contra

See also: Contra, contrà, and contra-

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒntɹə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntɹə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Preposition

contra

1. Against; contrary or opposed to; in opposition or contrast to.

Synonyms

• against, anti

Antonyms

• for, pro

Related terms

• contra-
• contra proferentem
• per contra
• semen contra

Translations

against, contrary or opposed to

• Bulgarian: против (bg) (protiv)
• German: gegen (de), im Gegensatz zu m, contra (de), anti, wider (de)
• Latin: contrā (la)
• Old English: aġēn
• Polish: kontra (pl)
• Portuguese: contra (pt)
• Swedish: kontra (sv)
• Tagalog: kontra

Adverb

contra (comparative more contra, superlative most contra)

1. Contrary to something.
   • 1893 November 30, “The W.C.T.U. Convention. Interesting Reports Considered in Relation to the Several Departments of the Work. Suggested Lines of Development—Programme for the Closing Day.”, in The Daily Colonist, volume LXX, number 148, Victoria, B.C., page 3, column 1:

     […] it is useless to pray “Thy kingdom come” and vote contra or stay away from the polls; […]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:contrarily

Translations

contrary to something

• Arabic: عَلَى اَلْعَكْس (ʕalā l-ʕaks), عَلَى اَلنَّقِيض مِن (ʕalā n-naqīḍ min), ضِد (ḍid)

  Egyptian Arabic: عكس (ʕakss), ضد (ḍeḍ)

• Bulgarian: напротив (bg) (naprotiv), наопаки (bg) (naopaki)
• German: gegen (de), im Gegensatz zu m, contra (de), gegnerisch (de), gegengesetzt, entgegengesetzt (de)
• Polish: wbrew (pl)
• Romanian: împotrivă (ro), contra (ro)

Noun

contra (plural contras)

1. (business) A deal to swap goods or services.
2. (politics, derogatory) A conservative; originally tied to Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries.
3. (accounting, often attributive) An entry (or account) that cancels another entry (or account).

   Synonym: counterentry

   a contra position; a contra entry

   The sum for each contra account is shown in the last column.

4. (music, informal) Any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass.
5. (dance) A contra dance.
6. (obsolete, US, New England, dance) A country dance.
   • 2001, Ellen Koskoff, editor, The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America, Garland Publishing, page 232:

     Folk histories record that contras were gradually displaced by the introduction of the quadrille and the new couple dances.

Derived terms

• anticontra

Translations

(business) a deal to swap goods or services

(accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry

• Dutch: contrarekening f
• Finnish: vasta- (fi) (in compounds), vastatili (account), vastakirjaus (entry)
• German: Gegenkonto (de) n, Gegenbuchung f, Gegenposition f, Gegenrechnung f, Kreditseite f
• Polish: no equivalent term in Polish, but see konto wykluczające inne konto n

(dance) a contra dance

• German: Contra Tanz m, Kontratanz m

Verb

contra (third-person singular simple present contras, no present participle, no simple past or past participle)

1. (accounting) To undo; to reverse.

   to contra a position (an entry)

Translations

(accounting) to undo an entry

• German: zurückbuchen, ristornieren, stornieren (de)

Anagrams

• Cantor, Carnot, Carton, Catron, TRACON, cantor, carton, corant, craton, tracon

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontɾa/ [ˈkõn̪.t̪ɾa]
• Rhymes: -ontɾa
• Syllabification: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. alongside, beside, next to

   Synonym: xunto

2. forward, in front

   Synonym: delantre

3. against (reduced)

   Synonym: escontra

Related terms

• escontra

Interjection

¡contra!

1. interjection of exclamation or anger

   Synonyms: carape, meca

Further reading

• García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “contra”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “contra”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈko̞n.tɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [ˈkɔn.tɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈkon.tɾa]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔntɾa
• Hyphenation: con‧tra

Adverb

contra

1. against
   • 2009, Jean Grave, Les Aventures d'en Nono:

     Més endavant, va parlar contra la gent sense família

     But before, he spoke against people without family

Noun

contra m (plural contres)

1. con (disadvantage)

   Antonym: pro

Related terms

• contra-
• contrari

Further reading

• “contra”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “contra”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “contra” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “contra”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Dalmatian

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Adverb

contra

1. against

References

• Bartoli, Matteo (1906), Il Dalmatico: Resti di un’antica lingua romanza parlata da Veglia a Ragusa e sua collocazione nella Romània appenino-balcanica, Rome: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, published 2000

Finnish

Etymology

From Spanish contra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontrɑ/, [ˈko̞n̪.t̪rɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ontrɑ

