adv · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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
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Received-Pronunciation:/kənˈvɜːsli/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɒnvɜːsli/
General-American:/kənˈvɝsli/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 N V ER0 S L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
With a reversed relationship.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: conjunctive, not-comparable, often
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adv
Meaning 2
From another point of view; on the other hand.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, conjunctive, not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adverb
Meaning 3
with the terms of the relation reversed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
conversely, not all women are mothers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English converse Middle English -ly English -ly English conversely From converse + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
37 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bashkir:
киреһенсә
(kirehensə)
— with a reversed relationship
Chinese Mandarin:
倒
(dào)
— with a reversed relationship
Chinese Mandarin:
轉而 /转而
(zhuǎn'ér)
— with a reversed relationship
Czech:
naopak
— with a reversed relationship
Dutch:
omgekeerd
— with a reversed relationship
Finnish:
kääntäen
— with a reversed relationship
Finnish:
päinvastoin
— with a reversed relationship
Finnish:
sitä vastoin
— with a reversed relationship
French:
à l'inverse
— with a reversed relationship
French:
inversement
— with a reversed relationship
Georgian:
პირუკუ
(ṗiruḳu)
— with a reversed relationship
German:
andererseits
— with a reversed relationship
German:
im Gegenzug
— with a reversed relationship
German:
im umgekehrten Fall
— with a reversed relationship
German:
spiegelbildlich dazu
— with a reversed relationship
German:
umgekehrt
— with a reversed relationship
Hindi:
दूसरी ओर
(dūsrī or)
— with a reversed relationship
Italian:
per converso
— with a reversed relationship
Italian:
al contrario
— with a reversed relationship
Italian:
viceversa
— with a reversed relationship
Khmer:
វិញ
(vɨñ)
— with a reversed relationship
Latin:
reflexim
— with a reversed relationship
Latin:
ultrō
— with a reversed relationship
Russian:
наоборот
(naoborot)
— with a reversed relationship
Russian:
обра́тно
(obrátno)
— with a reversed relationship
Russian:
противоположно
(protivopoložno)
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
òbr̄nūto
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
обрнуто
(obrnuto)
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
ȍbrātno
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
о̏бра̄тно
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
prȍtīvno
— with a reversed relationship
Serbo-Croatian:
про̏тӣвно
— with a reversed relationship
Spanish:
en cambio
— with a reversed relationship
Spanish:
a la inversa
— with a reversed relationship
Swedish:
omvänt
— with a reversed relationship
Urdu:
دوسری اور
(dūsrī aur)
— with a reversed relationship
Vietnamese:
ngược lại
— with a reversed relationship
