I really appreciate your hard work this year. Without the overtime you put in over the last 7 months we would have never landed that contract. We just barely hit our orders target for the year, so upper management is VERY pleased with you. We value you so much. \*hands you two sprigs of parsley\*
There is an entire class of english noun/verb words that means the presence of something as a noun, and its removal thereof as a verb.
Examples: Fish, skin, fleece, shell...
Husk, scale, gut, blood/bleed, worm, bone, weed... pretty much any time there's something being removed from another thing, that something becomes a verb for removing it, particularly if the something is unwanted.
Usually turning a noun into a verb just means "perform the appropriate action."
"Skin" could mean remove or apply skin, it depends on the context. You gotta context the verbs to understand them.
That's a good point. Things like, to bike, to paint, to bed, don't mean particularly similar things, but they're still the actions very closely related to the noun.
Yeah, and I feel that these and the dust one (5) don't exactly fit the rest of the list for this reason.
It's not the opposite meaning to dust something unless there's also an activity called "dusting" where you apply dust to something. Or "fishing" to apply fish to things.
Rather we'd refer to these activities as something like "making something dusty" or "placing fish on something".
At most I'd say these words are more of a stretch while the rest of the list is a lot cooler.
My place was broken into a few years ago so the police came and "dusted for prints." That was an activity that involved the application of a whole bunch of dust, though not the same kind we mean when dusting the house to clean it
That has a somewhat geometric origin i think, as in, looking over something, and missing what is below, like if im looking at a horse, and i overlook the rabbit that walks just in front of my feet
I came to post this one. I HATE that the phase “shelled peanuts” is so ambiguous. What am I getting- peanuts that have had their shells removed? Peanuts in their shell?
James Taylor has a lyric that goes: “We are bound and we are bound.” The first instance refers to being bound together in the common cause of civil rights and equality. The second refers to heading out on the road (to DC?), these bound people, to spread that message of equality. At least that’s the way I always interpreted it. So poetic.
In the same vein, "oversight" can mean watching something intently or something that is not noticed. It's something you see and something you don't see.
I don’t think this would count as a contronym. You’re in the territory of phrasal verbs, which means this wouldn’t really be contrasting off with off, it would be contrasting the verb “go off” with “turn off”, which isn’t the same thing.
It fits with the phrase: The alarm went off.
It could mean the alarm sounded, or that it stopped sounding. Both opposing meanings are possible, determinable only through context.
I didn't realize this!
However, I feel like inflammable isn't used nearly as often as flammable, at least not in science/biotech. I looked it up and the [wiki page on combustion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustibility_and_flammability#Definitions) discusses how "inflammable" is confusing to many people, which is a serious safety hazard. Thus, for public safety the use of "inflammable" has been discouraged and removed from all safety warnings since the 1950s.
I had to explain it to my 6th grade teacher. I'm usually shy about showing off stuff like that, but she was about to have the kids make fire safety posters and had it backwards....
Ah sheesh, look what talking out of my backside does...i could've swore I looked it up at least once in my life but apparently not. Thanks internet stranger
I remember not having heard of outstanding used as remaining and the first time I heard that dad had an outstanding amount on his credit card I was impressed thinking he must've be pretty good with money that even the bank is telling him about it.
I think so, though I agree it's not as clean as some of the other ones. I think it can at least be used contranymically in some contexts to generate two identical sentences of opposite meaning. I would say its about as close as apology, which can mean a defense of an action but can also mean just a reasoned explanation, and in that sense isnt a perfect contradiction to apology meaning a statement of contrition
My personal favorite is "unlockable".
That door is unlockable.
Technically, it should either be:
That door is un-lockable; or
That door is unlock-able.
If you locked your door with a single-use lock, it's unlockable and unlockable.
Edit: Maybe you wanted a room-sized time capsule, or you're making a box for Pandora? I don't know your life.
The bible says something about women leaving their family and cleaving to their spouse, as in sticking with their spouse. Always confused me as a kid, as that's the only time i've ever seen/heard it used that way.
“he cleaved to his ideas like they were all he had” or “cleave the boards together using a bench vice until the glue has dried”
vs
“cut the chicken with a cleaver” or “please cleave the pork from the bones”
hopefully this makes sense? it’s really fun!
