CONTRADICTION Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

contradiction

noun

ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-shən

Definition of contradiction

as in paradox

someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another a loving father as well as a ruthless killer, the gangster is a living contradiction

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in denial

a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement the actress's contradiction of the marriage rumor caused quite a stir

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of contradiction The sport is defined by regionalism and spectacle, contradiction and chaos. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026 For Guillotine Bakery founders Alizé Bikard, Vincent Didry, and Vince Le Bec, that contradiction is the point. — Carly Boers, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 The unrest also reveals an uncomfortable contradiction in Pakistan’s official position on Kashmir. — Aqil Shah, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 This is not a contradiction, but the reality of life in Egypt, which is reflected in everything from family dinners to the whole country’s holidays. — Kaitlyn Gomez, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contradiction

Recent Examples of Synonyms for contradiction

Noun

Clarke’s legacy, of a philosophical cinema that turns form into inquiry, critique, and protest, is also a cinema of paradox.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
The phrase cradles this paradox; depending on the context, the phrase could mean bliss or tragedy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of paradox

Noun

Improve home-health billing, claims submission, denial management, legacy accounts receivable, revenue-cycle dashboards, and financial sustainability.

— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 27 Aug. 2026
The denial-of-service attacks meant that hackers pushed massive traffic toward the agency in order to block services, including one that enables citizens to use one login across multiple public services.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of denial

Noun

Social media’s instant rejection of Netflix’s Qwikster spinoff, for instance, forced the company to scuttle that bad idea almost immediately after it was introduced in 2011.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
After all, the billionaire founder lived a whirlwind of a career, turning down lucrative job offers and weathering professional rejection before ultimately launching one of the world’s biggest biotech companies.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejection

Browse Nearby Words

contradicting

contradiction

contradictions

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Style

“Contradiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contradiction. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of contradiction

noun

Example Sentences

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