the opposite

I was worried that it might be too hard for me but it turned out the contrary was true. 我原来担心那可能对我来说太难了，可是我发现恰恰相反。

His death will be considered accidental unless the contrary is shown by existing evidence.

Generally lower unemployment rates can halt inflation, but the contrary seems to be the case today.

used to show that you think or feel the opposite of what has just been stated

"I thought you said the film was exciting?" "On the contrary, I nearly fell asleep half way through it!" “你不觉得这部电影很精彩吗？”“正相反，看到一半我差点睡着！”

I'm not angry with you. On the contrary!

They do not reject modernity completely; on the contrary, they embrace the modern world.

"Did you expect them to help you?" "On the contrary, I hoped they would stay away."

I did not mean to imply that the city was an ugly or dangerous place. On the contrary, I think it is extremely pleasant.

saying or showing the opposite

proof/evidence to the contrary For a long time it was thought to be a harmless substance, but we now have proof/evidence to the contrary. 长期以来这种物质被认为是无害的，但最近我们有了相反的证据。

Despite reports to the contrary, she seems to be coping well in prison.

She works for me and not the other way round, despite appearances to the contrary.

They do not believe music is an important part of education and appear to ignore all research to the contrary.

Despite public perceptions to the contrary, wages are increasing.

opposite

a contrary point of view 相反的观点

contrary to Contrary to all our expectations, he found a well-paid job and a nice girlfriend. 出乎我们的意料，他找到了一份报酬不菲的工作和一个漂亮的女友。

in a different way from what most people believe

Contrary to popular opinion, I don't dye my hair! 与大多数人的想法不同，我不染头发！

Contrary to popular opinion, deaf people often take great pleasure in music.

He insisted that, contrary to popular opinion, local oil dealers are not profiting from these price rises.

Contrary to popular opinion, many adult cats dislike milk.

He is one of our more effective politicians, contrary to popular opinion.

A contrary person wants to disagree with and annoy other people.

He doesn't really mean it - he's just being contrary. 这不是他的本意——他只是在故意作对。