contradistinction

[ kon-truh-di-stingk-shuhn ]

noun

1. distinction by opposition or contrast:

   plants and animals in contradistinction to humans.

contradistinction

/ ˌkɒntrədɪˈstɪŋkʃən /

noun

1. a distinction made by contrasting different qualities

Derived Forms

• ˌcontradisˈtinctive, adjective
• ˌcontradisˈtinctively, adverb

Other Words From

• contra·dis·tinctive adjective
• contra·dis·tinctive·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of contradistinction¹

First recorded in 1640–50; contra- ¹( def ) + distinction

Example Sentences

That’s why, in total contradistinction to the facts, most people thought and continue to think that the economy was much better under Trump than under Obama and Biden-Harris.

From Salon

Home cooking is the sort of food that tells a story, either of the families we come from or conversely, the person we are in contradistinction to the families we come from, and that food is not about technique and it's not about tap dancing your way into applause.

From Salon

It is this more easygoing Lucretian, Baconian, Charltonian approach which eventually became that of the Royal Society and of eighteenth-century science, in contradistinction to the far bolder one of Montaigne and Descartes.

From Literature

In contradistinction to "essential health care worker."

From Salon

I don't think my parents grew into who they were in contradistinction to each other - she quiet because he noisy and vice versa.

From BBC