Is there a word in English connected to a process resulting in not just an unexpected outcome, but the direct opposite of its intended effect? Like feeling more tired after waking up? Or feeling dirtier after washing your hands (because the bathroom isn't clean)?
Example Sentence:
"I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That's so _____."
Ironically, I think the word ironically could be used here literally.
"I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That's so ironic."
I prefer a different sentence though.
Ironically, I woke up less rested than when I went to sleep.
Based on the example sentence, a suitable word is counterintuitive.
"I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That's so counterintuitive."
ODO:
counterintuitive ADJECTIVE
Contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectation (but often nevertheless true)
‘The trick is again counter-intuitive: instead of accelerating rapidly when traffic gets going, travel more slowly.’
counterproductive.
adjective having an effect that is opposite to the one intended or wanted:
Improved safety measures in cars can be counterproductive as they encourage people to drive faster.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/counterproductive
I would say that in your specific example paradoxical fits best.
paradoxical
ADJECTIVE
Seemingly absurd or self-contradictory.
‘by glorifying the acts of violence they achieve the paradoxical effect of making them trivial’
You can say it backfired on you.
backfire
verb
1: (of a vehicle or its engine) undergo a mistimed explosion in the cylinder or exhaust.
‘a car backfired in the road and shoppers ducked instinctively’
2: (of a plan or action) have an opposite and undesirable effect to what was intended.
‘overzealous publicity backfired on her’
"I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That backfired on me."
A common word which means the opposite or inverse of what is expected is contrary. It's often used in phrases like "on the contrary" or "to the contrary" when talking about the direct opposite of a desired effect.
Similar words include contradictory and antithetical. Contradictory tends to have connotations of evidence or information, as in contradictory statements, and antithetical is more often associated with beliefs or principles than expectations or outcomes. Contrary is more likely to be associated with an outcome or result.
"I expected gas prices to rise on the announcement of the embargo, but quite the contrary, they actually dropped."
It could be used in the example sentence like so... "I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That's so contrary."
and this would be understandable by most people, but would sound archaic or off. It would more commonly used in a phrase like "contrary to expectation."
A more likely example would be something like this: "I got 8 hours of sleep, but I don't feel rested. On the contrary, I feel more tired than when I went to sleep."
The word you're looking for is blowback:
blowback an unforeseen and unwanted effect, result, or set of repercussions.
blowback the unintended consequences, the unwanted (side-)effects or suffered repercussions of a covert operation that fall back on those responsible for the aforementioned operations.
Feeling dirtier and more tired after taking a shower and getting 8 hours of sleep defies logic.
In a word, it’s downright “logic-defying.”
Definition of '-defying' (from Collins English Dictionary)
adjective
(in combination)
at odds or in contradiction with the thing specified
death-defying
logic-defying
an imposing and logic-defying structure
How about boomerang? It doesn't capture your example sentence, but it does get at an action having the opposite of the desired effect.
OD:
boomerang: (of a plan or action) recoil on the originator.
OD provides numerous supporting examples.
I would simply say "That doesn't make sense." Like in "I had a huge lunch but felt even hungrier than before. That didn't make any sense". Or "I went out of my way to accommodate him but he still didn't have a single nice word. It just didn't make sense."
A side-effect of anti-depressants can be additional depression.
Side-effect noun
any effect of a drug, chemical, or other medicine that is in addition to its intended effect, especially an effect that is harmful or unpleasant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect
The cobra effect occurs when an attempted solution to a problem actually makes the problem worse.
The term cobra effect stems from an anecdote set at the time of British rule of colonial India. The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi.[3] The government therefore offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprising people began to breed cobras for the income. When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free. As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse.
I got 8 hours of sleep but I'm more tired than when I went to sleep. That's so illogical.
