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

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

And that is what they are—in contradistinction to a monarch’s glorious orange and black.

From Economist

In contradistinction to the endearing at-home photos of their kids, McGraw and Hill featured, in video, images that looked like outtakes from a perfume ad.

From Washington Post

Greenblatt writes that the Genesis narratives of the Creation and Flood were written in contradistinction to the Babylonian narratives they resemble, to assert and preserve Hebrew religious culture.

From New York Times