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contrarian

Saykuhn-TRAIR-ee-uhn/kənˈtɹɛ.ɹi.ən/UK/kənˈtɹɛə.ɹi.ən/

Noun pluralcontrarians

2 meanings of contrarian

Practice

  1. 1
    disagreeing attitudeadjective
    Going against what most people think or do, such as buying what most investors are selling.

    My little sister is in a contrarian mood and says no to everything.

    His contrarian answers made the whole class laugh.

    UsageOften a contrarian view.

    Similarcontrary, dissenting, iconoclastic, nonconformist

    Oppositeconformist, conventional, mainstream

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    Someone who goes against what most people think, such as an investor who buys what others sell.

    My uncle is a contrarian who argues with everyone at dinner.

    Don't ask Sam. He's a contrarian, so he'll just say the opposite.

    Similardissenter, maverick, nonconformist, iconoclast

    Oppositeconformist

    Note

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Origin

From contrary, with the ending -ian added, like libertarian.

Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • Contrarian is formed from contrary plus the ending -ian, a variant of -an. en.wiktionary.org
  • The formation follows the model of words such as libertarian. en.wiktionary.org