different between contrariety vs contrarious

English

Alternative forms

• contrarietie (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French contrariété, from Late Latin contrarietas, from contrarius, from contra (“against”). Compare contrary.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /k?nt???????ti/

Noun

contrariety (countable and uncountable, plural contrarieties)

1. Opposition or contrariness; cross-purposes, marked contrast.
   • 1759, Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Penguin 2003, p.61:

     This contrariety of humours betwixt my father and my uncle, was the source of many a fraternal squabble.

   • 2011, Tim Blanning, "The reinvention of the night", Times Literary Supplement, 21 Sep.:

     At the heart of his argument is the contrariety between day and night, light and dark.

English

Etymology

From Middle English contrarious, from Old French contrarious, from Late Latin contr?ri?sus.

Adjective

contrarious (comparative more contrarious, superlative most contrarious)

1. (archaic, of persons) Tending to counter, oppose, resist, argue.
2. (archaic, of things) Harmful, vexatious.

Synonyms

• (persons): contradictory, lippy, refractory, willful

Antonyms

• (persons): cooperative

Related terms

Translations

Old French

Alternative forms

• contrarieus
• contrarios
• contrarius

Adjective

contrarious m (oblique and nominative feminine singular contrariouse)

1. maddening; irritating
2. angry; angered

Descendants

• English: contrarious