adv
Meaning 1
Contrary to something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
contra
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒntɹə/
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General-American: /ˈkɑntɹə/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: K AA1 N T R AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A deal to swap goods or services.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A conservative; originally tied to Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
Topics: government, politics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An entry (or account) that cancels another entry (or account).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: attributive, often
Topics: accounting, business, finance
Examples
- a contra position; a contra entry
- The sum for each contra account is shown in the last column.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: counterentry
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
Any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A contra dance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: dance, dancing, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A country dance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: New-England, US, obsolete
Topics: dance, dancing, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A member of any of various rightist guerrilla groups violently opposing the socialist Sandinista government of Nicaragua and secretly funded by the United States government in the 1980s.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
prep
Meaning 9
Against; contrary or opposed to; in opposition or contrast to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To undo; to reverse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: no-past, no-present-participle, participle, past
Topics: accounting, business, finance
Examples
- to contra a position (an entry)
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
a member of the guerrilla force that opposed a left-wing government in Nicaragua
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: Nicaraguan
History
Etymology
Ultimately from Latin contrā.
Short for Spanish contrarrevolucionarios (“counter-revolutionaries”).
Across languages
Translations
48 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: عَلَى اَلْعَكْس (ʕalā l-ʕaks) — contrary to something
- Arabic: عَلَى اَلنَّقِيض مِن (ʕalā n-naqīḍ min) — contrary to something
- Arabic: ضِد (ḍid) — contrary to something
- Arabic: عكس (ʕakss) — contrary to something
- Arabic: ضد (ḍeḍ) — contrary to something
- Bulgarian: напротив (naprotiv) — contrary to something
- Bulgarian: наопаки (naopaki) — contrary to something
- German: gegen — contrary to something
- German: im Gegensatz zu — contrary to something
- German: contra — contrary to something
- German: gegnerisch — contrary to something
- German: gegengesetzt — contrary to something
- German: entgegengesetzt — contrary to something
- Polish: wbrew — contrary to something
- Romanian: împotrivă — contrary to something
- Romanian: contra — contrary to something
- Dutch: contrarekening — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- Finnish: vasta- — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- Finnish: vastatili — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- Finnish: vastakirjaus — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Gegenkonto — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Gegenbuchung — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Gegenposition — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Gegenrechnung — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Kreditseite — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- Polish: but see konto wykluczające inne konto — (accounting) an entry (or account) that cancels another entry
- German: Contra Tanz — (dance) a contra dance
- German: Kontratanz — (dance) a contra dance
- Chinese Mandarin: 康特拉 — guerrilla groups
- Finnish: contra — guerrilla groups
- Japanese: コントラ — guerrilla groups
- Persian: کنترا (kontrâ) — guerrilla groups
- Spanish: contra — guerrilla groups
- Bulgarian: против (protiv) — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: gegen — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: im Gegensatz zu — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: contra — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: anti — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: wider — against, contrary or opposed to
- Latin: contrā — against, contrary or opposed to
- Old English: aġēn — against, contrary or opposed to
- Polish: kontra — against, contrary or opposed to
- Portuguese: contra — against, contrary or opposed to
- Swedish: kontra — against, contrary or opposed to
- Tagalog: kontra — against, contrary or opposed to
- German: zurückbuchen — (accounting) to undo an entry
- German: ristornieren — (accounting) to undo an entry
- German: stornieren — (accounting) to undo an entry