contrary
Completely opposite to something else.
contrary in a sentence
- Contrary to the forecast, the afternoon was warm and bright.
- His account of the evening was contrary to everyone else's.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to contrary?
- Aopposite
- Bsame
- Cmatching
- Dagreeing
Show the answer
A: opposite. The other three mean the opposite of contrary.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to contrary?
- Aopposing
- Bopposite
- Csame
- Dconflicting
Show the answer
C: same. The other three mean nearly the same as contrary.
Words that mean something similar
opposite, opposing, conflicting
Words that mean the opposite
same, matching, agreeing
More words about thinking & learning
- crucial: Extremely important; something everything else depends on.
- cryptic: Having a hidden meaning that is hard to work out.
- decipher: To work out what something difficult or secret means.
- demonstrate: To show clearly how something works, or that it is true.
- determine: To decide something firmly, or to work it out for certain.
- dilemma: A tricky choice between two things, where neither seems right.
- distinguish: To see or show how two things are different.
- dubious: Not sure whether something is true or can be trusted.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test