Definition of On the contrary

1. Adverb. Contrary to expectations. "He didn't stay home; on the contrary, he went out with his friends"

Exact synonyms: Contrarily, Contrariwise, To The Contrary
Partainyms: Contrary

Definition of On the contrary

1. Adverb. (context: conjunctive) opposite of what had earlier been expected or assumed ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of On The Contrary

on the bench
on the bias
on the blink
on the books
on the bounce
on the brain
on the brink
on the bubble
on the cards
on the carpet
on the cheap
on the clock
on the coattails
on the come
on the contrary
on the cuff
on the cutting room floor
on the defensive
on the dot
on the double
on the down-low
on the edge of one's seat
on the face of
on the face of it
on the far side
on the fence
on the fence(p)
on the fly
on the fritz

Literary usage of On the contrary

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Republic of Plato by Plato (1888)
"(been right, I should have thought, to tell them without the least reserve to young and thoughtless persons: on the contrary, it would be best to suppress ..."

2. The Complete Works of Gustave Flaubert: Embracing Romances, Travels by Gustave Flaubert, Ferdinand Brunetière (1904)
"... Among the National Guard, on the contrary, the officers, flushed with enthusiasm, brandished their sabres, vociferating: "Long live Reform! ..."

3. The Lancet (1842)
"on the contrary, did not these great men shed a lustre upon the institutions to which they belonged ? But even if all distinctions and honorary tokens were ..."

Other Resources:

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