Questions tagged [antonyms]
An antonym is a word with a meaning opposite to another word.
1,050 questions
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How do you write the opposite of a statement?
For instance:
"I am joyful."
Is the opposite "I am miserable," or "I'm not miserable"?
The opposite of "I am" is "I'm not" or even "you aren't", and the opposite of "joyful" is "miserable". When ...
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Is "giving a f**k" a valid opposite of "not giving a f**k"?
When "I don't give a f..k" means "I don't care" does "I give a f..k" mean the opposite (which would be "I do care")?
Additionally, would the question "If they'd give a f..k" mean "If they'd care?" ...
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Is hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophilia a word?
I'd like to know if hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophilia, my proposed opposite of hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is a real word or condition. I know -philia is the opposite of -phobia and -...
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Word for opposite of boss that is not pejorative? [duplicate]
I'm developing an app and cannot figure out a good word for the "underlings" of a boss which doesn't sound so pejorative. I've thought of supervisee, but that sounds archaic and I don't like how it's ...
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Antonym for diminutive name
Is there any antonym for "diminutive" when specifically used for names?
For example:
Joe is a diminutive of Joseph
Joseph is a ______ of Joe
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Antonym of cap as in limit from the top
There is a verb 'cap' which means to limit value from the top. Like cap at 100, which means every value above 100 would be changed to 100. Is there a similar short word for the same operation, but ...
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What is a good antonym for "vouch"? [closed]
Example context: "I vouch for this user."
What would be a good antonym/opposite sentence?
I've seen people use "I devouch this user" on forum boards, but it doesn't sound right.
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Antonym of outcast
I need to know the opposite of verb outcast.
This is needed for a software application with groups feature. I can outcast a user from a group. outcasted users will not be able to join the group.
I ...
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Antonym of "addressing" somebody (opposite of @ at)
We are working in teams on the same files. We developed a mechanism to add markers for oneself or to address other people with the following syntax (similar to the @ addressing mechanism here at the ...
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Opposite of "mixed reactions"
I am looking for a good opposite for "mixed reactions". For example:
The movies with the most mixed reactions from viewers are: ...
Now I want to use the opposite:
The movies with the most [words ...
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What is the literary device to describe isocolons with direct opposites?
In the poem 'We Shall Come No More' in Tawny Island by Verra Brittain, there is a strong parallelism between the 1st and 2nd stanza, even going as far as the same letter count. However the words are ...
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Antonym of "assume" or; a synonym of "assume" and its antonym
As the title implies, I am looking for a good, simple, single word antonym of "assume". Alternatively, if no good antonym exists that satisfies the requirements below, I am also open to suggestions ...
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1
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The negative form of "extreme"
What is the negative form of the word "extreme" for this context:
Temperature/climate insignificantly influences the production of honey due to
the ______(non-extreme)______ temperature during ...
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12
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What is the antonym of "rarissima" and "rariora"?
Rarissima and rariora are two nouns meaning "extremely rare books, manuscripts, or prints" and "rare books" respectively. Is there a word denoting common or everyday books, or ...
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'Discouraged' as an antonym of 'recommended'?
We're designing short informative messages to be displayed as feedback on a design application. The usage of a particular type of lens is either recommended or recommended against.
The positive ...
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4
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Synonym for "Show the absence"
Is there some one-word replacement for "showed the absence" in a sentence like "Our research showed the absence of a certain effect"?
I want to say that the effect was not observed, not that the ...
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The antonym of "rule lawyering"
Wikipedia defines rule lawyers as
A rules lawyer is a participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit
TV Tropes has an in-depth ...
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Antonym for determinant
I am attempting to create a user interface to allow for exploring the connections between each of the variables used by a large set of equations. While examining any particular variable, I display a ...
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is there an active verb for what a "thing being consumed" does?
if we consider the sentence birds consume spiders, and spiders consume flies
the "opposite" of that sentence is something like is flies <> spiders and spiders <> birds but, more active. ...
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Traffic in the same direction as yourself [closed]
Is there a word in English to describe traffic, that goes in the same direction as yourself?
The opposite of oncoming traffic?
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What is a fire that is not a wildfire?
Do we have "civil(-ized) fire"?
Wildfire is a forest fire, an uncontrolled fire, and metaphorically, anything that is uncontrolled and destructive.
Fire also occurs other than in the wild, may ...
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4
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What is the antonym of shadow [i.e. the shadow-casting object]?
I am looking for a more concise expression for a shadow-casting object in contrast to the shadow itself. Is there a generalisable term for something that casts a shadow?
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Negative verb for "it will pay off" [closed]
I am looking for a word like pay off, but with a negative connotation, that would fit in this sentence:
If we don't solve this problem now, it will _____ in the future.
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Seeking an appropriate antonym to the word Miracle [duplicate]
Miracles are rare beneficial events that appear to have a supernatural intervention.
So might not the antonym in one word be tragedy?
Of the dozens of other words suggested, tragedy for me expresses ...
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What do you call someone who receives a commendation
According to wikitionary, a "commender" commends someone. What do you call someone who receives a commendation?
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Antonyms of "intelligentsia"
What words could be used as antonyms of intelligentsia?
