Contrarian

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈtɹɛə.ɹi.ən/

Definitions

1. A person who deliberately opposes or rejects popular opinion or established practices
2. A person who consistently adopts positions that contradict mainstream beliefs or prevailing consensus
3. Someone who deliberately takes opposing stances to conventional wisdom and widely accepted views

Etymology: The most striking thing about "contrarian" is how little of it is old. "Contrary" has been in English since the Middle Ages, but the agent noun built on it is a modern coinage. Its formation follows the pattern of "libertarian," a word that became a model for a whole family of "-arian" and "-an" forms, and "contrarian" appears to have been shaped by that pull rather than built from "contrary" in any direct, purpose-made way. The ending does the work here. The suffix "-an" comes via Latin "-ānus" and Old French "-ain," and in English it forms nouns for people who follow or practise something, and adjectives meaning "of or pertaining to." So a "contrarian" is, in effect, someone defined by taking the contrary position as a habit, not just someone who happens to disagree.

Synonyms: opposer, dissenter, nonconformist, rebel, iconoclast

Antonyms: conformist, follower, supporter