His actions were in clear contravention of the company rules.

contravention 是由前缀 contra-（表示"反对、对抗"）和名词vention（来自拉丁语 venire，意为"来、发生"）组成的复合名词。contravention 字面意思是"对抗发生的事"，引申为"违反、违背"的意思。