contravene

C2+ Topic:Law & Government

US /ˌkɑntrəˈvin/ UK /ˌkɒntrəˈviːn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to act in violation of a law, rule, or principle

Dumping the waste would contravene every environmental statute.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to act in violation of a... violate breach infringe transgress break flout defy oppose

Opposites

obey comply observe uphold abide

Word family

Derived forms contraventioncontravener

Related forms intervene convene prevent venue

Etymology

From Late Latin contravenire ('to come against, oppose'), from Latin contra ('against') + venire ('to come').

contravenire Latin venire Latin *gwem- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

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# contravene

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˌkɑntrəˈvin/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌkɒntrəˈviːn/

## Meanings
1. to act in violation of a law, rule, or principle

## Examples
- Dumping the waste would contravene every environmental statute.

## Synonyms
- violate
- breach
- infringe
- transgress
- break
- flout
- defy
- oppose

## Antonyms
- obey
- comply
- observe
- uphold
- abide

## Derived Forms
- contravention
- contravener

## Related Forms
- intervene
- convene
- prevent
- venue

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: contravenire
- Root: venire
- Root: *gwem-

## Etymology
From Late Latin contravenire ('to come against, oppose'), from Latin contra ('against') + venire ('to come').

## AI Etymology
Contravene is from Late Latin contravenire ('to come against, oppose'), from Latin contra ('against') + venire ('to come'). The ancestry passes through Latin contravenire, Latin venire, and Proto-Indo-European *gwem-. The prefix contra contributes the sense of opposition or againstness, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as a verb, it means "to act in violation of a law, rule, or principle", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include intervene, convene, prevent, and venue; derived forms include contravention and contravener.

## Topics
- Law & Government

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contravene

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