The author of the book I am editing chose to use the word "unintelligentsia" in order to emphasise the (assumed) unintelligent or uncultured ...
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What is the opposite of 'enrolled'? [closed]
If I am displaying a list of courses that a person is enrolled on, the header for that list would be 'Enrolled Courses'.
However, what would I put as the header for the list which contains those ...
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Antonym for "portioned" or "rationed"?
I'm translating a text about electrocardiography (ECG) into English, and I can't think of an antonym for the word "rationed" or "portioned". For context, the sentence contrasts "rationed" physical ...
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Antonym of "outlier" suitable for statistics parlance?
For use in the example sentence:
After the outliers had been removed, the ... were grouped with a disjoint set (aka. Union-Find).
I lean towards inliers, but this seems wrong given the linked ...
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antonym of "belong to"? [duplicate]
What's a verb that is the opposite of "belong [as a part] to"?
e.g.
A belongs to B.
I belong to my group.
then
B __ A?
My group __ me.
I initially thought about "contains". But I'm not sure if ...
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Is there a direct antonym to "favorite", not requiring modifiers?
I've searched a few Thesauri, and wracked my brain. But antonyms like "hated", "loathed", "disliked" require the modifier "most".
Young children sometimes use "worst" as a direct antonym for "...
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Antonym for "genetically modified"
What is an antonym for "genetically modified" or "genetically engineered" in the context of biomedical research? Is there a good adjective to describe cells or organisms that were not genetically ...
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Opposite of racism? [closed]
Last week, I was on a political group on FB and someone mentioned this word. When I looked it up, its definitions indicated it was the opposite of racism. The word means, in simple terms, that "Person ...
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5
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Opposite of "Shopping Cart," for sellers?
What's an appropriate term for a "shopping cart" when you're adding things to the cart and then selling them as opposed to buying?
This is for a web app but to help explain what I mean, the context ...
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Do prefixes & suffixes have antonyms?
Question
Do prefixes & suffixes have antonyms? As in, is it possible for a prefix or suffix to not have an antonym?
Example
Google defines "-gon" as:
-gon
combining form
in nouns ...
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Antonym of additive - Subtractive?
We have the word additive as in "An additive process" or "additive manufacturing".
Why do we not have the antonym subtractive?
This seems relevant to styles of coding. Especially ...
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Looking for the antonym of stigmatizing [closed]
What is the antonym for "stigmatizing"?
I would like to describe this idea that people will stigmatize or [???] someone based on his conduct. Like saying that he is dishonorable [stigma] or a man of ...
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Is there a term for words which are the opposites of more than one word
I wonder if there is a specific term for words which are opposites of more than word.
Admittedly I can only think of one such word 'right' which is the opposite of both 'left' and 'wrong'.
I would ...
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What is the opposite of backdating? [closed]
If I take a record and adjust its time to the past, I backdate it. Is there an equivalent term for adjusting its time to the future? Fordating?
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Antonym for "derived"/"derivative"
Suppose an idea or an artistic work A is derived from another idea or work B. We would call A the "derivative" or the "derived". What would we call B?
I looked for antonyms of derived on thesaurus....
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Antonym for the adjectival form of "honorific"
I'm looking for a good word to describe other words and contrast them with purely honorific sounding words. I'd like a word that could be used by itself (i.e. I can say "that's an honorific word&...
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The opposite of "free" in phrases
I'm not a native speaker of English but still it feels wrong to say:
paid university
paid entrance
paid parking
paid service
paid consultation
paid healthcare
paid toilet
paid fare
Or does it? What ...
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Opposite of Extinction
Extinct is to Extant; as Extinction is to ____________?
The root words, extinct & extant, are basically polar opposites.
The correct answer would be a technical term that indicates the polar ...
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Antonym for "formal methods"
In writing about verification techniques, I want to discuss formal methods vs. other methods (e.g., testing or code review). While informal is the generally the antonym of formal, referring to these ...
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Update vs Outdate
I'm not sure if this question belongs on English SE, but the following question is about word origins.
Let's take two words: update and outdate.
Update means to make (something) more modern or up ...
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What is the antonym of to toggle? [closed]
What is the antonym of "to toggle"?
A search shows both to untoggle and to detoggle in use, but I could find neither in dictionaries.
(I could find untoggle as "to unfasten by removing a toggle from ...
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What is the antonym for "waste/miss a chance"?
Is there a verb that can replace "waste" in the original phrase to get the opposite meaning?
For instance, wouldn't it sound awkward if I say "I used all the chances I've been given"?
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What is the opposite of a multi-tribal society? [closed]
What is the opposite of a multi-tribal society? (I don't mean a single tribe society; I mean modern forms of societies that are not based on tribes any more). a nation? a modern society? a national ...
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Does the word "foot" refers to something else different of a part of a body [closed]
I'm reading about astronomy and all that stuff and I found this phrase pretty interesting, is from the book "Is life out there" by Sara Seager and she makes an analogy with the impossibility of ...
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antonym for "compressive"
The tidal field (of the Earth on the Moon, for example) is compressive in the two tangential directions, but stretching in the radial direction. I.e. it pulls at the Moon (towards Earth and in the ...