Meaning & use
contradictory
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Saying or showing things that cannot both be true because they clash with each other.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after a linking verb: contradictory reports; the reports are contradictory.
Patterns
- be contradictory to something
- contradictory evidence
The two witnesses gave contradictory accounts of the accident.
The advice in the book is contradictory, so I do not know what to do.
Her actions were contradictory to everything she had promised.
Word forms
| comparative | more contradictory |
|---|---|
| superlative | most contradictory |
Common combinations
- contradictory evidence
- The jury heard contradictory evidence about the date.
- contradictory statements
- The minister made contradictory statements on the tax plan.
- contradictory signals
- The shop sent contradictory signals about its return policy.
- appear contradictory
- The results may appear contradictory at first.
- seemingly contradictory
- The seemingly contradictory findings were later explained.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inconsistent
- Inconsistent is milder and means not matching, whereas contradictory means the two claims directly cannot both be true.
- conflicting
- Conflicting often describes opposing interests or pieces of information, while contradictory is stronger and logical.
- incompatible
- Incompatible describes things that cannot exist or work together, not necessarily statements that disagree.
- paradoxical
- Paradoxical describes something that seems impossible but may be true, unlike contradictory, which implies an actual clash.
Opposites
Word family
- contradict verb
- to say the opposite of something or be inconsistent with it
- contradiction noun
- a clash between two statements or facts
- contradictorily adverb
- in a conflicting way
- uncontradicted adjective
- not challenged or opposed
Commonly confused: contradictory or contrary?
contradictory vs contrary
Contrary can mean opposite in direction or opinion, while contradictory means two statements cannot both be true.
Practice
The detectives were confused because the two witnesses gave ____ descriptions of the suspect.
Choose one answer.
Contradictory means the descriptions clash and cannot both be right, which would confuse detectives. The other options mean the descriptions agree.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contradictory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.