contradiction
conflict between facts or ideas
A situation where two ideas, facts, or statements cannot both be true at the same time.
a contradiction between [A] and [B]
- There is a clear contradiction between his public promises and his private actions.
- The two reports are in direct contradiction, so one of them must be wrong.
- Her explanation contains several contradictions that she cannot easily explain away.
- Scientists are trying to resolve the contradiction between these two sets of results.
- His claim to support transparency stands in contradiction to his secretive behavior.
- There is a contradiction between what you say and what you do.
- The witness’s story was in contradiction to the video.
- We need to fix the contradiction in these two rules.
- This paragraph is a contradiction of the first one.
- The teacher showed us a contradiction in the argument.
person or thing with opposing traits
A person or thing that has opposite qualities that do not match, like being very kind and very cruel at the same time.
[someone] is a contradiction
- He’s a walking contradiction: shy in groups but fearless on stage.
- Her life is a contradiction, mixing extreme luxury with deep concern for the poor.
- The company is a contradiction, promoting simplicity while selling very complex products.
- She is a contradiction: very rich but very simple.
- He seems like a contradiction because he is friendly but never smiles.
- The city is a contradiction, with old buildings next to very new ones.
- His character is a contradiction of strength and fear.
- To me, he is a walking contradiction.
act of denying what was said
The act of saying that what another person said is not true.
to accept/brook [no] contradiction
- The coach brooks no contradiction from the players during a game.
- She repeated her claim, this time without fear of contradiction.
- His statement passed without contradiction from anyone in the room.
- The boss accepts no contradiction in meetings.
- He spoke again, this time without fear of contradiction.
- No one gave any contradiction to her story.
- The teacher did not like contradiction from students.
- They listened in silence, offering no contradiction.
logically impossible statement or result
In logic or math, a result or idea that cannot be true because it says two opposite things at the same time.
to reach/derive a contradiction
- Assume the opposite and show that this leads to a contradiction.
- In this logical system, adding that axiom produces a contradiction.
- The set of equations contains a contradiction, so there is no solution.
- In this proof we try to find a contradiction.
- The teacher said that a contradiction is always false.
- If our idea gives a contradiction, the idea is wrong.
- The theory is strong because it has no contradiction.
- They used contradiction to show the answer is impossible.
- Base: contradiction
- Plural: contradiction, contradictions
a contradiction in terms
1expression whose words oppose each other
a phrase where the words should not go together because their meanings are opposite or do not fit
- For many people, ‘honest politician’ sounds like a contradiction in terms.
- Calling that tiny room a ‘ballroom’ is almost a contradiction in terms.
- Some argue that ‘clean war’ is a contradiction in terms.
a walking contradiction
1person with clashing qualities
a person who has very different or opposite qualities that do not seem to fit together
- She’s a walking contradiction: super organized at work but totally chaotic at home.
- Tom is a walking contradiction, proud of his independence but always asking for help.
- As a calm but thrill‑seeking pilot, he felt like a walking contradiction.
brooks no contradiction
1does not allow disagreement
used to describe someone who will not allow any disagreement or challenge to what they say
- The director brooks no contradiction when it comes to safety rules.
- Known as a strict leader, she brooks no contradiction from her team.
in contradiction to
1in clear opposition to something
used to say that something is the opposite of, or does not agree with, something else that was said or done
- His recent comments are in contradiction to the company’s official policy.
- The court’s decision stands in contradiction to earlier rulings on the same issue.
- These results are in direct contradiction to what we found last year.
no contradiction between
1two things are not incompatible
used to say that two ideas or facts can exist together and do not clash
- There is no contradiction between loving your job and wanting more vacation time.
- She insists there is no contradiction between tradition and innovation in her work.
proof by contradiction
1logical method assuming the opposite
a way to prove something in math or logic by first saying it is false, then showing that this idea leads to an impossible result
- We can show that there are infinitely many prime numbers using a proof by contradiction.
- The teacher demonstrated the theorem with a simple proof by contradiction.
without fear of contradiction
1say something with full confidence
used before a statement to say that you are very sure it is true and think no one can seriously disagree
- I can say, without fear of contradiction, that she is the most experienced person here.
- He stated, without fear of contradiction, that the project would finish on time.