contrariness
Willful disagreement habit
Contrariness is the quality of being contrary—stubbornly oppositional or perversely inclined to disagree.
A child's contrariness shows in refusing whatever is offered: Out of sheer contrariness, she said no to every suggestion.
The word can describe either a temporary mood or a settled disposition toward obstinacy.
Deliberate contrary behavior
- obstinacyUnyielding adherence to position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- cussednessWillful obstinacy or spite
- willfulnessIntentional resistance to direction
cantankerousness · orneriness · mulishness · pigheadedness · bloody-mindedness · waywardness · uncooperativeness · intractability
Open resistance to authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- contradictorinessState of mutual exclusion
- nonconformityRejection of prevailing norms
dissent · rebelliousness · noncompliance · disobedience · insubordination · refractoriness · intransigence · pushback
Opposing claims, incompatible together
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
incongruity · incompatibility · discrepancy · conflict · negation · counterpoint · dichotomy · polarity
perversity
Deliberate contrary behavior
- obstinacyUnyielding adherence to position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- cussednessWillful obstinacy or spite
willfulness · cantankerousness · orneriness · mulishness · pigheadedness · bloody-mindedness · waywardness · uncooperativeness · intractability · recalcitrance
defiance
Open resistance to authority
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- antagonismActive opposition or hostility
- contradictorinessState of mutual exclusion
nonconformity · dissent · rebelliousness · noncompliance · disobedience · insubordination · refractoriness · intransigence · pushback · belligerence
contradiction
Opposing claims, incompatible together
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
inconsistency · incongruity · incompatibility · discrepancy · conflict · negation · counterpoint · dichotomy · polarity · inversion
- stubbornnessstubbornness, obstinacy, pigheadedness, bullheadedness, mulishness
- unrulinessmisbehavior, misconduct, disobedience, defiance, insubordination
- rebellious traitsdefiance, rebellion, stubbornness, disobedience, willfulness
- angeranger, rage, fury, wrath, ire
- defiancedefiance, disobedience, insubordination, noncompliance, rebellion
- grumpinessgrumpiness, crankiness, moodiness, sullenness, grouchiness
contrarinessobedience
Compliance with authority
compliance · docility · tractability · submissiveness · submission
contrarinessagreeableness
Pleasant, cooperative nature
amiability · amenability · agreeability · cooperativeness · affability
contrarinessconformity
Adherence to norms
predictability · consistency · agreement · accordance · harmony
contrast, contrary, contrariety, contrarily, contraries, controverting, controvertible