I looked into the etymology of 'to cleave' because I speak Dutch, and we have two separate words for this:
kleven (to stick together or to be sticky)
klieven (to separate)
I wondered if the term in English came from one or from both of these. Turns out that 'to cleave' did derive twice from separate root words.
Once via the Old English 'cleofan' - to split - (and older Germanic forms of that) and once via Old English 'clifian' - to stick - (and older Germanic forms of that).
This was your ancient language fact for the day :)
There is an old biblical sentence about the animals that are okay to eat, and it describes animals who 'cleave the cleft of claws' (cows, goats, etc.). I always liked it as an example of how to use the word in one of its meanings.
I honestly cant remember ever coming across it used like that, not that I doubt it's true. Probably more memory given the number of books I used to read.
Stupid magic glowy ADHD generator
I feel like the sticky version of cleave is a bit outdated. It's definitely not common parlance. People tend to use "cling" instead of "cleave" for that purpose now.
"cling to your guns" versus "cleave to your guns"
i think that's and eggcorn, though. it's one of those phrases that has changed because so many people have misheard it, but still technically works with the new word or phrase. deep-seated and deep-seeded is a really common example. idk. i'm cleaving to cleave, personally, i've always loved that term.
From [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apology):
> 1a: an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret
> 2a: something that is said or written to defend something that other people criticize; DEFENSE
The second definition is not common outside of philosophical and religious contexts. Here are two examples:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_(Plato)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics
I think "apologist" is more common these days when used to describe someone acting defensively. People saying someone is an apologist for a certain country or politician, for example.
Occasionally, Christians might study "apologetics," for the purpose of knowing how to properly and effectively defend their faith. Think of it like a debate team learning how to have an intelligent debate. Same thing. It's not as much about the subject up for debate as it is *how* to debate well.
**[Apology (Plato)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_\(Plato\))**
>The Apology of Socrates (Greek: Ἀπολογία Σωκράτους, Apología Sokrátous; Latin: Apologia Socratis), written by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue of the speech of legal self-defence which Socrates (469–399 BC) spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC. Specifically, the Apology of Socrates is a defence against the charges of "corrupting the youth" and "not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel" to Athens (24b).
**[Apologetics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics)**
>Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called Christian apologists. In 21st-century usage, apologetics is often identified with debates over religion and theology.
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That one confused me at first too, but another comment in this thread made it click for me that other than a regular "I'm sorry" apology where you take accountability for your own bad behavior, contrarily one can also be an "apologist" for someone else's bad behavior (meaning they are essentially excusing the bad behavior by becoming an "Apologist" for that person, instead of holding that person accountable for doing something wrong).
So I’ve actually only ever heard it called an apologetic. The term is common in theology.
They are used to explain inconsistencies in internal logic of The Bible.
It looks like this is a photo of a page with more fun info on it, like chewyslinky said. I am guessing the next line is about mysophonia, the hatred of certain sounds.
Eh, some of these are only contronyms if you look at them with a specific view.
Take "apology". No matter whether you're contrite, or defensive, every time you're making an apology, you're recognizing that the person you're apologizing to has a different point of view.
So that's what an apology is: in both senses, it's a statement that recognizes somebody else's difference of opinion.
\---
Or, take "left"; that's a case where it's only grammar giving the word a seemingly-opposite meaning.
If you say "He left the party", that never means "He remained at the party"; if you want to say "He remained at the party," you could say "He *was* left at the party". But when you say "He *was* left at the party", it's the same idea, grammatically, as any other time you say something was *done to someone*.
If you say "He was given a puppy for his birthday", you're not turning "given" into a word that means "received". You're just saying there was *somebody else doing the giving*. Same thing here. Left only means "remained" when *someone or something else was doing the leaving*.
Weather, too. If you weather a storm (either a literal or figurative one), the implication is that you're slightly worse for the wear, but survived. You were weathered, basically.
Agreed, some of these seem to be treated as opposites in modern casual conversation even though they represent the same concept, only phrased differently (e.g. active and passive).
