Forms: 4 contrariete, 4–5 contrarite, -yte, 5–6 contraryete, 5–7 -ietie, 6 -yetye, 6–7 contrarity, 7 -itie, 6– contrariety. [a. OF. contrarieté, -eteit, ad. late L. contrārietātem, n. of quality f. contrārius CONTRARY; see -TY.]
1. Opposition of one thing to another in nature, quality, or action; diametrical difference, repugnancy, contrariness.
c. 1380. in Rel. Ant., II. 52. Distaunce of contrarite is betwene fleyshly pley and the ernestful dedis of Crist.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pars. T., 1003. Þer ioye haþ no contrariete of wo.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., 455. The lawes conteynen in hem contrarite to the comoun lawe of God.
1563. Hyll, Art Garden., I. xiv. (1608), 37. The naturall contraritie of the ash and the snake or adder.
1651. Stanley, Poems, 101. The black and white here kindly do agree Graced by each others contrariety.
1739. J. Trapp, Right. over-much (1758), 4. Its contrariety to sound reason.
1750. Johnson, Rambler, No. 23, ¶ 11. A ship … dashed by the waves from every quarter, but held upright by the contrariety of the assailants.
1838–9. Hallam, Hist. Lit., III. III. iii. § 10. 8. Contrariety is necessary for the decay and reproduction of nature.
1866. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt, III. xliii. 152. With an odd contrariety to her former niceties she liked his rough attire.
b. An instance of such opposition; an antagonistic action or fact; pl. contraries.
c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., II. xvi. 242. In the sterris … weren noon contrarietees.
1524. Wolsey, in Fiddes, Life, II. (1726), 72. After long altercations and sundrie contrarietys.
1631. W. Saltonstall, Picturæ Loq. (1635), F viij b. A Country Dame is a contrariety to finenesse, for she loves plainnesse.
1692. Ray, Dissol. World, III. v. (1732), 342. If there were no such Contrarieties and fights … among them.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1840), II. x. 225. I had the particular pleasure, speaking by contrarieties, to see the ship set sail without me.
1852. Disraeli, Mem. Ld. Bentinck, 2. He had overcome many contrarieties and prejudices.
2. Opposition between things of the same class or parts of the same thing; disagreement, discordance, discrepancy, inconsistency.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 270/3. Seynt Theoderyck sayth that he was flayn and it is redde in many bookes that he was byheded only and this contraryete may be assoylled in this manere.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. 57. The contrariety that euer hath beene in all ages amongst the verie doctors and maisters themselues.
1644. Milton, Divorce, Wks. 1738, I. 291. That in the words of our Saviour there can be no contrariety.
1762. Goldsm., Cit. W., xv. 51. Strange contrariety of conduct; they pity and they eat the objects of their compassion.
1877. C. Geikie, Christ, xxxviii. (1879), 445. When there is such contrariety of opinion.
b. An instance of this; a discrepancy.
1532. Thynne, Ded. Chaucer’s Wks. The contrarieties … founde by the collacion of the one [edition] with the other.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., II. iii. 59. He will be here, and yet he is not here: How can these contrarieties agree?
1765. Blackstone, Comm., I. 30. The little contrarieties, which the practice of many centuries will necessarily create in any human system.
1854–6. C. Patmore, Angel in Ho., I. II. iv. Above All other contrarieties Is labour contrary to love.
3. Opposition to one’s purpose or advantage; unfavorable character; hence (with a and pl.) an adversity, affliction, mishap, disadvantage.
c. 1430. trans. T. à Kempis’ Imit., II. iii. Al our pes … is raþer to be sette in meke suffryng þan in not feling contrarietes.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 373. And to this fyll an other contraryte to ye Cristen.
1620–55. I. Jones, Stone-Heng (1725), 3. To shelter them from Contrariety of Seasons.
1642. Sir T. Browne, Relig. Med., 38. The tempests and contrarieties of winds.
1847. Illustr. Lond. News, 28 Aug., 139/3. The season has been financially … triumphant, despite of many unfortunate contrarieties.
4. Opposite direction or position.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 424. [It] is rather a contrariety of motion.
1691. Ray, Creation, I. (1704), 72. Contrariety of Motions, which were requisite in the old Hypothesis.
5. Logic. Contrary opposition: see CONTRARY a. 6.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 106 b. Contrarietie is when our talke standeth by contrarie wordes or sentences together.
1628. T. Spencer, Logick, 88. Contrarietie is a difference according to the forme.
1788. Reid, Aristotle’s Log., i. § 3. The opposition of terms are relative, privative, of contrariety and of contradiction.
1837–8. Sir W. Hamilton, Logic, xvii. (1866), I. 331. A disjunctive syllogism with characters opposed in contrariety.
