to be sorting itself out without the United States, and the administration has not been able to prevent the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians and the physical devastation of Gaza.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the contrary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the contrary
Cite this Entry
“The contrary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20contrary. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
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