Antiautonyms

Q. What are they

A. An antiautonym is one of a pair of words which mean the same thing, although one word looks as if it should be the opposite of the other.

Q. As distinct from

A. An autoantonym, which is a single word which means both one thing and its opposite.

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Q. Isn't that something like a contronym

A. It is, in fact, the very same. These are also known as Janus-faced or Janus words. Examples are: fast, which means 'held firmly in one place' on the one hand and 'to move rapidly' on the other; and oversight, which can mean either 'careful supervision' or 'neglect'.

Q. So, an autonym is what

A. It's the opposite of a pseudonym, that is an author's real name.

Q. All right then. How about a few examples of antiautonyms

A. Some of these antiautonyms may simply be considered incorrect speech, but they are listed here nonetheless, because people do use them.

bone - debone: to remove the bones from something

bouch - debouch: to open out into a wider area or to pour forth (bouch is a shortening of debouch, which is the correct word)

categorical - uncategorical: without exception, absolutely (uncategorical is colloquial but technically wrong)

ebriate - inebriate: both words mean drunk (the in- prefix is not used here as a negative but to mean 'in', as in 'being in a state of ebriation')

flammable - inflammable: combustible (inflammable is the original form, while flammable is a modern rendering)

heritable - inheritable: able to be inherited (as with inebriate, the 'in' suggests being in a state rather than a negation of that state)

I could care less - I couldn't care less: don't care (the first phrase is an American colloquialism)

loosen - unloosen: both mean to make loose

pricey - priceless: dead expensive

regardless - irregardless: without regard or consideration (irregardless is an American colloquialism)

shameless - shameful: (not quite the same, you may think, in that a shameful act is likely to be committed by a shameless person, but both can be used to express a specific act as being pretty bad)

valuable - invaluable: worth a lot (though invaluable tends to suggest pricelessness)

See also the answerbank articles on antonyms, contronyms and eponyms

For more on Phrases & Sayings click here

By Simon Smith