Meaning & use
contradict
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To say that what someone has said is wrong, often by stating the opposite.
Grammar: Takes a person or statement as the object: she contradicted her boss.
Patterns
- contradict someone
- contradict a statement
The student politely contradicted the teacher.
Don't contradict me in front of the customers.
The witness contradicted the earlier report.
verbtransitive
To be so different from something else that both cannot be true.
Grammar: Facts or reports contradict each other, or one contradicts another.
Patterns
- contradict each other
- contradict something
The two reports contradict each other on the date.
His actions contradict his promises.
The new data contradicts the earlier theory.
verbtransitive
To say or do something that goes against what you said or did before.
Grammar: Often reflexive: he contradicted himself within a minute.
Patterns
- contradict yourself
He contradicted himself twice in one answer.
The speaker kept contradicting himself.
Politicians are criticized when they contradict themselves.
Word forms
| third person singular | contradicts |
|---|---|
| past tense | contradicted |
| past participle | contradicted |
| -ing form | contradicting |
Common combinations
- directly contradict
- The photo directly contradicts his story.
- contradict yourself
- Try not to contradict yourself in the interview.
- contradict each other
- Their statements contradict each other.
- flatly contradict
- The mayor flatly contradicted the report.
- contradict the evidence
- Her claim contradicts the evidence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deny
- Deny means to say something is not true, while contradict means to say the opposite or to clash.
- dispute
- Dispute is to argue about whether something is correct, and it need not claim the opposite.
- disagree with
- Disagree with simply states a different opinion, and is milder than contradict.
- conflict with
- Conflict with is used when two things cannot both be satisfied, such as plans or interests.
Opposites
Word family
- contradiction noun
- a statement or fact that clashes with another
- contradictory adjective
- saying opposite things
- contradictorily adverb
- in a way that clashes
- uncontradicted adjective
- not opposed by anyone
Commonly confused: contradict or contrast?
contradict vs contrast
To contrast is to show differences, while to contradict is to say or be the opposite so both cannot be true.
Practice
Her account of the evening ______ the security video, which showed she left earlier.
Choose one answer.
Contradicts means the two cannot both be true, which fits a video showing otherwise. Confirms, repeats and supports would mean the account matched the video.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contradict”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.