French word

contre

Pronunciation

IPA/kɔ̃tʁ/

Meaning

  • prepositionagainst

Example

Je suis contre ce projet.

I'm against this project.

Illustration for contre (against)

More examples

Elle a voté contre la loi.

She voted against the law.

Core concept

A force or position set directly against another, from opposition to physical contact or an exchange.

Common phrases

  • être contre

    be against

  • voter contre

    vote against

  • se prononcer contre

    come out against

Similar words

en désaccord avec: Indicating disagreement with a viewpoint or opinion.
contrairement à: Showing that something conflicts with convention or expectation.
au contraire de: Presenting an outcome or stance contrary to what happened or was asserted.
à l'opposé de: Showing a completely opposite direction or meaning.

Definition in French

S'utilise pour exprimer l'opposition ou l'antagonisme envers quelque chose; elle s'emploie aussi pour un contact physique ou pour marquer une contrepartie dans une transaction.

Word origin

Contre comes through Old French from Latin contra, meaning 'opposite', and its uses retain the idea of setting one thing against another.

Usage tips

  • In être contre, contre introduces a noun phrase, while s'opposer à uses à before its complement.

Other meanings

  • in exchange forpreposition

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word