Statements or situations where two things are opposite or incompatible with each other; statements that deny or oppose each other.
From Medieval Latin 'contradictio' combining 'contra' (against) and 'dicere' (to say). The word entered Middle English in the 1300s to describe logical opposition or statements that cannot both be true.
The word perfectly captures the idea—'contra' means against and 'dicere' means to speak, so a contradiction is literally 'speaking against.' When you contradict someone, you're directly opposing their words!
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