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opposite word

opposite word

3.2
A word that has the reverse meaning of another word
  • noun
  • /ˈɑːpəzɪt wɜrd/
translation icon : antónimo
  • When learning vocabulary, identifying an opposite word is crucial for expanding one’s understanding of language.

Because I, when I think when people use myth as the opposite word of truth, I think it undervalues what roles myths have played historically.

Examples

  • By the way, just not to be nitpicky, but I do not hold the word fiction as an opposite word to the word truth.

  • Understanding an opposite word helps clarify the meaning of words; for example, 'happy' has the opposite word 'sad'.

  • Because I, when I think when people use myth as the opposite word of truth, I think it undervalues what roles myths have played historically.

  • In discussions of language, the term opposite word is often used to refer to antonyms like 'hot' and 'cold'.

Synonyms

opposite
vsopposite word
430 1.0

A word with a completely different meaning from another word

is the specifically lexical label for a word with contrary meaning
reverse
vsopposite word
71 4.2

A situation that is the exact opposite of what was expected

refers to word-level contrary meaning rather than situational flips
antithesis
vsopposite word
18 7.9

A person or thing that is the exact opposite of another

is narrower here as a rhetorical contrast, not a pure lexical contrary
inverse
vsopposite word
8 6.2

Something that is the opposite of another thing in order or effect

applies to lexical contrary meaning rather than physical reversal
antonym
vsopposite word
3 3.2

A word with the opposite meaning of another word

is the same idea but stresses direct contrary rather than general use
antipode
vsopposite word
1 9.3

The direct opposite of something, for example order and chaos

is used for single lexical opposites, not general physical counterparts
direct antonym
vsopposite word
5.6

A word that means the exact opposite of another word

is any word with a contrary meaning, not only core exact pairs
counterterm
vsopposite word
7.9

A word that shows the opposite of another word

focuses on direct contrary meaning rather than logical negation

Antonyms

24 2.8

A word with the same or a very similar meaning to another word

Surface Forms

opposite word singular

Morphology

opposite + word

The meaning is directly compositional: 'opposite' (diametrically different) modifies 'word' (a lexical item), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer 'a word with a contrary meaning' without prior exposure. This follows a common cross-linguistic adjective + noun pattern and is therefore fully transparent.

Etymology

The compound opposite word comes from a simple picture of opposite and word: two words facing each other like mirror images or arrows pointing the other way. So an opposite word is a word that means the reverse of another word, or 'opposite'.