喜樂美語

You can picture two arrows pointing straight at each other from opposite ends of a line. Whatever the word is doing — an opinion, a wind, a person — something is facing the other way and pushing back.

可以想成一條線的兩端各有一支箭頭，直直對著對方。不管這個字用在意見、風向還是一個人身上，畫面都一樣：有東西朝著反方向，而且頂著你。

From the word’s history

From Old French contrarie, from Latin contrarius 'opposite, opposed', built on contra 'against'. It started out spatial — pointing the other way — and by the late 14th century was already being used of people 'given to contradiction, perverse'.

來自古法語 contrarie，源頭是拉丁文 contrarius「相反的、對立的」，字根 contra 就是「相對、相向」。它一開始講的是方位——朝反方向；十四世紀末就已經拿來形容人「老是唱反調、拗」。所以逆風和拗脾氣其實是同一個箭頭，只是一個吹在帆上，一個長在人身上。

Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/contrary

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

同家族的字

比較級 more contrary最高級 most contrary

意思相近

oppositethe oppositeopposingstubbornthe reverseadverseperverseconflictingthe other sideunfavorablewilfulopposed+4

用法接近

differentoppositionheadwinddifficultclashingnegationagainst the windrebelliousactuallyobstinatein realityas a matter of fact

原始詞典資料14 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

contraryadj/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.

    • contrary winds
    • And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me[…]
  • 2

    Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.

    • Galileo [Galilei]'s zeal for his opinions soon led him again to bring the question under the notice of the Pope, and the result was a declaration of the Inquisition that the doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred scripture.
  • 3

    Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

    • a contrary disposition; a contrary child

contraryadv/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    Contrarily

    • I never act contrary to my principles.

contrarynoun/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    The opposite.

    • No contraries hold more antipathy Than I and such a knave.
  • 2

    human-scienceslogicmathematicsOne of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.

    • If two universals differ in quality, they are contraries; as, every vine is a tree; no vine is a tree. These can never be both true together; but they may be both false.
  • 3

    historicalA type of loaded die.

contraryverb/ˈkɒntɹəɹi/

  • 1

    obsoleteTo oppose; to frustrate.

    • You that be of the court, & eſpecially ye ſworn chaplains beware of a leſſon that a great man taught me at my firſt coming to the court he told me for a good will, he thoughte it wel. He ſayd vnto me. You muſt beware how ſo euer ye do that ye cõtrary not the king, let him haue his ſaiyngs, folow him, go with him. Mary out vpon this counſel, ſhal I ſay, as he ſayes?
    • The Athenians having left the enemie in their owne land, for to pass into Sicilie, had very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune[…].
  • 2

    obsoleteTo impugn.

  • 3

    obsoleteTo contradict (someone or something).

    • thus wilfully sir Palomydes dyd bataille with yow & as for hym sir I was not gretely aferd but I dred fore laūcelot that knew yow not Madame said Palomydes ye maye saye what so ye wyll I maye not contrary yow but by my knyghthode I knewe not sir Tristram
    • I finde them everie one in his turne to have reason, although they contrary one another.
  • 4

    obsoleteTo do the opposite of (someone or something).

  • 5

    obsoleteTo act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.

  • 6

    obsoleteTo argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.

  • 7

    obsoleteTo be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。