contrārĭus, a, um, adj. [contra], lying or being over against, opposite.
I In gen.
A Prop., of places (syn. adversus): collis adversus huic et contrarius, Caes. B. G. 2, 18; cf.: contraria tigna iis (tignis), id. ib. 4, 17, 5; and: gemma soli, Plin. 37, 9, 47, § 131: contrario amne, against the stream , id. 21, 12, 43, § 73: tellus, Ov. M. 1, 65; cf. id. ib. 13, 429: ripa, Dig. 41, 1, 65: auris, Plin. 24, 10, 47, § 77: contraria vulnera ( = adversa vulnera), in front, on the breast , Tac. H. 3, 84: in contrarias partes fluere, Cic. Div. 1, 35, 78; cf.: tignis in contrariam partem revinctis, Caes. B. G. 4, 17; cf.. si pelles utriusque (hyaenae et pantherae) contrariae suspendantur, Plin. 28, 8, 27, § 93: contrario ictu uterque transfixus, by a blow from the opposite direction , Liv. 2, 6, 9.— With inter se , Plin. 4, 11, 18, § 49.—With atque , Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17.—Far more freq. and class. in prose and poetry,
B Transf., of other objects.
1 In gen., opposite, contrary, opposed (syn. diversus); constr. with the gen., dat., inter se, atque , or absol.
α With gen.: hujus virtutis contraria est vitiositas, Cic. Tusc. 4, 15, 34; id. Inv. 2, 54, 165; id. Fin. 4, 24, 67 Madv. N. cr.; Quint. 5, 10, 49 al.—
β With dat.: voluptas honestati, Cic. Off. 3, 33, 119: fortuna rationi et constantiae, id. Div. 2, 7, 18; cf. id. Top. 11, 46 sq.: vitium illi virtuti, Quint. 11, 3, 44: rusticitas urbanitati, id. 6, 3, 17: pes bacchio, id. 9, 4, 102: color albo, Ov. M. 2, 541: aestus vento, id. ib. 8, 471 et saep. —
γ With inter se : orationes inter se contrariae Aeschinis Demosthenisque, Cic. Opt. Gen. 5, 14; so id. de Or. 2, 55, 223; Quint. prooem. § 2; 1, 10, 6; 10, 1, 22.—
δ With atque : versantur retro contrario motu atque caelum, Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17.—
ε Absol. : aut bono casu aut contrario, Cic. Tusc. 5, 12, 36: monstrum ex contrariis diversisque inter se pugnantibus naturae studiis conflatum, id. Cael. 5, 12: ardor, Lucr. 3, 252: exemplum, Quint. 5, 11, 7: jus, id. 5, 11, 32: leges, conflicting , id. 3, 6, 43; Dig. 1, 3, 28: actiones, cross-suits , Gai Inst. 4, 174 al.: latitudo quā contrariae quinqueremes commearent, going in opposite directions , Suet. Ner. 31: disputandum est de omni re in contrarias partis, on both sides , Cic. de Or. 1, 34, 158: ex contrariā parte dicere, id. Inv. 1, 18, 26: in contrariam partem adferre aliquid, id. de Or. 2, 53, 215 al.—
2 Esp., subst.: contrārĭum , ii, n., the opposite, contrary, reverse.
a In gen.: contrarium decernebat ac paulo ante decreverat, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 46, § 120: si ea rex vult, quae Thebanis sint utilia ... sin autem contraria, etc., Nep. Epam. 4, 2: dum vitant stulti vitia, in contraria currunt, Hor. S. 1, 2, 24; cf.: diversaeque vocant animum in contraria curae, in opposite directions , Verg. A. 12, 487: ut auctoris sortem in contraria mutet, Ov. M. 3, 329: in contraria versus, transformed , id. ib. 12, 179.—With gen.: contraria earum (artium) ... vitia quae sunt virtutum contraria, Cic. Fin. 4, 24, 67: fidentiae contrarium est diffidentia, id. Inv. 2, 54, 165; cf. Quint. 5, 10, 49.—With dat.: quis non diversa praesentibus contrariaque exspectatis aut speret aut timeat, Vell. 2, 75, 2: qui contraria Deo faciat, Lact. de Ira, 3, 3.—With quam : qui contraria faciat quam Deus, Lact. 3, 29, 13; Aug. Civ. Dei, 8, 24; Claud. in Eutr. 2, 267.—
b As rhet. fig., the antithesis, contrast, opposite , Cic. Inv. 1, 28, 42; Auct. Her. 4, 19, 27; Jul. Ruf. Schem. Lex. § 11.—
c Adverb. phrases: ex contrario, on the contrary, on the other hand , Caes. B. G. 7, 30; Cic. Rosc. Com. 16, 47; id. Inv. 2, 8, 25; Quint. 6, 1, 16: e contrario, Nep. Iphicr. 1, 4; id. Ham. 1, 2; id. Att. 9, 3; id. Eum. 1, 5 (al. contrario without e); Quint. 1, 5, 43; rarely ex contrariis, Quint. 8, 5, 9; 8, 5, 18; 10, 1, 19; 11, 3, 39 al.—In the same sense, but more rarely, in contrarium, Plin. 18, 24, 54, § 197: per contrarium, Dig. 2, 4, 8, § 1; 2, 15, 8; 28, 1, 20 al.—
II In partic.
1 Of weight: aes contrarium, weighed against , = ἀντίρροπον, Paul. ex Fest. p. 64, 12 Müll.; cf. Scalig. ad Plaut. Ep. 3, 3, 30.—
2 Of hostile opposition, inimical, hostile, hurtful, pernicious , etc. (more rare than adversarius, and mostly poet. or in post-Aug. prose): contrariis dis, Varr. L. L. 5, § 70 Müll.: Averna avibus cunctis, dangerous, destructive , Lucr. 6, 741; cf.: usus lactis capitis doloribus, Plin. 28, 9, 33, § 130: hyssopum stomacho, id. 25, 11, 87, § 136: quam (sc. perspicuitatem) quidam etiam contrariam interim putaverunt, injurious, disadvantageous , Quint. 4, 2, 64 Spald.; cf.: philosophia imperaturo, Suet. Ner. 52: exta, unfavorable , id. Oth. 8: saepe quos ipse alueris, Tibi inveniri maxime contrarios, hostile , Phaedr. 4, 11, 17: litora litoribus contraria, fluctibus undas Imprecor, Verg. A. 4, 628; cf. id. ib. 7, 293.—Subst.: contrārĭus , ii, m., an opponent, antagonist; plur. , Vitr. 3, praef. 2.—Adv.: contrārĭē , in an opposite direction, in a different manner : sidera procedentia, Cic. Univ. 9 med. : scriptum, id. Part. Or. 31, 108: relata verba, id. de Or. 2, 65, 263: dicere, Tac. Or. 34.