How do you use the word "contradictory" in a sentence?

Q: How do you use the word "contradictory" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "contradictory": This will almost certainly have contradictory consequences and effects. What they say is contradictory to their feelings.

Contradictory Meaning

/ˌkɒntɹəˈdɪkt(ə)ɹi/

Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

adjThat contradicts something, such as an argument.

adjThat is itself a contradiction.

Sentence Examples

This will almost certainly have contradictory consequences and effects.

What they say is contradictory to their feelings.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

None

Antonyms:

supportive synonymous

CEFR Practice Quiz

The witness gave a ____ testimony that confused the entire jury panel.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

This will almost certainly have ____ consequences and effects.

Word Origin & History

Borrowed from Late Latin contradictorius, from Latin contradico. Equivalent to contradict + -ory.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"This wide variety of genuinely contradictory holy sutras generated a serious problem in later Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. In the early period the Chinese and Japanese did not know that there were so many schools of Buddhism which disagreed with one another. Chinese and Japanese Buddhists assumed that every single Buddhist sutra was the actual words of the Buddha himself. As a result, Chinese Buddhists had to come up with some kind of explanation for the contradictory claims and assertions apparently made by the same holy person. The Chinese T’ien-t’ai school decided that the texts were spoken by the Buddha but tailored to different audiences of vastly different capabilities and insight." — 2004, Robert Zeuschner, “Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism”, in Asian Thought: Traditions of India, China, Japan & Tibet, volume I, Echo Point Books & Media, LLC, published 2017, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 225:

"Our attitudes toward sharks are contradictory. We fear them and yet we seek them out." — 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 149:

"Schemes […] contradictory to common sense." — 1715 January 23 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 7. Wednesday, January 13. [1715.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC:

"[White House deputy chief of policy Stephen] Miller has offered contradictory versions of Trump administration statements and court rulings." — 2025 April 18, Henry Gass, “Amid deportation dispute, Trump and courts square off on who has last word”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

"If one proposition is the negation of another, it follows trivially from the definition that the two propositions are contradictories. The converse does not hold. Two propositions can be contradictories without either being the negation of the other. For example: 3) John is more than six feet tall and 4) John is either exactly six feet tall or else less than six feet tall are contradictories, but neither is the negation of the other. Negation is one way, but not the only way, of forming a contradictory." — 2001, Mark Sainsbury, chapter 1, in Logical Forms — An Introduction to Philosophical Logic, 2nd edition, Blackwell Publishing, →ISBN, §4, page 20:

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