Appendix:English contranyms

This is a list of contranyms in English. A contranym or contronym is a word which has two or more generally accepted meanings in the English language that directly or generally contradict each other. Such words are also known as antagonyms, auto-antonyms, and words having self-contradictions. New items are collected in Category:Contranyms by language. Many such contra-definitions arise from slang usage. Others develop as a result of their frequent use in sarcasm.

A similar concept, where a commonly used phrase contains two words which have or can be construed to have definitions in opposition to each other is known as an oxymoron.

There are two forms of contranyms: homographic, where two words with the same spelling can have opposing definitions; and homophonic, where two words with the same pronunciation can have opposing definitions. In general, the terms below are both homographic and homophonic contranyms.

Richard Lederer included a list of self-contradicting words in a chapter on Janus-faced words in his book Crazy English.

Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Homophonic contranyms

These phonetic examples are contranyms under different spellings:

enumerable/innumerable

countable / beyond countable

raise/raze

build up / cut down

petalless/petalous

without petals / with petals

oral/aural

pertaining to the mouth or speech / pertaining to the ears

prescribe/proscribe

authorize / prohibit

Homophonic contronyms are often accent-specific.

Homographic contranyms

These examples are contranyms for different pronunciations:

resign/re-sign

(two pronunciations) cease working for / continue working for

Contranyms

These examples have both the same spelling and pronunciation:

A

adumbrate

(1) To disclose; (2) To obscure

anabasis

(1) A military advance; (2) A difficult and dangerous military retreat

annual

(1) recurring every year; (2) (botany) only lasting a single year

apology

(1) An admission of error accompanied by a plea for forgiveness; (2) A formal defense or justification (as in Plato's Apology), also referred to as an apologia

aught

(1) Anything; (2) Zero, nothing

awful

(1) Originally used as a term to mean full of awe, a synonym of awesome; (2) now means something exceptionally bad.

B

back up

(1) To retreat; (2) to give support, therefore holding your ground.

bad

(1) Undesirable or unpleasant; (2) (informally) desirable or fashionable.

barred

(1) prohibited, obstructed the passage of; (2) admitted to the bar, allowed to practice law.

before

(1) Primarily British: in advance of ("the future is before us"). In American English, the phrase would typically be "The future is ahead of us."; (2) at an earlier time, previously ("our forefathers came before us")

berm

(1) A flat piece of land; (2) an artificial ridge of land.

bill

(1) A medium of money (e.g. "a $10 bill"); (2) a medium of money owed (e.g. "a bill for $10").

bolt

(1) To fasten into a fixed position or place; (2) to leave one's current place rapidly, with great acceleration. Similar contrary meanings to 'bound', 'buckle', and 'fast'.

bomb

Success; failure.

boned

(1) an adjective describing bones (as in "big-boned"); (2) (culinary) an adjective, based on the past tense of the verb "bone", meaning that bones have been removed (as in a "boned chicken"); a synonym of deboned.

bound

Not actually a case of a contronym, but a homonym. Webster's has six separate entries for "bound". The first is a synonym for "going", as in college-bound or hellbound, from Germanic buan. The fourth is based on the past tense of "bind", where one is held in place, and not going at all, from Germanic bintan. Note also: moving e.g. homeward bound and unable to move e.g. housebound.

brainstorm

A success or a failure in the thought process.

break

An opportunity; a problem.

broke

(1) Without any money, penniless; (2) broke off, rich, wealthy.

buckle

(1) To secure, tighten, hold (by fastening with a buckle); (2) to collapse after being acted upon by an external force, as in "to buckle under the strain"

C

check

A means of payment; an invoice requiring payment at a restaurant (Check, please!).

chuffed

In British slang this has come to mean "pleased", synonymous to "puffed up"; an older definition, also colloquial is "displeased, upset". Specifically, "chuff" is the sound of exhaust being emanated, as from a train engine.

chilly

(1) "Cold enough to cause discomfort; feeling uncomfortably cold". (2) An alternative spelling of chili.

citation

A commendation; a condemnation.

