| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | bad, contradictory |
| Synonyms: | abrogating, adverse, against, annulling, antagonistic, anti, balky, colorless, con, contrary, contravening, counteractive, cynical, denying, detrimental, disallowing, disavowing, dissentient, dissenting, gainsaying, gloomy, impugning, invalidating, jaundiced, naysaying, neutralizing, nugatory, nullifying, opposing, pessimistic, privative, recusant, refusing, rejecting, removed, repugnant, resisting, resistive, unaffirmative, unenthusiastic, unfavorable, uninterested, unwilling, weak |
| Antonyms: | good, positive |
| Main Entry: | adverse |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | unfavorable, antagonistic |
| Synonyms: | allergic to, conflicting, contrary, detrimental, disadvantageous, down on, down side, have no use for, inimical, injurious, inopportune, negative, opposed, opposing, opposite, oppugning, ornery*, reluctant, repugnant, stuffy, unfortunate, unfriendly, unlucky, unpropitious, unwilling |
| Notes: | aversion is something that originates from within, whereas adversity is something that originates from without; adverse is usually applied to situations while averse is used to describe a person's attitude averse means reluctant or disinclined; adverse means hostile and antagonistic |
| Antonyms: | advantageous, aiding, auspicious, favorable, fortunate, helpful, lucky, propitious |
| Main Entry: | balky |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | uncooperative |
| Synonyms: | averse, contrary, hesitant, immovable, indisposed, inflexible, intractable, loath, negative, negativistic, obstinate, ornery, perverse, reluctant, stubborn, unbending, unmanageable, unpredictable, unruly |
| Antonyms: | cooperative |
| Main Entry: | belie |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disprove |
| Synonyms: | confute, contradict, contravene, controvert, deny, disaffirm, disagree, explode, gainsay, negate, negative, oppose, repudiate |
| Antonyms: | attest, prove |
| Main Entry: | compensate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | offset, make up for |
| Synonyms: | abrogate, annul, atone for, balance, better, cancel out, counteract, counterbalance, counterpoise, countervail, fix, improve, invalidate, make amends, negate, negative, neutralize, nullify, outweigh, redress, repair, set off |
| Antonyms: | damage, deprive, penalize |
| Main Entry: | contradict |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be at variance with |
| Synonyms: | belie, buck, call in question, challenge, confront, contravene, controvert, counter, counteract, cross, dare, deny, differ, disaffirm, disclaim, disprove, dispute, fly in the face of, gainsay, have bone to pick, impugn, negate, negative, oppose, refuse to accept, repudiate, take on, thumbs down, traverse |
| Antonyms: | OK, accept, agree, approve, concede, confirm, corroborate, reconcile, sign, verify, vouch |
| Main Entry: | contrary |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | antagonistic; opposite |
| Synonyms: | adverse, anti, antipathetic, antipodal, antipodean, antithetical, balky, clashing, conflicting, contradictory, contrariant, contumacious, converse, counter, diametric, discordant, dissentient, dissident, froward, headstrong, hostile, inconsistent, inimical, insubordinate, intractable, negative, nonconforming, nonconformist, obstinate, opposed, ornery*, paradoxical, perverse, rebellious, recalcitrant, recusant, refractory, restive, reverse, stubborn, unruly, wayward, wrongheaded |
| Notes: | contrary describes something that contradicts a proposition, converse is used when the elements of a proposition are reversed, opposite pertains to that which is diametrically opposed to a proposition, and reverse can mean each of those |
| Antonyms: | accommodating, agreeing, alike, concordant, correspondent, harmonious, homogeneous, like, obliging, similar |
| Main Entry: | counteract |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | do opposing action |
| Synonyms: | annul, buck, cancel, cancel out, check, contravene, correct, counterbalance, countercheck, countervail, counterwork, cross, defeat, fix, foil, frustrate, go against, halt, hinder, invalidate, negate, negative, neutralize, offset, oppose, prevent, rectify, redress, resist, right, thwart |
| Antonyms: | aid, approve, assist, help, support |
| Main Entry: | denial |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | dismissal, refusal of belief in |
| Synonyms: | abstaining, adjuration, brush-off, cold shoulder, contradiction, controversion, declination, disallowance, disapproval, disavowal, disclaimer, dismissing, disproof, dissent, forswearing, gainsaying, nay, negation, negative, nix, no way, nonacceptance, noncommittal, prohibition, protestation, rebuff, rebuttal, refraining, refusing, refutal, refutation, rejecting, rejection, renegement, renouncement, renunciation, repudiating, repudiation, repulse, retraction, statement abnegation, turndown, veto |
| Antonyms: | affirmation, agreement, approval, avowal, claim, corroboration, vouching |