contrarian

[kuhn-trair-ee-uhn] / kənˈtrɛər i ən /

NOUN

one who takes an opposing view

Synonyms

STRONG

antagonist

WEAK

adversary debater opponent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I have reliably poor instincts about that sort of thing, so this will be a valuable contrarian signal.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

So there was no contrarian buy signal — defined as timers being more pessimistic than on at least 90% of prior trading sessions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

That the Memory ETF has only been made available now is “a contrarian sell signal,” he said in a Thursday note.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Ninety-five percent of gold mining stocks are now in a bear market, signaling a classic contrarian trading opportunity.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Given that there is some rough economic estimate of a stock’s value, regression to the mean can sometimes be used to justify a kind of contrarian strategy.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos