Even if you have already graduated from school a long time ago, it is still not too late to figure out what antonyms are, including contextual ones. Antonyms are words of one part of speech with directly opposite lexical meanings, contrasting phenomena: good - evil, truth - lie, speak - be silent, much - little, up - down, appear - disappear. Antonyms are pairs of words that are always based on a common feature (height, weight, quality, quantity, feeling, time of day, space), but the meanings are opposite.

Now it should be very clear what antonyms are. However, this is not all the necessary information. Proper names, numerals and pronouns have no antonyms. However, service words can also be connected by antonyms: for and against, with and without (They like to drink tea with and without sugar).

Classification of antonym words

By structure, antonyms are divided into:

  • heterogeneous (forward - backward);
  • single root: they are formed with the help of prefixes opposite in meaning (enter - exit), as well as with the help of a prefix that is added to the original word (monopoly - antimonopoly).

Usually, words of different roots are referred to as antonyms, but some linguists consider such pairs of words as antonyms: calm - restless, big - small, love - not love. Here the antonym is formed with the help of the negative particle "not", the prefixes "demon", "not", etc.

From the point of view of language and speech, there are antonyms:

  • linguistic (usual): they exist in the language system (loud - quiet);
  • speech (occasional): arise in a certain context. They are often found in proverbs and poetry.

So what are contextual antonyms? Contextual antonyms are words that are opposed in a particular context. This phenomenon is of an individual authorial nature: wolves and sheep (as you understand, the polarity of the meanings of these words is not fixed in the language). The writer can discover opposite qualities in certain concepts and contrast them in speech: sunlight - moonlight, one year - the whole life, not a mother, but a daughter. The opposition of such concepts is not reproduced in the language. These are occasional (contextual, speech) antonyms.

Antonyms in terms of action are:

  • proportionate: denote action and reaction (get rich - get poorer, get up - go to bed);
  • disproportionate: in a broad sense, they denote action and lack of action (ignite - do not ignite, think - think over).

Polysemantic words and their antonyms

In different meanings, a polysemantic word can have different antonyms.

For example: fresh bread - stale bread, fresh thought - hackneyed thought, fresh evening - stuffy evening, etc.

Antithesis

Antonyms can serve as a means of poetic expression. This technique is called antithesis. Basically, the antithesis is characteristic of poetic and oratorical speech: "black evening, white snow" (A. A. Blok). The antithesis is also found in the titles: "Thick and Thin" (A.P. Chekhov), "Fathers and Sons" (I.S. Turgenev),

So, now you know what antonyms are, examples of these pairs of words will not be difficult for you. Remember what contextual antonyms and antithesis are.

Antonyms are words that belong to the same part of speech, differ in pronunciation and spelling, and have opposite meanings. For example, cold - hot, loud - quiet, friend - enemy, rejoice - be sad.

Words can enter into antonymic relations, the meanings of which carry opposite properties, while the comparison should be based on some common feature (size, weight, temperature, speed, etc.). Only words belonging to the same part are contrasted.

Antonymic pairs do not form the following word categories:

  • - nouns that have specific objective meanings(tree, cave, pencil);
  • - proper nouns(Petya, Vasya);
  • - most pronouns and numerals;
  • - nouns indicating gender(granddaughter and grandson, aunt and uncle);
  • - words from different stylistic categories(be silent and broadcast);
  • - words with suffixes with the meaning of increase or decrease(ship and boat, man and human).

According to the structure, antonyms are distinguished:

- single root-formed with the help of prefixes with the opposite meaning (friend - foe, enter - exit);

- heteroroot(high - low, raise - lower, hot - cold).

Antonymy and polysemy of words

Polysemantic words can form antonymous pairs with different words, depending on the meaning to which they are used in a given context:

soft sofa - hard sofa,

soft tone - sharp tone,

soft clay - hard clay.

A special phenomenon in the language is antonymic relations in the structure of the meanings of a polysemantic word ( enantiosemy):

view report(meaning familiarize) - view typo(skip),

borrow a book from a friend(borrow) lend money to a colleague(to lend).

General language and contextual antonyms

general language(linguistic) antonyms exist in the language system and are reproduced regardless of the context ( darkness - light, big - small);

contextual(speech, occasional) antonyms appear only in a certain context ( "Ice and fire"- the title of the story by R. Bradbury).

The role of antonyms in speech

Antonyms make our speech brighter and more expressive. They often appear in the titles of works of art. ("War and Peace", "Fathers and Sons"), in proverbs (“In people, honey, but at home, hell”), the use of antonyms underlies a number of stylistic devices.

One of these approaches is antithesis- rhetorical opposition

“They got along. Wave and stone

Poetry and prose, ice and fire.(A.S. Pushkin);

– « I am the lonely son of the earth

You are a radiant vision."(A. A. Blok).

