32 replies to this topic

[bookworm_24_7]

I don't know if this fits the description: hot and cool are synonyms, but antonyms at the same time. They could mean popular (e.g. That's a hot dress! That's a cool dress!) or temperature, hot meaning warm and cool meaning cold. Those might be something totally different, but it's interesting.

[joelbernardo03]

Spoiler for who knew there were so many? (besides Google of course... )

http://www.rinkworks...ontronyms.shtml
anabasis - military advance, military retreat
apology - admission of fault in what you think, say, or do; formal defense of what you think, say, or do aught - all, nothing
bolt - secure, run away
by - multiplication (e.g., a three by five matrix), division (e.g., dividing eight by four)
chuffed - pleased, annoyed
cleave - separate, adhere
clip - fasten, detach
consult - ask for advice, give advice
copemate - partner, antagonist
custom - usual, special
deceptively smart - smarter than one appears, dumber than one appears
dike - wall, ditch
discursive - proceeding coherently from topic to topic, moving aimlessly from topic to topic
dollop - a large amount, a small amount
dust - add fine particles, remove fine particles
enjoin - prescribe, prohibit
fast - quick, unmoving
first degree - most severe (e.g., murder), least severe (e.g., burn)
fix - restore, castrate
flog - criticize harshly, promote aggressively
garnish - enhance (e.g., food), curtail (e.g., wages)
give out - produce, stop production
grade - incline, level
handicap - advantage, disadvantage
help - assist, prevent (e.g., "I can't help it if...")
left - remaining, departed from
liege - sovereign lord, loyal subject
mean - average, excellent (e.g., "plays a mean game")
off - off, on (e.g., "the alarm went off") out - visible (e.g., stars), invisible (e.g., lights)
out of - outside, inside (e.g., "work out of one's home")
oversight - error, care
pitted - with the pit in, with the pit removed
put out - extinguish, generate (e.g., something putting out light)
quiddity - essence, trifling point
quite - rather, completely
ravel - tangle, disentangle
rent - buy use of, sell use of
rinky-dink - insignificant, one who frequents RinkWorks
sanction - approve, boycott
sanguine - hopeful, murderous (obsolete synonym for "sanguinary")
screen - show, hide
seed - add seeds (e.g., "to seed a field"), remove seeds (e.g., "to seed a tomato")
skinned - with the skin on, with the skin removed
strike - hit, miss (in baseball)
table - propose (in the United Kingdom), set aside (in the United States)
transparent - invisible, obvious
unbending - rigid, relaxing
variety - one type (e.g., "this variety"), many types (e.g., "a variety")
wear - endure through use, decay through use
weather - withstand, wear away
wind up - end, start up (e.g., a watch)
with - alongside, against

Did I get one that Google missed?

Incredible:

My wife is incredible. (great; amazing; wonderful)
My wife is incredible. (unbelievable; horrible)

And for the record, my wife is incredible, in every sense of the word.

[Mondo]

I am thinking of a word that has two opposite definitions. I know of one, and I wonder if anybody else knows another. The one I am thinking of is found in the Bible in the book of Genesis.

How bout Aloha

[Bob Z]

For years I've asked people a similar question..."What two words that are homonyms (sound the same) are antonyms?" I currently know of only one example, maybe you guys will find another. Both words are in common usage.

[dinahvili]

"copemate - partner, antagonist"

... seems more like synonyms to me

[d3k3]

That's the one I had in mind.

Genesis 2:24--

And then a meat cleaver is used to cleave or separate meat. Good job.
http://dictionary.re...m/browse/cleave

There is only one definition for cleave. In the Bible, "...cleav[ing] unto [one's] wife" is meant in the, well, er... biblical sense.

[Martini]

There is only one definition for cleave.

Check just about any dictionary and you'll see that's not true.

[d3k3]

Check just about any dictionary and you'll see that's not true.

Huh. Right you are, although I found it only in one of three dictionaries (Oxford).

[lorditachijr]

Spoiler for I think this is one too.

leeward

Because Leeward can mean in the direction facing the wind or the direction away of the wind. I say this because in the dictionary it says i think away from the wind but in the book The Cay i think they say that it's toward the wind.

[xX_Samira_Poison_Xx]

I don't even think half of those count.
I mean come on, confide?