75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)

75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings) 75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings) 75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings) By Mark Nichol The English language includes an interesting category of words and phrases called contronyms (also spelled contranyms, or referred to as autoantonyms) terms that, depending on context, can have opposite or contradictory meanings. When you use these words, be sure the context clearly identifies which meaning is intended: 1. Apology: A statement of contrition for an action, or a defense of one 2. Aught: All, or nothing 3. Bill: A payment, or an invoice for payment 4. Bolt: To secure, or to flee 5. Bound: Heading to a destination, or restrained from movement 6. Buckle: To connect, or to break or collapse 7. Cleave: To adhere, or to separate 8. Clip: To fasten, or detach 9. 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 the case of 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 provided to ensure equality, or a disadvantage that prevents 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 75. With: Alongside, or against Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should Know20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel