To contradict means to say the opposite of what someone else has said, or to show that something isn't true. When you contradict someone, you're claiming their statement is wrong. If your friend says “It never rains in July” and you reply “Actually, it rained three times last July,” you've contradicted them.

People can contradict each other, but things can also contradict themselves. A story contradicts itself when one part says something happened on Monday and another part says it happened on Thursday. When a student claims they studied hard but can't answer basic questions about the material, their words contradict their actions.

A contradiction is the act of contradicting or a statement that contradicts. Someone who argues a lot or always disagrees might be called contradictory.

Sometimes contradicting someone is necessary and important, like when you need to correct false information. But constantly contradicting people just to argue can be exhausting for everyone around you. The key difference is whether you're genuinely trying to establish truth or just enjoying disagreement for its own sake.