contronym

C3O1N1T1R1O1N1Y4M3

noun

A word that has two opposing meanings, such as cleave (“stick together” or “split apart”).

“Near-synonym: enantioseme”

Similar
autoantonymantagonymJanus wordenantioseme
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nouncontronym (plural contronyms)

plural contronyms

  1. A word that has two opposing meanings, such as cleave (“stick together” or “split apart”).

    Near-synonym: enantioseme

    Synonyms: autoantonym, antagonym, Janus word, enantioseme

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA word that has two opposing meanings, such as cleave (“stick together” or “split apart”).

Similar
autoantonymantagonymJanus wordenantioseme
Also see
autoantonymenantiosemeself-antonym

Origin

From contr(a)- + -onym. Coined 1962 by Jack Herring. Note that the vowel of the suffix generally supersedes the vowel of the prefix, hence coined as contronym, rather than contranym.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic أَضْدَاد
  • أَضْدَاد (ʔaḍdād)a word that has two opposing meanings
Catalan autoantònim
  • autoantònima word that has two opposing meanings
Finnish kontranyymi
  • kontranyymia word that has two opposing meanings
French énantiosème
  • énantiosèmea word that has two opposing meanings
German Januswort, Antagonym
  • Janusworta word that has two opposing meanings
  • Antagonyma word that has two opposing meanings
  • Autoantonyma word that has two opposing meanings
  • Kontranyma word that has two opposing meanings
Hungarian antagonima, kontronima
  • antagonimaa word that has two opposing meanings
  • kontronimaa word that has two opposing meanings
Polish autoantonim, kontranim
  • autoantonima word that has two opposing meanings
  • kontranima word that has two opposing meanings
Spanish autoantónimo, contránimo
  • autoantónimoa word that has two opposing meanings
  • contránimoa word that has two opposing meanings
  • contrónimoa word that has two opposing meanings
Swedish autoantonym, kontronym
  • autoantonyma word that has two opposing meanings
  • kontronyma word that has two opposing meanings
Cite this entry
APA

contronym. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contronym

MLA

“contronym.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contronym. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “contronym,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/contronym.

Source: contronym on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.