au contraire en · ADV
Pronunciation
- /oʊ ˌkɑnˈtɹɛ(ə)ɹ/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /əʊ ˈkɒntɹɛː(ɹ)/ (UK)
- /oʊ ˌkɔnˈtɹɛ(ə)ɹ/ (US)
- /ɔ-/ (nonstandard, uncommon)
Etymology
Borrowed from French au contraire.
Meanings
-
(emphatic, humorous, not-comparable, usually) On the contrary.
The A-list cannot be loved by all the people all of the time. Au contraire, the bigger and better and more gorgeous one gets, the more likely one is to inspire antipathy.
2005 August 20, Polly Vernon, “Celebrity etiquette”, in The Observer, →ISSN:Travellers have written and spoken so much of the beauty of this celebrated piece of water, that I expected to be disappointed; but, au contraire, I am almost inclined to write a rhapsody myself.
1856, Isabella L. Bird, The Englishwoman in America:Fembots: (one by one) You can't resist us, Mr. Powers. / Austin Powers: Au contraire, baby. I think that you can't resist me.
1997, Mike Myers, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (motion picture):
Translations (40)
it al contrario (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · ht okontrè (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · tl bagkus (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · cs právě naopak (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · el αντίθετα (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · kmr tersî (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · wa el plaece (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · la sed contra (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · fr au contraire (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · he להיפך (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · et hoopis vastupidi (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · hi उल्टे (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · bg напротив (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · fi päinvastoin (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · is á hinn bóginn (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · es al contrario (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · es en contrario (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · el τουναντίον (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · pt ao contrário (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · uk навпаки (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · oc au contra (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · oc au contrari (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · kmr berevajî (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · pl przeciwnie (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · kmr dijraberî (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · nl integendeel (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · is þvert á móti (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · de au contraire (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · es por el contrario (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · pt pelo contrário (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · sv tvärtom (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · wa e l' plaece (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · ru наоборо́т (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · es en contra (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · fi vaan (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · oc al revèrs (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · is hins vegar (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · et vastupidi (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · wa estô (on the contrary — see also on the contrary) · de im Gegenteil (on the contrary — see also on the contrary)