The English language is a mystery to many non-speakers. This is largely due to the contradictions within the language itself, such as English words that have opposite definitions despite being spelled the same way. If you’re an English speaker, you do not pay much attention to these things. But for English language learners, these types of words add to their confusion with the language.
Do you know what the words that are spelled similarly and have two different meanings are called? They are called contronyms. The simplest explanation is that they are words that have opposite meanings.
Several nyms comprise the English language. Words that mean the same thing are synonyms. Words that sound the same but have different spelling, such as pear and pair are homonyms. Antonyms are the opposite meaning of a word. Heteronyms are words spelled similarly but pronounced differently.
What is a contronym?
A contronym is one word that has opposite meanings, which depends on the context of its use. It seems illogical that one word can have two different meanings, which can be the exact opposite of the other at times. For example, the word cleave means to cling, to adhere or to stick to something or someone. But it can also mean to cut, to split or to separate.
A contronym has other names, too. Some people call it contronym while others refer to it as autoantonym. More descriptive terms include antilogy, self-antonym, enantiodrome and antagonym. There’s still another term that many people use to refer to contronyms – Janus words. It was derived from Janus, an Italian deity of old, said to be heaven’s doorkeeper whose head has two faces, one in front and one at the back.
Development of English words with opposite meanings
The English language continues to evolve, including its parts. People, especially native speakers of English use contronyms in their daily conversation, but it may be tricky for learners of the language.
Contronyms develop over time as a result of constant use. For example, according to its etymology, the word blunt used to mean obtuse (person) or dull (weapons, tools) when it was used from the 12th century to the late 14th century. But around the 1580s, it became a word to mean sharp, referring to abrupt manner or speech, which takes on the context of making an unceremoniously made or direct comment. Another example is the word bolt, an Old English term whose original meaning (as a verb) is to fix or fasten something. Centuries later, bolt is also used to mean spring into sudden action, which could have been derived from bolt (noun) that refers to a missile or projectile such as an arrow.
One vital thing for English language learners to remember is to understand the context in using a word so that they will not make the mistake of saying something that is contradictory to the intended meaning.
This knowledge is essential in interpretation and translation as well. If a contronym is used in a different context, it can distort the whole meaning of the conversation or a sentence. If you need translation or interpreting services, ensure that you collaborate with a professional and native-speaking translator or interpreter, so as to avoid these types of mistakes.
The development of contronyms is also due to pronunciation changes through the years. Let’s look at the word cleave again. It means to join together and to split apart. It came from two Old English words, cleofan (split apart, separate) and cleofian (also clifian, cliofian) (adhere, stick together). Through years of use, the two words started to sound the same and later merged to become cleave.
Here’s another interesting one. Let is a word that used to mean stop, delay, obstruct, impede. It came from the Old English term lettan. Another Old English word, lætan means to leave undone, leave behind, bequeath or to allow. The original words later formed the contronym, let.
In some cases, the difference is the variant of English one uses creates the contronyms. In a parliamentary procedure, to table a bill means that the bill could be discussed, considered or reconsidered in British English. In American English however, it means to suspend or postpone the consideration.
Examples of contronyms
If you love languages, you’ll have fun with contronyms. But for many people, it can be confusing. So instead of getting confused, here are some examples of contronyms, which could be words that you use every day or see often. You may not even realize that you are using them in two different contexts because you are so used to them.
- Sanction is either to impose a penalty on something or give official approval or permission.
- You use left when you mean someone or something is still remaining (this is what’s left of the bunch), but it can also be used to mean someone departed (left the party, group, team, etc.).
- You dust the furniture to remove dirt. You can also dust, in the context of applying it, such as dusting a cake with powdered sugar.
- When you seed a cucumber, you are removing its seeds. When you seed your lawn, you are adding seeds (grass) to the soil.
- Trim can mean to cut or remove irregularities or outgrowth (plants, trees) or reduce the length of your hair. But you can also use the word to mean embellishing or decorating something, such as a Christmas tree.
- When you mean something or someone is moving rapidly, you say it or she/he is fast. In terms of fabric color, it means that the dye will not run. It can also mean something is unmoving or fixed.
