Prefix · against / opposite
Signals opposition or contrary action: contradict, contraband, contrast, contraception.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Contra- comes from the Latin contra, which means "against" or "opposite". It shows opposition, contrariness or an action in the reverse direction. You will see it in words about disagreement, forbidden goods and very low musical notes.
Besides "against", contra- appears in music to name instruments and voices with a very low register. And in engineering, to talk about structures that work against a force. It is a fairly formal and technical prefix; for responses and reactions in everyday language, English prefers counter-, which has its own page.
Attaches to nouns and verbs:
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒntrə/. Approximate synonym of "counter-" in English, but contra- is more common in formal and technical terms.
contra-/ˈkɒntrə/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"Contradict" means to assert the opposite, with or without proof: "You said it was red; he contradicted you by saying it was blue." Both statements could be wrong. "Refute" = to prove something false with evidence. These are distinct: you can contradict while being equally mistaken.
"Contrast" (noun) = the striking difference revealed by comparison: "the contrast between city and country." "Contrast" (verb) = to compare to highlight differences: "She contrasted his optimism with her pessimism." The word functions as both noun and verb with no change in form.
A trick to remember it
Picture two arrows colliding head-on: contra- = the opposite direction. contradict, contrast.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The ___ between the modern glass tower and the Victorian terrace beside it is quite striking."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is the difference between "contradict" and "refute" in English?
The prefix contra- signals opposition or contrary action: contradict, contraband, contrast, contraception.
The prefix contra- is pronounced /ˈkɒntrə/. For example, "contradict".
"dict" becomes "contradict". It is a typical example of the contra- prefix.
un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.