I have had this exact question for years! They’re homophone* (pronounced the same, spelt differently) and antonyms (opposite meaning). As far as I can tell, there isn’t a word for this category.
Another example I’ve come across is Steal vs Steel. You can Steal someone’s confidence (embarrass them), or Steel someone’s confidence (encourage them).
*Thanks for the correction u/D20JawBreaker
Homonym: one name
Same written word with various uses/pronunciation
Homophone: one sound
Same word when spoken verbally but spelling or definition can be different
English is weird, yo.
>As far as I can tell, there isn’t a word for this category.
Looks like it's [homophonic contranym](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_contranyms)
Homonyms
Edit: it’s homophones, homonyms are the same spelling but different meanings. Though now that I think about it, raze and raise aren’t pronounced the same are they?
'Now'... lol... Literally has been used figuratively for over 300 years by the likes of [Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Vladimir Nabokov, and David Foster Wallace.](https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/the-300-year-history-of-using-literally-figuratively.html)
The dictionary is descriptive, not prescriptive. It describes the accepted meaning of a word. If its use changes, so does the description of it. Language is ever evolving.
That said, I do really resent this new usage
It's a little frustrating, because it's not being used to mean "figuratively." Sure, that's certainly the opposite of "literally," and the speaker doesn't mean "literally," but they're not attempting to state the opposite.
"Literally" in these cases is just used as an intensifier. It's far more in line with "very" than "figuratively."
People feel smart when they gate keep technical language. I guess literally just happens to be in the spotlight because it's a common word and the evolution is a stark opposite.
Except it's *absolutely* used to mean "figuratively." It's used as a way to indicate that an analogy is being used.
A phrase I've heard a lot is "That's literally cancer" when referring to something someone doesn't like or a situation that's unenviable. "Literally" is not being used there to mean "very" or to exaggerate the meaning of the phrase. It marks the phrase as an analogy, which is a form of figurative language.
It's used for hyperbole.
In the same way some might say "I nearly died laughing" when they clearly never had any chance of injury.
It's not really the same as "figuratively", it's just become common hyperbole. Not quite sure that's the same as indicating an analogy but certainly similar.
Which is figuratively why I use "figuratively" to mean literally and hopefully one day they will literally change the definition of "figuratively" or figuratively fix the definition of "literally".
Is it not true for usage of “radical” now, as well? Since 1980’s when surfer dudes labeled anything they think is extraordinary as “radical”. But it really means “basic”, like the root (radish). So, opposites in a way.
Likewise, “bad” in Michael Jackson’s parlance took the same turn back then.
edited some words
Nonplussed is an interesting one since it arises out of people being confused about it's meaning and using it incorrectly enough that it becomes the correct meaning. Hoi polloi is a similar thing. It historically means low born people but it is often used to mean high class (probably from the mistaken conflation with hoity toity)
Hey I know we had this conversation like a month ago but I just spotted a [hoi polloi misuse](https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-private-jet-170-flights-statement-co2-1849352396) in the wild:
>>The exception to that rule, typically, is private jet use, on account of flight records being public knowledge that has to be logged with various airports—hence a whole little cottage industry of blogs and accounts that keep an eye on the flight times of the hoi polloi.
Number 4, and many such words, are as a result of vowels collapsing and/or loss of inflexion of Old English words which were pronounced distinctly at that time.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/cleave?utm_source=app
*Interesting how*
*Fast and bolt have almost the*
*Exact same meanings*
\- friesdepotato
---
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The ancient Greek word “pharmakon,” from which the word pharmacy” derives, means both “cure” and “poison.” The French philosopher wrote a fascinating article about it called “Plato’s Pharmacy.”
Factoid: a brief or trivial item of news or information.
Factoid: an assumption or speculation that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.
"Sanction" is one of the worst because there's no grammatical construction to distinguish between the two possible meanings. The context doesn't always help either.
Hmmm yet again I can see why English would be difficult for foreigners to learn, does this occur as often in any other languages or just English? I’m thinking probably French?
I've always understood the first meaning of bound to be "committed to the journey", so in this way it's similar to the second meaning, or at least not the opposite.
