Other forms: antitheses
An antithesis is the complete opposite of something. Though the counterculture was strong in America in 1968, voters elected Richard Nixon, the antithesis of a hippie.
The noun antithesis comes from a Greek root meaning "opposition" and "set against." It's often used today when describing two ideas or terms that are placed in strong contrast to each other. We might come across antithesis in school if we learn about the "Hegelian dialectic." There, the thesis , or main idea put forward in an argument, is countered with its opposite idea — the antithesis — and the two are finally reconciled in a third proposition, the synthesis . An antithesis wouldn't exist without a thesis because it works as a comparison.
Learn these words beginning with the prefix anti , meaning "against," "in opposition to," or "opposite of." Want to increase your prefix power? Learn our complete set of Power Prefix lists: anti- , con- , dis- , ex- , fore- , inter- , mis- , pre- , pro- , sub- , super- , trans- , uni-
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Related terms for antithesis - synonyms, antonyms and sentences with antithesis, similar meaning.
Proper usage in context.
Vocabulary
Synonyms for antithesis ænˈtɪθ ə sɪs; -ˌsiz an·tithe·sis, this thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word antithesis ., complete dictionary of synonyms and antonyms rate these synonyms: 2.6 / 8 votes.
Synonyms: contrast , opposition , contradiction , antagonism
Antonyms: identity , sameness , convertibility , coincidence , coalescence
exact opposite
"his theory is the antithesis of mine"
the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance
Synonyms: ( Rhet. ) contrast , opposition
Song lyrics by antithesis -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by antithesis on the Lyrics.com website.
How to say antithesis in sign language, usage in printed sources from: .
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It's the antithesis of how we live. It's the antithesis of civilian control.
Nicki Minaj :
Some people are on the internet and seeking attention, and Geoffrey Owens ''s just the antithesis of that, so I felt like,' Oh my God, could you imagine ?'.
Paul Simon :
They were completely disingenuous about it, first of all, we didn't break any boycott. There was no rule about recording with black South African musicians. In fact, the whole purpose of the boycott was the antithesis of what we did.Simon with the South African musician Joseph Shabalala, founder of the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, with whom Simon collaborated on.
Gavin Clarkson :
Masked militiamen are the antithesis of what a free republic looks like. I absolutely condemn their lawless activities.
Bo Counts :
How do you social distance in a place that is the antithesis of social distancing? And if you can't, how do you survive? that's the big question a lot of us in this business in Arkansas have been asking ourselves.
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Definition of antithesis noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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What is antithesis? Here’s a quick and simple definition:
Antithesis is a figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures. For instance, Neil Armstrong used antithesis when he stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969 and said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This is an example of antithesis because the two halves of the sentence mirror each other in grammatical structure, while together the two halves emphasize the incredible contrast between the individual experience of taking an ordinary step, and the extraordinary progress that Armstrong's step symbolized for the human race.
Some additional key details about antithesis:
Here's how to pronounce antithesis: an- tith -uh-sis
Often, but not always, antithesis works in tandem with parallelism . In parallelism, two components of a sentence (or pair of sentences) mirror one another by repeating grammatical elements. The following is a good example of both antithesis and parallelism:
To err is human , to forgive divine .
The two clauses of the sentence are parallel because each starts off with an infinitive verb and ends with an adjective ("human" and "divine"). The mirroring of these elements then works to emphasize the contrast in their content, particularly in the very strong opposite contrast between "human" and "divine."
In most cases, antitheses involve parallel elements of the sentence—whether a pair of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or other grammar elements. However, it is also possible to have antithesis without such clear cut parallelism. In the Temptations Song "My Girl," the singer uses antithesis when he says:
"When it's cold outside , I've got the month of May ."
Here the sentence is clearly cut into two clauses on either side of the comma, and the contrasting elements are clear enough. However, strictly speaking there isn't true parallelism here because "cold outside" and "month of May" are different types of grammatical structures (an adjective phrase and a noun phrase, respectively).
Three literary terms that are often mistakenly used in the place of antithesis are juxtaposition , oxymoron , and foil . Each of these three terms does have to do with establishing a relationship of difference between two ideas or characters in a text, but beyond that there are significant differences between them.
In juxtaposition , two things or ideas are placed next to one another to draw attention to their differences or similarities. In juxtaposition, the pairing of two ideas is therefore not necessarily done to create a relationship of opposition or contradiction between them, as is the case with antithesis. So, while antithesis could be a type of juxtaposition, juxtaposition is not always antithesis.
In an oxymoron , two seemingly contradictory words are placed together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. Some examples of oxymorons include:
The focus of antithesis is opposites rather than contradictions . While the words involved in oxymorons seem like they don't belong together (until you give them deeper thought), the words or ideas of antithesis do feel like they belong together even as they contrast as opposites. Further, antitheses seldom function by placing the two words or ideas right next to one another, so antitheses are usually made up of more than two words (as in, "I'd rather be among the living than among the dead").
