Definition

The relationship between words that have opposite meanings.

Example

In linguistics, antonymy is an important concept for understanding how words relate to each other.

Conversation

Have you ever thought about how antonymy affects our language?

Yeah, it's interesting how words can mean the opposite things.

Exactly! It really helps to understand the nuances in conversations.

For sure, knowing antonyms can make our communication much clearer.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Antonymy is formed from "anti-" (meaning against) and "onym" (from Greek "onuma", meaning name). The term refers to the relationship between words that have opposite meanings, hence names that are against each other.

Memory Tip

Think of 'anti-' meaning against and 'onym' relating to names — antonymy describes words that are names with opposite meanings.

Visually Confused Words