" *Can A Word Be Its Own Opposite?* "
Yes! They are called Contronyms —words that are their own antonyms, depending on usage.
Here are a few examples
"Dust" :
can mean ‘to add fine particles’ or ‘to remove fine particles’.
"Left" :
can mean both
‘remaining’ and ‘departed’.
"Off" :
can mean both ‘activated’ and ‘deactivated’.
Eg:- “Set off” - Activated
“ Switch off - Deactivated
"Oversight" :
means both ‘watchful care’ and ‘an inadvertent error’.
"Screen" :
can mean both ‘to show’ and ‘to hide’.
"Sanction"
can mean both ‘a penalty for disobeying a law’ and ‘official permission or approval for an action.
Comments
Post a Comment