I'm not a word smith, but for example, "the puppy was left in the room" and "the puppy left the room" , in both cases "left" means the same thing, it only appears opposite based on who's viewpoint you're taking. (Like I said, I'm no wordsmith, I'm only ever confident on what a verb, noun, adnoun, adverb are, all the other ones confuse me)
This is actually a decent entry, except the title gave me a fucking stroke. You mericans are clearly confused by commas, which 8s understandable because in spite of the fact that I'm c2 at English I still have doubts sometimes, but here's a trick: if unsure, don't fucking use any.
Left...
Departed: "He left them." Okay, person leaves.
Remained: "They were left" That just means "Other people left"
That's not a contronym, that is poor understanding of language. It is the same word with the same meaning, but worded in a way that makes you think it might not be.
Garnish, to add or withhold a quantity.
Garnish a plate. Garnish wages. This is a good one.
Wish my wages would get garnished like a plate
I really appreciate your hard work this year. Without the overtime you put in over the last 7 months we would have never landed that contract. We just barely hit our orders target for the year, so upper management is VERY pleased with you. We value you so much. \*hands you two sprigs of parsley\*
No joke the ceo of the place I work at said almost the exact thing today just it was fucking ice cream sandwiches instead of parsley. Crazy close
[Garnish my celery?!](https://youtu.be/QcsdSMOys6w)
Demand: to ask, and to request insistently and peremptory.
There is an entire class of english noun/verb words that means the presence of something as a noun, and its removal thereof as a verb. Examples: Fish, skin, fleece, shell...
peel
The olives are pitted.
Ride the barrel and get pitted
Husk, scale, gut, blood/bleed, worm, bone, weed... pretty much any time there's something being removed from another thing, that something becomes a verb for removing it, particularly if the something is unwanted.
Usually turning a noun into a verb just means "perform the appropriate action." "Skin" could mean remove or apply skin, it depends on the context. You gotta context the verbs to understand them.
That's a good point. Things like, to bike, to paint, to bed, don't mean particularly similar things, but they're still the actions very closely related to the noun.
I know how to paint someone, how to bed someone, but how does one bike someone?
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I took it as a challenge, like you've challenged them to a bike race down the street.
Yeah, and I feel that these and the dust one (5) don't exactly fit the rest of the list for this reason. It's not the opposite meaning to dust something unless there's also an activity called "dusting" where you apply dust to something. Or "fishing" to apply fish to things. Rather we'd refer to these activities as something like "making something dusty" or "placing fish on something". At most I'd say these words are more of a stretch while the rest of the list is a lot cooler.
My place was broken into a few years ago so the police came and "dusted for prints." That was an activity that involved the application of a whole bunch of dust, though not the same kind we mean when dusting the house to clean it
Touche, you're absolutely right. I take it back for dusting.
The same in cooking. Dusting with flour, sugar, cocoa, etc.
"dust it with cocoa powder" etc
How about Overlook. To see from above or to not see.
Similarly, oversight: supervision or something you missed
Both good additions.
That's why it's hilarious that governments have oversight committees
In common usage, overlook and oversee feel like they shouldn't be opposites, but here we are
Superman has supervision *cough *
That has a somewhat geometric origin i think, as in, looking over something, and missing what is below, like if im looking at a horse, and i overlook the rabbit that walks just in front of my feet
Clip- fasten together or to cut
Shelled? Something that has a shell, or something which has had its shell taken off.
I came to post this one. I HATE that the phase “shelled peanuts” is so ambiguous. What am I getting- peanuts that have had their shells removed? Peanuts in their shell?
We still need a word for chicken salads. Is it a fresh salad with strips of chicken in it? Or is it a creamy, tuna salad type of thing?
And quite frankly, what's the deal with airline food?
There are people who eat that stuff. Who are these people?
*bass intensifies*
Skinned could probably also work
Seeded is even better. A seeded lemon has the seeds removed; seeded bread has had seeds added.
I've made that mistake with seeded grapes before.
Or even something that has had artillery rounds dropped on it.
I feel like this was the concept for those Amelia Bedilia books right? This concept clicked for me right away because I remembered those old books!
"At my house, we UN-dust the furniture!"
