different between contrary vs incompatible

English

Etymology

From Middle English contrarie, compare French contraire, from Old French contraire, from Latin contr?rius (“opposite, opposed, contrary”), from contr? (“against”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?nt???i/, /k?n?t????i/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?nt???i/
• Rhymes: -???i (some pronunciations)

Adjective

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

1. Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
2. Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
   • 1837, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences

     The doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred Scripture.

3. Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

contrary (comparative more contrary, superlative most contrary)

1. Contrarily

Noun

contrary (plural contraries)

1. The opposite.
2. (logic) One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true, though they may both be false.
   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard

     If two universals differ in quality, they are contraries; as, every vine is a tree; no vine is a tree. These can never be both true together; but they may be both false.

Synonyms

• witherward

Derived terms

• by contraries
• on the contrary
• to the contrary

Related terms

• (logic): subcontrary
• contrarian

Translations

Verb

contrary (third-person singular simple present contraries, present participle contrarying, simple past and past participle contraried)

1. (obsolete) To oppose; to frustrate.
   • April 19 1549, Hugh Latimer, seventh sermon preached before King Edward VI

     [I was advised] not to contrary the king.
2. (obsolete) To impugn.
3. (obsolete) To contradict (someone or something).
4. (obsolete) To do the opposite of (someone or something).
5. (obsolete) To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to.
6. (obsolete) To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
7. (obsolete) To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

Translations

Related terms

• contra
• counter

References

• contrary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• contrary in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• contrary at OneLook Dictionary Search
• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “contrary”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN

English

Etymology

French incompatible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???k?m?pæt?b?l/

Adjective

incompatible (comparative more incompatible, superlative most incompatible)

1. Of two things: that cannot coexist; not congruous because of differences; unable to function together due to dissimilarities.

   • Courts of equity are in many instances so nice and intricate, that they are incompatible with the genius of trials by jury.

   Synonym: irreconcilable

2. (chemistry) Incapable of being together without mutual reaction or decomposition, as certain medicines.

Antonyms

• compatible

Hyponyms

• backward-incompatible

Derived terms

• incompatibly
• incompatibility

Translations

See also

Noun

incompatible (plural incompatibles)

1. (medicine, chemistry, chiefly in the plural) An incompatible substance; one of a group of things that cannot be placed or used together because of a change of chemical composition or opposing medicinal qualities.

   the incompatibles of iron

2. (philosophy) A consequent of a contrary.
   • 2004, Boethius's In Ciceronis Topica, translated by Eleonore Stump

     Incompatibles are consequents of contraries. For example, sleeping and waking are contraries, and snoring is associated with sleepers. So snoring and waking are incompatibles.

Catalan

Etymology

From in- +? compatible.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /i?.kom.p??ti.bl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /i?.kum.p??ti.bl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /i?.kom.pa?ti.ble/

Adjective

incompatible (masculine and feminine plural incompatibles)

1. incompatible

Derived terms

• incompatibilitat
• incompatiblement

Further reading

• “incompatible” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Adjective

incompatible (plural incompatibles)

1. incompatible

Antonyms

• compatible

Derived terms

• incompatibilité
• incompatiblement

Further reading

• “incompatible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Galician

Alternative forms

• incompatíbel

Adjective

incompatible m or f (plural incompatibles)

1. incompatible

Antonyms

• compatible, compatíbel

Related terms

• incompatibilidade

Further reading

• “incompatible” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Spanish

Adjective

incompatible (plural incompatibles)

1. incompatible

   Antonym: compatible

Related terms

• incompatibilidad

Further reading

• “incompatible” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.