Contradicted

[ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktɪd]

verbIntermediate📊CommonLiterature
2 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

To assert the opposite of; to deny directly.

[ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktɪd]

verbneutralIntermediate
Literature

To deny the truth of something.

The witness's statement was contradicted by forensic evidence.

💡 Simply: Imagine your friend tells a story, but you know it's not true, and you say, "No, that's not right!" That's contradicting someone. It's like saying the opposite.

👶 For kids: Saying something that is the opposite of what someone else said.

More Examples

2

His actions contradicted his promises.

3

She was afraid to contradict her boss's opinions, even if she disagreed.

How It's Used

Legal

"The lawyer contradicted the witness's testimony with new evidence."

News

"The official contradicted previous statements made about the incident."

2

To be in opposition or inconsistent with.

[ˌkɒntrəˈdɪktɪd]

verbneutralIntermediate
Technology

To be inconsistent with.

The new regulations contradicted the company's stated values.

💡 Simply: Imagine you said you were at home yesterday, but the security cameras show you were at the park. Those facts contradict each other. They don't agree.

👶 For kids: When two things can't both be true.

More Examples

2

His behavior contradicted his words.

3

The evidence strongly contradicted the suspect's alibi.

How It's Used

Logic

"The findings contradicted the initial hypothesis of the research."

General

"The evidence contradicted their account of what happened."

Tip:Think of how two different statements or pieces of evidence clash with each other.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

contradict oneself

To say or do something that is the opposite of what one has said or done before.

"He contradicted himself when he claimed to be a vegetarian but ate a burger."

From Latin contradictus, past participle of contradicere ('to speak against, to oppose'), from contra ('against') + dicere ('to say').

The word 'contradicted' has been used since the 15th century, primarily in legal and philosophical contexts to describe opposing arguments or statements.

Memory tip

Think of "contra" (against) + "dict" (speak): to speak against something.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"against + to say"

contradicted evidencecontradicted statementscontradicted claimscontradicted the findingscontradicted the account

Common misspellings

contradicteddcontradictted

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written