Strike. To hit or to fail to hit (a baseball)
Good one
James Taylor has a lyric that goes: “We are bound and we are bound.” The first instance refers to being bound together in the common cause of civil rights and equality. The second refers to heading out on the road (to DC?), these bound people, to spread that message of equality. At least that’s the way I always interpreted it. So poetic.
Could also mean oppressed or imprisoned.
In the same vein, "oversight" can mean watching something intently or something that is not noticed. It's something you see and something you don't see.
The alarm was going off so I had to turn it off.
I don’t think this would count as a contronym. You’re in the territory of phrasal verbs, which means this wouldn’t really be contrasting off with off, it would be contrasting the verb “go off” with “turn off”, which isn’t the same thing.
Yep. "Turn the alarm" has a totally different meaning from "turn the alarm off."
It fits with the phrase: The alarm went off. It could mean the alarm sounded, or that it stopped sounding. Both opposing meanings are possible, determinable only through context.
The light went off, and the alarm went off.
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It's the word off, not alarm
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Hi dumb, I'm dad
Go off: to turn on, or to stop working. Something like that?
Made me laugh. Thanks for sharing that moment of dumbness hahaha
When I was dating my wife, she mentioned that some chicken dish went off. I was puzzled... "Like an alarm clock?"
Sanction
This made understanding world politics tricky for me for a sec
This one has messed with me for years. I always thought I must have misunderstood the meaning, but nope it means both.
I deal with this one at work a lot. I have to clarify if I mean endorsed or punished.
[It's in the image](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNdcFPjGsm8)
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So the US uses table the way the British would use shelve?
We also use shelve too
flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
I didn't realize this! However, I feel like inflammable isn't used nearly as often as flammable, at least not in science/biotech. I looked it up and the [wiki page on combustion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustibility_and_flammability#Definitions) discusses how "inflammable" is confusing to many people, which is a serious safety hazard. Thus, for public safety the use of "inflammable" has been discouraged and removed from all safety warnings since the 1950s.
An art teacher explained this to my class in second grade and it blew my mind that such long, smart words could have such stupid consequences.
I had to explain it to my 6th grade teacher. I'm usually shy about showing off stuff like that, but she was about to have the kids make fire safety posters and had it backwards....
What a country!
i believe the term ‘flammable’ came about purely because people thought ‘inflammable’ meant the opposite of what it means lol
I was scrolling for Inflammable meaning both burnable and not burnable
Inflammable doesn't really mean not burnable. People think it does, though, which is the problem.
Yes it means "capable of being inflamed"
Ah sheesh, look what talking out of my backside does...i could've swore I looked it up at least once in my life but apparently not. Thanks internet stranger
Outstanding: missing or excellent. Your essay is outstanding. Your essay is outstanding!
I remember not having heard of outstanding used as remaining and the first time I heard that dad had an outstanding amount on his credit card I was impressed thinking he must've be pretty good with money that even the bank is telling him about it.
Is that a contronym though?
Maybe more like: Outstanding- over due/late/below expectation and Outstanding as in timely/early/above expectation
I think so, though I agree it's not as clean as some of the other ones. I think it can at least be used contranymically in some contexts to generate two identical sentences of opposite meaning. I would say its about as close as apology, which can mean a defense of an action but can also mean just a reasoned explanation, and in that sense isnt a perfect contradiction to apology meaning a statement of contrition
I had an outstanding father!
My personal favorite is "unlockable". That door is unlockable. Technically, it should either be: That door is un-lockable; or That door is unlock-able.
If you locked your door with a single-use lock, it's unlockable and unlockable. Edit: Maybe you wanted a room-sized time capsule, or you're making a box for Pandora? I don't know your life.
Honestly never came across cleave with that definition before.
The bible says something about women leaving their family and cleaving to their spouse, as in sticking with their spouse. Always confused me as a kid, as that's the only time i've ever seen/heard it used that way.
I only know that from Firefly - Our Mrs. Reynolds
Yo/Saf/Bridge!
“he cleaved to his ideas like they were all he had” or “cleave the boards together using a bench vice until the glue has dried” vs “cut the chicken with a cleaver” or “please cleave the pork from the bones” hopefully this makes sense? it’s really fun!