cleave

This is a homophone, where two words, spelled and pronounced alike, have different origins. (1) "To adhere firmly", from Old English clifian. (2) to split (as with a cleaver), from Old English cleofan

clip

This is a homophone. (1) "to clasp or fasten with a clip", is from Anglo-Saxon clyppan. (2) "to cut or cut off" (with clippers or scissors) is from Old Norse klippa.

commencement

The beginning; the end.

comprise

To consist of; to constitute.

consequential

(1) Following as an effect, result, or conclusion; consequent. (2) Having important consequences; significant.

consult

To give advice; to receive advice.

consume

In regard to calories, one can consume them by ingesting them, or by expending them.

continue

The verb continue means "to keep doing"; however the noun form continuation, in legal usage, means "to pick up later", particularly in the form continuance.

cool

In commonly accepted slang, cool means happy, pleasant, agreeable; but when referring to a personal interaction, especially in politics, it usually means "less than agreeable" or "polite but strained" (he received a cool reception to his speech).

could care less

This malapropism of the expression "couldn't care less" is often used with its meaning of "not to care at all"; however literally it means "to care at least somewhat".

critical

Can mean "vital to success" (a critical component), or "disparaging" (a critical comment).

custom

As a noun, this means "conventional behavior"; but as an adjective, it means "specially designed".

D

depurate

To purify; to make impure.

discount

To leave uncounted/unchecked, OR counting off/down of a price.

discursive

In essay structure, it can mean: (1) to be rambling or freeform (American usage); (2) to be strictly structured (British usage).

disposed

As a past tense verb, disposed means "removed" or "gotten rid of"; as an adjective; disposed means "available".

down

To be down on something is to feel unfavorably disposed toward it, but to be down with it, or down for it, is to feel neutrally or positively disposed toward it.

downhill

When referring to difficulty, it means "progressively easier"; but when referring to status or condition, it means "progressively worse".

drop

When referring to a film or video or especially an advertisement, it can either mean that it has been abolished, cancelled or withdrawn from circulation, or that it has been published or released into circulation.

dust

As a verb, "to dust" can mean either "to remove dust from" (as in "dusting furniture") or "to add dust to" (as in "dusting a cake with powdered sugar"); also commonly used to refer to "dusting for fingerprints."

dyke

Ditch dug for irrigation, or flood defence built from material dug from ditch.

E

egregious

Adjective meaning outstandingly bad or shocking; in a different context it can mean remarkably good.

either

As an adjective, it can either mean "one or the other of two", as in "you either passed or failed your test" or "each of two; the one and the other" as in "there are trees on either side of the river".

enduring

Can mean either "long lasting" or "suffering through". In some context this can lead to antonymic word play, as Noam Chomsky pointed out in connection with George W. Bush's name for the war in Afghanistan: "Enduring Freedom".

enjoin

A verb meaning "instruct" or "command" can be used as "to require" or "to forbid," as in a judicial order -- not really an autoantonym, but fun just the same. Notice that "instruct" and "command" could as easily be pressed into the same service.

eventual

Current use, applied to a future event or occurrence, means "inevitable, given enough time": "His eventual appointment to the Board..." An older usage, applied in the same situation, means "possible, subject to contingencies".

execute

To execute a person is to end their life; to execute a program is to start it [Note: This contradiction arises from a shift in meaning of execution in the sense of capital punishment; what is being executed is technically the sentence of death (i.e. it is being started, just like starting a program), but the usage has shifted away from the sentence and to the prisoner]. [RLC 19 July 2007]

F

factoid

A factoid is a false claim that spreads through unreliable mass media, which is the traditional meaning, or an interesting and true bit of trivia.

fast

Fast can mean either "to move or do quickly" or it can mean "not to move," as in "holding fast". As an adjective, it can also convey both meanings: "The rabbit is fast;" "The door is fast."

fearful

Fearful can mean either "causing fear" or "[being] full of fear".

fearsome

Similar to "fearful", "fearsome" can also mean either "causing fear" or "inclined to fear" .

fine

Fine can mean either "of superior quality", or (informally) "acceptable or satisfactory".

fix

Fix can mean either "to mend" or it can mean "to break", as in "I'll fix you". (It can also mean to render an animal infertile, which relates to the latter.)

flank

Flank can either mean to protect the sides of something or to attack the flanks.

free

Free can mean "without", or it can mean "available" and/or "costless". Also, a resource described as "free" can be unwillingly taken (due to willlessness), but a person described as free is willfully not taken.

fulsome

Fulsome can mean offensively flattering or insincere, or abundant or copious.

