contrariety

noun

con·​tra·​ri·​ety ˌkän-trə-ˈrī-ə-tē How to pronounce contrariety (audio)
plural contrarieties
1
: the quality or state of being contrary
2
: something contrary

Examples of contrariety in a Sentence

the inescapable contrariety of her chief interests: food and a desire for supermodel svelteness

Word History

Etymology

Middle English contrariete, contrarite "antithesis, opposite," borrowed from Anglo-French contrarieté, contrarité, borrowed from Late Latin contrārietāt-, contrārietās, from Latin contrārius "opposite, opposed, contrary entry 2" + -etāt-, -etās, variant of -itāt-, -itās -ity before -i-

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of contrariety was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near contrariety

Cite this Entry

“Contrariety.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrariety. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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