Noun

contra

1. Contra (anti-Sandinista fighter)

Declension

Inflection of contra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		contra	contrat
genitive		contran	contrien
partitive		contraa	contria
illative		contraan	contriin
		singular	plural
nominative		contra	contrat
accusative	nom.	contra	contrat
	gen.	contran
genitive		contran	contrien contrain rare
partitive		contraa	contria
inessive		contrassa	contrissa
elative		contrasta	contrista
illative		contraan	contriin
adessive		contralla	contrilla
ablative		contralta	contrilta
allative		contralle	contrille
essive		contrana	contrina
translative		contraksi	contriksi
abessive		contratta	contritta
instructive		—	contrin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of contra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative contrani contrani accusative nom. contrani contrani gen. contrani genitive contrani contrieni contraini rare partitive contraani contriani inessive contrassani contrissani elative contrastani contristani illative contraani contriini adessive contrallani contrillani ablative contraltani contriltani allative contralleni contrilleni essive contranani contrinani translative contrakseni contrikseni abessive contrattani contrittani instructive — — comitative — contrineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative contrasi contrasi accusative nom. contrasi contrasi gen. contrasi genitive contrasi contriesi contraisi rare partitive contraasi contriasi inessive contrassasi contrissasi elative contrastasi contristasi illative contraasi contriisi adessive contrallasi contrillasi ablative contraltasi contriltasi allative contrallesi contrillesi essive contranasi contrinasi translative contraksesi contriksesi abessive contrattasi contrittasi instructive — — comitative — contrinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative contramme contramme accusative nom. contramme contramme gen. contramme genitive contramme contriemme contraimme rare partitive contraamme contriamme inessive contrassamme contrissamme elative contrastamme contristamme illative contraamme contriimme adessive contrallamme contrillamme ablative contraltamme contriltamme allative contrallemme contrillemme essive contranamme contrinamme translative contraksemme contriksemme abessive contrattamme contrittamme instructive — — comitative — contrinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative contranne contranne accusative nom. contranne contranne gen. contranne genitive contranne contrienne contrainne rare partitive contraanne contrianne inessive contrassanne contrissanne elative contrastanne contristanne illative contraanne contriinne adessive contrallanne contrillanne ablative contraltanne contriltanne allative contrallenne contrillenne essive contrananne contrinanne translative contraksenne contriksenne abessive contrattanne contrittanne instructive — — comitative — contrinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative contransa contransa accusative nom. contransa contransa gen. contransa genitive contransa contriensa contrainsa rare partitive contraansa contriaan contriansa inessive contrassaan contrassansa contrissaan contrissansa elative contrastaan contrastansa contristaan contristansa illative contraansa contriinsa adessive contrallaan contrallansa contrillaan contrillansa ablative contraltaan contraltansa contriltaan contriltansa allative contralleen contrallensa contrilleen contrillensa essive contranaan contranansa contrinaan contrinansa translative contrakseen contraksensa contrikseen contriksensa abessive contrattaan contrattansa contrittaan contrittansa instructive — — comitative — contrineen contrinensa

Synonyms

• contrasissi

Derived terms

compounds

• contrasissi

Further reading

• “contra”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.tʁa/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

Verb

contra

1. third-person singular past historic of contrer

Anagrams

• carton

Galician

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Proto-Indo-European *-teros

Proto-Italic *-teros

Proto-Italic *komterosder.

Proto-Italic *komterād

Latin contrā

Galician contra

Inherited from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkontɾa/ [ˈkon̪.t̪ɾɐ]
• Rhymes: -ontɾa
• Hyphenation: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. against

Derived terms

• contra de
• pola contra

Noun

contra f (plural contras)

1. (usually in the plural) shutter

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “contra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “contra”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, editor (2006–2013), “contra”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Santamarina, Ernesto X. González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “contra”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “contra”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Further reading

• “contra”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Preposition

contra [with accusative]

1. against

   Synonyms: gegen, wider

Further reading

• “contra”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[3] (in German)

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkon.tra/
• Rhymes: -ontra
• Hyphenation: cón‧tra

Etymology 1

From Latin contrā.

Preposition

contra

1. (archaic) alternative form of contro (“against”)

Descendants

• → Maltese: kontra
• → Turkish: kontra
• → Greek: κόντρα (kóntra)

See also

• contra-

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

contra

1. inflection of contrare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• Tronca, tronca

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin contrā.

Preposition

contra

1. against

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *komterād, ablative singular feminine of *komteros (“the other of the two who meet, opposite”). The ablative singular masculine/neuter of the same is continued in Latin contrō-, cognate to Oscan contrud. Ultimately from *kom- + *-teros; thus, a doublet of cum, comparable to the relation between intrā and in, and extrā and ex, but unlike these lacking external cognates, and therefore of Italic origin.