G

garnish

With food, the verb means "to add to"; with wages, it means "to take from". (Strictly speaking, though, the intention of the latter is to mean something added to the charges against the wages, alongside insurance, taxes, etc.)

generally

Usually true, but also subject to exception. The meaning "all-inclusive, without exception" is now obsolete, except in mathematics, where it still occasionally causes confusion.

H

hack

A hack can be a clever, ingenious solution; or an ugly, temporary one.

handicap

Advantage (e.g. in sport) or disadvantage/disability.

hardly

Either barely just, or with extreme power.

hellacious

Tremendous, remarkable; extremely unpleasant, dreadful.

hew

"To separate" as well as "to stick (to)" (when used with "to"); cf. "cleave" above.

hoi polloi

The ordinary people; or the fancy or rich people, the elite.

hold up

To hold up can mean to support or aid, or to hinder or impede.

I

impassionate

(1) Strongly affected; (2) without passion or feeling.

impregnable

(1) Impossible to enter; (2) able to be entered and impregnated.

incorporate (adjective)

1) having a body, having been incorporated; 2) having no body; incorporeal.

inflammable

(1) Flammable; (2) nonflammable.

injoint

To injoint can mean to separate, or to join. (Both meanings are obsolete.)

J

just now

(1) A moment ago (past); (2) Now (in the present); (3) (Scotland, South Africa) In a little while (future).

K

kick off

(1) To start, launch, become active or angry; (2) to stop/die/quit.

L

lease

(1) To lend; (2) to borrow.

left

As a past tense verb, it means "to have gone"; as an adjective; it means "remaining".

let

As a verb usually means "allow"; in an older (but not obsolete) sense it means "prevent".

like hell

With one's utmost power and effort ("to run like hell"); or not at all ("like hell I did!").

literally

In addition to the standard meaning of "word for word", "not figuratively", this has long had an additional, informal usage as a general intensifier for figurative statements.

livid

Discolored as from a bruise or ashen with shock or dull blue or grayish-blue; reddish or flushed or enraged or furiously angry.

lurid

Can mean either pale or glowing with color.

M

mediocre

It can mean ordinary, neither good nor bad; or rather poor or inferior.

moot

Formerly and more acceptably meaning "open for discussion, debatable", it is now more commonly used to mean "irrelevant to discussion or debate".

mosey

It can mean to move quickly; or to move leisurely.

N

nerveless

Nerveless can mean fearful and lacking courage, or calm and controlled.

nerve out

Nerve out can mean to have a panic attack or to avoid panic in a stressful situation.

no fear

In traditional use, a synonym for no way – "Will you be there?" "No fear!" would mean the replier would definitely not be there. In modern use, a synonym for don't worry – "Will you be there?" "No fear!" would mean the replier promises to be there.

nonplussed

It can mean so surprised and confused that one is unsure how to react or not disconcerted, unperturbed.

O

off

Generally, something being off means it is not operating; however when an alarm goes off, it means it has started operating (or when a person goes off, it means they have become very agitated).

original

Original either means plain, or unchanged (as in original flavour), or it could mean something creative or new (an original idea).

out

Similar to off, to take something out means to remove it; but to bring something out is to exhibit it prominently. For instance saying that "the lights are out" means they are not shining, but saying "the stars are out" means they are easily visible.

outstanding

Exceptional, prominent, excellent; but also unsettled, unresolved, overdue.

overlook

(1) To watch closely; (2) to fail to notice.

overpowered

When used as an adjective, it means the subject in question possesses more power than expected. But if used as a passive verb, it is a form of "overpower," meaning that the subject has been defeated by a greater power.

oversight

When used as a general concept, this word is the noun form of oversee, which means "to manage and be in charge of". But when used to refer to a specific incident, it becomes the noun form of overlook, meaning "error" or lapse in proper management.

