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Even with as little time as I spend on social media and my
active avoidance of the news, I still encounter an insane amount of random bits
of information online. It really shouldn't be surprising, given the research
rabbit holes I routinely fall into, but still—there's so much.
Fortunately, enough of those random bits delight my word
nerd heart, like discovering a list of contronyms. Merriam-Webster.com defines contronym
as a word having two meanings that contradict one another, such as bolt,
which can mean to secure or to flee, and cleave, which can mean to
adhere or to separate. Contronyms are also know as antagonyms, autoantonyms,
or Janus words, so named for the two-faced Roman god of doors, gates,
and transitions. Even more word nerd delight—a definition that leads to another
rabbit hole!
Here are a few more words with contradictory definitions:
- Apology: a statement of contrition for an act, or a defiance of one
- Bound: heading for a destination, or restrained from movement
- Dust: to add fine particles, or to remove them
- Fast: Quick or stuck or made stable
- Left: remained or departed
- Peer: a person of nobility or an equal
- Sanction: to approve or to boycott
- Weather: to withstand or to wear away
