Basic Details
Word: Contradictory
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Saying or showing opposite things, so that both cannot be true at the same time.
Synonyms: conflicting, opposing, inconsistent, clashing
Antonyms: consistent, matching, agreeing
How to Spell Contradictory
Syllables: con - tra - dic - to - ry
Tricky part: The ending is ory, not ary or ery, and the middle is tra, not tri. Contradict stays whole before ory.
Watch out for: contradictary, contridictory, contradictery
Memory tip: Split it as contra (against) + dict (say) + ory. To be contradictory is to say against, and the ending matches story.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The weather app and the radio gave contradictory forecasts for Sunday.
Example 2: His contradictory answers made the teacher doubt his story.
Example 3: The instructions on the box were contradictory, so we built the shelf our own way.
Fun Fact
An oxymoron puts two contradictory words side by side, as in bittersweet or deafening silence.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the word that takes the suffix ory to form a real word.
ory
a) explain
b) introduce
c) satisfy
d) contradict
Show answer
d) contradict. Contradict adds ory with nothing dropped; introductory, satisfactory and explanatory all need the root changed first.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to contradictory as used in the sentence:
The two witnesses gave contradictory accounts of the accident, so the police had to check the camera footage.
a) conflicting
b) similar
c) matching
d) detailed
Show answer
a) conflicting. Accounts that cannot both be true are conflicting; matching and similar mean the reverse.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The ytcrcdatonroi reports about the match score left the readers completely confused.
a) introductory
b) contrary
c) contributory
d) contradictory
Show answer
d) contradictory. Reports that disagree leave readers confused; introductory and contributory both need a u, which the jumble lacks.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which pair of statements is contradictory?
a) It is hot. I am thirsty.
b) I like tea. I like milk.
c) The shop is open. The shop is closed.
d) The sky is blue. The grass is green.
Show answer
c) The shop is open. The shop is closed.
2. Contradictory comes from the verb contradict, which means to ____.
a) say the opposite of
b) agree with
c) repeat
d) write down
Show answer
a) say the opposite of
