on the contrary
Opposite to what someone has just said. Our business is not receding. On the contrary, we are experiencing a very robust level of growth. A: "Don't you hate Brussels sprouts?" B: "On the contrary, I think they can be very tasty—if they're cooked the right way."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
on the contrary
It's the opposite, as in Is his shoulder hurting?-On the contrary, it's all better, or We thought you didn't like opera.-On the contrary, I love it. This phrase, at first put as by or for or in the contrary, dates from the late 1300s; on has been used since the mid-1800s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on the ˈcontrary
, ˌquite the ˈcontrary
used to emphasize that the opposite of what has been said is true: It’s not that I don’t like him — on the contrary, he seems very pleasant. ♢ I don’t find him funny at all. Quite the contrary.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the contrary
In opposition to what has been stated or what is expected: I'm not sick; on the contrary, I'm in the peak of health.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.