Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Opposite (semantics) In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is male entails that it is not female. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members in a set of opposites. The relationship between opposites is known as opposition.
Contronym. A contronym is a word with two opposite meanings; such a word is also known as an antagonym, autoantonym, contranym, or Janus word. [1] [2] For example, the word cleave can mean "to cut apart" or "to bind together". This feature is also called enantiosemy, [3] [4] enantionymy ( enantio- means "opposite"), antilogy or autoantonymy.
Oxymoron. Oxymorons are words that communicate contradictions. An oxymoron (plurals: oxymorons and oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposite meanings within a word or in a phrase that is a self-contradiction. As a rhetorical device, an oxymoron illustrates a point to communicate and reveal a paradox.
Unpaired word. An unpaired word is one that, according to the usual rules of the language, would appear to have a related word but does not. [1] Such words usually have a prefix or suffix that would imply that there is an antonym, with the prefix or suffix being absent or opposite. If the prefix or suffix is negative, such as 'dis-' or -'less ...
A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. [ 1] It is the contrast between two mutually exclusive terms, such as on and off, up and ...
False cognate. False cognates are pairs of words that seem to be cognates because of similar sounds and meaning, but have different etymologies; they can be within the same language or from different languages, even within the same family. [1] For example, the English word dog and the Mbabaram word dog have exactly the same meaning and very ...
List of English homographs. Homographs are words with the same spelling but having more than one meaning. Homographs may be pronounced the same ( homophones ), or they may be pronounced differently ( heteronyms, also known as heterophones). Some homographs are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable, and verbs when it is on ...
Converse (semantics) In linguistics, converses or relational antonyms are pairs of words that refer to a relationship from opposite points of view, such as parent/child or borrow/lend. [1] [2] The relationship between such words is called a converse relation. [2] Converses can be understood as a pair of words where one word implies a ...