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Can something be the opposite of itself?
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. Specifically, a contronym is a word with a homonym (another word with the same spelling but different meaning) that is also an antonym (a word with the opposite meaning).
What is the word for the opposite of a word?
Definitions of opposite word. 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.
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 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.
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 are examples of Contronyms?
List of 10 such words , ‘contronyms’ is mentioned below:
- Transparent. a) Transparent: Obvious.
- Put out. a) Put out: Extinguish.
- Left. a) Left: Departed.
- To dust. a) To dust: To sprinkle with.
- To buckle. a) To buckle: To bend.
- To screen. a) To screen: To protect.
- To cleave. a) To cleave: To join or to cling.
- To execute.
What is the opposite of auto?
What is the opposite of automatic?
| conscious | deliberate |
|---|---|
| reasoned | rehearsed |
| prepared | premeditative |
| determined | learned |
| willed | sensible |
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.
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.
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.