a. Now rare. Forms: 3– contrarious; also 4–5 -iose, 4–6 -ius, -yus, -iouse, 5 -yows, 5–6 -yous. [a. OF. contrarios, -ous, -us, -eus, ad. med.L. contrāriōsus, f. contrārius CONTRARY; see -OUS.]
† 1. Of opposed character or tendency; contrary or repugnant (to, rarely from). Obs.
c. 1340. Hampole, Prose Tr. (1866), 20. Bodely wyrkyngis … contrarious to the spirite in gostely wyrkynge.
1401. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 91. And frely forgith sentences contrarious to oure feith.
1534. More, On the Passion, Introd. Wks. 1271/1. It should not haue left any place … for anye contrarious appetite or affeccion to enter.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Luke, 190 a. Contrarious from.
1656. Sanderson, Serm. (1689), 313. What can be imagined more contrarious to true Christian liberty.
2. Mutually opposed, antagonistic; self-contradictory, inconsistent. ? Obs.
1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 1591. Yhit has þe world … Ma other contrarius maneres.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 64. Moche wyne & sapience may not accorde, for they be in maner contrarious.
a. 1542. Wyatt, Poems (title), Description of the contrarious passions in a lover.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., X. (1682), 479. Nine contrarious Tides: each Tide over-thwarting another.
1644. Milton, Divorce, Wks. 1738, I. 200. The righteous and all-wise Judgments and Statutes of God … are not variable and contrarious.
1792. D. Lloyd, Voy. Life, 21. Jarring sentiments, contrarious views.
1834. Sir H. Taylor, Artevelde, II. III. ii. (1849), 186. How diverse, how contrarious is man!
† 3. Of persons and their actions: Opposed in purpose, hostile. Obs. (This develops into 4.)
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 59/181. Laste þe pope were Contrarious a-ȝein is Ordre.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 14461 (Cott.). Þai [the Jews] war ful enwius, And to þaim-self contrarius.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), VII. 111. Takynge an hoste … ageyne the Wandalynges contrarious to hym.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., XVIII. xxxvi. I knowe … your frendes all Unto me sure wyll be contraryous.
1569. Earl Murray, in Harl. Lib., 37 B. 9 fo. 43. Her highness should not be contrarious to the marriage when it should be proposed to her.
4. Full of opposition; characterized by self-willed or refractory opposition; perverse.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, cxlvi. 11. Þe pride of contraryus men.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s Prol., 780. Thay ben so wicked and so contrarious, Thay haten that her housbondes loven ay.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), IV. 325. Ȝiffenge not contrarious wordes and answeres to their betters.
1578. Psalm li., in Sc. Poems 16th C., II. 112. Full weill I knaw my wickednes, And sin contrarious.
1602. Warner, Alb. Eng., Epit. (1612), 396. No leisure remained the King for his formall courting of so contrarious a Ladie.
1635. Heywood, Hierarch., III. 155. Phœbe shall proue Contrarious to her Brother.
1854. H. Miller, Sch. & Schm., xxii. (1860), 233/1. ‘Get about your business, ye contrarious rascal!’
1856. Mrs. Browning, Aur. Leigh, VI. 653. She flew contrarious in the face of God With bat-wings of her vices.
5. Of things: Opposed to one’s interests; adverse, prejudicial, untoward, unfavorable, harmful, hurtful; annoying, vexatious.
c. 1320. Seuyn Sag. (W.), 1094. Hit mot bothe drink and ete Contrarius drink, contrarius mete.
1450–1530. Myrr. our Ladye, 145. My sowlle suffereth pacyently wronges and contraryous thinges.
a. 1693. Urquhart, Rabelais, III. li. It is more contrarious and hurtful than the Strangle weed … is to the Flax.
1866. Geo. Eliot, F. Holt, 2. The bad-luck that sent contrarious seasons and the sheep-rot.
1868. Browning, Ring & Bk., VIII. 1056. A bar Of adverse and contrarious incident.
b. esp. of winds, weather, etc.
1494. Fabyan, Chron., VII. 483. The wynde was contraryous that he myght haue noo passage.
1523. Wolsey, in Fiddes, Life, II. (1726), 110. The Wether hath bine to him somwhat Stormy and Contrarious.
1712. W. King, Art of Love, 108. And fill your sheets ev’n with contrarious wind.
1850. Blackie, Æschylus, I. 19. May she never send Contrarious blasts dark-lowering, to detain The Argive fleet.
† 6. Opposite in place or position. rare.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 12. Lete him blood of þe contrarious arme.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), I. 235. That ymage … hade the face of hit contrarious alleweyes to the body of the sonne.
