contradiction
/ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkʃən/kahn-truh-DIK-shuhn
/ˌkɑntɹəˈdɪkʃən/kahn-truh-DIK-shuhn
Meaningthe act of speaking against
Common meaning: a statement opposite to another
Other meanings: a clash
- contraagainst
- dictto say, speakLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 570 · scan
- ionnoun ending: act or result
‘against’ + ‘to say, speak’ → contradiction
Journey through time
- Latindīcō, dīxī, dictum‘to say, speak’
- Englishcontradict‘to say the opposite of what someone else says’
- Englishformed in English from contradictcontradiction‘a statement opposite to another’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from contradict + -ion.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), CONTUSE, p.132 · scan
Roots
- dīcō, dīxī, dictum Latin “to say, speak”
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