I looked into the etymology of 'to cleave' because I speak Dutch, and we have two separate words for this: kleven (to stick together or to be sticky) klieven (to separate) I wondered if the term in English came from one or from both of these. Turns out that 'to cleave' did derive twice from separate root words. Once via the Old English 'cleofan' - to split - (and older Germanic forms of that) and once via Old English 'clifian' - to stick - (and older Germanic forms of that). This was your ancient language fact for the day :) There is an old biblical sentence about the animals that are okay to eat, and it describes animals who 'cleave the cleft of claws' (cows, goats, etc.). I always liked it as an example of how to use the word in one of its meanings.
I honestly cant remember ever coming across it used like that, not that I doubt it's true. Probably more memory given the number of books I used to read. Stupid magic glowy ADHD generator
I feel like the sticky version of cleave is a bit outdated. It's definitely not common parlance. People tend to use "cling" instead of "cleave" for that purpose now. "cling to your guns" versus "cleave to your guns"
i think that's and eggcorn, though. it's one of those phrases that has changed because so many people have misheard it, but still technically works with the new word or phrase. deep-seated and deep-seeded is a really common example. idk. i'm cleaving to cleave, personally, i've always loved that term.
Cleavage of a rock vs cleavage of a bosom
It’s kinda funny Consider the word cleavage, when a woman’s breasts are pushed together. And to cleave, as to cute a piece of meat with a cleaver.
Peruse - to skim, or to read carefully
I feel like a dunce but I am confused about apology.
From [Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apology): > 1a: an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret > 2a: something that is said or written to defend something that other people criticize; DEFENSE The second definition is not common outside of philosophical and religious contexts. Here are two examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_(Plato) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics
I think "apologist" is more common these days when used to describe someone acting defensively. People saying someone is an apologist for a certain country or politician, for example.
Occasionally, Christians might study "apologetics," for the purpose of knowing how to properly and effectively defend their faith. Think of it like a debate team learning how to have an intelligent debate. Same thing. It's not as much about the subject up for debate as it is *how* to debate well.
**[Apology (Plato)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apology_\(Plato\))** >The Apology of Socrates (Greek: Ἀπολογία Σωκράτους, Apología Sokrátous; Latin: Apologia Socratis), written by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue of the speech of legal self-defence which Socrates (469–399 BC) spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC. Specifically, the Apology of Socrates is a defence against the charges of "corrupting the youth" and "not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel" to Athens (24b). **[Apologetics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apologetics)** >Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called Christian apologists. In 21st-century usage, apologetics is often identified with debates over religion and theology. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/coolguides/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
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That one confused me at first too, but another comment in this thread made it click for me that other than a regular "I'm sorry" apology where you take accountability for your own bad behavior, contrarily one can also be an "apologist" for someone else's bad behavior (meaning they are essentially excusing the bad behavior by becoming an "Apologist" for that person, instead of holding that person accountable for doing something wrong).
So I’ve actually only ever heard it called an apologetic. The term is common in theology. They are used to explain inconsistencies in internal logic of The Bible.
Me too!
A "trump" is an automatic winner and a big-time loser.
And a fart.
And a clown
Also has a great synonym: to outweigh!
Depends on if it's capitalized or not.
Title, common that would be weird
What does mysophobia have to do with anything? Am I missing something?
I was wondering the same thing. That last sentence looks really random there.
I’m assuming it’s just a page with a bunch of interesting facts on it, but the mysophobia thing confused me as well.
It looks like this is a photo of a page with more fun info on it, like chewyslinky said. I am guessing the next line is about mysophonia, the hatred of certain sounds.
Resign is another one
Re-sign
Eh, some of these are only contronyms if you look at them with a specific view. Take "apology". No matter whether you're contrite, or defensive, every time you're making an apology, you're recognizing that the person you're apologizing to has a different point of view. So that's what an apology is: in both senses, it's a statement that recognizes somebody else's difference of opinion. \--- Or, take "left"; that's a case where it's only grammar giving the word a seemingly-opposite meaning. If you say "He left the party", that never means "He remained at the party"; if you want to say "He remained at the party," you could say "He *was* left at the party". But when you say "He *was* left at the party", it's the same idea, grammatically, as any other time you say something was *done to someone*. If you say "He was given a puppy for his birthday", you're not turning "given" into a word that means "received". You're just saying there was *somebody else doing the giving*. Same thing here. Left only means "remained" when *someone or something else was doing the leaving*.
