contradictory
🇬🇧 /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktəri/
🇺🇸 /ˌkɑntrəˈdɪktɜriː/
📖 Definitions
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adjective
Mutually opposed or inconsistent; involving a contradiction between two or more statements, facts, or ideas.; Given to contradicting others; inclined to dispute or oppose what is said.; In logic, relating to a pair of propositions that cannot both be true and cannot both be false, such that one must be true and the other false.; Serving to contradict or refute; having the quality of opposition or denial.
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noun
A contradictory statement or proposition; something that is the direct opposite of another.; One who contradicts or disputes; a person who habitually opposes others.
🔗 Details
Word forms
countable
Plural: contradictories
Comparative: more contradictory
Superlative: most contradictory
Collocations
contradictory evidencecontradictory statementscontradictory informationmutually contradictorycontradictory resultscontradictory claims
Derivatives
contradictcontradictioncontradictorilycontradictorinesscontradictor
Synonyms
inconsistentconflictingopposingparadoxicalincongruousirreconcilable
Antonyms
consistentcompatiblecongruentharmonious
Commonly confused
contrary
EN: 'Contrary' means opposite in nature or direction; 'contradictory' means mutually exclusive or logically inconsistent.
contrastive
EN: 'Contrastive' relates to showing differences between things; 'contradictory' implies logical incompatibility or direct opposition.
Spelling tips
EN: Remember the 'c' before 't' in 'contradic-' and the ending is '-tory', not '-tery'.
💬 Examples
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The witness gave contradictory accounts of what happened that night.
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He was a contradictory old man who argued with everyone about everything.
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The propositions 'All swans are white' and 'Some swans are not white' are contradictory in formal logic.
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The lawyer presented contradictory evidence to undermine the prosecution's case.
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The contradictory of 'All men are mortal' is 'Some men are not mortal.'
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He was known as a contradictory in every debate, always taking the opposing side.