How to Use the contrary in a Sentence

the contrary

noun
  • Claims to the contrary are false.
    — Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
  • On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 3 June 2026
  • On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep.
    — Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 9 June 2026
  • On the contrary, his body and nerves were charged.
    — Jay Glennie, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Onions, on the contrary, are strong when raw, but mild when cooked.
    — Christopher Michel, Country Living, 29 Aug. 2023
  • That, by the way, doesn’t mean these are bad funds—quite the contrary.
    — Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • This is despite my pleas to the contrary.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
  • All reports to the contrary are false.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
  • On the contrary, lemons may very well be the thing that ends up saving you!
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025
  • On the contrary, the two seem to be going stronger than ever.
    — Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 7 Apr. 2025
  • On the contrary, Adams had never felt more alive.
    — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
  • On the contrary—we are aligned with the narrator, in on the joke.
    — Adelle Waldman, New Yorker, 31 May 2025
  • On the contrary — you'll be remembered as a man who stood by change.
    — Sydni Ellis, Peoplemag, 12 Oct. 2022
  • There were not asked to leave, despite reports to the contrary.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
  • On the contrary, the men have become staunch creatures of habit.
    — Carlos Aguilar, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
  • On the contrary, botany was a walk in the park, a pastime for the people.
    — Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
  • On the contrary, some experts say the exit row boasts the safest seats on the plane.
    — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 17 Aug. 2025
  • All arguments to the contrary are just noise.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 21 June 2026
  • Of course, that's not to say the guest rooms were an afterthought — quite the contrary.
    — Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2023
  • And my aunts would tell stories about how spoiled my dad was, despite his tales to the contrary.
    — Mary Spicuzza, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2024
  • Any reporting to the contrary is false.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Any suggestion to the contrary is false.
    — Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
  • No credible study has claimed the contrary.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
  • And yet, baseball isn’t struggling — on the contrary.
    — Alex Sherman, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
  • No credible study has claimed the contrary.
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2026
  • But on the contrary, the tighter controls clicked with Gen Z users.
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2026
  • In most cases, gamay gains nothing by being in oak; on the contrary.
    — Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • On the contrary, the cost of avoiding your business numbers can be steep.
    — Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • On the contrary, assaults on staff and inmates climbed to their highest last year.
    — Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 Nov. 2025
  • On the contrary, the brand is proud of this method and touts it as being more sustainable.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the contrary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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