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To strive in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. For never two such kingdoms did content Without much fall of blood. Shak. The Lord said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle. Deut. ii. 9. In ambitious strength I did Contend against thy valor. Shak.…

A Latin adverb and preposition, signifying against, contrary, in opposition, etc., entering as a prefix into the composition of many English words. Cf. Counter, adv. & pref.

Direct opposition or repugnancy; inconsistency; incongruity or contrariety; one who, or that which, is inconsistent. can be make deathless death That were to make Strange contradiction. Milton. We state our experience and then we come to a manly resolution of acting in contradiction to it. Burke. Both parts of a contra…

The quality of being contradictory; opposition; inconsistency. J. Whitaker.

One who remonstrates in opposition or answer to a remonstraint. [R.] They did the synod wrong to make this distinction of contraremonstrants and remonstrants. Hales.

The state or quality of being contrary; opposition; repugnance; disagreement; antagonism. There is a contrariety between those things that conscience inclines to, and those that entertain the senses. South.

(adv. In a contrary manner; in opposition; on the other side; in opposite ways.

state or quality of being contrary; opposition; inconsistency; contrariety; perverseness; obstinancy.

Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse; as, contrary winds. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me. Lev. xxvi. 21. We have lost our labor; they are gone a contrary way. Shak.

To stand in opposition; to exhibit difference, unlikeness, or opposition of qualities. The joints which divide the sandstone contrast finely with the divisional planes which separate the basalt into pillars. Lyell.

To meet in the way of opposition; to come into conflict with; to oppose; to contradict; to obstruct the operation of; to defeat. So plain a proposition . . . was not likely to be contravened. Southey.

The act of contravening; opposition; obstruction; transgression; violation. Warrants in contravention of the acts of Parliament. Macaulay. In contravention of all his marriage stipulations. Motley.

Opposition; resistance; hostility. [Obs.] Here have we war for war, and blood for blood, Controlment for controlment. Shak.

nt or bulging; -- said of a spherical surface or curved line when viewed from without, in opposition to concave. Drops of water naturally form themselves into figures with a convex surface. Whewell. Double convex, convex on both sides; convexo-convex.

A prefix meaning contrary, opposite, in opposition; as, counteract, counterbalance, countercheck. See Counter, adv. & a.

To act in opposition to; to hinder, defeat, or frustrate, by contrary agency or influence; as, to counteract the effect of medicines; to counteract good advice.

Action in opposition; hindrance resistance. [They] do not . . . overcome the counteraction of a false principle or of stubborn partiality. Johnson.

A movement in opposition to another.

An equal power or force acting in opposition; a force sufficient to balance another force. The second nobles are a counterpoise to the higher nobility, that they grow not too potent. Bacon.

marked by opposition or antipathy to revolution; as, ostracized for his counterrevolutionary tendencies. Opposite of revolutionary. [WordNet 1.5]