What does contrariwise mean?
Contrariwise is an adverb meaning 'on the contrary' or 'the other way around'. It does two jobs in English: it can introduce a statement that runs directly opposite to one just made ('He hoped the scheme would cut costs; contrariwise, it doubled them'), and it can describe something physically or logically reversed — read contrariwise, done contrariwise, travelling contrariwise to everyone else. The word carries a distinctly literary, slightly archaic air: it is best remembered as the signature word of Tweedledum and Tweedledee in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871), whose nonsense quarrels made it famous. In ordinary modern writing, synonyms such as 'on the contrary', 'conversely', and 'vice versa' are more common, so contrariwise today lends a deliberate, often playful formality to whatever it touches. It is formed from 'contrary' plus the adverbial suffix '-wise', on the pattern of 'otherwise' and 'clockwise', and dates back to the sixteenth century.
adverbContrariwise means 'on the contrary' or 'the other way around': it signals that the opposite of what has been said or assumed is true, or that a thing is reversed in order or position.
- On the contrary — introducing the opposite of what has just been stated or assumed.
- In the opposite way or direction; the other way around (of order, position, or motion).
"'I don't follow you,' said Tweedledee, 'contrariwise, you follow me.'"
"He expected the plan to save money; contrariwise, it cost twice as much."
"Read the map contrariwise and you will end up heading south instead of north."
Contrariwise is the word Lewis Carroll's Tweedledum and Tweedledee squabble over in 'Through the Looking-Glass' — a real dictionary word that became immortal as a nonsense argument's favourite weapon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of contrariwise
Contrariwise was formed in English in the sixteenth century from the adjective 'contrary' combined with the adverb-forming suffix '-wise', following the model of earlier words like 'otherwise'. The underlying root is Latin 'contrarius' (meaning 'opposite, turned against'), derived from 'contra' ('against'), which also gives English words such as 'contradict' and 'contravene'. The word has been in continuous literary use since Early Modern English, and owes much of its lasting fame to Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
How contrariwise is actually used
Somewhat formal or literary in modern usage, with a slightly old-fashioned flavour thanks to its Carrollian associations. It remains perfectly intelligible but appears far less often than 'on the contrary', 'conversely', or 'vice versa'. In speech it survives mainly for playful or emphatic effect.
Easily confused with contrariwise
Conversely typically introduces a reversed statement ('if A then B; conversely, if B then A'), while contrariwise more broadly means 'on the contrary' or 'in the opposite way or direction'.
'Vice versa' denotes an exact mutual reversal of two terms or positions, whereas contrariwise can simply mean the opposite of something previously stated.