contronym

English

Etymology

From contr(a)- +‎ -onym. Coined 1962 by Jack Herring. Note that the vowel of the suffix generally supersedes the vowel of the prefix, hence coined as contronym, rather than contranym.

Noun

contronym (plural contronyms)

1. A word that has two opposing meanings, such as cleave (“stick together” or “split apart”).

   Alternative form: contranym

   Synonyms: autoantonym, antagonym, Janus word

   Hypernyms: word < term < seme

   Near-synonym: enantioseme

Derived terms

• contronymic

Related terms

• contranymic
• contranymy
• contronymy

Translations

a word that has two opposing meanings

• Arabic: أَضْدَاد m (ʔaḍdād)
• Catalan: autoantònim (ca) m
• Finnish: kontranyymi
• French: énantiosème (fr) m
• German: Januswort (de) n, Antagonym n, Autoantonym (de) n, Kontranym n
• Hungarian: antagonima, kontronima
• Polish: autoantonim (pl) m, kontranim m
• Spanish: autoantónimo (es) m, contránimo m, contrónimo m
• Swedish: autoantonym (sv) c, kontronym (sv) c

See also

• Appendix:English contranyms
• Category:Contranyms by language
• enantiosemy
• double negative
• skunked term

References

• Lederer, Richard. "Curious Contronyms." Word Ways, 11 (February 1978): 27-28.