Some Internet sources use "antithesis" to describe an author's decision to create two characters in a story that are direct opposites of one another—for instance, the protagonist and antagonist . But the correct term for this kind of opposition is a foil : a person or thing in a work of literature that contrasts with another thing in order to call attention to its qualities. While the sentence "the hare was fast, and the tortoise was slow" is an example of antithesis, if we step back and look at the story as a whole, the better term to describe the relationship between the characters of the tortoise and the hare is "foil," as in, "The character of the hare is a foil of the tortoise."
Antithesis in literature.
Below are examples of antithesis from some of English literature's most acclaimed writers — and a comic book!
In the famous opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens sets out a flowing list of antitheses punctuated by the repetition of the word "it was" at the beginning of each clause (which is itself an example of the figure of speech anaphora ). By building up this list of contrasts, Dickens sets the scene of the French Revolution that will serve as the setting of his tale by emphasizing the division and confusion of the era. The overwhelming accumulation of antitheses is also purposefully overdone; Dickens is using hyperbole to make fun of the "noisiest authorities" of the day and their exaggerated claims. The passage contains many examples of antithesis, each consisting of one pair of contrasting ideas that we've highlighted to make the structure clearer.
It was the best of times , it was the worst of times , it was the age of wisdom , it was the age of foolishness , it was the epoch of belief , it was the epoch of incredulity , it was the season of Light , it was the season of Darkness , it was the spring of hope , it was the winter of despair , we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven , we were all going direct the other way —in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
In this verse from Paradise Lost , Milton's anti-hero , Satan, claims he's happier as the king of Hell than he could ever have been as a servant in Heaven. He justifies his rebellion against God with this pithy phrase, and the antithesis drives home the double contrast between Hell and Heaven, and between ruling and serving.
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.
As the plot of Othello nears its climax , the antagonist of the play, Iago, pauses for a moment to acknowledge the significance of what is about to happen. Iago uses antithesis to contrast the two opposite potential outcomes of his villainous plot: either events will transpire in Iago's favor and he will come out on top, or his treachery will be discovered, ruining him.
This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite .
In this passage, the simple word "either" functions as a cue for the reader to expect some form of parallelism, because the "either" signals that a contrast between two things is coming.
Shakespeare's plays are full of antithesis, and so is Hamlet's most well-known "To be or not to be" soliloquy . This excerpt of the soliloquy is a good example of an antithesis that is not limited to a single word or short phrase. The first instance of antithesis here, where Hamlet announces the guiding question (" to be or not to be ") is followed by an elaboration of each idea ("to be" and "not to be") into metaphors that then form their own antithesis. Both instances of antithesis hinge on an " or " that divides the two contrasting options.
To be or not to be , that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them ...
In this excerpt from his poem "Four Quartets," T.S. Eliot uses antithesis to describe the cycle of life, which is continuously passing from beginning to end, from rise to fall, and from old to new.
In my beginning is my end . In succession Houses rise and fall , crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building , old timber to new fires ...
Comic book writers know the power of antithesis too! In this catchy oath, Green Lantern uses antithesis to emphasize that his mission to defeat evil will endure no matter the conditions.
In brightest day , in blackest night , No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power—Green lantern's light!
While most instances of antithesis are built around an "or" that signals the contrast between the two parts of the sentence, the Green Lantern oath works a bit differently. It's built around an implied "and" (to be technical, that first line of the oath is an asyndeton that replaces the "and" with a comma), because members of the Green Lantern corps are expressing their willingness to fight evil in all places, even very opposite environments.
Many well-known speeches contain examples of antithesis. Speakers use antithesis to drive home the stakes of what they are saying, sometimes by contrasting two distinct visions of the future.
This speech by famous American patriot Patrick Henry includes one of the most memorable and oft-quoted phrases from the era of the American Revolution. Here, Henry uses antithesis to emphasize just how highly he prizes liberty, and how deadly serious he is about his fight to achieve it.
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death .
In this speech by one of America's most well-known orators, antithesis allows Martin Luther King Jr. to highlight the contrast between two visions of the future; in the first vision, humans rise above their differences to cooperate with one another, while in the other humanity is doomed by infighting and division.
We must all learn to live together as brothers —or we will all perish together as fools .
In songs, contrasting two opposite ideas using antithesis can heighten the dramatic tension of a difficult decision, or express the singer's intense emotion—but whatever the context, antithesis is a useful tool for songwriters mainly because opposites are always easy to remember, so lyrics that use antithesis tend to stick in the head.
