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# contradistinction

noun (contradistinction — usually uncountable, mostly in «in contradistinction to»)

«contradistinction» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

(formal) Contradistinction is telling two things apart by showing how they are opposite or different. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#m1)

### In the lessons

A stiff, formal word used in books and essays, almost always in the phrase «in contradistinction to», which means «as opposed to» or «unlike». In school it may appear in exam texts; in your own writing «unlike» or «in contrast to» is clearer.

### Examples

- Mammals feed their babies milk, in contradistinction to reptiles, which do not. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x1)
- The essay described day, in contradistinction to night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x2)
- Facts, in contradistinction to opinions, can be checked. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x3)
- The writer drew a contradistinction between bravery and foolishness. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x4)
- Living things, in contradistinction to rocks, grow and reproduce. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x5)
- In contradistinction to his noisy brother, Tom was very quiet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/#x6)

### Note

Formal and rare. Simpler choices: «unlike», «as opposed to», «in contrast to». Do not confuse it with contradiction (saying the opposite of something).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «contradistinction» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/contradistinction/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«contradistinction» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/contradistinction.html) on Mova free.