P

pants

As a verb, "to pants someone" can mean either to apply pants to or to remove them from their body.

peruse

Although considered an error by most usage experts, the word peruse is commonly understood to mean "to skim over" or "to glance at". The accepted definition is "to examine closely".

pitch

[idiomatic] To discard. Also, to promote. A headline from the washingtonpost.com edition of January 6, 2009, reading "Obama Pitches Stimulus Plan" is ambiguous, though the "promote" meaning is intended.

pitted

Having pits; (culinary) having pits removed. "Pitted olives" do not contain pits, but the labeling confuses some customers.

presently

Its older meaning is "immediately"; its contemporary meaning is "in a while".

priceless

Usually it refers to something so valuable that no price can be set; but it can also mean worthless.

public

As a noun, it refers to the common people of a society; however as an adjective, it normally refers to things operated by the government. (Of course, such government operations are maintained for public use. Furthermore, under representative democracy, the people and the government are considered one and the same by definition.) . In the UK, the term public school refers to a type of private school.

put out

To put out can be to create or produce (the lantern puts out light), or to extinguish (put out the flame) or injure.

Q

qualified

Can mean "limited" (as in "qualified success"); or "skilled, skilful" (as in "a qualified expert").

quantum leap

In technical usage, the smallest measurable increment; informally, a radical change.

quell

Can mean a subduing or a sudden increase.

quiddity

Can mean either the essence of a thing, or a quibble.

R

ravel

Can mean "to wrap or twist together" (e.g. "Out of boredom, my wife ravels her hair into huge knots"); or "to separate or undo the texture of" (e.g. "My son uses tweezers to ravel stubborn knots in his hair")

reflexive

Can mean "marked by reflection" or "characterized by habitual, unthinking behavior"

remit

Can be used to mean cancel, or to send money as a payment or gift.

rent

Can be used to mean paying to use something, as in "I'm renting an apartment", or used to mean taking money to let someone else something of yours, as in "We rent cars to anyone, no questions asked."

replace

Can mean "to restore to a former place or position" (e.g. "I replaced the old rug after washing it"), or "to put something new in the place of" (e.g. "I replaced the old rug with a new one"). Ambiguous sentence: "When the brakes are worn-out, take them out and replace them."

recast

Can mean "to cast an actor in the same role again" or "to replace one actor in a role with another".

reservation

As a concrete noun, this can be "a confirmation" of availability; as an abstract noun, it is "a fear or uncertainty".

resign

When someone resigns a contract (transitive) they commit to continuing their involvement in some activity. On the other hand, when they resigns (intransitive) they relieve themself of that commitment. The former is sometimes hyphenated (i.e. re-sign) to emphasize its pronunciation and differentiate the pair. For example, to resign from work is to end the work, while to resign oneself to work is to give up all hope of ending the work. You can resign yourself to an idea which means you accept it. For example, they resigned themself to the fact their dog had died and was never coming back.

rhotacism

Can mean overuse of the letter R, or the inability to pronounce it.

S

sanction

"To permit"; or "to restrict" (as in "economic sanctions").

sanguine

"Bloody, blood-thirsty"; or "hopeful, optimistic".

scan

Originally, this word meant "to examine closely"; but has come to mean "to look over hastily".

screen

Conceal with or as if with a screen; or "to display prominently" as in screening a film.

secreted

Usually obvious due to context; but this can mean either "hidden" (secreted away), or "exposed" (secreted from a wound). The former is the verb form of "secret", and is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable. The latter is the past tense of "secrete" and is pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable. (This would not be a contronym, but a homograph, where two words from different roots are spelled the same, but pronounced differently.)

secular

Worldly, not eternal; or, lasting for many years.

seed

To plant a field, or to clean seeds from a fruit.

seeded

With seeds; or without seeds.

set

can mean to fix in place or to move (e.g. in set out)

several

Originally meaning "separate, single, or individual" (as in "the several states" referred to in the US Constitution), it is now understood to mean "plural, more than two".

shed

To put into a shed (as in "I'm going to shed the lawnmower for the winter"), or to remove (as in "the snake shed its skin").

shelled

Shelled can describe either the result of removing a shell (e.g., we shelled the hazelnuts) or describe something that has a shell (e.g., turtles are like shelled snakes with legs) or describe the act of adding shells (e.g., the battleship shelled the island city).

