contradictory
1 of 2adjective
con·tra·dic·to·ry ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē 
: involving, causing, or constituting a contradiction
contradictory statements
The witnesses gave contradictory accounts of the accident.
contradictorily
ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rə-lē
adverb contradictoriness
ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē-nəs
noun contradictory
2 of 2noun
con·tra·dic·to·ry
plural contradictories
: a proposition (see proposition entry 1 sense 2a) so related to another that if either of the two is true the other is false and if either is false the other must be true
Synonyms
Adjective
- antipodal
- antipodean
- antithetical
- contrary
- diametric
- diametrical
- opposite
- polar
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective contradictory predictions regarding stock prices that were of no help to investors at all
Recent Examples on the Web
Roger Trapp, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 The contradictory and incomplete picture nearly a month after the arrests has led to questions about the Richmond police account. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Plaintiffs challenging the state's ban acknowledge abortions can now be prohibited but contest that the law’s provisions are contradictory and unconstitutionally vague. Landon Mion, Fox News, 14 Aug. 2022 The book highlights how even though Asian-Americans have a centuries-long history in the West, racist western narratives have depicted them as contradictory to the myth of the American West and liminal to its story. Nylah Burton, Outside Online, 9 Aug. 2022 The artificial physicist could operate in a way that is almost contradictory to a human. Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022 And there is a profit motive on some of these media outlets to not say anything contradictory to what Donald Trump is saying. ABC News, 10 July 2022 Information online was often contradictory and difficult to find. oregonlive, 27 July 2022 And since March 2020, these Americans have spent key moments of their youth struggling to survive a global pandemic where many of our leaders offered meager, contradictory and half-hearted policies as core institutions, including schools, shut down. CNN, 14 July 2022 Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 24 Sep. 2020 For a school board that has criticized Foose for a lack of transparency, the secret talks over separation and lining up an interim appear contradictory. Howard County Times, 3 May 2017 See More
Adjective
Those that see them as trade-offs and dilemmas tend to draw on either/or thinking, while those adopting the paradox mindset see things in a both/and way and tend to regard competing demands as contradictory and interdependent. Roger Trapp, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 The contradictory and incomplete picture nearly a month after the arrests has led to questions about the Richmond police account. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Plaintiffs challenging the state's ban acknowledge abortions can now be prohibited but contest that the law’s provisions are contradictory and unconstitutionally vague. Landon Mion, Fox News, 14 Aug. 2022 The book highlights how even though Asian-Americans have a centuries-long history in the West, racist western narratives have depicted them as contradictory to the myth of the American West and liminal to its story. Nylah Burton, Outside Online, 9 Aug. 2022 The artificial physicist could operate in a way that is almost contradictory to a human. Stephen Ibaraki, Forbes, 12 July 2022 And there is a profit motive on some of these media outlets to not say anything contradictory to what Donald Trump is saying. ABC News, 10 July 2022 Information online was often contradictory and difficult to find. oregonlive, 27 July 2022 And since March 2020, these Americans have spent key moments of their youth struggling to survive a global pandemic where many of our leaders offered meager, contradictory and half-hearted policies as core institutions, including schools, shut down. CNN, 14 July 2022 Noun
For six months, experts have given the American public contradictory and weaponized election-year directives on masks, social distancing, lockdowns, school closures, and workplace policies. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 24 Sep. 2020 For a school board that has criticized Foose for a lack of transparency, the secret talks over separation and lining up an interim appear contradictory. Howard County Times, 3 May 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective
see contradict
Noun
see contradict
First Known Use
Adjective
1656, in the meaning defined above
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing contradictory
Kids Definition
contradictory
adjective
con·tra·dic·to·ry ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-tə-rē
: involving, causing, or being the opposite of or much different from something else
contradictory reports
contradictoriness
noun
as in unlikeness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- unlikeness
- dissimilarity
- disparity
- divergence
- polarity
- disparateness
- opposition
- oppositeness
- contrariety
- incongruity
- incongruence
- variance
- discrepancy
- incompatibility
- contrariness
- incongruousness
- conflict
- antithesis
- inequality
- disagreement
- antipode
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sameness
- parallelism
- similarity
- identicalness
- conformity
- congruity
- resemblance
- similitude
- agreement
- correspondence
- relationship
- likeness
- correlation
- alikeness
- analogousness