contradict

/ˈkɑntrəˌdɪkt/

/kɒntrəˈdɪkt/

Other forms: contradicted; contradicting; contradicts

"Contra-" usually means "against," and to contradict is to go against or say the opposite of what someone else is doing or saying. Sometimes to contradict is to frustrate with words, like when one person says "The sky is blue" and another says "No, it's azure."

Denying or distorting the truth is a big part of trying to contradict. It can be harmless verbal back-and-forth, like when a husband and wife disagree just to disagree, or contradict each other to make a humorous point, but at other times people contradict something to make another person look like a liar. Often, a person who has lied will later contradict himself by saying something different from what he said earlier — and sometimes the two sides contradict each other, and neither is actually right.

Definitions of contradict

1. verb

   prove negative; show to be false
   synonyms: negate

   types:

   invalidate, nullify

   show to be invalid

   confute, disprove

   prove to be false

   explode

   show (a theory or claim) to be baseless, or refute and make obsolete

   controvert, rebut, refute

   prove to be false or incorrect

   falsify

   prove false

   type of:

   demonstrate, establish, prove, shew, show

   establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
2. verb

   deny the truth of
   synonyms: contravene, negate

   types:

   deny

   declare untrue; contradict

   disclaim

   make a disclaimer about

   repudiate

   reject as untrue, unfounded, or unjust

   disavow

   refuse to acknowledge; disclaim knowledge of; responsibility for, or association with

   type of:

   differ, disagree, dissent, take issue

   be of different opinions
3. verb

   be in contradiction with
   synonyms: belie, negate

   type of:

   depart, deviate, diverge, vary

   be at variance with; be out of line with
4. verb

   be resistant to
   synonyms: controvert, oppose

   types:

   blackball, negative, veto

   vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent

   dissent, protest, resist

   express opposition through action or words

   strike, walk out

   stop work in order to press demands

   defeat, kill, shoot down, vote down, vote out

   thwart the passage of

   demonstrate, march

   march in protest; take part in a demonstration

   arise, rebel, rise, rise up

   take part in a rebellion; renounce a former allegiance

   rebel, renegade

   break with established customs

   type of:

   confound, rebut, refute

   overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof