Definition:
A word having a meaning opposite to that of another word. Antonym is the antonym of synonym. Adjective: antonymous.
Etymology:
Introduced by C.J. Smith in the book Synonyms and Antonyms (1867). From the Greek, "counter name"Examples and Observations:
- "You always pass failure on the way to success."
(Mickey Rooney) - "Some have been thought to be brave
because they were afraid to run away."
(Thomas Fuller) - "Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving."
(Albert Einstein) - "Linguists identify three types of antonymy: (1) Gradable antonyms, which operate on a continuum: (very) big, (very) small. Such pairs often occur in binomial phrases with and: (blow) hot and cold, (search) high and low. (2) Complementary antonyms, which express an either/or relationship: dead or alive, male or female. (3) Converse or relational antonyms, expressing reciprocity: borrow or lend, buy or sell, wife or husband."
(Tom McArthur, "Antonym," The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford Univ. Press, 1992) - "In comedy, antonym pairs need not fit the dictionary definition of an antonym perfectly. As long as the suggestion of an opposite is inferred, the humor can work. 'This administration brags that it has developed a new balance of trade: Young people go south of the border to buy drugs, and senior citizens go north of the border to buy drugs.'"
(Mel Helitzer and Mark Shartz, Comedy Writing Secrets. Writer's Digest Books, 2005) - "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”
(Elie Wiesel)
Pronunciation: AN-ti-nim
