A few weeks ago, I complained that “literally” had lost its original meaning and was now its own antonym. Thanks to fellow language lovers, I learned there is a word for that: contronym.
A contronym is a word that is its own opposite. While I was aware of “literally,” and it annoyed me, there were many more that I had not considered. Here for your pondering pleasure, a short list of my new favourite contronyms:
Dust (v)- covering something in, or clearing something of particulate matter
Clip (v)- attach together, or cut apart
Deceptively adjective – appears to be that adjective but is not, or appears to not be that adjective but actually is.
Sanction (v) – officially approve of, or place limits on
Fast (adj) – Moving quickly, stuck in place.
Apology (n) – An admission of fault, a formal defense of opinions or actions.
Weather (v) – to withstand dangerous or harmful conditions, to be damaged or eroded due to harmful conditions.
Any other good ones that I’ve missed?
Featured image – Catdog, Nickelodeon
Table (v)- to postpone consideration of; to present formally for consideration
The first one I ever noticed on my own:
Cleave (v) – to split off from; to adhere tightly
Steve, I love it. I hadn’t seen that one before.
Breadbox, I’ve never seen cleave used as a verb outside of the context of D&D.
Ryan: Does “meat cleaver” count?
(I myself only saw cleave used for its “adhere” meaning while reading older English literature.)
“Apparent” can mean “obvious” or “deceptive”.
Ryan: Well, it’s used as a verb in the King James Bible, specifically the story of Adam and Eve. So…archaic even for the 17th century.