In this song by The Clash, the speaker is caught at a crossroads between two choices, and antithesis serves as the perfect tool to express just how confused and conflicted he is. The rhetorical question —whether to stay or to go—presents two opposing options, and the contrast between his lover's mood from one day (when everything is "fine") to the next (when it's all "black") explains the difficulty of his choice.
One day it's fine and next it's black So if you want me off your back Well, come on and let me know Should I stay or should I go ? Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble If I stay it will be double ...
In this song, the singer uses a pair of metaphors to describe the feeling of joy that his lover brings him. This joy is expressed through antithesis, since the singer uses the miserable weather of a cloudy, cold day as the setting for the sunshine-filled month of May that "his girl" makes him feel inside, emphasizing the power of his emotions by contrasting them with the bleak weather.
I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside I've got the month of May Well I guess you'd say, What can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' bout my girl.
Fundamentally, writers of all types use antithesis for its ability to create a clear contrast. This contrast can serve a number of purposes, as shown in the examples above. It can:
Whatever the case, antithesis almost always has the added benefit of making language more memorable to listeners and readers. The use of parallelism and other simple grammatical constructions like "either/or" help to establish opposition between concepts—and opposites have a way of sticking in the memory.
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adjective as in unfrequented
Weak matches
noun as in logic
Strongest matches
Strong matches
noun as in ratiocination
noun as in rationality
Words related to antithesis and synthesis are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word antithesis and synthesis . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.
noun as in science of reasoning
adjective as in lonely
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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Find 24 different ways to say ANTITHESIS, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
Synonyms for ANTITHESIS: opposite, contrary, counter, obverse, reverse, antipode, negative, counterpoint; Antonyms of ANTITHESIS: synonym, counterpart, analog ...
Synonyms for antithesis include reverse, opposite, converse, contrary, inverse, obverse, antipode, counter, negative and contrast. Find more similar words at ...
ANTITHESIS - Synonyms, related words and examples | Cambridge English Thesaurus
the direct opposite… See the full definition. Games & Quizzes; Games & Quizzes; Word of the Day; Grammar; Wordplay; Word Finder; Thesaurus; Join MWU; Shop; Books; Merch ... adjective. More from Merriam-Webster on antithesis. Nglish: Translation of antithesis for Spanish Speakers. Britannica English: ...
Another way to say Antithesis? Synonyms for Antithesis (other words and phrases for Antithesis).
An antithesis is the complete opposite of something. Though the counterculture was strong in America in 1968, voters elected Richard Nixon, the antithesis of a hippie.
Synonyms for ANTITHESIS in English: opposite, contrast, reverse, contrary, converse, inverse, antipode, contrast, opposition, contradiction, …
Related terms for antithesis- synonyms, antonyms and sentences with antithesis
Antithesis definition: opposition; contrast. See examples of ANTITHESIS used in a sentence.
Definition of antithesis noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... adjective antithetical (to something) A culture of violence is antithetical to the church's traditional teachings.
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word antithesis. Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms Rate these synonyms: 2.6 / 8 votes. antithesis. Synonyms: ... Adjective. Adverb. Translations for antithesis
ANTITHESIS definition: 1. the exact opposite: 2. a difference or opposition between two things: 3. the exact opposite: . Learn more.
Definition of antithesis noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Synonyms for ANTITHETICAL: contradictory, contrary, opposite, unfavorable, diametrical, diametric, polar, hostile; Antonyms of ANTITHETICAL: similar, analogous, like ...
The word "antithesis" has another meaning, which is to describe something as being the opposite of another thing. For example, "love is the antithesis of selfishness." ... The two clauses of the sentence are parallel because each starts off with an infinitive verb and ends with an adjective ("human" and "divine"). The mirroring of these ...
Synonyms of 'antithesis' in British English. antithesis. 1 (noun) in the sense of opposite. Definition. the exact opposite. She is the antithesis of the typical artist. Synonyms. opposite. She's very shy, but her sister is quite the opposite. contrast . reverse. There is absolutely no evidence. Quite the reverse.
4 meanings: 1. the exact opposite 2. contrast or opposition 3. rhetoric the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, phrases, or.... Click for more definitions.
ANTITHESIS meaning: 1. the exact opposite: 2. a difference or opposition between two things: 3. the exact opposite: . Learn more.
Find 92 different ways to say ANTITHESIS AND SYNTHESIS, along with antonyms, related words, and example sentences at Thesaurus.com.
antithesis - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free. ... many are not synonyms or translations): Hegelian dialectic - adversative - antigravity - antithetic - antithetical - classicism - contraposition - euphuism - figure of speech - opposite - self-antithesis. In Lists: ...
Synonym Discussion of Antithetical. being in direct and unequivocal opposition : directly opposite or opposed; constituting or marked by antithesis… See the full definition
Antithetical definition: of the nature of or involving antithesis. . See examples of ANTITHETICAL used in a sentence.