In other words, they have an either-or relationship: Something can be either one or the other but never both at the same time.Īlso known as polar antonyms, gradable antonyms are opposite amounts of the same quality. Complementary antonymsĪlso known as binary antonyms or contradictory antonyms, complementary antonyms are word pairs where the positive use of one means the negative use of the other. There are different types of opposites and so different types of antonyms. When we say antonyms are opposites, that’s a bit general. If Neil’s first words on the moon were “I took a small step” and nothing more, his quote wouldn’t be nearly as popular! Types of antonyms By putting the opposite concepts of “small step” and “giant leap” together in the same sentence, his statement makes each of them seem more significant. There are two different pairs of antonyms here: small and giant, and step and leap. That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. One of the most famous examples of antithesis is Neil Armstrong’s real-life quote when landing on the moon: Always look for opportunities to use antithesis when you revise your writing. Antithesis takes this to the next level by putting antonyms together.
As mentioned above, antonyms draw attention to what makes things different, making each word seem stronger. 3Īntithesis is a literary device that directly harnesses the power of opposites by placing them next to or near each other. In this way, antonyms can enhance your persuasive writing by strengthening your descriptive words and challenging your reader’s expectations. For example, bugs are usually small, so when you mention a “giant bug,” the contrast makes the phrase stronger. Still, they work well when you’re playing with the reader’s expectations. Keep in mind that positive descriptions are usually better than negative descriptions, so antonyms are not recommended for descriptions all the time. However, using the antonyms draws attention to the fact that the person chooses not to be modest or humble, which adds a little more characterization than simply calling them “arrogant.” įor example, you might describe someone who is arrogant as “not modest” or “not humble.” Because modest and humble are antonyms of arrogant, you’re saying the same thing. Using antonyms with a negative can add new dimensions to your descriptions and improve your writing’s word choice. Sometimes the best way to describe something is to explain what it isn’t. So you could call rural life “quiet” and urban life “noisy” or say that there are “few” people in rural areas and “many” people in urban areas. Instead of just listing facts about each, you can use antonym pairs to communicate the differences more clearly. If you’re writing a research paper that compares two topics, using pairs of antonyms can better communicate what sets them apart.įor example, let’s say you’re discussing life in urban areas versus life in rural areas. 1Īntonyms are great for comparing two separate things and drawing attention to what makes them different. Specifically, you can use the power of opposites in three ways. Placing opposites together highlights their differences and makes the individual words stronger. What’s the purpose of antonyms?Īntonyms play an important role in writing by making your words more effective. You can find more examples in our article on verb contronyms.
Contronyms are words that have multiple meanings, and some of those meanings are antonyms of each other. This is because big and small are opposites the synonym of big is large because big and large mean the same thing.ĭon’t overthink it, but the words synonym and antonym are actually antonyms! Contronyms or auto-antonymsĪ contronym, also known as an auto-antonym, is a special type of antonym. While antonyms have opposite meanings, synonyms have the same meaning. Synonyms and antonymsĪntonyms are closely related to synonyms, which are words that have identical meanings. The term antonym comes from antonymy, which is the technical grammar term for words that have contradictory meanings-but you can think of antonyms as opposites.
For example, an antonym of day is night, and an antonym of on is off. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.
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