<B>contraseasonal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> contrary to that which is seasonal; out of character with the season. <BR> <I>Ex. They [eggs] have taken a contraseasonal drop in price because of surplus supplies (New York Times).</I> adv. <B>contraseasonally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contrast">
<B>contrast, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a great difference; difference. <BR> <I>Ex. Anyone can see the contrast between black and white. There is a great contrast between life now and life a hundred years ago.</I> (SYN) unlikeness, antithesis, distinction. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person, thing, or event that shows differences when put side by side with another. <BR> <I>Ex. Black hair is a sharp contrast to a light skin.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(in the arts) the putting close together of varied forms of colors to heighten their effect, and the effect of the whole composition by comparison. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to place (two things) side by side to show their differences. <BR> <I>Ex. Contrast birds with fishes. Golf is less strenuous, contrasted with tennis.</I> (SYN) oppose, differentiate, distinguish. <DD><B> 2. </B>to put close together to heighten an effect by emphasizing differences. <BR> <I>Ex. The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to show differences when compared or put side by side. <BR> <I>Ex. The black and the gold contrast well in that design.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to form a contrast. <BR> <I>Ex. The strained language of his speeches contrasts oddly with the ease and naturalness of his letters.</I> adj. <B>contrastable.</B> adv. <B>contrastingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contrastimulant">
<B>contrastimulant, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a medicine that tends to offset the effects of a stimulant. <DD><B> 2. </B>a depressant or sedative. <DD><I>adj. </I> offsetting a stimulant. <BR> <I>Ex. contrastimulant effects.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contrastive">
<B>contrastive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> showing a contrast. <BR> <I>Ex. Contrastive studies are the more revealing when we choose languages remote from each other and spoken by people of widely divergent cultures (Beals and Hoijer).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contrasty">
<B>contrasty, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having very marked contrast between light and dark areas of a photograph with few intermediate tones. </DL>
<B>contrate wheel,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (in watchmaking) a wheel with teeth set at right angles to its plane. </DL>
<A NAME="contravallation">
<B>contravallation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a line or network of small fortifications, breastworks, or other fortification, erected around an area or fortress by attackers for protection. </DL>
<A NAME="contravene">
<B>contravene, </B>transitive verb, <B>-vened,</B> <B>-vening.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to conflict with; oppose. <BR> <I>Ex. A dictatorship contravenes the liberty of individuals.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to contradict; oppose in argument; deny. <DD><B> 3. </B>to act in defiance of; violate. <BR> <I>Ex. The British Government made it clear ... that the Paris agreements in no way contravened the treaty (London Times).</I> (SYN) transgress, infringe. noun <B>contravener.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contravention">
<B>contravention, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>conflict; opposition. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=contradiction.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>violation; infringement. <BR> <I>Ex. switching off a machine which he alleged was being operated in contravention of an agreement on starting and stopping times (London Times).</I> (SYN) transgression. </DL>
<A NAME="contrayerva">
<B>contrayerva, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the root of a tropical American plant of the mulberry family, used as a stimulant and tonic, and formerly as an antidote to snakebite. </DL>
<A NAME="contredanse">
<B>contredanse, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a dance in which the partners stand in two opposite lines facing each other; country-dance. <DD><B> 2. </B>the music written for such a dance, in 2-4 or 6-8 time. Also, <B>contradance.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contrem">
<B>cont. rem.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Medicine.) let the remedy be continued (Latin, <I>continuetur remedium</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="contretemps">
<B>contretemps, </B>noun, pl. <B>-temps.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an unlucky accident; embarrassing or awkward happening. <BR> <I>Ex. In this little contretemps there is perhaps more confusion than basic controversy (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<B>contribute, </B>verb, <B>-uted,</B> <B>-uting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to give (money, help, or other support) along with others; furnish as a share. <BR> <I>Ex. Each worker contributed a dollar to the Red Cross. Everyone was asked to contribute suggestions for the party.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to write (articles, stories, or poems) or to make (drawings) for a newspaper or magazine or for a book with more than one author. <BR> <I>Ex. He asked him to contribute a bi-weekly article on European affairs (Edmund Wilson).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to give or make a contribution. <BR> <I>Ex. Will you contribute to the Red Cross?</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>contribute to,</B> </I>to help bring about. <BR> <I>Ex. A poor diet contributed to the child's bad health. Honesty and hard work contribute to success and to happiness.</I> adj. <B>contributable.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contribution">
