antithetical

[ an-tuh-thet-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of the nature of or involving antithesis.
2. directly opposed or contrasted; opposite.

antithetical

/ ˌæntɪˈθɛtɪkəl /

adjective

1. of the nature of antithesis
2. directly contrasted

Other Words From

• anti·theti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of antithetical¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Greek antithetikós “setting in opposition, contrasting” (from antíthetos “opposed”) + -al; antithesis ( def ), -tic ( def ), -al ¹( def ).

Example Sentences

“She thought that kind of careerism was antithetical to what art was all about. She believed in the notion of pursuing art in and of itself. Eve bristled at Joan’s ambition but, of course, she absolutely wanted that kind of career.”

From Los Angeles Times

Making the decision myself, and forcing the issue, was antithetical to his expectation that I continue to be a submissive wife.

From Salon

According to Kupers, the containment cages are worse than a solitary confinement cell, and are antithetical to crisis intervention and suicide prevention.

From Slate

“When you look at the swipe-based apps, their objective is to get a large volume of strangers in front of the user, which is kind of antithetical to how Gen Z wants to meet people,” Marok said.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course she flips out sometimes – we all do - but "angry Kylie" is so antithetical to her public persona that it's hard to imagine.

From BBC

Related Words

• contradictory