Meaning & use
contradiction
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A situation in which two statements, facts, or ideas cannot both be true because they clash.
Grammar: Countable for a particular clash (a contradiction), uncountable for the general idea (full of contradiction).
Patterns
- a contradiction between something and something
- a contradiction in something
- a contradiction of something
There is a clear contradiction between his alibi and the security footage.
The report is full of contradictions, so it is hard to trust.
She noticed a contradiction in the two sets of figures.
noununcountableformal
The act of saying that something someone else has said is wrong.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase without fear of contradiction, meaning very confidently.
Patterns
- without fear of contradiction
- in contradiction of something
He spoke with such authority that nobody dared offer contradiction.
I can say, without fear of contradiction, that this is the best pasta in town.
Her quiet contradiction of the claim surprised everyone in the room.
nouncountable
A person or thing that has qualities that seem to be at odds with each other.
Grammar: Often describes a person: she is a walking contradiction.
Patterns
- a walking contradiction
- a contradiction in terms
He is a walking contradiction: a shy actor who hates attention.
The phrase 'old news' is almost a contradiction in terms.
The city is a place of contradictions, with great wealth beside poverty.
Word forms
| plural | contradictions |
|---|
Common combinations
- a direct contradiction
- His public statement was a direct contradiction of what he had told me.
- a contradiction in terms
- A silent conversation is a contradiction in terms.
- point out a contradiction
- The lawyer pointed out a contradiction in the witness's story.
- resolve a contradiction
- The scientists tried to resolve the contradiction between the two experiments.
- a glaring contradiction
- There is a glaring contradiction in the party's tax plan.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inconsistency
- Inconsistency is milder and may be just a small mismatch, while contradiction says the two things cannot both be true.
- discrepancy
- A discrepancy usually refers to a difference between figures or accounts, not an outright clash of ideas.
- paradox
- A paradox seems contradictory but may still contain truth, whereas a contradiction is normally a genuine clash.
Opposites
Word family
- contradict verb
- to say the opposite of something or to be inconsistent with it
- contradictory adjective
- containing or expressing opposite ideas
- contradictorily adverb
- in a way that clashes with itself
Commonly confused: contradiction or contrast?
contradiction vs contrast
A contrast is a noticeable difference between things and does not mean one is false; a contradiction means they cannot both be true.
Practice
The witness said she was home all night, but her phone records showed she was across town. This is a clear ____.
Choose one answer.
Two claims that cannot both be true form a contradiction. Confirmation would mean the records supported her story.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contradiction”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.