Contradictory means something is both true and not true at the same time.
Imagine you have a toy box that’s full, there are tons of toys inside. But then, you look in and see only one little teddy bear. That’s contradictory, because it’s both full and not full at the same time.
Like Two Friends Who Can’t Agree
Think of two friends arguing about a cookie. One says, "I got more!" The other says, "No, I did!" They both think they’re right, but that means they're contradictory because they can't both be true in the same way at the same time.
When Things Can’t Be Both
Sometimes things just can’t be both. Like a cup of water: it’s either full or empty. But if someone says, "It's full and empty all at once," that’s contradictory, like having two opposite ideas in one place!
So, contradictory is when something is both true and not true, just like your toy box or those friends with the cookie!