Meanings
- emphatichumorousnot comparableusuallyOn the contrary.
Fembots: (one by one) You can't resist us, Mr. Powers. / Austin Powers: Au contraire, baby. I think that you can't resist me.
1997, Mike Myers, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (motion picture)2 more examples
Travellers have written and spoken so much of the beauty of this celebrated piece of water, that I expected to be disappointed; but, au contraire, I am almost inclined to write a rhapsody myself.
1856, Isabella L. Bird, The Englishwoman in AmericaThe A-list cannot be loved by all the people all of the time. Au contraire, the bigger and better and more gorgeous one gets, the more likely one is to inspire antipathy.
2005 August 20, Polly Vernon, “Celebrity etiquette”, in The Observer, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Frenchau contraire
- Frenchau contraire
- Englishau contraire
Borrowed from French au contraire.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian напротив
- напротив (naprotiv)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
Czech právě naopak
- právě naopakon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Dutch integendeel
- integendeelon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Estonian hoopis vastupidi, vastupidi
- hoopis vastupidion the contrary — see also on the contrary
- vastupidion the contrary — see also on the contrary
Finnish vaan, päinvastoin
- vaanon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- päinvastoinon the contrary — see also on the contrary
French au contraire
- au contraireon the contrary — see also on the contrary
German im Gegenteil, au contraire
- im Gegenteilon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- au contraireon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Greek τουναντίον, αντίθετα
- τουναντίον (tounantíon)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
- αντίθετα (antítheta)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
Hebrew להיפך
- להיפךon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Hindi उल्टे
- उल्टे (ulṭe)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
Icelandic þvert á móti, á hinn bóginn
- þvert á mótion the contrary — see also on the contrary
- á hinn bóginnon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- hins vegaron the contrary — see also on the contrary
Italian al contrario
- al contrarioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Latin sed contra
- sed contraon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Polish przeciwnie
- przeciwnieon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Portuguese ao contrário, pelo contrário
- ao contrárioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- pelo contrárioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Russian наоборо́т
- наоборо́т (naoborót)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
Spanish en contrario, por el contrario
- en contrarioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- por el contrarioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- en contraon the contrary — see also on the contrary
- al contrarioon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Swedish tvärtom
- tvärtomon the contrary — see also on the contrary
Tagalog bagkus
- bagkuson the contrary — see also on the contrary
Ukrainian навпаки
- навпаки (navpaky)on the contrary — see also on the contrary
Cite this entry
au contraire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/au%20contraire
“au contraire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/au%20contraire. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “au contraire,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/au%20contraire.
Source: au contraire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.