contrariness

noun

Definition of contrarinessnext
1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey cursed the contrariness of her beloved mutt when it refused to come back inside the house

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the quality or state of being as different as possible a contrariness between his professed altruism and his blatant selfishness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contrariness
  1. rebellion
  2. opposition
  3. defiance
  4. polarity
  5. willfulness
  6. rebelliousness
Noun
  • The creators are describing the title as Inglourious Bastards, Quentin Tarantino’s down in the dirt revisionist World War Two movie, meets V for Vendetta, Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s anti-fascist British tale of rebellion.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • To pair the piece with Celine’s more tailored pieces like the trousers and blouse added a tonal contrast that still executed on its luxury aesthetic, though with a touch of rebellion.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebellion
Noun
  • The massive warehouse campuses generating energy for AI projects have drawn bipartisan opposition, with voters concerned about their impact on electricity prices, farmland and water supplies.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Even these changes, though, would face years of fierce opposition from people with the resources to fight them while the public’s attention inevitably flagged.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of opposition
Noun
  • The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fueling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.
    — NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The plotters could not stop the news of Yeltsin’s defiance from spreading, and the coup collapsed within three days.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • Magnetic flux and polarity specs are hard to find because there’s no standard for measuring magnetic flux, and many users don’t seek or need this information.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Apply one polarity and the white particles move toward the top of a capsule.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of polarity
Noun
  • From grandmother to grandchild, these three sets of two sisters were powerful characters possessed with passion, willfulness, bravery, and devotion to each other.
    — Griffin Dunne, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Those leaders who ignore or flout the law aren’t merely unethical but fatally arrogant, putting their childish willfulness over the wisdom of generations.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of willfulness
Noun
  • Whether writing five decades ago or today, the genre’s most insightful commentators have always observed how punk fuses rebelliousness with commodification, capitalism with resistance.
    — Kyle Devine, Longreads, 14 July 2026
  • Marji’s rebelliousness, both admirable and terrifying for those who love her, is her salient characteristic.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Definition of rebelliousness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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contrarily
contrariness
contrariwise
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Cite this Entry

“Contrariness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contrariness. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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