con ‧ tra ‧ dic ‧ tion AC /ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃ ə n $ ˌkɑːn-/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ contradict ; noun : ↑ contradiction ; adjective : ↑ contradictory ]
1 . [countable] a difference between two statements, beliefs, or ideas about something that means they cannot both be true:
apparent contradictions in the defendant’s testimony
contradiction between
a contradiction between the government’s ideas and its actual policy
2 . [uncountable] the act of saying that someone else’s opinion, statement etc is wrong or not true:
You can say what you like without fear of contradiction.
3 . a contradiction in terms a combination of words that seem to be the opposite of each other, with the result that the phrase has no clear meaning:
‘Permanent revolution’ is a contradiction in terms.
4 . in (direct) contradiction to something in a way that is opposite to a belief or statement:
Your behaviour is in direct contradiction to the principles you claim to have.