contravene
Americanverb (used with object)
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contravenes,
present (3rd person singular)
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contravened,
past participle, past
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contravening
present participle
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to come or be in conflict with; go or act against; deny or oppose.
to contravene a statement.
-
to violate, infringe, or transgress.
to contravene the law.
verb
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to come into conflict with or infringe (rules, laws, etc)
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to dispute or contradict (a statement, proposition, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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contravenesimple
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contravenessimple
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have contravenedperfect
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has contravenedperfect
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am contraveningprogressive
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are contraveningprogressive
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is contraveningprogressive
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have been contraveningperfect progressive
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has been contraveningperfect progressive
Past
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contravenedsimple
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had contravenedperfect
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was contraveningprogressive
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were contraveningprogressive
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had been contraveningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of contravene
1560–70; < Late Latin contrāvenīre, equivalent to Latin contrā against + venīre to come
Explanation
To contravene means to go against or defy. You might contravene your parents' ban on sweets when your friend offers to share her candy because chocolate tastes too good to resist! If you contravene something in practice, you act in direct violation of a particular law or rule. Think about the times when someone has told you not to cross a line and you do anyway. You can also contravene in words though, which means you contradict or argue against a statement. Let's say you're debating gun control. If your opponent says that for the safety of all, it should be legal to carry a concealed weapon wherever you go, you might answer that the more concealed weapons there are, the more violence. You are contravening your opponent's argument.
Vocabulary lists containing contravene
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Against All Odds: Contra and Counter
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yet, Ms. Gordon-Reed notes, Jefferson’s “actions and words in other contexts . . . contravene almost everything he has to say in the ‘Notes.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
While strictly speaking the events seem to contravene restrictions imposed on mass gatherings, they have been tolerated by the authorities.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
That leads into Colorado’s second justification—that conversion therapy does indeed contravene the standard of care by subjecting minors to “discredited” quackery far more likely to harm than help.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2025
Its latest decisions "contravene those duties" and raise "serious questions about Ofcom's oversight over its own regulations", the channel added.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024
Here they were of course, but how was it possible to contravene the orders of Jan?
From The Laughing Cavalier The Story of the Ancestor of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy
The UN says the system contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2025
She said: “Often insurance companies will refuse to insure spas to welcome people with cancer, which is an absolute travesty as far as I’m concerned, and contravenes the Equality Act 2010.”
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
"It contravenes Indonesia’s international obligations in relation to respect and protection for freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression," he said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 20, 2023
Justice is always served when a court does not allow a defendant to manipulate a federal statute to their advantage in a way that contravenes its purpose.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2023
It is in vain to deny the truth of a miracle on the ground that it is impossible, and contravenes the well-established laws of the universe.
From The Christ Of Paul Or, The Enigmas of Christianity by George Reber
The family argued that their rights, which requires the State providing education to "respect the right of parents to ensure such education is in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions", had been contravened.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
The boss of World Rugby has rejected Australia coach Joe Schmidt's claim that the decision at the end of the second Test against the British and Irish Lions contravened the sport's player welfare drive.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2025
This was served at Alonso's first pit stop, but the two-time champion was then given a 10-second penalty because Aston Martin were judged to have contravened the rules by working on his car.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2024
Detractors said the plan contravened Kenya’s constitution because it would place officers in unnecessary danger and was carried out without broader public dialogue or the direct authorization of the government agencies tasked with national security.
From New York Times ● Feb. 4, 2024
But if we are to deal with the Cosmos we must first understand it, even if our hopes for some unearned preferential status are, in the process, contravened.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
He sticks to beliefs even in the face of contravening evidence.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
British prosecutors on Monday charged Ajay Pant, the Indian captain of the Smyrtos, with contravening UK sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Nonkululeko Patricia Mantula is among five people who prosecutors say are facing charges for contravening a law which prohibits South Africans from joining a foreign army without official permission.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025
The individual accused China of holding Turganbay without cause and of buying-up Kazakh land, contravening a law against the sale of agricultural areas to foreign citizens.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
The International Confederation of Wizards has had to fine certain nations repeatedly for contravening Clause 73.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
