contrary
UK[ˈkɒntrəri]US[ˈkɑːntreri]
adj
Opposite in nature, direction, or meaning
adj
Perversely inclined to disagree or to do the opposite of what is expected or desired
Morpheme Breakdown
contra
ary
contra
against
ary
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'contrary' entered English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French 'contrarie,' which itself descended from the Latin 'contrarius,' meaning "opposite, opposed." The Latin root is 'contra,' a preposition meaning "against." This core sense of opposition is preserved in the modern meaning, describing things that are diametrically opposed in position, nature, or argument. The development of the meaning describing a stubbornly oppositional disposition is a semantic extension of this fundamental idea of being "against."
Analysis
Structure: contra (against) + ary (adjective suffix)
'contra' is a Latin preposition and prefix meaning "against, opposite." 'ary' is a suffix of Latin origin (via French -aire) used to form adjectives meaning "pertaining to or connected with."
Examples
The experimental results were contrary to all our predictions.
He's so contrary; if you suggest going left, he'll insist on going right.
On the contrary, I believe this evidence supports our theory.