contrary

Compared meaning: the opposite of what was expected or said (noun).

比较义项：相反（名词，与预期或所述情况相反的情况）。

• reverse

  Reverse states neutrally that something is the opposite of what was expected or said, common in phrases like 'quite the reverse' or 'the reverse is true'.

  reverse 主要用于客观地陈述某事与预期或所述相反，常见于“quite the reverse”（恰恰相反）或“the reverse is true”（情况恰恰相反）等短语中。

  Everyone thought sales would drop, but the reverse happened.

  大家都以为销量会下降，但实际情况恰恰相反。

• contrary 本词

  Contrary is typically used to contradict or correct a previous statement, especially in the fixed phrase 'on the contrary' or 'contrary to popular belief', with a more argumentative tone.

  contrary 通常用于反驳或纠正之前的说法，尤其常见于固定短语“on the contrary”（恰恰相反）或“contrary to popular belief”（与普遍看法相反），语气上更带有辩驳色彩。

  He isn't lazy at all — on the contrary, he works harder than anyone.

  他一点也不懒——恰恰相反，他比任何人都努力。

Reverse and contrary both name the opposite of what was expected or said. Reverse states this neutrally, as in "quite the reverse". Contrary is used to contradict or correct a previous statement, especially in "on the contrary".

这两个词都可以表示“相反的情况”，常出现在固定搭配中，但语气和用法略有不同：reverse 多用于客观陈述结果与预期相反，如“quite the reverse”；contrary 更常用于反驳或纠正前面的说法，如“on the contrary”。reverse 和 contrary 还有其他词性/用法（如动词“倒车”、形容词“相反的”），这里不作比较。