Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
a word to describe doing something opposite just for the sake of it
English answer:
contrary / perverse / bloody-minded
Added to glossary by
jerrie
Sep 13, 2002 16:33
22 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
maria
a word to describe doing something opposite just for the sake of it
Non-PRO
English
Art/Literary
spiteful but not with hate
Responses
Responses
+12
5 mins
Selected
contrary
Declined
Mary Mary quite contrary...
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:40:47 (GMT)
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bloody-minded
disobediant
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:43:32 (GMT)
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contrary: opposite, perverse (adj)
an extreme opposite (noun)
to oppose / contradict / annoy (verb)
hth
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:40:47 (GMT)
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bloody-minded
disobediant
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:43:32 (GMT)
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contrary: opposite, perverse (adj)
an extreme opposite (noun)
to oppose / contradict / annoy (verb)
hth
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ."
5 mins
Said Kaljanac a.k.a. SARAJ
Belgium
Belgium
Belgium
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
Native in: French 
, Bosnian
Works in: Bosnian to French, Croatian to French, Serbian to French, and 36 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
argumentativeness
:)
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Note added at 2002-09-13 18:34:04 (GMT)
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argumentative :
1. belligerent, combative, contetious, contrary, disputatious, litigious, opinionated, quarrelsome
2. contentious, controversial, disputed, polemic
ANTONYMS:
accomodating, amenable, complaisant, compliant, conciliatory, easy-going, obliging
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Note added at 2002-09-13 18:34:04 (GMT)
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argumentative :
1. belligerent, combative, contetious, contrary, disputatious, litigious, opinionated, quarrelsome
2. contentious, controversial, disputed, polemic
ANTONYMS:
accomodating, amenable, complaisant, compliant, conciliatory, easy-going, obliging
+1
6 mins
contrary
The American Heritage Dictionary defines "contrary" as follows:
"Given to recalcitrant behavior; willful or perverse."
Fuad
"Given to recalcitrant behavior; willful or perverse."
Fuad
Reference:
8 mins
Michael Tovbin
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Commitment to Quality and Deadlines
Native in: English (Variant: US) , Russian (Variant: Standard-Russia)
Works in: Russian to English, French to English, English to Russian, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
108
contrary
a definition from Merriam Webster
mischievous
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:42:23 (GMT)
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4 : temperamentally unwilling to accept control or advice
mischievous
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Note added at 2002-09-13 16:42:23 (GMT)
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4 : temperamentally unwilling to accept control or advice
32 mins
Argument's sake
Is it too easy?
-1
55 mins
spiteful
how about spiteful? (doing something out of spite)
Or perverse?
(having kids sure makes these words spring to mind!)
Or perverse?
(having kids sure makes these words spring to mind!)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Irene Chernenko
: Perverse, I like it.
38 mins
|
| disagree |
Ildiko Santana
: See the asker's own words: "spiteful but not with hate" ..
12 hrs
|
| disagree |
John Kinory (X)
: As Ildiko
16 hrs
|
1 hr
Christopher Crockett
Native in English
&
English
M.A., Ph.D. Historian/Art Historian
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
128
stubborn, obstinate, wilfull, ornery
"Of persons or animals: Pertinacious or dogged in refusing obedience or compliance; unyielding, inflexible, obstinate: chiefly in bad sense, unreasonably obstinate." --O.E.D.
None of these words has any connotation of "hateful" in current usage.
All are frequently used with respect to small children, teenagers, mules ("stubborn as a mule") or Cats.
Also, with various shases of meaning between them :
bullheaded, headstrong, intractable, mulish, pigheaded, refractory, stiff-necked, willful, unyielding,
contumacious, insubordinate, rebellious; cantankerous.
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Note added at 2002-09-13 17:46:29 (GMT)
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Make that second reference : http://m-w.com/thesaurus
Of all of those synonyms I suggested above, only \"insubordinate\" really has the sense of doing something *opposite* of what one is told.
Though this word --which is most commonly used in the military to denote someone who refuses to obey orders (not necessarily actually *does* something antithetical to what he is ordered to do) doesn\'t carry the implication of \"spitefulness,\" much less \"hatefulness,\" just \"rebellion.\"
I\'m not sure that there *is* an English word which, by itself, fulfills all your needs : \"Doing the opposite of what one is told to do out of spite (but not out of hatefulness), just \'for the hell of it\'.\"
None of these words has any connotation of "hateful" in current usage.
All are frequently used with respect to small children, teenagers, mules ("stubborn as a mule") or Cats.
Also, with various shases of meaning between them :
bullheaded, headstrong, intractable, mulish, pigheaded, refractory, stiff-necked, willful, unyielding,
contumacious, insubordinate, rebellious; cantankerous.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-09-13 17:46:29 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Make that second reference : http://m-w.com/thesaurus
Of all of those synonyms I suggested above, only \"insubordinate\" really has the sense of doing something *opposite* of what one is told.
