Contrariness

[kon-trer-ee; for 5 also kuh n-trair-ee] /ˈkɒn trɛr i; for 5 also kənˈtrɛər i/

adjective
1.
opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed:
contrary to fact; contrary propositions.
2.
opposite in direction or position:
departures in contrary directions.
3.
being the opposite one of two:
I will make the contrary choice.
4.
unfavorable or adverse.
5.
perverse; stubbornly opposed or willful.
noun, plural contraries.
6.
something that is contrary or opposite:
to prove the contrary of a statement.
7.
either of two contrary things.
8.
Logic. a proposition so related to another proposition that both may not be true though both may be false, as with the propositions “All judges are male” and “No judges are male.”.
adverb
9.
in opposition; oppositely; counter:
to act contrary to one’s own principles.
Idioms
10.
by contraries, contrary to expectation.
11.
on the contrary,

12.
to the contrary,

/ˈkɒntrərɪ/
adjective
1.
opposed in nature, position, etc: contrary ideas
2.
(kənˈtrɛərɪ). perverse; obstinate
3.
(esp of wind) adverse; unfavourable
4.
(of plant parts) situated at right angles to each other
5.
(logic) (of a pair of propositions) related so that they cannot both be true at once, although they may both be false together Compare subcontrary (sense 2), contradictory (sense 3)
noun (pl) -ries
6.
the exact opposite (esp in the phrase to the contrary)
7.
on the contrary, quite the reverse; not at all
8.
either of two exactly opposite objects, facts, or qualities
9.
(logic) a statement that cannot be true when a given statement is true
adverb (usually foll by to)
10.
in an opposite or unexpected way: contrary to usual belief
11.
in conflict (with) or contravention (of): contrary to nature
n.

late 14c., “state of being contrary,” from contrary + -ness. Meaning “fondness of opposition” is from 1640s.
adj.

mid-14c., from Anglo-French contrarie, from Latin contrarius “opposite, opposed,” from contra “against” (see contra).

If we take the statement All men are mortal, its contrary is Not all men are mortal, its converse is All mortal beings are men, & its opposite is No men are mortal. The contrary, however, does not exclude the opposite, but includes it as its most extreme form. Thus This is white has only one opposite, This is black, but many contraries, as This is not white, This is coloured, This is dirty, This is black; & whether the last form is called the contrary, or more emphatically the opposite, is usually indifferent. But to apply the opposite to a mere contrary (e.g. to I did not hit him in relation to I hit him, which has no opposite), or to the converse (e.g. to He hit me in relation to I hit him, to which it is neither contrary nor opposite), is a looseness that may easily result in misunderstanding; the temptation to go wrong is intelligible when it is remembered that with certain types of sentence (A exceeds B) the converse & the opposite are identical (B exceeds A). [Fowler]

As a noun from late 13c. Related: Contrarily; contrariwise.

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