- Off, when used as an adjective can mean something is not in operation or is deactivated, such as the stove is off or the light is off. It can also mean activated (the alarm went off) as well. As an adverb, it can denote distance in relation to space and time (the dinghy is two kilometers off the shore) or moving from a position or place (drove off, went off to work, event is still two weeks off).
- Weather is an atmospheric condition, but it could mean enduring, as in weathered the economic downturn, or worn away, just like weathered wood or rock.
- You can either screen to hide or block out an ugly view or corner, or use it to mean show (film/movie), test or sort.
- Clip can mean bind things together, such as sheets of paper. It can also mean to separate or cut away or a part, as in clip your fingernails, clip the wings.
- Centuries back, flog meant to whip, cane or beat a person or animal. In today’s application, it is used as a sales term, as in persistently promote something (such as a book).
- The word hold can either mean to support something or someone, but it can also mean hinder, arrest or confine.
- When you say toss, it can either mean discarding something, but it can also mean suggesting (like toss out an idea).
- The military term anabasis means military retreat as well as military advance.
Here are more contronyms for you to use:
- Aught (nothing, all)
- Chuffed (annoyed, pleased)
- Consult (give advice, seek advice)
- Custom (special, usual)
- Dollop (small amount, large amount)
- Enjoin (prohibit, prescribe)
- Garnish (curtail wages, enhance food)
- Give out (stop production, produce)
- Grade (level, incline)
- Handicap (disadvantage e.g. physical or mental condition, advantage)
- Mean (excellent, average)
- Put out (generate, extinguish)
- Strike (miss, hit)
- Transparent (obvious, invisible)
- Unbending (relaxing, rigid)
- Wind up (start up, end)
- Story (factual, untrue account)
- Scan (skim, scrutinize)
- Refrain (stop an action, repeat an action, e.g, song refrain)
- Oversight (close control and scrutiny, accidental error or omission)
- Overlook (place to see things from above, miss seeing things or details)
- Peruse (read in a cursory or casual way, go over something attentively)
Remember that when using contronyms, you have to be aware of the words’ context, to ensure that you are relaying the right message.
Assurance of right context and correct definitions
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Having just recently moved to the United States from Japan with her family Miyo has been working hard trying to understand the English language. Miyo’s parents encourage her to focus on reading and writing but she prefers to learn by listening to oral conversations.
One of her favorite places to learn is a construction site not far from her home. One week ago Miyo hears the foreman use a word and from how the construction workers respond she is confident that she understands its meaning.
Today Miyo hears the foreman use what sounds like the exact same word (this time he sounds slightly upset) and the construction workers proceed to do the opposite of what they did the week before.
Assume that Miyo has great hearing and the word she heard today really did sound the same as the word the heard the week before.
What can explain the construction workers responding in a seemingly opposite manner to an instruction that included a word that sounded the same as what she heard one week earlier?
Deusovi♦
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asked Jun 11, 2016 at 10:15
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Possibly
Miyo heard the word
raise one week — meaning to move something up
and the word
raze on the other week — meaning to level to the ground
JBentley
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answered Jun 11, 2016 at 10:48
TomTom
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The first day, the foreman said to:
stand fast. And the workers all stood around waiting.
The second day, the foreman said to:
do something fast. And the workers all started moving quickly.
What Miyo didn’t hear was that on the third day, the foreman said to:
fast. And the workers all stopped eating.
Which is good because it would probably only have confused her further.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 18:27
KevinKevin
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Oh no don’t worry about its looks — just carry on building and it’ll all be fine.
Oh no… guys, remember last week when we were talking about how the structural steel looked like cheap plastic? Turns out it was cheap plastic…
JMP
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answered Jun 11, 2016 at 11:22
niemironiemiro
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There are several possibilities. Here’s a suggestion:
One week ago …
Foreman: … and we’re off. Bob, buckle up! Can we fix it? Yes we can!
Today …
Foreman: … now we’re in a fix, but it wasn’t our fault that the span buckled. And just like that, we’re off.
Here are the senses of the words used:
- Off: start (of work), dismissed
- Buckle: fasten, bent (buckled)
- Fix: repair, trouble.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 10:52
LawrenceLawrence
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One of my favorite examples of a completely counterintuitive word is restive.
Definition according to a quick google search:
(of a person) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, especially because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom.
