Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- preposition In contrast or opposition to; against.
- adverb In opposition to something stated or expected; to the contrary.
from The Century Dictionary.
- A Latin adverb and preposition (and prefix), meaning ‘against,’ ‘over against,’ ‘opposite,’ ‘in front of,’ orig. ‘in comparison with’: used in the phrase per contra, and, abbreviated, in pro and con; also in various legal phrases, as contra bonos mores; usually as a prefix in words taken from the Latin or Romance languages, or formed analogously in English. In introducing a legal citation it means ‘to the contrary.’ See
contra- . - noun The contrary or opposite side or thing: in bookkeeping, the opposite side or column of an account; especially the right-hand or credit side (in which appear the items against the person whose books are kept).
- A prefix of Latin origin, meaning ‘against,’ ‘over against,’ ‘opposite’; doublet of counter-. See
contra and counter-. - noun In organ-building, in the names of stops, indicating a stop whose tones are an octave below the pitch of the keys used: as, contragamba, etc.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying
against ,contrary ,in opposition , etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf.counter , adv. & pref.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- preposition
against ;contrary oropposed to - adverb to the contrary to something
- noun business a deal to
swap goods or services - noun accounting an entry that cancels another entry
- noun informal any of the musical instruments in the
contrabass range, e.g.contrabassoon ,contrabass clarinet or, especially,double bass - noun
contra dance
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a member of the guerrilla force that opposed a left-wing government in Nicaragua
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Or would it produce an effect that was only nebulously hinted at by the term contra-attunement?
The Man with Two Faces Brand, Kurt 1976
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Most interestingly, however, they ALL have a deep and abiding believe in contra-causal free will.
Matthew Yglesias » Ethnocentrism and Small Government Hypocrisy 2010
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(There might have been a subsequent remark about the CIA guy's wife involving the word contra, but Billy claims that was another button man imitating him over a walkie-talkie).
Bill Scheft: Dear Marty Fleck: How Do I Recover After Being Fired By Dick Cheney? 2009
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The gondoliers, chanting for a fare as they stood at the foot of the bridge in contra posto poses.
Campo San Vidal 2006
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The gondoliers, chanting for a fare as they stood at the foot of the bridge in contra posto poses.
Veniceblog: 2006
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HERE IS THE LAST PARAGRAPH: The lesson of Iran/contra is that if our system of government is to function properly, the branches of government must deal with one another honestly and cooperatively.
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You say ‘my account’ of iran contra is ridiculous, and yet ‘my account’ was a congressional inquiry, and federal court testimonies.
Think Progress » Bush Administration Bungled Post-9/11 Economic Relief 2005
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The "Big Lake" is so called in contra‑distinction to the Little Lake, which lies due East from it fifty miles, and which has been described in a former chapter.
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For it may happen that health and disease, science and ignorance, and, in short, contra - ries, may be present with every individual of the same thing; but it is impossible that they should be present with each other.
Works Aristotle, Thomas Taylor 1812
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Both were of interest in their own way: one appeared to be primarily based on concern about the impact of any publication on the celebrity's children, and in the other OPQ, in a private hearing and notwithstanding that no one was there to present any counter-argument, Mr Justice Eady decided that he had an "inherent jurisdiction" to grant what is known as a "contra mundem" order - ie an order against the whole world, banning anyone from publishing material "wherever it is necessary and proportionate" to use it to protect an individual's rights.
The spate of injunctions shows no progress in the way courts deal with celebrities 2011
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