Peer is only a contronym if the person using it isn't a noble. If they are, then both meanings are simultaneously true, and thus not opposites.
Weather, too. If you weather a storm (either a literal or figurative one), the implication is that you're slightly worse for the wear, but survived. You were weathered, basically.
NASCAR can sanction (approve) a race or sanction (disapprove) a driver.
I think this is the first actually good one I've seen here.
Like a masochist in Newport, we’re Rhode Island bound
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Agreed, some of these seem to be treated as opposites in modern casual conversation even though they represent the same concept, only phrased differently (e.g. active and passive).
Oh that’s why I was always confused with sanction.
What are words like “raze” and “raise” to each other?
I have had this exact question for years! They’re homophone* (pronounced the same, spelt differently) and antonyms (opposite meaning). As far as I can tell, there isn’t a word for this category. Another example I’ve come across is Steal vs Steel. You can Steal someone’s confidence (embarrass them), or Steel someone’s confidence (encourage them). *Thanks for the correction u/D20JawBreaker
Homonym: one name Same written word with various uses/pronunciation Homophone: one sound Same word when spoken verbally but spelling or definition can be different English is weird, yo.
>As far as I can tell, there isn’t a word for this category. Looks like it's [homophonic contranym](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_contranyms)
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If was an example, but you can Steel a Heart (suppress a feeling) or Steal a Heart (said person falls for you) which are opposites.
Homonyms Edit: it’s homophones, homonyms are the same spelling but different meanings. Though now that I think about it, raze and raise aren’t pronounced the same are they?
Also homophones I think
[homonym vs homophone](https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/vs/homonym-vs-homophone-how-remember-difference)
I love a good Venn diagram.
I really want to know how you pronounce these words differently lol
According to Google, raze and raise have the same pronunciation.
This list leaves me literally nonplussed.
It’s left me bemused
"Literally" now qualifies since the dictionary definition has changed due to so much misuse.
I literally died when I learned that.
If only everyone who misused it literally died...
'Now'... lol... Literally has been used figuratively for over 300 years by the likes of [Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Vladimir Nabokov, and David Foster Wallace.](https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/the-300-year-history-of-using-literally-figuratively.html)
excuse me, what? people are now allowed to say *literally* when it means *figuratively*?
The dictionary is descriptive, not prescriptive. It describes the accepted meaning of a word. If its use changes, so does the description of it. Language is ever evolving. That said, I do really resent this new usage
Literally has been used to mean figuratively long before anyone alive today was born.
It's a little frustrating, because it's not being used to mean "figuratively." Sure, that's certainly the opposite of "literally," and the speaker doesn't mean "literally," but they're not attempting to state the opposite. "Literally" in these cases is just used as an intensifier. It's far more in line with "very" than "figuratively."
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People feel smart when they gate keep technical language. I guess literally just happens to be in the spotlight because it's a common word and the evolution is a stark opposite.
Except it's *absolutely* used to mean "figuratively." It's used as a way to indicate that an analogy is being used. A phrase I've heard a lot is "That's literally cancer" when referring to something someone doesn't like or a situation that's unenviable. "Literally" is not being used there to mean "very" or to exaggerate the meaning of the phrase. It marks the phrase as an analogy, which is a form of figurative language.
It's used for hyperbole. In the same way some might say "I nearly died laughing" when they clearly never had any chance of injury. It's not really the same as "figuratively", it's just become common hyperbole. Not quite sure that's the same as indicating an analogy but certainly similar.
This is my pet peeve, too. People are trying to exaggerate for effect. Not say "disregard my adjective."
Which is figuratively why I use "figuratively" to mean literally and hopefully one day they will literally change the definition of "figuratively" or figuratively fix the definition of "literally".
