に反して— Against Expectation

• 予想に反して、試合はあっさり終わった。

  Yosou ni hanshite, shiai wa assari owatta.

  Contrary to expectations, the match ended quickly.

  に反して marks the outcome as opposite to 予想 (expectation)

• 彼は親の期待に反して、進学しなかった。

  Kare wa oya no kitai ni hanshite, shingaku shinakatta.

  Against his parents' expectations, he did not go on to higher education.

  に反して contrasts the result with the 期待 (expectations)

• 規則に反する行為は罰せられる。

  Kisoku ni hansuru koui wa basserareru.

  Acts that violate the rules will be punished.

  に反する + Noun modifies 行為 (acts that go against the rules)

• ・Register: formal/written.
• ・Common partner nouns: 予想, 期待, 予測, 意志, ルール, 規則.
• ・に反する／に反した are the attributive forms; に反する often means 'violating (rules)'.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones に反して is tested against.

• について — On the Subject Of
• に基づいて — Built on a Foundation
• ～上/上は/上も — In Terms Of, From the Standpoint Of
• ～次第です — The Reason Being…
• ～に至って — Reaching the Extreme Point
• ～を契機に — Seizing the Turning Point
• ～を問わず — Regardless Of
• ～をはじめ／をはじめとして — Starting With