<B>contribution, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of contributing; giving money or help along with others. <BR> <I>Ex. She felt that contribution to the church was a duty and a pleasure. To be happy ourselves is a most effectual contribution to the happiness of others (Sir John Lubbock).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the money or help contributed; gift. <BR> <I>Ex. Her contribution to the picnic was a basket of apples. The money came from world-wide contributions (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>something written or drawn for a newspaper or magazine or for a book with more than one author. <DD><B> 4. </B>a tax; levy. </DL>
<A NAME="contributive">
<B>contributive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> helping to bring about; contributing. <BR> <I>Ex. Exercise taken in open air is ... contributive to health (Richard J. Sullivan).</I> adv. <B>contributively.</B> noun <B>contributiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contributor">
<B>contributor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that contributes. <BR> <I>Ex. Of more general interest than the debt were the newly revealed Democratic contributors of the past three months (Baltimore Sun).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who writes articles, stories, poems, or makes drawings for a newspaper or magazine, or writes for a book with more than one author. </DL>
<A NAME="contributorship">
<B>contributorship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the position of a contributor. </DL>
<A NAME="contributory">
<B>contributory, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>helping to bring about; contributing. <BR> <I>Ex. The workman's own carelessness was a contributory cause of the accident.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with or of the nature of contribution. <DD><I>noun </I> a person or thing that contributes. </DL>
<A NAME="contributorynegligence">
<B>contributory negligence,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) negligence on the part of an injured person, which has contributed or led to the injury. <BR> <I>Ex. Under the contributory negligence rule, the victim of an accident can obtain no damages at all if the jury or judge is persuaded that he was in any way responsible for the accident (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="contrite">
<B>contrite, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>broken in spirit by a sense of guilt; penitent. <BR> <I>Ex. The boy felt contrite after he had hit his little sister. ... an humble and a contrite heart (Rudyard Kipling).</I> (SYN) repentant, sorrowful, humbled. <DD><B> 2. </B>showing deep regret and sorrow. <BR> <I>Ex. He wrote an apology in contrite words.</I> adv. <B>contritely.</B> noun <B>contriteness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contrition">
<B>contrition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>sorrow for one's sins or guilt; being contrite; repentance. (SYN) penitence. <DD><B> 2. </B>deep regret. </DL>
<A NAME="contrivance">
<B>contrivance, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a thing invented; mechanical device. <BR> <I>Ex. The can opener is a handy contrivance.</I> (SYN) invention, gadget, contraption. <DD><B> 2. </B>the act or manner of contriving. <BR> <I>Ex. By careful contrivance he repaired the old clock and made it go.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the power or ability of contriving; inventive capacity. (SYN) ingenuity. <DD><B> 4. </B>a plan; scheme. <BR> <I>Ex. The party was merely a contrivance to bring the unfriendly family together.</I> (SYN) stratagem, tactic. </DL>
<A NAME="contrive">
<B>contrive, </B>verb, <B>-trived,</B> <B>-triving.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to plan with cleverness or skill; invent; design. <BR> <I>Ex. The inventor contrived a new kind of engine with fewer moving parts.</I> (SYN) devise. <DD><B> 2. </B>to plan; scheme; plot. <BR> <I>Ex. The outlaws contrived a robbery of the train.</I> (SYN) hatch, frame, concoct. <DD><B> 3. </B>to manage. <BR> <I>Ex. I will contrive to be there by ten o'clock.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(in writing) to bring about; effect by manipulation of the plot. <BR> <I>Ex. The scriptwriter contrived a happy ending by having the heroine escape at the last minute.</I> (SYN) hatch, frame, concoct. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to form schemes or designs; plan. adj. <B>contrivable.</B> noun <B>contriver.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="contrived">
<B>contrived, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> produced by contrivance; characterized by artifice or craft; not natural; artificial. <BR> <I>Ex. The other announcers ... indulged in the usual synthetic hoopla and contrived excitement (New York Times).</I> adv. <B>contrivedly.</B> </DL>
