What is on the contrary?
An adverb derived from two different words: two and against.
While the meaning of against in English, “towards” or “against”, is quite unambiguous, the first half of on the contrary is a bit more versatile.
As an adjective, two is normally used to describe a person – often a small child – who is displaying a grumpy, uncooperative, or generally unsociable mood. An example of a sentence in which it could be used is: She was really upset when she woke up this morning, but she was happy when she got to kindergarten (“She was very stroppy when she woke up this morning, but was in a good mood when she got to kindergarten”).
It is also often used as a prefix in adjectives. Transverse, for example, means “intersecting” (a transverse road is “an intersecting street”), while interdisciplinary means “multidisciplinary”, usually used in research and academic contexts.
You can also across something. As a verb, the word can have different meanings, ranging from flattening or crushing something to treating somebody very harshly.
The range of uses of the root across described above seem to fit with the closest translation of on the contrary, which is “on the contrary”.
Why do I need to know on the contrary?
With its dictionary meaning of “directly opposite to what was just discussed, opposite or reversed”, you can use this word to emphasise a point.
It can be placed in the middle of a sentence or dropped in at the end for extra impact:
I’m not at all tired of eating vegetarian occasionally, on the contrary, I think it’s a way to contribute to the environment.
I don’t at all mind eating vegetarian occasionally, on the contrary I think it’s a way to do your bit for the environment.
My bike has been stolen and I don’t care about that. On the contrary.
My bicycle has been stolen and I do not find that pleasing. Quite the opposite.