au contraire

adverb
UK: /ɔ kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ/
US: /oʊ kɔ̃.tʁɛr/

  1. Used to express the opposite of what was just said.

    1. You think it's easy? Au contraire, it's very difficult. [ ] [ ]
    2. He seems sad, but au contraire, he is quite happy with the situation despite appearances. [ ] [ ]

  2. Used to disagree with something someone has said.

    1. You say it’s simple, au contraire, it's rather complicated. [ ] [ ]
    2. They believe they are helping, au contraire, their interference is making matters worse. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

rather nay conversely
au contraire noun

  1. A statement that expresses the opposite of what someone has said.

    1. His opinion was an au contraire to her idea. [ ] [ ]
    2. Her constant au contraire attitude made conversations difficult and unproductive for everyone. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "au contraire" in English means: Used to express the opposite of what was just said., Used to disagree with something someone has said..

The phonetic transcription of "au contraire" is /ɔ kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ/ in British English and /oʊ kɔ̃.tʁɛr/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "au contraire": rather, nay, conversely.

Example usage of "au contraire": "You think it's easy? Au contraire, it's very difficult.". More examples on the page.