| noun | a relation of direct opposition “we thought Sue was older than Bill but just the reverse was true” |
| noun | exact opposition “public opinion to the contrary he is not guilty” |
| noun | a logical relation such that two propositions are contraries if both cannot be true but both can be false |
| adjective | very opposed in nature or character or purpose “acts contrary to our code of ethics” |
| adjective | of words or propositions so related that both cannot be true but both may be false “`hot' and `cold' are contrary terms” |
| adjective | resistant to guidance or discipline “Mary Mary quite contrary” |
| adjective | in an opposing direction “adverse currents” |
| reverse | adjective | reversed (turned backward) in order or nature or effect |
| reverse | verb | cancel officially |
| contrariness | noun | deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline |
| perverseness | noun | deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline |
| perversity | noun | deliberate and stubborn unruliness and resistance to guidance or discipline |