Though this word --which is most commonly used in the military to denote someone who refuses to obey orders (not necessarily actually *does* something antithetical to what he is ordered to do) doesn\'t carry the implication of \"spitefulness,\" much less \"hatefulness,\" just \"rebellion.\"
I\'m not sure that there *is* an English word which, by itself, fulfills all your needs : \"Doing the opposite of what one is told to do out of spite (but not out of hatefulness), just \'for the hell of it\'.\"
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
tongue tied
: these don't convey doing the 'opposite' but 'not doing as told'
2 days 21 hrs
|
+2
2 hrs
John Kinory (X)
John Kinory (X)
One-stop Hebrew language services
Works in: English to Hebrew, German to English, Hebrew to English, and 3 more.
View
Related KudoZ points
:
48
perverse
The usual BE term. Someone being perverse = doing the opposite of what they would otherwise do, simply out of obstinacy and/or in order to annoy and be difficult, not because they really want to or because it might be beneficial to them.
-2
5 hrs
Lilian Vardanyan
Greece
Greece
Greece
Hard-working, quick and experienced.
Works in: Greek to English, English to Russian, English to Greek, and 8 more.
on purpose, purposefully
Just a guess.
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
John Kinory (X)
: Totally irrelevant.
55 mins
|
| disagree |
Ildiko Santana
: agree with JK
8 hrs
|
9 hrs
Arthur Borges
China
China
China
Non-ethnocentric, Concise & Punctual
Works in: English, Swedish to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
23
contradictory
Can be verbal or physcial.
13 hrs
Ildiko Santana
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Accurate / Fast / Cheap -- Pick Two
Native in: Hungarian , English
Works in: Hungarian to English, English to Hungarian, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
162
DEFIANCE, obstinacy, stubbornness, resistance, sulking..
defiance [noun] would be my first guess, others: sulking, obstinacy, stubbornness, resistance...
Basically, when I say NO! just because I'm supposed to say yes but I don't want to obey..
*defiance* : Defiance is negative dependency, a simple mirroring of the conformity of conversion. It is a major part of the cycle of guilt of high authority. As recognition is never enough satisfaction for conformity, there is endurance leading to boredom. The more adequate then fantasy and with provocation, act out their defiant fantasies, then have a secret overcoming of the authority, leading to confession. There is then punishment, which is endured, followed by guilty conformity. The otherness of defiance is planning.
verb: to be defiant, to sulk, to be sulky..
Basically, when I say NO! just because I'm supposed to say yes but I don't want to obey..
*defiance* : Defiance is negative dependency, a simple mirroring of the conformity of conversion. It is a major part of the cycle of guilt of high authority. As recognition is never enough satisfaction for conformity, there is endurance leading to boredom. The more adequate then fantasy and with provocation, act out their defiant fantasies, then have a secret overcoming of the authority, leading to confession. There is then punishment, which is endured, followed by guilty conformity. The otherness of defiance is planning.
verb: to be defiant, to sulk, to be sulky..
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
jerrie
: I would not say that any of your suggestions suggest 'spite but not hate'. Both contrary (perverse) and bloody-minded do!
2 hrs
|
16 hrs
pigheadedness
sounds a bit derog. though
+1
23 hrs
Mike Birch
Native in English
&
English
Native in: English , French
Works in: French to English, English to French, English, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
15
counter-suggestibility
'contrary' I also agree with, in a literary sense
perhaps however the cognitive psych is required
perhaps however the cognitive psych is required
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
R.J.Chadwick (X)
5 days
|
1 day 5 hrs
Tudor Soiman
Whenever you need quality on time
Native in: Romanian
Works in: English to Romanian, French to Romanian, Romanian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
8
do something in defiance of
"spiteful but not with hate" is unlikely and misleading
spiteful=showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
hateful=characterized by malice if you want a less used word try "obstreperous(ly)" Maria obstreperously did the contrary.
spiteful=showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite
hateful=characterized by malice if you want a less used word try "obstreperous(ly)" Maria obstreperously did the contrary.
2 days 1 hr
Anette Herbert
Medical and health translations
Native in: Swedish
Works in: English to Swedish, Swedish
athwart
Athwart means "So as to thwart, obstruct, or oppose; perversely."
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Note added at 2002-09-15 17:54:57 (GMT)
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English is a truly wonderful language, it seems to have a word for everything!
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Note added at 2002-09-15 17:54:57 (GMT)
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English is a truly wonderful language, it seems to have a word for everything!
Reference:
4 days
Dan_Brennan
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
United Kingdom
Specialist in sport, journalism and NGOs
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK)
Works in: Russian to English, English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
137
contrariness
if you want the noun that best fits the type of behaviour you describe then contrariness is the one.
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