1
as in paradox
someone or something with qualities or features that seem to conflict with one another
a loving father as well as a ruthless killer, the gangster is a living contradiction
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2
as in denial
a refusal to confirm the truth of a statement
the actress's contradiction of the marriage rumor caused quite a stir
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Recent Examples of contradiction
Lost on no one was that Booker is Black, a figure whose right to vote let alone serve in the Senate is in contradiction to the viewpoint that made Thurman a hero to the segregationist South.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
In the 12th or 15th centuries, that contradiction expressed the prevailing Christian moral framework in vivid and evocative ways.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Pagels, rehabilitating aspects of Christianity on terms that a secular scholar can respect, revels in the contradictions and the inconsistencies not as flaws to be explained away but as signs of the faith’s capaciousness.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Russian officials have shrugged off questions about the seeming contradiction by emphasizing the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan, which the group rules.
—The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contradiction
Philip Elliott, Time, 2 Apr. 2025
In the 12th or 15th centuries, that contradiction expressed the prevailing Christian moral framework in vivid and evocative ways.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Pagels, rehabilitating aspects of Christianity on terms that a secular scholar can respect, revels in the contradictions and the inconsistencies not as flaws to be explained away but as signs of the faith’s capaciousness.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2025
Russian officials have shrugged off questions about the seeming contradiction by emphasizing the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan, which the group rules.
—The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contradiction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contradiction
Noun
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This tension, between authority and provocation, is one of a few defining paradoxes of the museum, built into its DNA from the very start.—
Rachel Corbett,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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Denisovan paradox Denisovans were first identified in 2010 in a lab using DNA sequences extracted from a tiny fragment of finger bone found in Denisova Cave in Siberia’s Altai Mountains, which is how the group got its name.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Planning staff recommended denial of the permit for the drive-thru, which would sit within 300 feet of another drive-thru to its north and the Bainbridge subdivision to its west on Lost Rapids Drive.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Apr. 2025
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Often the oddity comes from the chilling drone of bureaucracy: the executor’s compassionate thicket of legal reasoning, an airline representative’s denial of Carrie’s quest for a bereavement discount, the dollars and cents of Dr. J’s cremation (for which Carrie is retroactively billed).—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Their firm rejection of federal government conditions also emphasizes autonomy's critical role in organizational health.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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The 6-foot-11 big man is logging averages of 19.2 points, 10.4 boards, 4.9 dimes, 1.1 swipes and 0.8 rejections across his 75 available contests.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Contradiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contradiction. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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