Contronyms: Words with Contrasting Meanings

Contronyms (also called autoantonyms and Janus words) are words with two meanings that contradict each other. Think of them as a combination of a homonym (words with similar spelling or pronunciation) and an antonym (words with opposite meaning).

A contronym is usually formed through two ways: different words with different origins being merged into one word, or one word acquiring different meanings over time.

List of Contronyms

You may have encountered some words that, in the context they were used, meant the opposite of what you knew it to mean. This can be a confusing experience.

So here is a list of 50 words that you might not know are contronyms, so you might not feel so bewildered the next time you encounter them!

Word	Meaning #1	Meaning #2
Apology	A statement of contrition for an action	A reasoned defense for an argument
Bill	Money	An invoice for payment
Bolt	To secure something using a bolt	To run away
Bound	Going somewhere else	Restrained from moving
Buckle	To fasten something with a buckle	To collapse from pressure
Cleave	To split	To adhere
Clip	To attach something with a clip	To remove something
Custom	A common practice	A special treatment
Dike	A wall to prevent flooding	A ditch or watercourse
Dust	To sprinkle fine particles	To remove fine particles
Enjoin	To impose or urge something	To prohibit
Exemplary	A desirable model	A warning or deterrent
Fast	secured in one place	moving quickly
Fine	of excellent quality	acceptable or good enough
First degree	Most severe in the case of a murder charge	least severe in reference to a burn
Garnish	to enhance (as in food)	to reduce (as in wages)
Give out	to distribute	to stop distribution because of a lack of supply
Handicap	An advantage provided to ensure equality	a disadvantage that prevents equal treatment
Hold up	To support	To impede
Lease	To rent a property	To make property available for rent
Left	The state of having departed	What remains after something or someone is removed
Liege	A feudal lord	A vassal
Literally	Actually	Virtually
Mean	excellent	Poor in quality
Model	An excellent example	A copy
Out	Visible, as with stars showing in the sky	invisible, in reference to lights
Overlook	To supervise	to neglect
Oversight	To monitor	To fail to oversee
Peer	The nobility	An equal
Presently	Now	Soon
Put out	To extinguish something	To lay something out ready for use
Puzzle	A problem	Trying to solve a problem
Ravel	A tangle or cluster	Trying to disentangle something
Refrain	Stop from doing something	To repeat something
Rent	To pay for the use of something	To accept payment for the use of something
Rock	A shaking or unsettling movement	Something that projects strength and serenity
Sanction	To approve	To boycott
Sanguine	Bloodthirsty	cheerful or positive
Scan	To peruse	To take a glance
Screen	To present	To hide
Splice	To join together	To separate
Strike	To hit	To miss hitting something
Throw/Toss out	To present something for consideration	To dispose of
Temper	To strengthen	To soften or neutralize
Trim	To decorate	To take of excess
Trip	To go to a place	To stumble or fall
Variety	a specific type	A lot of types
Wear	to endure	To degrade
Weather	To withstand	to slowly deteriorate
Wind up	To come to a conclusion	To start something

The Confusion of Contronyms

English is a funny language. Even native English speakers regularly get befuddled by its many grammar rules and multiple word meanings. Here are a few sample sentences to illustrate how confusing contronyms can get:

1. Before the police can bolt his cell, the thief bolted. He was bound for freedom until the police finally caught up and bound him again.
2. After her daughter dusted her school project with glitter, the mom needed to dust both the table and the floor.
3. A landlord rents a room to a tenant and a tenant rents a room from a landlord.
4. The stars come out at night but it’s hard to see them until a few more lights are out.
5. He buckled his backpack to his body but it was so heavy that his knees buckled for a moment.

If you only know one meaning of these words, the context of these sentences will not make sense. So it’s always good to be aware of the different (and sometimes contrasting) meanings of words.

Context Matters

So the next time a word trips you up, remember that even seemingly simple words can have multiple or contradictory significance.

Don’t always base a word’s meaning in its dictionary definition, but also in the context it was used.

What contronym confused you at first? Share it in the comments below!

 

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