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Contrary vs Inverse - What's the difference?

contrary | inverse |

As adjectives the difference between contrary and inverse

is that contrary is opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse while inverse is inverted.

As verbs the difference between contrary and inverse

is that contrary is (obsolete) to oppose; to frustrate while inverse is .

As an adverb contrary

is contrarily.

As a noun contrary

is the opposite.

contrary

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Opposite; in an opposite direction; in opposition; adverse.
    • contrary winds
  • * Bible, Leviticus xxvi. 21
    • And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me
  • * Shakespeare
    • We have lost our labour; they are gone a contrary way.
  • Opposed; contradictory; inconsistent.
  • * Whewell
    • The doctrine of the earth's motion appeared to be contrary to the sacred Scripture.
  • Given to opposition; perverse; wayward.
    • a contrary''' disposition; a '''contrary child

    Derived terms

    * contrarian * contrarily * contrariwise * contrary to

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • Contrarily

    • Noun

    (contraries)
  • The opposite.
  • * Shakespeare
    • No contraries hold more antipathy / Than I and such a knave.
  • One of a pair of propositions that cannot both be simultaneously true.
  • * I. Watts
    • 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

    * on the contrary * to the contrary

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (obsolete) To oppose; to frustrate.
  • *Bishop Latimer
  • *:I was advised not to contrary the king.
  • *, I.47:
  • *:The Athenians having left the enemie in their owne land, for to pass into Sicilie , had very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune.
  • (obsolete) To impugn.
  • (obsolete) To contradict (someone or something).
  • *:
  • *:thus wilfully sir Palomydes dyd bataille with yow / & as for hym sir I was not gretely aferd but I dred fore la?celot that knew yow not / Madame said Palomydes ye maye saye what so ye wyll / I maye not contrary yow but by my knyghthode I knewe not sir Tristram
  • *, II.12:
  • *:I finde them everie one in his turne to have reason, although they contrary one another.
  • (obsolete) To do the opposite of (someone'' or ''something ).
  • (obsolete) To act inconsistently or perversely; to act in opposition to .
  • (obsolete) To argue; to debate; to uphold an opposite opinion.
  • (obsolete) To be self-contradictory; to become reversed.

    • Related terms

    * contra * counter

    References

    * * * *

    inverse

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Opposite in effect or nature or order
  • reverse, opposite in order
  • (botany) Inverted; having a position or mode of attachment the reverse of that which is usual.
  • (mathematics) Having the properties of an inverse; said with reference to any two operations, which, when both are performed in succession upon any quantity, reproduce that quantity.
    • Multiplication is the inverse operation to division.
  • (linguistics, Kiowa-Tanoan) A grammatical number marking that indicates the opposite grammatical number (or numbers) of the default number specification of noun class.
  • (category theory) A morphism which is both a left inverse and a right inverse.

    • Derived terms

    * inverse function * inversely

    Related terms

    * inversion * inversive * reverse

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The opposite of a given, due to contrary nature or effect.
  • :: ''Deposing is the inverse of installing, and vice versa
  • The reverse version of a procedure.
    • Removing one's shoes is the inverse of putting one's shoes on
  • (mathematics) The inverse of an element x'' with respect to a binary operation is an element that when combined with ''x yields the appropriate identity element.
    • The additive inverse of x is -x as, x + -x = 0 where 0 is the additive identity element.
    The multiplicative inverse of x is x-1 as, x * x-1 = 1 where 1 is the multiplicative identity element.
    ''The compositional inverse of a function f is f–1 as, f f–1 is the identity function (ie f–1(f(a)) = a for all a).
  • (logic) A statement constructed from the negatives of the premise and conclusion of some other statement: ~p ? ~q is the inverse of p ? q.

    • Verb

    (invers)
  • (surveying) To compute the bearing and distance between two points.

    • Antonyms

    * compute (a point).

    Anagrams

    * ----