French Conversation · Level 116
60 words
French word
contrairement
Pronunciation
IPA/kɔ̃tʁɛʁəmɑ̃/
Meaning
- adverbunlike ___
Example
Il aime les sports, contrairement à son frère.
He likes sports, unlike his brother.
More examples
Contrairement aux prévisions, il a fait beau toute la journée.
Contrary to the forecasts, the weather was nice all day.
Core concept
A contrast arrow pointing away from a stated or expected fact.
Common phrases
contrairement à
contrary to ___
Similar words
par contre: Frequently used informally to point out a difference between two events or situations.
en revanche: Presenting an opposing fact or different outcome in contrast with another event.
au contraire: Clearly asserting the opposite of what was previously stated or believed.
Definition in French
Introduit une idée opposée à ce qui a été dit ou attendu.
Word origin
Contrairement is formed from the adjective contraire with the adverbial suffix -ment; contraire comes from Latin contrarius, meaning opposed.
Usage tips
- Contrairement is normally followed by à before a noun or pronoun, as in contrairement à son frère.
Other meanings
- in contrastadverb
Opposites
- au contraireon the contraryadverb
Related words
- contrairecontraryadjective
- contrariéupsetadjective
- contrarierbotherverb