Another take: oxymoron- a combination of concepts that are incompatible from the point of view of logic:

- "Dead Souls"(N. V. Gogol);

- "Ordinary Miracle" ( E. Schwartz);

“Look, she is happy to be sad,

So beautifully naked." (A.A. Akhmatova).

Dictionaries

Special dictionaries of antonyms will help you choose an antonymous pair. We can recommend dictionaries edited by L.A. Vvedenskaya (more than 1,000 pairs of antonyms) and N.P. Kolesnikov (more than 1,300 pairs). In addition, there are highly specialized dictionaries, for example, a dictionary of antonyms-phraseological units or antonyms-dialectisms.

Different in sound and spelling, having directly opposite lexical meanings: truth - lies, good - evil, speak - be silent.

Antonyms according to the type of concepts expressed:

  • contrasting correlates- such opposites that mutually complement each other to the whole, without transitional links; they are in relation to the privative opposition. Examples: bad - good, false - true, alive - dead.
  • counter correlates- antonyms expressing polar opposites within one essence in the presence of transitional links - internal gradation; they are in relation to the gradual opposition. Examples: black (- gray -) white, old (- elderly - middle-aged -) young, large (- medium -) small.
  • vector correlates- antonyms expressing different directions of actions, signs, social phenomena, etc. Examples: enter - exit, descend - rise, ignite - extinguish, revolution - counter-revolution.
  • conversives- words describing the same situation from the point of view of different participants. Examples: buy - sell, husband - wife, teach - learn, lose - win, lose - find.
  • enantiosemy- the presence of opposite meanings in the structure of the word. Examples: to lend money to someone - to borrow money from someone, to surround with tea - to treat and not to treat.
  • pragmatic- words that are regularly opposed in the practice of their use, in contexts (pragmatics - "action"). Examples: soul - body, mind - heart, earth - sky.

By structure, antonyms are:

  • heteroroot(back and forth);
  • single root- are formed with the help of prefixes that are opposite in meaning: enter - exit, or with the help of a prefix added to the original word (monopoly - antimonopoly).

From the point of view of language and speech, antonyms are divided into:

  • linguistic(usual) - antonyms that exist in the language system (rich - poor);
  • speech(occasional) - antonyms that occur in a certain context (to check for the presence of this type, you need to reduce them to a language pair) - (gold - a copper half, that is, expensive - cheap). They often appear in proverbs.

From the point of view of action, antonyms are:

  • proportionate- action and reaction (get up - go to bed, get rich - get poorer);
  • disproportionate- action and lack of action (in the broad sense) (ignite - extinguish, think - think over).

Antonyms, or words with the opposite meaning, have become the subject of linguistic analysis relatively recently, and interest in the study of Russian and Tatar antonymy is growing noticeably. This is evidenced by the appearance of a number of special linguistic studies on antonymy and dictionaries of antonyms.

The lexical units of the vocabulary of a language turn out to be closely related not only on the basis of their associative connection by similarity or contiguity as lexico-semantic variants of a polysemantic word. Most of the words of the language do not contain a feature capable of opposition, therefore, antonymic relations are impossible for them, however, in a figurative sense, they can acquire an antonym. Thus, in contextual antonymy, antonymic relations of words with a direct meaning are possible, and then these pairs of words carry an emphatic load and perform a special stylistic function.

Antonyms are possible for such words, the meanings of which contain opposite qualitative shades, but the meanings are always based on a common feature (weight, height, feeling, time of day, etc.). Also, only words belonging to the same grammatical or stylistic category can be opposed. Consequently, words belonging to different parts of speech or lexical levels cannot become linguistic antonyms.

Antonyms in poetry

Here we are entering August, oh,
not into the forest rare, and in thick,
where from the aspen is not Judas
hanging down without grumbling and prowess.
August tangle knot,
How good in captivity evil,
he has flowers under his feet,
often similar to footboards.

see also

Notes


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See what "Antonyms" are in other dictionaries:

    - (from anti ... and Greek onyma name), words of one part of speech with the opposite meaning, for example true lies, poor rich ... Modern Encyclopedia

    - (from anti... and Greek onyma name) words with the opposite meaning. For example: the truth is a lie, the poor rich ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

    ANTONYMS- (from Greek anti... - against + onoma - name). 1. Words that have opposite meanings. The basis of antonymy is the presence in the meaning of the word of a qualitative feature that can increase or decrease and reach the opposite. That's why… … A new dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of teaching languages)

    Antonyms- (from anti ... and Greek onyma name), words of one part of speech with the opposite meaning, for example, “truth is a lie”, “poor rich”. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

    Antonyms- (from the Greek anti - 'against' + onyma - 'name') - pairs of words of one part of speech with the opposite meaning. The psychological basis of A.'s existence is association by contrast; logical - opposite and contradictory concepts. Mapping relationships... Stylistic encyclopedic dictionary of the Russian language

