frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

v. 1 deny, gainsay, dispute, controvert, argue against; oppose:
He is very opinionated, and doesn't like to be contradicted. 2
contravene, belie, refute, disallow, forbid, disaffirm, counter,
abrogate, nullify, annul, reverse, counteract: The evidence
yields nothing that contradicts my argument.
contradictory
adj. inconsistent, paradoxical, incongruous, conflicting,
incompatible, discrepant; ambiguous, ambivalent: The witnesses'
descriptions of the robbers are contradictory.
contraption
n. contrivance, device, gadget, mechanism, apparatus, Colloq
widget, thingumabob or thingamabob, thingumajig or thingamajig,
thingummy, whatsit, doodah, thingy, US gizmo or gismo, Rube
Goldberg (invention), whatchamacallit, Colloq Brit gubbins:
People began to build all sorts of contraptions that they hoped
might fly.
contrary adj. 1 opposite, opposing, opposed, different, contradictory,
conflicting, antagonistic: Set aside enough time to hear the
contrary side of the argument. 2 antagonistic, perverse,
contrarious, hostile, unfriendly, inimical, cross-grained,
refractory, contumacious, self-willed, argumentative,
unaccommodating, antipathetic, Literary froward: He can
disagree, but why must he be so contrary? 3 adverse,
unfavourable, inauspicious, unlucky, unfortunate, unpropitious,
untoward, inopportune, bad, foul: We ran into contrary winds
and were delayed.
--n. 4 opposite, reverse: Her present position is the direct
contrary of the one she took yesterday.
--adv. 5 perversely, oppositely, contrariwise, contrarily, in
opposition to: The rat in the maze acted contrary to the
expected pattern.
contrast v. 1 juxtapose, oppose, compare, distinguish, differentiate,
discriminate, set or place against; set off: Contrast life in
the 18th century with life today. 2 conflict, differ or diverge
or deviate (from): The two styles contrast sharply. Australian
speech contrasts with that of Canada in many respects.