Words that are their own antonym 1

[tgreer]

Every so often I stumble across a word that has definitions that are close to being opposites. Here are two examples. Can you find others?

cleave: to stick together; to cut apart
sanction: to allow/endorse/permit; to discipline/penalize



Thomas D. Greer

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[LTeeple]

Good thread idea!

consult: get or ask advice from, to advise professionally
transparent: invisible, obvious




~L.

 

[CajunCenturion]

Some other contranyms:

Cut - Cut In Line / Cut Out from Class
Citation - Citation for Good Deeds / Citation for Speeding
Oversight - He's on the oversight committee. He missed it, it was an oversight.
Fast - Run fast. Stand fast.

and for slang

Bad - CajunCenturion is a bad golfer. Tiger Woods is a bad golfer.

Good Luck
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[sbudzynski]

Bound: to be restrained - to spring or leap
Wind up: to start up - to come to a close
Strike: to miss a baseball - to hit something
Left: remaining - to leave
Weather: to withstand (weather the elements) - to wear away (weathered old man)

Steve Budzynski
Metro Office Products Inc

http://www.metoffpro.com

 

[DrJavaJoe]

bill: owing of money, money
custom: unique, usual



Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Great thread topic. I thought of starting a thread about these a while back but must have forgotten all about it. I've heard these called autoantonyms in addition to contranyms.

A couple more:
Buckle - to fasten together; to break apart or collapse
Clip - to attach together; to cut apart (as in 'clip the hedges')

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue]
[/tt][red]Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur[/red]

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[SantaMufasa]

Have a Purple Star, Thomas, for a great thread idea !

Some more:

dust (remove dust)
dust (apply dust -- fingerprints)

literally (literally)
literally (figuratively)

moot (arguable)
moot (not worthy of argument)

bolt (to secure in place)
bolt (to dash away suddenly)

comprise (to contain; include)
comprise (to be composed of; consist of)

fine (just meets minimum standards; satisfactory)
fine (considerably better than average; excellent)

give out (to produce; distribute)
give out (to stop producing; cease functioning)

handicap (advantage (e.g. in sport))
handicap (disadvantage; disability)

hold up (to support; cope)
hold up (to hinder; delay)

impregnable (impossible to enter (e.g. of a fortress))
impregnable (able to be impregnated)

lease (to lend; rent out)
lease (to borrow; hire)

let (to allow; grant permission)
let (to prevent (e.g. "without let or hindrance"))

model (archetype; example)
model (copy; replica)

overlook (to examine; watch over)
overlook (to fail to notice; miss)

peer (an equal; fellow (e.g. classmate))
peer (a nobleman; person of higher rank)

puzzle (to pose a problem)
puzzle (to solve a problem)

quantum (very small (e.g. in Physics))
quantum (very large (e.g. "quantum leap"))

ravel (to tangle; complicate)
ravel (to disentangle; separate)

resign (to quit; give up)
resign (to sign up again)

root (to remove completely)
root (to become firmly established)

sanguine (murderous)
sanguine (cheerfully optimistic)

scan (to examine closely)
scan (to glance at hastily)

screen (to view; show)
screen (to conceal; shield)

shank (latter part of a period of time)
shank (early part of a period of time)

skin (to cover with a skin)
skin (to remove the skin)

temper (to soften; mollify)
temper (to strengthen (e.g. a metal))

trim (to cut pieces off (e.g. fingernails))
trim (to add to; ornament)

Fun stuff !

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

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Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[elanor]

Careful! This thread could veer off in the direction of differences between British and American English, as in "to table a motion" meaning one thing on one side of the pond and the exact opposite on the other!
Thanks!
Elanor

 

[tgreer]

Yeah, I see some things in Mufasa's post that I don't agree with... but he and I are both Americans, so that can't be the issue.


"Moot", has become so consistently misused, that the wrong meaning has become the primary meaning. Interesting!

"Literally" doesn't fall into that category, yet. Someone who uses "literally" in place of "figuratively" is just literally from another planet.

I've never seen "impregnable" to mean, "able to be impregnated"!

Ravel? Isn't the opposite "unravel"?

Also, "quantum" doesn't mean "large", at least not in the example given, "quantum leap". That simply means a rapid shift, with seemingly no in-between.

I really like "temper", that is exactly the kind of example I hold onto.



