contradictory

[kon-truh-dik-tuh-ree]

adjective

1. asserting the contrary or opposite; contradicting; inconsistent; logically opposite.

   contradictory statements.

   Synonyms: paradoxical, irreconcilable

2. tending or inclined to contradict.

noun

plural

contradictories 

1. Logic.,  a proposition so related to a second that it is impossible for both to be true or both to be false.

contradictory

/ ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktərɪ /

adjective

1. inconsistent; incompatible

2. given to argument and contention

   a contradictory person

3. logic (of a pair of statements) unable both to be true or both to be false under the same circumstances Compare contrary subcontrary

noun

1. logic a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true or false when it is false

Other Word Forms

• contradictorily adverb
• contradictoriness noun
• intercontradictory adjective
• noncontradictory adjective
• uncontradictory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contradictory¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin contrādictōrius; equivalent to contradict + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

Republicans took a more measured tone with Kennedy, with some praising his leadership and others asking him to clarify what they described as contradictory remarks.

From BBC

"He did not make any concessions even where the documentary evidence contradicted his position, and gave contradictory evidence."

From BBC

Historical scholarship on the draft riots is intensive and disputatious; my only concluding point is that they seem to contain all the most painful and contradictory lessons of our nation’s history in compressed form.

From Salon

Investigators deemed the disappearance suspicious early on after saying Rebecca Haro offered contradictory statements about what happened the evening her child disappeared.

From Los Angeles Times

Work I was involved in has shown that people who are dispositionally ambivalent — that is, who are more comfortable holding contradictory thoughts or feelings — are less prone to cognitive biases like the confirmation bias.

From Salon

Related Words

• antithetical 
• conflicting 
• contrary 
• incompatible 
• inconsistent 
• paradoxical