Questions tagged [antonyms]
An antonym is a word with a meaning opposite to another word.
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Proper antonym of "body shaming"
"Body shaming" is being used since 1990s to refer to: the act of criticizing or humiliating someone based on their body shape, size, or physical appearance, which can be directed at another ...
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What is a word that describes a flower/petal that has bloomed and is now dying?
I want to describe the collecting of flowers when they are past their prime. That is, I want to encourage people to collect flower petals to press and dry when they are just starting to wilt and maybe ...
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What do you call it when you make satirical replacements of positive words for negative words starting with the same letter?
What do you call it when you make satirical replacements of positive words for negative words starting with the same letter?
Is there a term for this?
For example:
In Dead Poets Society (1989), the ...
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What is the antonym of "nuance"?
What I'm Searching For
I refer to the uncountable noun (as opposed to the colloquial verb). It refers to "subtle distinction", according to Merriam-Webster. That is how I utilize it.
Why
I ...
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Why am I small? Why aren't I tall? [duplicate]
There's no distinct proper opposite here. We certainly wouldn't use 'Why are I not tall', but 'Why amn't I small' doesn't exist. There must be reasons.
There are a couple of similar questions, not ...
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Do linguists have a noun for referring to pieces of commendatory language, as a sort of antonym of 'pejoratives'?
As I understand it, linguists (and the rest of us) call pieces of derogatory or negatively-valenced language ‘pejoratives’. But is there a similar term for pieces of commendatory or positively-...
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Is symptotic the antonym of asymptotic in the context of computer science? [closed]
In computer science, asymptotic analysis1 is the study of the performance of an algorithm with respect to the size of the input as the input grows to infinity.
That is to say, it only analyses how ...
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Is there a word that means the opposite of 'embarrassing'?
I have scoured every thesaurus I can find but cannot seem to find a (single) word that I can use to replace 'embarrasing' to signify the opposite of embarrassing (as opposed to the lack of ...
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Semantic Opposition of 'But': Are These Unlike Constituents Viable Opposites?
I have recently been researching the usage of the word 'But' with specific attention given to its function as a coordinating conjunction, wherein it is used to create contrast. Throughout my research, ...
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Word for nonce antonyms formed by reversing idioms
Someone recently used "on-limits" to describe something that was allowed, i.e. not "off-limits." The same person subsequently described unplugging something as "plugging it ...
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Is there a term like "antonym" but for words of opposite sentiment?
I like to play a game where I take a descriptive word with an emotional bias (i.e. describing something "good" or "bad") and I try to think of a word with roughly the same meaning ...
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Term for words which can have the same or opposite meanings in same contexts [duplicate]
In Term for words which can have the same or opposite meanings in different contexts?,
hot and cool are opposite temperatures, but can also both be used to mean fashionably attractive/impressive.
I ...
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Opposite of causality [closed]
Is there a word which describes the relationship between two things when one thing prevents the other? For example, to fill in the sentence "there is ___ between resistance and flow"?
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Why use "modeless" as the opposite of "modal" in UI design? [closed]
"Modeless" is widely used which is not in the dictionary such as "Modal and Modeless Dialog Boxes". Why they do not use "modaless"?
If "Modal" is the adjective ...
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Antonym for “elitist” with a negative connotation?
I’m looking for an adjective to describe, for example, someone who shows disdain for elitism or fine things. Google only gives examples that have positive or neutral connotations.
EDIT:
I've accept ...
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Are these phrases antonyms? [closed]
"He showed little sign of hawkish attitude"
"He showed a little sign of hawkish attitude"
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Is there a female or gender neutral equivalent for the verb to sire?
Is there a good equivalent for to sire I could use for a woman who mothered a child? Obviously other than to mother itself.
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Words attaining different meanings [duplicate]
If jail and prison are (at least nearly) synonymous, why does jailer refer to the captor, and prisoner refer to the captive? Are there similar examples?
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Is there a dual to "non-sequitur"? [closed]
A non sequitur:
"a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement."
"A non sequitur is a conversational literary device, often used for ...
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What's the opposite word for "Host"? [closed]
Not really opposite word but more like a corresponding word?
Teacher - Student
Doctor - Patient
Interviewer - Interviewee
Host - ??? (Guest? Hostee?)
I cannot find anything that feels right. Host ...
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Is there such a thing as a "positive" antonym to catastrophe?
A catastrophe is an event causing great and usually sudden damage or suffering; It is negative in nature.
Is there a word which is antonymic to catastrophe, but positive/"good" in nature? I....
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A word that means the opposite of "shoehorned", something that fits its purpose well
I'm looking for a word that means the opposite of shoehorned, ie. something that DOES fit its purpose well.
shoehorn (v.) (transitive, figuratively) To force (something) into (a tight space); to ...
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Approval Process feature best wording for approve and decline
I'm a UX designer but not an English native speaker. I'm working on a web interface where some item types required an approval from a 3rd party.
So when the user clicks on a button named 'Approval' he ...
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Word for people who live outside the city
What word would one use that applies to all those living outside of cities - not just in the suburbs but also more isolated areas in the country?
I feel that the word 'citizen' implies living in a ...
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If someone instigates the end of a relationship, what is the term for the other party?
When discussing a person that has chosen to end a relationship, particularly a romantic or intimate one, I have chosen to use the word instigator. What is the complementary word that describes the ...
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