on the contrary

Noun CEFR C1

Definitions

Opposite of what had earlier been expected or assumed; to the contrary.

Equivalents

Española contrarruta a la inversa al contrariopor el contrario por la inversa

Françaisau contraire

Deutschdoch im Gegenteil ojavielmehr wohl

33 more languages

العربيةبالعكس عَلَى العَكْس

Azərbaycan diliəksinə

Беларускаянаадварот

Българскинапротив

Bosanskinaprotiv nasuprot напротивнасупрот

Catalàal contrari contràriament

Češtinanaopak

Dansktværtimod

Ελληνικάαντίθετα απεναντίας

Esperantokontraŭe

Suomikun taas päinvastoin pikemminkinsitä vastoin toisin

Galegoao contrario en troques

עבריתאַדְּרַבָּה אדרבה איפכא מסתבראלְהֶפֶךְ נַהֲפוֹךְ הוּא

Hrvatskinaprotiv nasuprot дапаченапротив насупрот

Magyarellenkezőleg

Bahasa Indonesiasebaliknya

Italianoal contrario anzi

日本語これに反しそれどころか却って逆に

한국어오히려

Kurdîbîlakis halbûkî

Latinaa contrario autem contrarioimmo rursus

Nederlandsintegendeel

Polskina odwrót nawzder odwrotnieprzeciwnie wręcz przeciwnie

Portuguêsao contrário pelo contrário

Românădimpotrivă din contră

Русскийнаоборо́т напротив

Српскиnaprotiv nasuprot напротивнасупрот

Svenskatvärtom

Türkçebilakis hâlbuki

Українськанавпаки

اردواس کے برخلاف

O'zbekchaaksincha

Tiếng Việtcòn ngược lại trái lại

Examples

“Even if they managed to strike ⟳ Japan, the United States or South Korea with nuclear weapons — a big if, given that they do not have ⟳ a reliable delivery system — they could not save ⟳ themselves from ultimate defeat ⟳. On the contrary, the use ⟳ of nuclear or other terror weapons would be certain to invite ⟳ overwhelming retaliation, delivering North Korea’s decision makers to a fiery oblivion.”

CEFR level

C1

Advanced
This word is part of the CEFR C1 vocabulary — advanced level.

See all C1 English words →

See also

on the couch on the critical list on the crook on the cross on the cuff on the cutting room floor

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