contradict

/,kɔntrə'dikt/

Thân thiện

The witness's testimony will contradict the defendant's alibi.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To assert the opposite of a statement or claim; to deny the truth of something: To state that what someone has said is not true or correct.
   • To be in conflict or opposition with; to be inconsistent with: For a fact, statement, or condition to be so different from another that they cannot both be true or exist simultaneously.

Usage and Examples

• To deny a statement:
  • The witness chose to contradict the prosecutor's version of events.
  • It is unwise to contradict your boss in front of the entire team.
• To be in opposition or conflict with:
  • His actions contradict his stated principles.
  • The new scientific evidence appears to contradict the established theory.

Advanced Usage

• "To contradict oneself": To say two things that cannot both be true, revealing an inconsistency in one's own statements.
  • The politician contradicted himself during the interview, first supporting the policy and then criticizing it.
• In formal logic or argumentation: To prove a statement or proposition false.
  • The experiment's results were sufficient to contradict the initial hypothesis.

Variants and Related Words

• Contradiction (n): A combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another.
  • There is a clear contradiction between his public image and his private behavior.
• Contradictory (adj): Mutually opposed or inconsistent.
  • The witness gave contradictory accounts of the accident.
• Self-contradictory (adj): Containing elements that contradict each other within a single statement or argument.

Synonyms

• Deny: To state that something is not true.
• Refute: To prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false.
• Oppose: To actively resist or argue against.
• Counter: To respond with an opposing view or argument.
• Gainsay (formal): To deny or contradict.

Antonyms

• Agree: To have the same opinion or to accept a statement as true.
• Confirm: To establish the truth or correctness of something.
• Corroborate: To give support or evidence to a statement or theory.
• Affirm: To state something as true or to declare support for.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "To fly in the face of": To be in direct opposition to; to contradict something openly and boldly.
  • His decision flies in the face of all expert advice.
• "A contradiction in terms": A phrase that combines words with opposite meanings, creating an inherent inconsistency (e.g., "deafening silence").
  • Calling him a 'popular recluse' is a contradiction in terms.

Học thuật

Verb

1. prove negative; show to be false
2. be resistant to
   • The board opposed his motion
3. deny the truth of
4. be in contradiction with

Từ đồng nghĩa

• negate
• oppose
• controvert
• contravene
• belie