con·tra·dic·to·ry
ˌkän-trə-ˈdik-t(ə-)rē 
: involving, causing, or constituting a contradiction
contradictory statements
The witnesses gave contradictory accounts of the accident.
con·tra·dic·to·ry
plural contradictories
: a proposition (see proposition entry 1 sense 2a) so related to another that if either of the two is true the other is false and if either is false the other must be true
Examples of contradictory in a Sentence
Adjective
contradictory predictions regarding stock prices that were of no help to investors at all
Recent Examples on the Web
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
For seasoned skiers, planning a winter holiday is often a delicate, and sometimes contradictory, art.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 24 Sep. 2020
For a school board that has criticized Foose for a lack of transparency, the secret talks over separation and lining up an interim appear contradictory.
—Howard County Times, 3 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for contradictory
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Adjective
Throughout the film, del Toro flits and hovers between contradictory ideas, with the restlessness of the beautiful butterflies that Elizabeth, an amateur entomologist, likes to study.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025
For seasoned skiers, planning a winter holiday is often a delicate, and sometimes contradictory, art.
—Charles Curkin, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
For six months, experts have given the American public contradictory and weaponized election-year directives on masks, social distancing, lockdowns, school closures, and workplace policies.
—Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 24 Sep. 2020
For a school board that has criticized Foose for a lack of transparency, the secret talks over separation and lining up an interim appear contradictory.
—Howard County Times, 3 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for contradictory
Cite this Entry
“Contradictory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contradictory. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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