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

Will the new code of conduct also include sanctions for those who contravene it? —K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024

This was all destroyed, but weapons inspectors have since found evidence that contravenes the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention supervised by the OPCW. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Iran has contravened the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) by enhancing its chemical weapons capabilities for home and international use, says the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Trump’s claim to have impoundment power contravenes a Nixon-era law that forbids presidents from blocking spending over policy disagreements as well as a string of federal court rulings that prevent presidents from refusing to spend money unless Congress grants them the flexibility. —Molly Redden, ProPublica, 26 Nov. 2024

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