show-stopper

In the standard usage, this means "something that is strikingly attractive or has great popular appeal". Recent usage particularly in the computer industry means "something catastrophic" (often a bug that makes an implementation effectively unusable).

sick

Used with a standard definition, this word can mean "disgusted; revolted", but used colloquially, it can mean "very pleasant; agreeable".

sinople

A color word that can mean either green or red, depending on usage.

skin

To add skin (e.g. "skin that kayak"), or to remove it (e.g. "skin that deer").

slave

To work like a slave; to drudge or to engage in the slave trade; to procure, transport, or sell slaves.

stakeholder

Historically and legally means to hold (but not have an interest in) a stake; however, the term is now sometimes used, especially re corporate governance, to reference one who does have an interest in an issue.

stay

Can mean stopping an action ("stay the execution"), or to continue an action ("stay the course" - note: the original meaning of the phrase "stay the course" was in the first sense; that is, to stop the course of action).

stem

To make headway on something (e.g. "if the wind will only die down, we shall be able to stem the first of the flood"), or to restrict something (e.g. "we need to stem the bleeding").

strike

Normally meaning "to hit", in baseball it means "to miss", and an extension of this usage has led to the meaning "to make a mistake". Further adding to the contradiction, in bowling it refers to the best possible play. Another contradiction results with the phrase strike out: the baseball lineage leads to the meaning "to run out of hope"; but the original lineage also leads to the meaning "to start pursuing a desire".

T

table

(1) To raise an issue for discussion (more common in the UK); (2) to lay an issue aside and discontinue discussion (more common in the US).

take care of

(1) To help or nurture (nurse takes care of patients); (2) to neutralize or destroy (exterminator takes care of stink bugs).

tease

(1) To comb; (2) to back-comb.

temper

(1) To soften or mollify; (2) to strengthen (e.g. a metal).

terrible

(1) Formidable; (2) lousy.

terrific

Originally and still used to mean "inducing terror", but has now come to have a positive connotation as well, meaning "fantastic" or "amazing".

throw out

Can mean either to "to discard" something or "to offer an idea".

top

Can mean either "to remove the top of" or "to put a top on".

top and tail

Can mean either "to add a beginning and end to something" (such as a letter) or "to remove the beginning and end of something" (such as a carrot).

trim

Can mean "to add decoration to" (trim the (Christmas) tree); or "to remove from" (trim the bushes).

tripping

A fluid effortless motion; or the act of falling due to an unforeseen obstacle.

trying

As an adjective, 'hard to endure'; as a verb, 'to make an effort'. A teacher's report may say, "Your child is trying".

U

unbending

Rigid, inflexible, refusing to yield or compromise, as in "his stance against reform was unbending"; or becoming less tense, relaxing, as in "unbending a little, she confided..."

unfoldable

That can be unfolded; or not capable of being folded.

unravelable

Capable of being disentangled (unraveled); or impossible to disentangle (ravel: unwind, pull apart).

unshelled

Not removed from their shells (adjective); or having been removed from their shells (the past tense and past participle of "to unshell"). The ambiguity therefore arises when the adjective is used predicatively, as in "The eggs were unshelled", which can mean "The eggs had not been removed from their shells" or "The eggs were removed from their shells" (someone unshelled them).

unthawed

Not thawed out, or having been completely thawed out (the past tense and past participle of "to unthaw").

V

vault

(1) A small locked box; (2) the expanse of the heavens.

W

weather

To weather a storm means "to endure" the storm; but generally to weather means "to decay".

wicked

The strict definition of the adjective is "evil"; the now generally accepted slang usage (barring regional quirks) is roughly equivalent to "very good".

wind up

(1) To start; (2) to finish.

with

Can mean 'against' or 'in opposition to', e.g. The United States fought with Great Britain in the War of 1812. Also denotes a close association between two or more participants, e.g. The United States fought with Great Britain against Germany in World War II.

See also

• Category:Contranyms by language
• contranym
• double negative

References

External links

• What words are their own antonyms? (Google search)
• http://www.rinkworks.com/words/contronyms.shtml
• http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxwhatwo.html
• http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_autoantonyms.html