Language · 1
What is the term for words that have opposite meanings?
Answer
Antonym
Antonyms are words with opposite or nearly opposite meanings, such as 'hot' and 'cold,' 'big' and 'small,' or 'happy' and 'sad.' Antonyms are a fundamental component of vocabulary development and are frequently used in language learning and word games. However, not all antonyms are absolute opposites; some are contextually dependent or exist on a spectrum.
💡 Did you know?
Some antonyms are 'complementary' (dead/alive) while others are 'gradable' (hot/cold), depending on their meaning structure.
Other options people guess
- Homonym
- Synonym
- Homophone
Topics
- word types
- vocabulary
- English
Know your language trivia?
Play a free Language quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Language facts
Language
What is the term for a word that is spelled the same but pronounced differently?
'Heteronym' also goes by 'homograph,' but technically heteronyms must have different pronunciations and meanings.
Language
What is the linguistic term for a word or phrase that a society uses as a milder substitute for something considered harsh or taboo?
The word 'euphemism' comes from the Greek 'euphemismos,' meaning 'to speak with good words' — the ancient Greeks used it in religious contexts to avoid uttering words considered unlucky or profane.
Language
What term describes a word that is spelled and pronounced the same as another but has a completely unrelated meaning, such as 'bank' (financial) and 'bank' (riverbank)?
English has over 6,000 homonym pairs — more than most languages — largely because centuries of borrowing from French, Norse, and Latin created word collisions by accident.
Language
What is the German word for 'thank you'?
'Danke' serves double duty in German: it means both 'please' and 'you're welcome,' by context.
Language
What is the term for the incorrect use of a word that sounds similar to the intended word?
The character Mrs. Malaprop from Sheridan's 'The Rivals' was so famous for these errors that 'malapropism' is named after her.
Language
What is the Spanish word for 'love'?
Spanish has distinct words for different types of love: 'amor' (love), 'cariño' (affection), and 'pasión' (passion).