contrarian

/kənˈtrɛəriən/

noun

  1. A person who deliberately takes an opposing view or does the opposite of what most people do, especially in discussions, politics, or investing, often for its own sake or to challenge conventional thinking.

    C1

    countable

    • "My uncle is a real contrarian; if everyone says the film is great, he insists it's terrible."B2
    • "As a contrarian investor, she buys shares when the market is panicking and others are selling."C1

adjective

  1. Holding or showing an opinion or behavior that deliberately goes against the popular or accepted view, prevailing trends, or accepted wisdom.

    C1

    usually before a noun

    • "His contrarian opinions often start lively debates in class."B2
    • "The economist took a contrarian stance, arguing that interest rates should be cut rather than raised."C2
    • "His contrarian streak made him question the company's strategy at every meeting."C1

Common mistakes

  • He is a contrarian person to everything.→He is a contrarian about everything.

    "Contrarian" is usually used as a noun for a person who opposes popular opinion; as an adjective it modifies ideas or views (e.g. a contrarian view), not 'person to'.

  • contrary investor→contrarian investor

    "Contrary" means opposite or opposing; use "contrarian" to describe someone who deliberately goes against prevailing market trends.

  • contrairian→contrarian

    Spelling: the root is 'contrary', so it is 'contrarian', not 'contrairian'.

  • a contrarian person who always disagree→a contrarian person who always disagrees

    'Contrarian' is usually a noun; when used attributively the verb still needs third-person -s.

Collocations

contrarian viewcontrarian investorcontrarian opinioncontrarian stancecontrarian strategycontrarian betcontrarian thinking

Word family

contrarycontrarilycontrarinesscontrarianismcontrariwise