Yet, with the qualifying definition:
(of a horse) refusing to advance, stubbornly standing still or moving backward or sideways.
The reason for this is because originally the term was applied to a rebellious horse. A miffed horse will refuse to move according to a handler’s command, staying at rest. Hence, «restive». However, by applying that disobedience to a different subject, such as a child, their disobedience manifests in being fidgety and over-active.
Part of why language can be so confusing. By preserving the spirituality of how a word is used, it gains wildly different implementations.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 14:27
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Perhaps the word she heard is simply:
Opposite
Yesterday, she heard the foreman say that:
The equipment should be moved to the opposite side, and they moved it to the back.
Today, she heard the foreman say:
The equipment should be moved to the opposite side, and they moved it to the front (they did the opposite the opposite direction).
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 13:57
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Perhaps the foreman had the workers re-sign their contracts.
Or perhaps the foreman employed an American workforce one day and a British workforce the next. The Americans heard his command, waited a few seconds, and then began work. The next day, the Brits heard the same command, worked for a few seconds and then stopped for the rest of the day. The foreman’s sadness was because he knew this was coming but didn’t know how else to express himself…
To both teams the foreman said:
«We’ll commence work momentarily»
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 23:14
StrawberryStrawberry
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She might have heard
Joe, Scaffolding!
The first day would be putting it up (before doing something), the second taking it down (after something had been done). The worker would understand which from the context of the job they were doing.
It actually could be
any noun used as an order — for example, ‘Tools!’ at the beginning of a job to bring them out, at the end to pack them away. Or any order which assumes the worker will act on a context which changed between the two instants.
I picked the example because the ‘ing’ ending might have helped her to mistake it for a verb.
Another alternative might be
Break, which might mean to pick up a tool to break something, or take a break, which would be to put down the tool and walk away.
It’s perhaps a more reasonable answer, but less amusing.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 20:52
MeghaMegha
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Literally doesn’t literally mean «literally!»
In fact the word means two things:
- Really, actually, etc. («Don’t worry, we are literally 10 minutes late»)
- Figuratively («Hurry up! We are literally 900 million years late!»)
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 0:43
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Day 1 — The door lock is tight and does not open.
Day 2 — The door lock is tight. Its the shit….
Miyo: Wait, its the shit?…But I thought you liked it. We just loosened it and it finally works.
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 2:55
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Being an Indian, we are more inclined to British English than American. Often when visiting one of the non-European western countries, I had often been in situation that was either amusing or embarrassing.
Incident 1:
The company I used to work for supported geographical diversity at work-space, and during lunch breaks, we used to eat together. I would often bring my lunch and was eager to share it with other fellow American colleagues referring to it as homely food. I never understood, why my utterance of homely made everyone bemused until I realized, what we mean from our home was rather perceived as unattractive. I bless my stars as how often I wanted to complement someone as homely but nevertheless that never happened. I wonder how things would have turned up then.
Incident 2:
Every week, we used to send a pager report, which had a short snippet of the causal-analysis along with any cross team interaction details. In one of the reports, I remember mentioning that so-and-so had intimated me based on which I had taken some action.
Within minutes of sending it, I received a call from higher up who wanted me to explain how the person from his team intimidated me. That definitely could have been perceived as a workplace harassment, if not a false allegation to the least. I had to explain how the two words are so different. Later I realized, most Americans have never ever intimated anyone in their life, rather they prefer to inform. I was saved the second time again.
answered Jun 14, 2016 at 3:40
AbhijitAbhijit
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Some English words mean one thing and its opposite. Sometimes this occurs because a group of people use the word incorrectly, i.e. «nonplussed.» Until sometime in the 80s or 90s, nonplussed meant confused or perplexed. Whereas, now «informally» throughout North America, it means unconcerned or unperturbed.
Another word that can mean its opposite is «sanction,» whether used as a verb or a noun. Here are examples using the verb: «His parents cannot sanction him marrying a man.» versus, «The government will sanction any nation giving sanctuary to terrorists.»
