Let's reminisce: What are contranyms?
Contranyms are interesting terms that, depending on context, can have opposite or contradictory meanings. Here are some examples.
01. Apology: A statement of contrition for an action, or a defense of one 02. Aught: All, or nothing 03. Bill: A payment, or an invoice for payment 04. Bolt: To secure, or to flee 05. Bound: Heading to a destination, or restrained from movement 06. Buckle: To connect, or to break or collapse 07. Cleave: To adhere, or to separate 08. Clip: To fasten, or detach 09. Consult: To offer advice, or to obtain it 10. Continue: To keep doing an action, or to suspend an action
11. Custom: A common practice, or a special treatment 12. Dike: A wall to prevent flooding, or a ditch 13. Discursive: Moving in an orderly fashion among topics, or proceeding aimlessly in a discussion 14. Dollop: A large amount (British English), or a small amount 15. Dust: To add fine particles, or to remove them 16. Enjoin: To impose, or to prohibit 17. Fast: Quick, or stuck or made stable 18. Fine: Excellent, or acceptable or good enough 19. Finished: Completed, or ended or destroyed 20. First degree: Most severe in a murder charge, or least severe in reference to a burn
21. Fix: To repair, or to castrate 22. Flog: To promote persistently, or to criticize or beat 23. Garnish: To furnish, as with food preparation, or to take away, as with wages 24. Give out: To provide, or to stop because of a lack of supply 25. Go: To proceed or succeed, or to weaken or fail 26. Grade: A degree of slope, or a horizontal line or position 27. Handicap: An advantage to ensure equality, or a disadvantage to prevent equal achievement 28. Help: To assist, or to prevent or (in negative constructions) restrain 29. Hold up: To support, or to impede 30. Lease: To offer property for rent, or to hold such property
31. Left: Remained, or departed 32. Let: Allowed, or hindered 33. Liege: A feudal lord, or a vassal 34. Literally: Actually, or virtually 35. Mean: Average or stingy, or excellent 36. Model: An exemplar, or a copy 37. Off: Deactivated, or activated, as an alarm 38. Out: Visible, as with stars showing in the sky, or invisible, in reference to lights
39. Out of: Outside, or inside, as in working out of a specific office 40. Overlook: To supervise, or to neglect 41. Oversight: Monitoring, or failing to oversee 42. Peer: A person of the nobility, or an equal 43. Presently: Now, or soon 44. Put out: Extinguish, or generate 45. Puzzle: A problem, or to solve one 46. Quantum: Significantly large, or a minuscule part 47. Quiddity: Essence, or a trifling point of contention 48. Quite: Rather (as a qualifying modifier), or completely
49. Ravel: To entangle, or to disentangle 50. Refrain: To desist from doing something, or to repeat 51. Rent: To purchase use of something, or to sell use 52. Rock: An immobile mass of stone or figuratively similar phenomenon, or a shaking or unsettling movement or action 53. Sanction: To approve, or to boycott 54. Sanguine: Confidently cheerful, or bloodthirsty 55. Scan: To peruse, or to glance 56. Screen: To present, or to conceal 57. Seed: To sow seeds, or to shed or remove them 58. Shop: To patronize a business in order to purchase something, or to sell something
59. Skin: To cover, or to remove 60. Skinned: Covered with skin, or with the skin removed 61. Splice: To join, or to separate 62. Stakeholder: One who has a stake in an enterprise, or a bystander who holds the stake for those placing a bet 63. Strike: To hit, or to miss in an attempt to hit 64. Table: To propose (in British English), or to set aside 65. Temper: To soften, or to strengthen 66. Throw out: To dispose of, or to present for consideration 67. Transparent: Invisible, or obvious 68. Trim: To decorate, or to remove excess from
69. Trip: A journey, or a stumble 70. Unbending: Rigid, or relaxing 71. Variety: A particular type, or many types 72. Wear: To endure, or to deteriorate 73. Weather: To withstand, or to wear away 74. Wind up: To end, or to start up.
Jerry Lincecum is a retired Austin College professor who now teaches classes for older adults who want to write their life stories. He welcomes your reminiscences on any subject: jlincecum@me.com.
This article originally appeared on Herald Democrat: Let's reminisce: What are contranyms?
