Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
contrarian en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /kənˈtɹɛə.ɹi.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /kənˈtɹɛ.ɹi.ən/ (General-American)
- /ˌkɑnˈ-/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree
English contrary
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Italic *-nos
Proto-Italic *-ānos
Latin -ānus
Old French -ainder.
Middle English -an
English -an
English libertarianinflu.
English contrarian
From contrary + -an (suffix forming agent nouns; and meaning of or pertaining to forming adjectives), modelled after words like libertarian.
Meanings
-
Liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people.
I began with the problem that I did not have enough confidence in what I had to say. Then I discovered that there could never be a single "I" who could speak for me, I could only communicate an aspect of myself: sometimes more friendly, sometimes more contrarian.
2013, Phillip Lopate, “Modesty and Assertion”, in To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction, New York, N.Y.: Free Press, →ISBN:The second part [of the book] explores the normative forms of adolescent resistance and contrarian behavior that vex parents and teachers alike. This discussion is within the context of chapters that look at the ways in which parenting and teaching for moral development can positively make use of these normative challenges.
2005, Larry [P.] Nucci, “Preface”, in Larry Nucci, editor, Conflict, Contradiction, and Contrarian Elements in Moral Development and Education, Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, →ISBN, page viii:
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Having an opinion of market trends at variance with most others.
Yet at the same time, 401(k) traders became more contrarian in their response to falling markets during the crisis. Therefore, the increased sensitivity to market volatility was offset, in part, by a tendency to 'buy on the dips' in response to falling markets.
2012, Ning Tang, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Utkus, “Trading in 401(k) Plans during the Financial Crisis”, in Raimond Maurer, Olivia S. Mitchell, Mark J. Warshawsky, editors, Reshaping Retirement Security: Lessons from the Global Financial Crisis, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, part II (Rethinking the Resilience of Defined Contribution Plans), page 115:
Forms
Translations (7)
it controcorrente (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastavirtainen (having an opinion of market trends at variance with most others) · nl tegendraads (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastarintainen (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · de konträr (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastusteleva (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · it fuori dal coro (liking or tending to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people)
contrarian en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /kənˈtɹɛə.ɹi.ən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /kənˈtɹɛ.ɹi.ən/ (General-American)
- /ˌkɑnˈ-/ (General-American)
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree
English contrary
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Italic *-nos
Proto-Italic *-ānos
Latin -ānus
Old French -ainder.
Middle English -an
English -an
English libertarianinflu.
English contrarian
From contrary + -an (suffix forming agent nouns; and meaning of or pertaining to forming adjectives), modelled after words like libertarian.
Meanings
-
A person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people, usually because of nonconformity or spite.
[Søren] Kierkegaard had no university career, and [Friedrich] Nietzsche was a professor of Greek and Roman philology who had to retire because of ill health. Both were individualists, and both were contrarians by nature, dedicated to making people uncomfortable.
2016, Sarah Bakewell, “Sir, What a Horror, Existentialism!”, in At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails […], Toronto, Ont.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf Canada, →ISBN, page 17:Hello, he lied / Like velvet, this magician's sleight of tongue and hand / Hello, he lied / Beware, belie his smile / As warm and calculated as heroin / Beware the contrarian
2018, “The Contrarian”, in Maynard James Keenan (lyrics), Billy Howerdel (music), Eat the Elephant, performed by A Perfect Circle, Track 3:Christopher [Hitchens] is bored by the epithet contrarian, which has been trailing him around for a quarter of a century. What he is, in any case, is an autocontrarian: he seeks not just the most difficult position, but the most difficult position for Christopher Hitchens.
2011 April 28, Martin Amis, “Amis on Hitchens: ‘He’s one of the most terrifying rhetoricians the world has seen’”, in The Observer, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC; republished as “Foreword”, in Windsor Mann, editor, The Quotable Hitchens: From Alcohol to Zionism: The Very Best of Christopher Hitchens, Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2011, →ISBN, page x:
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A financial investor who tends to have an opinion of market trends at variance with most others.
[T]o succeed as a contrarian, you have to be able to time trades in exactly the opposite direction of the majority. This means you have to move in when everyone else is fearful, and step back when everyone else is euphoric. This advice is easier to give than to follow, so contrarians are not just good at timing. They also are highly disciplined and able to set and follow rules for themselves that fly in the face of what the majority thinks.
2010, Michael C. Thomsett, “The Contrarian Approach to Trading”, in Getting Started in Stock Investing and Trading (Getting Started in …; 89), Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, part III (Combining Investing and Trading), page 174:
Forms
Antonyms
slipstreamer
Deriveds
contrarianly · contrarianism
Relateds
renegade · refusenik · defier · opposer · nonconformist · recusant · rebel · maverick
Translations (26)
de Querkopf (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastarannan kiiski (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · pl odmianek (Far Masovian) (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · cmn 槓頭 /杠头 (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · es inconformista (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · mk контраш (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi toisinajattelija (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fr anti-conformiste (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · el πνεύμα αντιλογίας (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · pl przeciwmówca (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · pl przekornik (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastavirtasijoittaja (financial investor who tends to have an opinion of market trends at variance with most others) · fr rebroussier (Meridional French, especially Nîmes) (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · cmn 槓精 /杠精 (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fr contradicteur (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · de Querdenkerin (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · es contreras (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fi vastustelija (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · es gustarle llevar la contraria (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · cs opozičník (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · de Querdenker (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · es contrera (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · it bastian contrario (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · yi אפּכא־מסתּבראניק (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · es anticonformista (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people) · fr rebroussière (Meridional French, especially Nîmes) (person who likes or tends to express a contradicting viewpoint, especially from one held by a majority of people)