I doubt, however, construction workers admit to feeling nonplussed using either meaning. Likewise, sanction.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 18:31
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A contronym is a word that is spelled the same and pronounced the same. Yet, they have opposite meanings.
| Contronym | Opposite meaning of the word |
|---|---|
| Apology | A statement of contrition for an action, or a defence of one. |
| Aught | All, or nothing |
| Bill | A payment, or an invoice for payment |
| Bolt | To secure, or to flee |
| Bound | Heading to a destination, or restrained from movement |
| Buckle | To connect, or to break or collapse |
| Cleave | Adhere, or to separate |
| Clip | To fasten, or detach |
| Consult | Offer advice, or obtain it |
| Continue | To keep doing an action, or to suspend an action |
| Custom | A common practice, or a special treatment |
| Dike | Wall to prevent flooding, or a ditch |
| Discursive | Moving in an orderly fashion among topics, or proceeding aimlessly in a discussion |
| Dollop | A large amount (in British English), or a small amount |
| Dust | To add fine particles, or to remove them |
| Enjoin | Impose, or prohibit |
| Fast | Quick, or stuck or made stable |
| Fine | Excellent, or acceptable or good enough |
| Finished | Completed, or ended or destroyed |
| First degree | Most severe in the case of a murder charge, or least severe in reference to a burn |
| Fix | Repair, or to castrate |
| Flog | To promote persistently, or to criticize or beat |
| Garnish | Furnish (for example as with food preparation), or to take away (as with wages) |
| Give out | To provide, or to stop because of a lack of supply |
| Go | Proceed or succeed, or to weaken or fail |
| Grade | A degree of slope, or a horizontal line or position |
| Handicap | An advantage provided to ensure equality, or a disadvantage that prevents equal achievement |
| Help | To assist, or to prevent or (in negative constructions) restrain |
| Hold up | Support, or impede |
| Lease | To offer property for rent, or to hold such property |
| Left | Remained, or departed |
| Let | Allowed, or hindered |
| Liege | A feudal lord, or a vassal |
| Literally | Actually, or virtually |
| Mean | Average or stingy, or excellent |
| Model | An exemplar, or a copy |
| Off | Deactivated, or activated, as an alarm |
| Out | Visible, as with stars showing in the sky, or invisible, in reference to lights |
| Out of | Outside, or inside, as in working out of a specific office |
| Overlook | To supervise, or to neglect |
| Oversight | Monitoring, or failing to oversee |
| Peer | A person of the nobility, or an equal |
| Presently | Now, or soon |
| Put out | Extinguish, or generate |
| Puzzle | A problem, or to solve one |
| Quantum | Significantly large, or a minuscule part |
| Quiddity | Essence, or a trifling point of contention |
| Quite | Rather (as a qualifying modifier), or completely |
| Ravel | Entangle, or disentangle |
| Refrain | To desist from doing something, or to repeat |
| Rent | Purchase the use of something, or to sell the use of something |
| Rock | An immobile mass of stone or figuratively similar phenomenon, or a shaking or unsettling movement or action |
| Sanction | To approve, or to boycott |
| Sanguine | Confidently cheerful, or bloodthirsty |
| Scan | To peruse, or to glance |
| Screen | Present, or conceal |
| Seed | To sow seeds, or to shed or remove them |
| Shop | When one patronises a business in order to purchase something, or to sell something |
| Skin | To cover, or to remove |
| Skinned | Covered with skin, or with the skin removed |
| Splice | To join, or to separate |
| Stakeholder | One who has a stake in an enterprise, or a bystander who holds the stake for those placing a bet |
| Strike | To hit, or to miss in an attempt to hit |
| Table | Propose (in British English), or to set aside |
| Temper | To soften, or to strengthen |
| Throw out | Dispose of something, or present for consideration |
| Transparent | Invisible, or obvious |
| Trim | To decorate, or to remove excess from |
| Trip | A journey, or a stumble |
| Unbending | Rigid, or relaxing |
| Variety | A particular type, or many types |
| Wear | To endure, or to deteriorate |
| Weather | Withstand, or wear away |
| Wind up | To end, or to start up |
| With | Alongside, or against |
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Janus Words-One Word, Two Opposite Meanings
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There are all sorts of grammar, idioms, and phrasal verbs to learn that are specific to English. This week we’ll be focusing on a particularly (especially) interesting point in English called “Janus words,” or words that are their own opposite.
