Table of Contents
- 1 What word means the opposite of itself?
- 2 What word means the opposite of?
- 3 What is an example of a Janus word?
- 4 Is literally an auto antonym?
- 5 What type of word is opposite?
- 6 What is the opposite kind?
- 7 What is the opposite different?
- 8 What is a word that is its own opposite?
- 9 What are some contronyms that are their own antonyms?
What word means the opposite of itself?
Auto-antonym has Greek roots meaning a word that is the opposite of itself. They have variously been called contranyms, contronyms, antilogies, Janus words (after the two-faced Greek mythical figure, from which “January” also derives), and enantiodromes.
What word means the opposite of?
a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other. synonyms: antonym, opposite. Antonyms: equivalent word, synonym. two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context. types: direct antonym.
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 is it called when two words are opposite?
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two apparently contradictory terms appear together. Examples include a deafening silence, harmonious discord, an open secret, and the living dead. See other Vocabulary Questions.
What is another word for not the same?
What is another word for not the same?
| different | dissimilar |
|---|---|
| distinct | distinctive |
| incompatible | inconsistent |
| unlike | clashing |
| conflicting | contradictory |
Is literally an auto antonym?
That was in 1708. Regardless of when “literally” took on its second, figurative meaning, English words are notorious for having multiple definitions or even meaning two entirely opposite things. There exists in English an entire category of words called auto-antonyms – words that mean the opposite of themselves.
What type of word is opposite?
What type of word is opposite? As detailed above, ‘opposite’ can be an adjective, an adverb, a preposition or a noun. Adjective usage: She saw him walking on the opposite side of the road. Adjective usage: They were moving in opposite directions.
What is the opposite kind?
Opposite of having or showing a considerate nature. unkind. cruel. inconsiderate. aloof.
Why sanction has two opposite meanings?
However, the word “sanction” can have an opposite meaning: an official approval for an action. For example, you might read a news story about a legal dispute. The story might say, “Critics say the policy lacked legal sanction.” Because “sanction” has a second, opposite meaning, it is a contronym.
Do all words have an antonym?
No, not every word does. There are pairs of antonyms, or words with opposite meanings. These can be adjectives such as big/small, or true/false, or simple/complex. There are verbs that imply opposite directions, such as come/go, bring/take, rise/fall, or ascend/descent.
What is the opposite different?
Opposite of exhibiting a difference or not being the same. same. alike. identical.
What is a word that is its own opposite?
A ‘Janus word’ is a word that is its own opposite—like ‘fast’, which can refer both to moving very quickly and to staying put. Frequently described as “words that are their own opposites,” Janus words are also known as contronyms, antagonyms, or auto-antonyms.
What are some contronyms that are their own antonyms?
We’ve stumbled into the looking-glass world of contronyms—words that are their own antonyms. 1. Sanction (via French, from Latin sanctio (n-), from sancire ‘ratify,’) can mean “give official permission or approval for (an action)” or conversely, “impose a penalty on.” 2.
How do Auto-antonyms develop their contradictory meanings?
Many auto-antonyms developed their contradictory meanings through a process of semantic broadening; that is, a word that has a more specific meaning gains a broader and more general meaning later on in its life. Peruse is a good example of this.