contradiction

noun

con·​tra·​dic·​tion ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-shən 

1

: act or an instance of contradicting

the defendant's contradiction of the plaintiff's accusations

2

a

: a proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something

… both parts of a contradiction cannot possibly be true …

—Thomas Hobbes

b

: a statement or phrase whose parts contradict each other

a round square is a contradiction in terms

3

a

: logical incongruity

b

: a situation in which inherent factors, actions, or propositions are inconsistent or contrary to one another

Synonyms

• dichotomy
• incongruity
• paradox

Examples of contradiction in a Sentence

No one was surprised by the defendant's contradiction of the plaintiff's accusations.

Her rebuttal contained many contradictions to my arguments.

There have been some contradictions in his statements.

There is a contradiction between what he said yesterday and what he said today.

Her statements are mired in contradiction.

What he said yesterday is in direct contradiction to what he said today.

Recent Examples on the Web

The proliferation of online profiles, self-summaries where all the haze and contradictions of a person are left out, hastened this process; hashtags turned personal branding into a sport, and the algorithms took things from there. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024

Even when religion is less explicitly invoked, Borzage’s films are marked by a sense of spiritual devotion, in which romantic desire isn’t a contradiction of the spiritual but an incarnation of it—not least because, for Borzage, lust and consummation are inseparable from sacrifice and torment. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024

But Mercury has proved to be a world of contradictions, a dynamic planet that hides more surprises than scientists initially gave it credit for. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

This contradiction confronts Black women leaders and creatives across all sectors, not just in country music. —Kimberly Bryant, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024

More:Is going green a contradiction for SC Johnson? —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024

The crackdown has exposed one of the main contradictions of wartime Russia, where nationalist fervor promoted by the government has brought xenophobia to new highs even as foreign workers have become an irreplaceable part of the country’s war effort. —Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Such a contradiction is central to the novel’s larger conflict, which is the tension between artifice and authenticity. —David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024

The only thing more annoying than human contradictions is the person who has successfully transcended them. —Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contradiccioun "objection, opposition, contradiction in logic" borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French contradiction, borrowed from Latin contrādictiōn-, contrādictiō "act of speaking in opposition, counterargument" (Late Latin also "contradiction in logic," after Greek antíphasis), from contrādic-, variant stem of contrādīcere "to speak against, object to" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at contradict

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing contradiction

• contradiction in terms
• self-contradiction
• without fear of contradiction

Kids Definition

contradiction

noun

con·​tra·​dic·​tion ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-shən 

1

: something (as a statement) that contradicts something else

2

: a condition in which things oppose each other