Janus words are named for Janus, the Roman two-faced god (January is also named for Janus), but are also known as contronyms, antagonyms, or auto-antonyms. Unfortunately there is no trick to help learn these Janus words, so you’ll just have to learn them by heart (memorize) or figure them out in context.
Here are some Janus words with both meanings and some examples to help you out. Don’t stress out (don’t let them upset you) about them too much, though- they are fun!
Cleave
Meaning #1: to cut something, such as wood
- The tree was cleaved in two by the lightning.
Meaning #2: to hold on tightly to something, such as an idea
- The politician cleaved to his moral principles during the debate.
Fast
Meaning #1: to move quickly
- Deer run very fast to get away from predators (animals that eat them).
Meaning #2: to stay put
- His foot was stuck fast when he stepped into the mud.
Go
Meaning #1: to proceed, move forward
- When the light turns green, I’ll go.
Meaning #2: to fail
- I need to buy a new laptop. Mine is starting to go.
Left
Meaning #1: having gone somewhere, not there anymore
- I left the party when I started feeling tired.
Meaning #2: remaining, still there
- After I went home, only three people were left.
Off
Meaning #1: to be deactivated
- She turned her phone off because she didn’t want to be disturbed (distracted, bothered, interrupted).
Meaning #2: to be activated
- The fire alarm went off when I burned our dinner.
Oversight
Meaning #1: to overlook or miss something
- He apologized for the oversight in his report. He meant to put the information in, but forgot.
Meaning #2: to oversee something carefully, especially by a government committee
- The House Oversight Committee paid close attention to what was going on in Congress.
Sanction
Meaning #1: formal approval or permission to do something
- Our boss sanctioned the meeting, so we met with the new customer last week.
Meaning #2: to impose (make, force) restrictions (rules, limits) on someone or something
- Many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia in the last few weeks.
Screen
Meaning #1: to show something, normally a movie
- The movie was screened privately for everyone who worked on it.
Meaning #2: to hide something from view
- Patients in a hospital are usually screened off to provide privacy.
Sick
Meaning #1: to be ill
- I was really sick yesterday, which is why I didn’t come into work.
Meaning #2: cool, awesome, amazing- slang, informal speech)
- Dude, that skateboard trick was really sick!
Trip
Meaning #1: to catch your foot on something, causing you to fall
- She tripped over the fallen tree while we were hiking.
Meaning #2: to walk along lightly, in a carefree way
- I tripped along the New York sidewalks without a care in the world.
Do you know any other Janus words? Try some of these Janus words for yourself! Why not try using them in a sentence or two in the comments below? We’ll let you know how you did!
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Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, loves learning new Janus words, and likes the idea of “going nowhere fast.” Just let that sink in…!
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Crystal Fisher2023-01-31T15:51:22+01:00
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Previously, I published a (still growing) list of bound root morphemes. In the same spirit, I’d like to make the world aware of contranyms. A contranym is a word with two opposite meanings. For example:
weather (to decay): the wood had been weathered to the point that it would no longer hold any weight.
weather (to endure): we, too, shall weather this storm and look forward to better days ahead.
buckle (to fasten): with his belt securely buckled, John’s pants weren’t about to go anywhere fast.
buckle (to collapse): the iron beam began to buckle after the engineers shifted the weight of the truss to the north side of the platform.
oversight (to monitor): the committee’s responsibilities included oversight of the annual budget.
oversight (to fail to notice): due to an oversight, the project took months longer than expected.
dust (to remove dust): the maid dusted the windowsill, which had become quite dirty.
dust (to add dust): the chef dusted the cake with cocoa powder.
left (to remain): the only people left at this party are my very good friends
left (to leave): the only people who left this party were my very good friends
sanction (to punish): the government imposed trade sanctions on the international market
sanction (to promote): this activity is sanctioned by our national organization
Can you determine the oppositions of the following contranyms:
- bound
- custom
- clip
- cut
- citation
- fast
There are hundreds of contranyms in our language. Some are interesting, some are not. Some require a shift in their speech part (“skin” is a noun that means a covering, while “skin” is a verb that means uncovering), while others require a little bit of modification (to resign is to quit, but to re-sign is to sign up again).
If you can think of others (without relying on internet searches), send them my way!
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