contradiction

noun
UK: /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən/
US: /ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkʃən/

  1. A situation where two statements or ideas disagree with each other.

    1. There's a contradiction in what he says.
    2. His public image is in direct contradiction to his private behavior.

  2. The act of saying something that is opposite or very different in meaning to something else that you have said before.

    1. His story is a contradiction of earlier reports.
    2. The witness's contradiction of his previous testimony cast doubt on his reliability.

  3. A person or thing containing inconsistent elements.

    1. She is a walking contradiction, kind yet cruel.
    2. The project's success despite its flawed design is a surprising contradiction.

Synonyms

denial discrepancy conflict opposition inconsistency
contradiction transitive-verb

  1. To say the opposite of something that someone else has said.

    1. Don't contradict me in front of others.
    2. The report seems to contradict the government's claims about economic growth.

  2. To be so different from another thing that one of them must be wrong.

    1. His lifestyle seems to contradict his professed beliefs.
    2. The evidence presented at trial directly contradicted the defendant's alibi.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "contradiction" in English means: A situation where two statements or ideas disagree with each other., The act of saying something that is opposite or very different in meaning to something else that you have said before., A person or thing containing inconsistent elements..

The phonetic transcription of "contradiction" is /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən/ in British English and /ˌkɑːntrəˈdɪkʃən/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "contradiction": denial, discrepancy, conflict, opposition, inconsistency.

Example usage of "contradiction": "There's a contradiction in what he says.". More examples on the page.