Meaning & use
contrarian
A person who deliberately opposes or rejects popular or accepted opinion, especially in debate or investing.
See it in a sentence
The contrarian analyst predicted the market would fall just as everyone else grew optimistic.
She enjoyed playing the contrarian in class discussions just to challenge her classmates' assumptions.
A note on using this word
Contrarian can be used approvingly, for independent thinking, or critically, for disagreeing just to be difficult; tone usually signals which is meant.
Words with a similar meaning
dissentermaverick
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contrarian”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.