Preposition
contrary to
despite; in opposition to (an assumption, etc.); differently from
Contrary to what you might think, Antarctica is technically a desert.
God has given this way of life to Israel: to abstain from everything which is contrary to nature, that is to say, anger, fits of passion, jealousy, hatred and slandering the brethren; in short, everything that is characteristic of the old man. Poemen
There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. Enrico Fermi
Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first. Peter Ustinov
Destiny is something not be to desired and not to be avoided. a mystery not contrary to reason, for it implies that the world, and the course of human history, have meaning. Dag Hammarskjöld
Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young. W. Somerset Maugham
Contrary to general belief, an artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs. Edgard Varèse