contravene

verb

con·​tra·​vene ˌkän-trə-ˈvēn 

contravened; contravening

transitive verb

1

: to go or act contrary to : violate

contravene a law

2

: to oppose in argument : contradict

contravene a proposition

contravener noun

Did you know?

Contravene is most often used in reference to laws. So a government may take a company to court claiming that its policies are in contravention of national labor laws. The contravention of copyright laws is a big topic today especially where electronic information is involved. And a country might be punished if a trade organization finds that it's contravening international trade agreements.

Synonyms

• breach
• break
• fracture
• infringe (on or upon)
• offend
• traduce
• transgress
• violate

Choose the Right Synonym for contravene

deny, gainsay, contradict, contravene mean to refuse to accept as true or valid.

deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede, or to acknowledge the existence or claims of.

denied the charges

gainsay implies disputing the truth of what another has said.

no one can gainsay her claims

contradict implies an open or flat denial.

her account contradicts his

contravene implies not so much an intentional opposition as some inherent incompatibility.

laws that contravene tradition

Examples of contravene in a Sentence

The overcrowded dance club contravened safety regulations.

the unauthorized reproduction of the image contravenes copyright laws

Recent Examples on the Web

The legal filing suggests that LinkedIn’s actions were not only intentional but were also kept from the users, contravening the original promise of using personal information solely for platform enhancements. LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, has called the allegations baseless. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 23 Jan. 2025

How Pam Bondi will react when pulled between contravening orders from the courts and Trump is anyone's guess, but the end result will be either a constitutional crisis or a pathetically short extension of TikTok's revival. —Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

Spencer took issue with revisionists who glossed over parts of Reagan’s record — raising taxes, increasing the size of the federal government, signing a law that gave amnesty to millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally — that contravened the Reagan myth. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025

For example, the Times' flawed analysis leads its readers to believe that Israel's loosening of its rules of engagement after Oct. 7 contravenes the norms of war. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French contrevenir, from Late Latin contravenire, from Latin contra- + venire to come — more at come

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1