antonym

[ an-tuh-nim ]

noun

1. a word opposite in meaning to another. Fast is an antonym of slow. Compare synonym ( def 1 ).

antonym

/ ænˈtɒnɪməs; ˈæntənɪm /

noun

1. a word that means the opposite of another word

   ``empty'' is an antonym of ``full''

Derived Forms

• antonymous, adjective

Other Words From

• an·ton·y·mous [an-, ton, -, uh, -m, uh, s], anto·nymic adjective
• an·tony·my noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antonym¹

First recorded in 1865–70; ant- + (syn)onym

Word History and Origins

Origin of antonym¹

C19: from Greek antōnumia, from anti- + onoma name

Example Sentences

In his demonstration of the failings of MTurk, Kay ran the same study on CloudResearch Connect and got negatively correlated responses for 78% of the antonym pairs—suggesting much higher data quality, even though he paid participants the same rate.

From Science Magazine

As an antonym to the Biden and Democratic party’s empathetic catchphrase, “we feel your pain,” an appropriate catchphrase for the vindictive Trumpian party would be, “we are your pain.”

From Salon

To allay confusion, “Squid Game: The Challenge” is a living antonym of authenticity in that it is one of the most thoroughly engineered reality competition shows on TV.

From Salon

Also, Lynell George’s “City of Specters,” which began with Truman Capote’s report that most L.A. students, asked to specify the antonym of “youth,” answered “death.”

From Los Angeles Times

I'm not sure "graceful" has a strong enough antonym to describe my first lurches toward a world flipped upside down.

From Salon