The change from instrumental/ablative to accusative is caused by *-teros used adverbially.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkɔn.traː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkɔn.tra]

Adverb

contrā (not comparable)

1. against
2. opposite to
3. contrary to
4. otherwise
   • CIL (On stone from Corinth) 1.02662:

     Q[u]ei probus est, lauda[t], quei contra est in[videt illum;]

     • 1940 translation by E. H. Warmington

       He who is upright has praise for him, and he who is otherwise, looks askance at him

5. in return, back

Preposition

contrā (+ accusative)

1. against
2. across from, opposite

Derived terms

• contrārius

Postposition

contrā (+ ablative)

1. from the opposite direction of, on the opposite side of

Derived terms

• eōcontrā
• hōccontrā
• illōcontrā
• istōcontrā
• quōcontrā

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Romanian: către, cătră
• Dalmatian:
  • cuantra
• Italo-Romance:
  • Old Italian: contra
    • Italian: contro
    • Judeo-Italian: קונטירה (/⁠cùntera⁠/)
  • Sicilian: contra
• Padanian:
  • Friulian: cuintri
  • Ladin: contra
  • Venetan: contra
• Northern Gallo-Romance:
  • Old French: cuntre, contre
    • French: contre
    • → English: counter
• Southern Gallo-Romance:
  • Aragonese: contra, cuentra
  • Catalan: contra
  • Occitan: contra
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Asturian: contra
  • Galician: contra
  • Portuguese: contra
  • Old Spanish: contra, cuentra (tonic variant)
    • Spanish: contra
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: contra
• Borrowings:
  • → English: contra
  • → Albanian: kundër
  • → Hungarian: kontra
  • → Italian: contra
  • → Polish: kontra
  • → Romanian: contra
  • → Swedish: kontra

Further reading

• “contra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “contra”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "contra", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “contra”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[4], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to contradict some one: dicere contra aliquem or aliquid (not contradicere alicui)
    
  • it is a breach of duty to..: contra officium est c. Inf.
    
  • for the advantage of the state; in the interests of the state: e re publica (opp. contra rem p.)
    
  • a thing is illegal: aliquid contra legem est
    
  • to foster revolutionary projects: contra rem publicam sentire
    
  • to be guilty of high treason: contra rem publicam facere
    
  • to conspire with some one: conspirare cum aliquo (contra aliquem)
    
  • against all law, human and divine: contra ius fasque
    
• contra in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[5], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin contra.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Preposition

contra

1. against

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe?

Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm

Proto-Italic *kom

Proto-Italic *kom-

Proto-Indo-European *-teros

Proto-Italic *-teros

Proto-Italic *komterosder.

Proto-Italic *komterād

Latin contrā

Portuguese contra

Inherited from Latin contrā.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkõ.tɾɐ/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -õtɾɐ
• Hyphenation: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. against

   Antonyms: a favor, em prol, em favor, em defesa

   Ele é contra a proposta.

   He is against the proposal.

   Tiveram que nadar contra a corrente.

   They had to swim against the current.

   Não é justo, são três contra um.

   It's not fair, it's three against/on one.

Related terms

• contra-
• contrário

Further reading

• “contra”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “contra”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French contre, Italian contra, Latin contrā. Doublet of the inherited către.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Preposition

contra

1. against, versus

Adverb

contra

1. against, opposed to, opposite
2. in exchange for

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin contrā. Old Spanish had cuentra as well, with diphthongization of stressed Latin /ŏ/. As the word was generally atonic, the unstressed variant contra prevailed over time.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (preposition) /kontɾa/ [kõn̪.t̪ɾa]
  • Rhymes: -ontɾa
• IPA^(key): (noun, adverb) /ˈkontɾa/ [ˈkõn̪.t̪ɾa]

  • Audio (Latin America):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ontɾa
  • Syllabification: con‧tra

Preposition

contra

1. against, versus

   Synonym: en oposición a

   Antonym: a favor de

   la lucha contra el prejuicio

   the fight against prejudice

   • 2021 August 3, Jill Martin, “EE.UU. supera a España y avanza a semifinales del baloncesto masculino”, in CNN en Español‎^[6]:

     La selección masculina de baloncesto de EE.UU. avanzó a las semifinales de los Juegos Olímpicos con una victoria por 95-81 contra España.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• contra el tiempo
• contra natura
• contra viento y marea
• contrarreforma
• contrarrevolucionario
• contratapa
• contraventana
• crimen contra naturaleza
• en contra
• en contra de
• espalda contra espalda
• por contra
• volverse contra

Related terms

• contrario
• encontrar

Descendants

• → Hiligaynon: kontra
• → Tagalog: kontra

Noun

contra m (plural contras)

1. con (disadvantage)

   Antonym: pro

Noun

contra f (plural contras)

1. antidote
2. counterpunch
3. counterattack
4. Contra (guerrilla)

Derived terms

• a la contra

Adverb

contra

1. opposite, facing

   Synonym: en oposición a

   Antonym: a favor de

Further reading

• “contra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “contra”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA
• Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1984), “contra”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎^[7] (in Spanish), volume II (Ce–F), Madrid: Gredos, →ISBN, page 182

Anagrams

• cantor
• cartón
• contar
• cortan
• cratón
• tranco
• tronca