In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to the fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not the other pair member. For example, something that is long entails that it is not short. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members in a set of opposites. The relationship between opposites is known as opposition. A member of a pair of opposites can generally be determined by the question What is the opposite of X ?
being directly across from each other; facing; "And I on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarm"- Longfellow; "we lived on opposite sides of the street"; "at opposite poles"
antonym: a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other; "to him the antonym of `gay' was `depressed'"
moving or facing away from each other; "looking in opposite directions"; "they went in opposite directions
opposition: a contestant that you are matched against
Binary Opposition:
In critical theory, a binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of terms or concepts that are theoretical opposites. In structuralism, a binary opposition is seen as a fundamental organizer of human philosophy, culture, and language. In the community of philosophers and scholars, most believe that "unless a distinction can be made rigorous and precise it isn't really a distinction."
A list of opposites
after/before
answer/question
any/none
arrive/depart
behind/ahead
black/white
brave/cowardly
bright/dull
cold/hot
cool/warm
crazy/sane
curly/straight
dark/light
day/night
dim/bright
dumb/smart
easy/hard
every/none
everything/nothing
fact/fiction
famous/unknown
fast/slow
fat/thin
good/bad
girl/boy
grim/happy
happy/sad
hairy/bald
hard/easy
heavy/light
here/there
his/hers
hot/cold
hope/despair
huge/small
interesting/dull
kids/adults
kind/mean
length/width
lend/take
less/more
level/uneven
live/die
live/dead
long/short
lost/found
man/woman
many/few
men/women
near/far
neat/messy
never/always
nice/mean
odd/even
old/new
old/young
open/close
open/shut
ornate/simple
part/whole
past/present
perfect/flawed
pretty/ugly
prince/princess
pre/post
push/pull
quiet/noisy
quick/slow
ran/walked
remember/forget
rise/fall
rise/set
run/walk
sat/stood
save/spend
silly/serious
sit/stand
straight/wavy
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