Richard Gabbrielli is from Britain and teaches English at Yasuda Women’s University in Hiroshima, Japan. His particular interests are in discourse, sociolinguistics and materials development.

In semantic analysis, when searching for basic logical relationships between words, the focus is invariably placed on the main types of sense relation which are:

synonyms
antonyms
hyponyms
incompatibles

However, while much attention in the literature has been paid to synonymy and antonymy (especially in texts on linguistics and discourse) there is very little mentioned on the notion of contronymy (antagonymy) and the interesting part that it plays in the English lexicon. In contrast to the logical lexical relationships expressed through synonyms and antonyms, an analysis of the use of contronyms (or autantonyms, janus words, confusing words) reveals curiously idiosyncratic lexical relationships which are far from uncommon in contemporary spoken (and written) English. Moreover, contronyms seem to have crept into the language and can often be found in the rich language of slang.

What exactly is a contronym? In the absence of any established definition or entry (surprisingly, even David Crystal’s Encyclopedia of the English Language does not make reference to it), perhaps it can best be explained as a word that is its own antonym (a word with two opposite meanings). Opposite is a compilation of some of the most commonly used contronyms today, taken from various sources. It is not an exhaustive list (there are many examples out there), but it is hoped that it whets the appetite and sparks further interest in this area.

Any new framework for investigating sense relations in language will undoubtedly yield interesting results. Therefore, a much closer look at how contronyms are used in both written and spoken discourse will enable us to gain further insights into language use from both diachronic and synchronic perspectives.

Examples of contronyms

1a. To dust tables (to take off dust).
1b. To dust crops (to put dust on them).
2a. To seed a field (to put seeds in it).
2b. To seed a watermelon (to take seeds out).
3. To screen (show or hide).
4. Transparent (invisible or obvious).
5. To weather (endure or wear away).

Reference

Crystal D (1995) The Encyclopedia of the English Language Cambridge: CUP

Email: rgabbrie@yahoo.co.uk