Words that are their own opposite
What is it called when a word has opposite meanings?
Have you ever encountered a word and learned that it meant the opposite of what you remembered? If so, you may have come across a contronym. A contronym, often referred to as a Janus word or auto-antonym, is a word that evokes contradictory or reverse meanings depending on the context.
What is it called when two words are opposite?
An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical device to illustrate a rhetorical point or to reveal a paradox.
What is an example of a Janus word?
Among the most commonly encountered Janus words are cleave, hew, and sanction. For example, one can be said to cleave a block of wood, meaning to split it, or to cleave to one’s principles, meaning to cling to them. Hew is almost synonymous in both senses.
What’s a synonym for oxymoron?
A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition. contradiction. dichotomy. opposition. incongruity.
What is it called when a word has two different meanings?
Words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different meanings, are called homonyms. Below are some examples of homographs with different pronunciations and homonyms, or words pronounced the same.
What are Antagonyms?
a word with two opposite meanings. More familiar examples of antagonyms are cleave, which can mean either “cut apart” or “stick together”; and fast, as in “run fast” versus “hold fast.” —
Is literally a contronym?
So, when a person says “I was literally dying of laughter,” they are using the word “literally” to show that they are using exaggerated language. If you compare this use of “literally” with the first definition of “literally,” you will notice that “literally” has become a contronym.
How many Contronyms are there?
75 contronyms
From our full list of 75 contronyms, you can tell that there are many examples of contronyms in the English language that we use in everyday conversation.
What are polysemy and examples?
When a symbol, word, or phrase means many different things, that’s called polysemy. The verb “get” is a good example of polysemy — it can mean “procure,” “become,” or “understand.”
What is semantic opposition?
Opposition is a semantic relation in which one word has a sense or meaning that negates or is, in the sense of scale, distant from a related word. Other words are capable of being opposed, but the language in question has an accidental gap in its lexicon.
What is Antonymy in semantics?
To represent the meaning of each word in the language. Noun 1. antonymy – the semantic relation that holds between two words that can (in a given context) express opposite meanings semantic relation – a relation between meanings Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection.
Is literally a contronym?
So, when a person says “I was literally dying of laughter,” they are using the word “literally” to show that they are using exaggerated language. If you compare this use of “literally” with the first definition of “literally,” you will notice that “literally” has become a contronym.
What are the 50 examples of antonyms?
Antonym Examples
| achieve – fail | giant – dwarf | random – specific |
|---|---|---|
| arrive – depart | innocent – guilty | simple – complicated |
| arrogant – humble | knowledge – ignorance | single – married |
| attack – defend | liquid – solid | sunny – cloudy |
| blunt – sharp | marvelous – terrible | timid – bold |
How many types of opposites are there?
Antonyms fall within the three categories, namely, Relational Antonyms, Graded Antonyms, and Complementary Antonyms.
What is Antonymy in linguistics?
Lyons (1977) defines “antonym” as the words which are opposite in meaning and “antonymy” as the oppositeness between words. For example, “buy” and “sell” is a pair of antonyms and the relation between these two words is termed as antonymy.
What are the 500 examples of antonyms?
Antonyms (A)
| Awake | Asleep |
|---|---|
| Ancient | Modern |
| Alive | Dead |
| Admit | Deny, Reject |
| Adore | Hate |
What are the 200 examples of antonyms?
200 Antonyms Words List | Common Antonyms List
| Word | Antonyms |
|---|---|
| Birth | Dead |
| Brave | Cowardly |
| Brief | Long |
| Full | Empty |
What are 15 antonyms?
List of Antonyms
| Word | Antonym-1 | Antonym-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Accept | Refuse | Deny |
| Accurate | Inaccurate | Unreliable |
| Advantage | Disadvantage | Impotence |
| Alive | Dead | Sluggish |
What are the 200 examples of synonyms?
And sometimes they can save you from felling down into a pitfall. To help you keeping yourself safe from that pitfall, we have brought a huge list of 200 synonyms words that is going to help you.
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| WORD | SYNONYM |
|---|---|
| Quite | Pretty |
| Furious | Angry |
| Rich | Wealthy |
| Naughty | Mischievous |
What are the 50 examples of synonyms words?
50 Examples of Synonyms with Sentences PDF
| Words | Sentence | Synonyms |
|---|---|---|
| Rich | We all dream of becoming rich. | Wealthy |
| Naughty | He is a naughty boy. | Mischievous |
| Business | She runs a big business. | Trade |
| Neat | The movie last night was really neat. | Tidy |