All 8 Uses of
contrary
in
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- I asked him if he didn't know it was contrary to law; and that slaves were whipped and imprisoned for teaching each other to read.
Chpt 13 (definition 1) *contrary to = in opposition to
- On the contrary, I had always been kindly treated, and tenderly cared for, until I came into the hands of Dr. Flint.†
Chpt 21 *
- Meantime, we would take it for granted that all were friends, till they proved to the contrary.†
Chpt 31 (definition 2) *
- On the contrary, you were taken into the house, and treated as one of us, and almost as free; and we, at least, felt that you were above disgracing yourself by running away.†
Chpt 34 (definition 3) *
- I wished he had kept at a distance, but as he was here, and knew where I was, I concluded there was nothing to be gained by trying to avoid him; on the contrary, it might be the means of exciting his ill will.†
Chpt 36 (definition 3)
- He said it was contrary to their custom, but he would see that we had berths below; he would also try to obtain comfortable seats for us in the cars; of that he was not certain, but he would speak to the conductor about it, when the boat arrived.
Chpt 36 (definition 1)contrary to = in opposition to
- This honorable gentleman would not have voted for the Fugitive Slave Law, as did the senator in "Uncle Tom's Cabin;" on the contrary, he was strongly opposed to it; but he was enough under its influence to be afraid of having me remain in his house many hours.†
Chpt 40 (definition 3)
- I was doing harm to no one; on the contrary, I was doing all the good I could in my small way; yet I could never go out to breathe God's free air without trepidation at my heart.†
Chpt 41 (definition 3)
Definitions:
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(1) (contrary to as in: contrary to) in opposition toeditor's notes: You could also think of this as meaning, despite, or in spite of, or in conflict with; but since a common meaning of contrary is opposite, you many find it easiest to think of contrary to as in opposition to.
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(2) (to the contrary as in: to the contrary) with an opposite or different effect; or something with an opposite or different effect
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(3) (on the contrary as in: on the contrary) an expression used to intensify denial of an ideaeditor's notes: More rarely, on the contrary is used to oppose an idea contained in what was just said rather than to oppose what was literally said. Here is an example: "I will not pay you for the work. On the contrary, I may sue you for damages." Suing for damages does not oppose not paying, but it does oppose the idea of paying.
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(contrary as in: a contrary idea) different (perhaps opposite or mutually exclusive)editor's notes: In formal logic, contrary propositions or contrary arguments describe two things that cannot both be true. They might be described as mutually exclusive. For example, a pet cannot be both a cat and a dog. It doesn't need to be either, but if it is one, it cannot be the other. So the statement that a pet is a cat and the statement that the same pet is a dog, are contrary statements.