| antonym |
| Definition: A word that has the opposite meaning of another word in the same language. |
| Example: The word down is an antonym of the word up. |
| Etymology: The word antonym — which derives from the Greek anti, opposite + onym, name — was coined in 1870 specifically to serve as the antonym of the word synonym. It replaced the word counterterm. |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The word's first OED citation is from 1870: "The Etymology of the word … [Gk: antonymia] merely expresses the idea of one word in substitution for, which in matters of verbal debate, is equivalent practically to opposition to another; a double force which, in addition to its analogy to Synonym, seemed to render Antonym a preferable word to Counterterm ." (C. J. Smith Syn. & Antonyms Pref. 6 ) |