contra vs contrary to

contra

• against; contrary or opposed to; in opposition or contrast to 

• To undo; to reverse. 

• A deal to swap goods or services. 

• A conservative; originally tied to Nicaraguan counter-revolutionaries. 

• An entry (or account) that cancels another entry (or account). 

• Any of the musical instruments in the contrabass range, e.g. contrabassoon, contrabass clarinet or, especially, double bass. 

• A contra dance. 

• contrary to something 

contrary to

• despite; in opposition to (an assumption, etc.); differently from