gradable antonym

English

Noun

gradable antonym (plural gradable antonyms)

1. (linguistics, philosophy, semantics) One of a pair of terms that denotes one end of a scale while the other term denotes the other end, such as long and short.
   • 2000, Howard Jackson, Etienne Zé Amvela, Words, Meaning and Vocabulary‎^[1], page 99:

     Three types are commonly identified: gradable antonyms, contradictory or complementary antonyms, and converses. [...] Gradable antonyms include pairs like the following: ¶ beautiful ugly ¶ expensive cheap ¶ fast slow

Synonyms

• polar antonym

See also

• complementary antonym
• converse antonym