contrarian
noun
Did you know?
Anyone who thinks that most of what the public believes is wrong would be called a contrarian. And contrarian is a basic term in the vocabulary of investing. In fact, most successful investors often behave like contrarians by "buying low and selling high"—that is, buying stocks that are cheap because most investors put a low value on them but that have the possibility of rising, and selling stocks that most investors are valuing highly but that seem likely to decline. The word may be most common as an adjective; so you may express a contrarian opinion, hold a contrarian view, or pursue a contrarian investment strategy.
Examples of contrarian in a Sentence
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The woman who a few minutes ago had described me as a contrarian took a long look at me.
—Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2025
The contrarian might be heard, but their input rarely changes course.
—Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
So, imagine my horror when I was recently called a contrarian.
—Sherry Kuehl, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for contrarian
Cite this Entry
“Contrarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrarian. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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