Contronyms
PROGRAM: "IN A WORD"
EPISODE: CONTRONYMS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
As if our language weren’t confusing enough, there are a number of words in English that are their own opposite. Take, for example, the word “dust.”As a noun, it refers to very fine particles, otherwise known as the thin layer of crud currently covering my end tables. As a verb, it can refer to covering something with any similarly fine, particulate matter. “Snow dusted the rooftops.” Or “I dusted the top of the cake with powdered sugar.” But dust, as a verb, can also mean to remove that layer of fine matter. “I really should dust those end tables.”
Words such as “dust” are known as auto-antonyms or contronyms. They’re also sometimes called “Janus words,” after the two-faced Roman god. These self-opposite words are more common than you might think. For instance, “fast” can mean both moving quickly and standing still—“run fast” versus “hold fast.”
Another contronym is “left.” The phrase “Elvis has left the building” means the King has gone. But “there’s only one fried peanut butter and banana sandwich left” means that a single sandwich remains — possibly because Elvis left the building and left it behind.
Another example is oversight. To have “oversight” of something means to supervise. But if someone makes an “oversight” they obviously weren’t supervising very closely because they missed something.
For native speakers of English, these words aren’t usually confusing. Having heard these words used in contradictory ways all of our lives, we can quickly use the context of a sentence to determine the correct interpretation of the word in that particular instance.
But it’s easy to see why those learning English might be confused. As is often the case with changes in our language, the origins of contronyms are a bit murky. Sometimes they seem to arise from two different words that come to have the same pronunciation. That’s apparently the case with the word “cleave” – which comes from two different words in old English, one meaning “to separate” and another “to adhere.”
Sometimes one sense of the meaning falls out of use over time. “Awful” used to mean something pleasant (“inspiring awe”) but is now almost exclusively used to refer to something bad or unpleasant. Such shifts still take place, often with a slang or informal meaning of a word contradicting its more mainstream use. Examples include “wicked” and “bad.”
So, keep an eye out for contronyms in your writing and be sure your sentences provide enough context to make your intended meaning clear.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: CONTRONYMS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
As if our language weren’t confusing enough, there are a number of words in English that are their own opposite. Take, for example, the word “dust.”As a noun, it refers to very fine particles, otherwise known as the thin layer of crud currently covering my end tables. As a verb, it can refer to covering something with any similarly fine, particulate matter. “Snow dusted the rooftops.” Or “I dusted the top of the cake with powdered sugar.” But dust, as a verb, can also mean to remove that layer of fine matter. “I really should dust those end tables.”
Words such as “dust” are known as auto-antonyms or contronyms. They’re also sometimes called “Janus words,” after the two-faced Roman god. These self-opposite words are more common than you might think. For instance, “fast” can mean both moving quickly and standing still—“run fast” versus “hold fast.”
Another contronym is “left.” The phrase “Elvis has left the building” means the King has gone. But “there’s only one fried peanut butter and banana sandwich left” means that a single sandwich remains — possibly because Elvis left the building and left it behind.
Another example is oversight. To have “oversight” of something means to supervise. But if someone makes an “oversight” they obviously weren’t supervising very closely because they missed something.
For native speakers of English, these words aren’t usually confusing. Having heard these words used in contradictory ways all of our lives, we can quickly use the context of a sentence to determine the correct interpretation of the word in that particular instance.
But it’s easy to see why those learning English might be confused. As is often the case with changes in our language, the origins of contronyms are a bit murky. Sometimes they seem to arise from two different words that come to have the same pronunciation. That’s apparently the case with the word “cleave” – which comes from two different words in old English, one meaning “to separate” and another “to adhere.”
Sometimes one sense of the meaning falls out of use over time. “Awful” used to mean something pleasant (“inspiring awe”) but is now almost exclusively used to refer to something bad or unpleasant. Such shifts still take place, often with a slang or informal meaning of a word contradicting its more mainstream use. Examples include “wicked” and “bad.”
So, keep an eye out for contronyms in your writing and be sure your sentences provide enough context to make your intended meaning clear.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]