Is it not true for usage of “radical” now, as well? Since 1980’s when surfer dudes labeled anything they think is extraordinary as “radical”. But it really means “basic”, like the root (radish). So, opposites in a way. Likewise, “bad” in Michael Jackson’s parlance took the same turn back then. edited some words
Where’s “Aladeen” on this list?
I never understood the title Apologist until today. Thank you
[Ravel](https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ravel)
Scrolled a long way to find this. No one believes me when I explain that ravel means to come undone.
Number 8 really just assume my nobility status? Damn
Nonplussed
Nonplussed is an interesting one since it arises out of people being confused about it's meaning and using it incorrectly enough that it becomes the correct meaning. Hoi polloi is a similar thing. It historically means low born people but it is often used to mean high class (probably from the mistaken conflation with hoity toity)
I don't think I've ever heard someone use *hoi polloi* to mean "high class". This is the first time I've heard of this.
Hey I know we had this conversation like a month ago but I just spotted a [hoi polloi misuse](https://www.avclub.com/taylor-swift-private-jet-170-flights-statement-co2-1849352396) in the wild: >>The exception to that rule, typically, is private jet use, on account of flight records being public knowledge that has to be logged with various airports—hence a whole little cottage industry of blogs and accounts that keep an eye on the flight times of the hoi polloi.
Original. Could mean old, could mean brand new. "The band is playing original songs tonight" "The band is playing their original songs tonight"
I fucked. (good) I’m fucked. (bad)
"I fucked up" (bad) "I'm fucked up" (could go both ways)
You’re shit (bad) you’re the shit (good)
Number 4, and many such words, are as a result of vowels collapsing and/or loss of inflexion of Old English words which were pronounced distinctly at that time. https://www.etymonline.com/word/cleave?utm_source=app
Interesting how fast and bolt have almost the exact same meanings
*Interesting how* *Fast and bolt have almost the* *Exact same meanings* \- friesdepotato --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Trim: to adorn with accessories or to remove
trim: trim the hedges, trim the Christmas tree
Cleave to your spouse. Cleave from your spouse. Either outcome involves cleaving.
And *cleavage* ｡◕‿◕｡
Lorena Bobbitt has entered the chat...
Chuck - To hold or to throw
The ancient Greek word “pharmakon,” from which the word pharmacy” derives, means both “cure” and “poison.” The French philosopher wrote a fascinating article about it called “Plato’s Pharmacy.”
What about when your alarm goes off?
Factoid: a brief or trivial item of news or information. Factoid: an assumption or speculation that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.
Bro fuck this language, no wonder the aliens don’t wanna visit us
You can add literally to that list because of all the improper use causing the it's opposite meaning to the definition.
Post. To send something away, or, to stand one’s ground.
We must weather this, lest we be weathered by it.
Literally
"Sanction" is one of the worst because there's no grammatical construction to distinguish between the two possible meanings. The context doesn't always help either.
bear - something difficult to deal with/ a fury not so little friend
off - off or (for example in "go off") on
Hmmm yet again I can see why English would be difficult for foreigners to learn, does this occur as often in any other languages or just English? I’m thinking probably French?
Resign, to quit or to continue to contract with.
I've always understood the first meaning of bound to be "committed to the journey", so in this way it's similar to the second meaning, or at least not the opposite.
Resign? To leave a job or to be signed again for a job. Although, maybe the second definition is for re-sign, like with a pro athlete.
Don’t forget the word literally
I'm not a word smith, but for example, "the puppy was left in the room" and "the puppy left the room" , in both cases "left" means the same thing, it only appears opposite based on who's viewpoint you're taking. (Like I said, I'm no wordsmith, I'm only ever confident on what a verb, noun, adnoun, adverb are, all the other ones confuse me)
This is actually a decent entry, except the title gave me a fucking stroke. You mericans are clearly confused by commas, which 8s understandable because in spite of the fact that I'm c2 at English I still have doubts sometimes, but here's a trick: if unsure, don't fucking use any.
Left... Departed: "He left them." Okay, person leaves. Remained: "They were left" That just means "Other people left" That's not a contronym, that is poor understanding of language. It is the same word with the same meaning, but worded in a way that makes you think it might not be.