contradistinction
/ˌkɒntɹədɪˈstɪŋkʃn̩/
contradistinction means distinction by contrast; the provision of one example against which another example may be defined.
contradistinction is pronounced /ˌkɒntɹədɪˈstɪŋkʃn̩/.
Why “contradistinction” is a great word
A distinction made by directly contrasting one thing with another. From the Latin prefix contra- ("against, opposite") and the English word distinction, first attested in the 1640s. Unlike "distinction" (which broadly denotes any act of differentiation) or "contradiction" (which signals logical conflict between statements), contradistinction is the deliberate framing of an idea against its foil to illuminate its true shape. It is the rhetorician placing hope directly against despair; the naturalist defining a bat not as a bird, but as a mammal with wings; the philosopher understanding light only by holding it up to the dark—a method that finds clarity in the stark relief of opposites.
Etymology
From contra- + distinction.
noun
- Distinction by contrast; the provision of one example against which another example may be defined.e.g.“We used hamburgers and soda in contradistinction to healthy food.”
- The quality of being contradistinctive.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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