contrarian
noun
con·trar·i·an kən-ˈtrer-ē-ən 
kän-
: a person who takes a contrary position or attitude
specifically : an investor who buys shares of stock when most others are selling and sells when others are buying
contrarian adjective
contrarianism
kən-ˈtrer-ē-ə-ˌniz-əm
noun kän-
Did you know?
Anyone who thinks that most of what the public believes is wrong would be called a contrarian. And contrarian is a basic term in the vocabulary of investing. In fact, most successful investors often behave like contrarians by "buying low and selling high"—that is, buying stocks that are cheap because most investors put a low value on them but that have the possibility of rising, and selling stocks that most investors are valuing highly but that seem likely to decline. The word may be most common as an adjective; so you may express a contrarian opinion, hold a contrarian view, or pursue a contrarian investment strategy.
Example Sentences
As an investor, he's a contrarian, preferring to buy stocks when most people are selling.
Recent Examples on the Web Andreessen loves to play the contrarian, and Andreessen Horowitz (aka a16z) giving $350 million to the poster boy of startup founder folly and excess is aggressively on brand. 
Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2022 In recent years, Marcus has positioned himself as an A.I. contrarian who believes that deep learning, while a powerful tool, has been overhyped. Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2022 As a venture capitalist, Mr. Thiel branded himself as a contrarian. New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022 Larry David is a contrarian for the ages — and, in this commercial, through the ages. Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2022 Geoffrey Wheatcroft, a British commentator and author with a reputation as an admirably pugnacious contrarian, recalls seeing Churchill in the House of Commons as a schoolboy in 1963. Richard Aldous, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2021 Because Thurston Moore, the guitarist, singer and overseer of the trio, has spent decades as a contrarian of rock ’n’ roll expectations. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2021 Weingarten wrote his column, as humorists often do, in a self-deprecating tone, casting himself as a troglodytic contrarian. David Harsanyi, National Review, 24 Aug. 2021 Leggett is a contrarian by constitution and experience. New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021 See More
Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2022 In recent years, Marcus has positioned himself as an A.I. contrarian who believes that deep learning, while a powerful tool, has been overhyped. Jonathan Vanian, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2022 As a venture capitalist, Mr. Thiel branded himself as a contrarian. New York Times, 14 Feb. 2022 Larry David is a contrarian for the ages — and, in this commercial, through the ages. Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2022 Geoffrey Wheatcroft, a British commentator and author with a reputation as an admirably pugnacious contrarian, recalls seeing Churchill in the House of Commons as a schoolboy in 1963. Richard Aldous, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2021 Because Thurston Moore, the guitarist, singer and overseer of the trio, has spent decades as a contrarian of rock ’n’ roll expectations. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2021 Weingarten wrote his column, as humorists often do, in a self-deprecating tone, casting himself as a troglodytic contrarian. David Harsanyi, National Review, 24 Aug. 2021 Leggett is a contrarian by constitution and experience. New York Times, 11 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
see contrary entry 1
First Known Use
1954, in the meaning defined above