Meanings
nounautoantonym (plural autoantonyms)
plural autoantonyms
- rareA word that has two opposing meanings.
Near-synonym: enantioseme
Synonyms: contronym, contranym, enantioseme
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA word that has two opposing meanings.
Also see
Origin
From auto- + antonym. Coined or reported as autantonym by Joseph T. Shipley in 1960.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
autoantonym. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autoantonym
MLA
“autoantonym.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autoantonym. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “autoantonym,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/autoantonym.
Source: autoantonym on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.