to the contrary
Expression[change]
Expression |
- You use to the contrary when you want to stress that the truth is the opposite of what was believed.
- Synonym: on the contrary
- He did not refuse. To the contrary, he told his them he would be happy to accept.
Usage[change]
The sentence before to the contrary is negative and the sentence with to the contrary is positive, but they make the same claim about the same subject (e.g., X is not short. To the contrary, it is tall.).
Don't confuse this with in contrast. You use in contrast to say different things about different subjects (e.g., X is short. In contrast, Y is tall.).