    Antonyms- (from Greek ἀντι against and ὄνυμα name) words of one part of speech with opposite meanings. Depending on the type of opposition expressed (see Antonymy), antonyms are divided into corresponding classes, the main of which are: 1) antonyms, ... ... Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary

    - (from Greek anti against + onima name). Words with opposite meanings. The basis of antonymy is the presence in the meaning of the word of a qualitative feature that can increase or decrease and reach the opposite. Therefore, especially many ... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms

    antonyms- (Greek anti against and onuma name) Words of the same part of speech that have opposite meanings correlative with each other; love hate. Not all words are antonymous. According to the structure of the root, antonyms are distinguished: 1) ... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

    - (from the Greek anti - against and onoma - name), words connected by relations of opposite meaning, for example: victory - defeat, joking - seriously. A polysemantic word has different antonyms for different meanings: soft - callous, hard, hard. Literature and ... ... Literary Encyclopedia

This article will be devoted to such an interesting topic as antonyms. What they are and how they are used.

The essence of antonyms

Antonyms are words that are different not only in spelling. Antonyms are words that are opposite in meaning. So, for example, the antonym of the word “good” will be the word “evil”, and the antonym of the word “friendship” will be “enmity”.

Let's consider this question in more depth. Let's take two synonyms (words similar in meaning). For example, "beauty" and "charm". The antonym of the word "beauty" is the word "ugliness". Does this mean that if the word "ugliness" is an antonym for the word "beauty", then it will be an antonym for the word "charm" as well. Yes, it means. Thus, we can make a general conclusion: the antonym of a certain word will also be the antonym for the synonym of this word.

Use of antonyms

Many foreign and Russian writers, poets and publicists have used antonyms to show the contrast between two situations, between two states. When two words that are opposite in meaning are used in the same sentence to show some kind of radical difference, this is taken much more seriously and makes us think about what the author wants to say. For example, this method of narration is often encountered when the author wants to convey to the reader his state of mind.

Lermontov wrote: “In her eyes, as in the sky, it is light, in her soul it is dark, as in the sea.” Using two antonyms in such a beautiful form, the poet showed us the essence of things. Instead of writing several verses, revealing the theme of the personality of the heroine to whom this line is dedicated, Lermontov managed with just one sentence.

From the above example, it can be seen that antonyms allow the author not only to shorten his narrative, but also to express his thoughts in a very poetic and original form. This gives him the opportunity to emphasize the uniqueness of his work.


Now you know that antonyms are not only a lexical definition, but also a special technique in creativity. This technique is called antonymy. If you have nothing to do with creativity, this does not mean that you cannot use this technique in your speech. A person who knows how to eloquently express his thoughts has a completely different attitude.

Antonyms are words belonging to the same part of speech, differing in spelling and sound, and meaning directly opposite concepts.

One part of speech is not the only condition under which words of opposite meaning can be called antonyms. There must be some common feature between these words. That is, both concepts should describe a feeling, or time, or space, or quality and quantity - and in this case they will be antonyms.

Examples of antonyms.

Let's analyze this definition with examples.

Antonym for the word "before".

The antonym for the word "before" would be the word "now". Both words are adverbs - “when? before" and "when? now". Both of them are united by a common feature - the description of time. But if the word "before" describes a situation or event that took place sometime in the past, then the word "now" refers to the present. Thus, the words are opposite in meaning and are antonyms.

Antonym for the word "Greetings".

The antonym for the word "friendly" is the word "unfriendly". Both concepts belong to the same part of speech - adverb. As the rule requires, they are united by a common feature - that is, they describe an emotional connotation. But if the word “friendly” means joy and pleasure (for example, from someone’s presence), then “unfriendly” has the exact opposite meaning - the one whose appearance or speech is characterized by this word is clearly not happy with anything.

Antonym for the word "Tears".

The antonym for the word "tears" will be the word "laughter". Both concepts are nouns, both of them describe an emotional action. But if in the first case the emotion is clearly negative - tears of grief, tears of sadness, tears of pain - then the word "laughter" means joy, happiness and fun. The words are opposite in meaning - and therefore, are antonyms.

Other popular antonyms.

Below is a list of words and their antonyms.

  • The word "Synonym", antonym - "Antonym".
  • The word "Interesting", the antonym - "Boring".
  • The word "Wind", the antonym - "Quiet".
  • The word is “Find”, the antonym is “Losing”.
  • The word is “Fresh”, the antonym is “Spoiled, stale”.
  • The word "Beautiful", the antonym - "Disgusting, terrible."
  • The word is "Snow", the antonym is "Rain".
  • The word is “Expected”, the antonym is “Sudden, unexpected”.
  • The word "Carefully", the antonym - "Carelessly".
  • The word is "Sun", the antonym is "Moon".
  • The word is "Day", the antonym is "Night".
  • The word "Fast", the antonym - "slow".

We hope now you know what an antonym is.