Thomas D. Greer

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[SantaMufasa]

Thomas,

Although I understand your position on the above, I believe your points above are moot. Now, having said that, I'll bet that half of our group would contend that I mean arguable, while the other half would contend that I mean irrelavant; not an issue; no longer arguable. I acknowledge that the predominant usage is an absolutely, positively incorrect usage since "moot" derives from the term "moot court", which is a forum/assembly in law schools to practice arguing/debating issues. But...

moot 1 a : open to question : DEBATABLE b : subjected to discussion : DISPUTED
2 : deprived of practical significance : made abstract or purely academic

The constant mis-use/abuse of "literally" literally drives me nuts <grin>.

1 : in a literal sense or manner : ACTUALLY; 2 : in effect : VIRTUALLY <"will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty or injustice" -- Norman Cousins>
usage: Since some people take sense 2 to be the opposite of sense 1, it has been frequently criticized as a misuse. Instead, the use is pure hyperbole intended to gain emphasis, but it often appears in contexts where no additional emphasis is necessary.

We would both probably agree on what "impregnate" means...what predicate adjective (besides "impregnable") can you suggest for "a being that is able to be impregnated"? If a dog is able to be impregnated, then what more economical predicate adjective could you suggest than, "The dog is impregnable"?

ravel 1 a : to separate or undo the texture of : UNRAVEL b : to undo the intricacies of : DISENTANGLE. 2 : ENTANGLE, CONFUSE; b: to undo the intricacies of : DISENTANGLE.

quantum a: any of the very small increments or parcels into which many forms of energy are subdivided; b: any of the small subdivisions of a quantized physical magnitude

With the support of my three buddies Noah Webster and George and Charles Merriam, I feel like I'm still on solid ground.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
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http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[PaulTEG]

antonym, by definition, if it means a word that is it's opposite, can it really be a word? What's the opposite of a word?

cigless ...

 

[chipperMDW]

hardly (in a hard manner)
hardly (not much at all)

 

[craigsboyd]

mad (I'm mad about her - I really like her)
mad (I'm mad at her - I really dispise her)

SweetPotato Software Website
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[tgreer]

apparent: uncertain, certain

He is the apparent owner of the building...
She is the heir apparent to the throne...

Thomas D. Greer

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Training, Development & Consulting

 

[SantaMufasa]

Some more:

can (to save [~ the peaches])
can (to discard [~ the worker])

rent (to take short-term control of by paying compensation)
rent (to give short-term control of by receiving compensation)

lease (to take long-term control of by paying compensation)
lease (to give long-term control of by receiving compensation

fix (a problem ["He is in a fix."])
fix (a solution ["He created a fix for the software."])

went off (to start ["He awoke when the alarm went off."])
went off (to stop ["The silence was welcome when the blaring music finally went off."])

cull (to select ["He culled the best strawberries for himself."])
cull (to reject ["He culled the rotten apples into the garbage."]

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[tsdragon]

cull (to select ["He culled the best strawberries for himself."])
cull (to reject ["He culled the rotten apples into the garbage."]

I don't think we should give you that one. In both cases the word means "select". The rest of the sentence provides a description of the purpose for which they were selected.

In addition, I've never seen the word "cull" used in a positive (i.e. your first) sense, always negative. The noun "culls" usually refers to rejects.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[KornGeek]

I'm suprised I haven't seen these yet.

presently (happening right now, in the present)
presently (happening in the near future)

virtual (actual)
virtual (nearly)

 

[tgreer]

Virtual" falls into the same category as "literally", in my opinion. Those who use "virtual" to mean "actual" aren't using a secondary meaning... they are using the word improperly!

"Presently" is very nice though.

Thomas D. Greer

Providing PostScript & PDF
Training, Development & Consulting

 

[SantaMufasa]

In both cases the word means "select"...The noun "culls" usually refers to rejects.

And I believe that the dictionary backs up what we both seem to be saying:

cull transitive verb...from Latin colligere to bind together -- more at COLLECT. 1 : to select from a group : CHOOSE <culled the best passages from the poet's work>
2 : to identify and remove the culls from

cull noun: something rejected especially as being inferior or worthless.

What think ye?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[

http://www.dasages.com:

Providing low-cost remote Database Admin services]
Click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips if you use Oracle in Utah USA.

 

[tsdragon]

OK, I'll buy that.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.