Subscriber login
Password
Forgot your password?
Library card login
Login with Shibboleth® »
Login with Athens »
Close menu
Oxford Dictionaries Online
The world's most trusted dictionaries
About
Subscriber services
What's new
Contact us
Help
Subscribe now
Already a subscriber or in a subscribing organization?
Login
Dictionary
Other language resources
US English
World English
Dictionary
Better writing
World of words
Puzzles and games
For children and schools
For learners of English
Email
Cite
contronym
(con|tro|nym)
Pronunciation:
/ˈkɒntrənɪm/
(also
contranym
)
noun
a word with two opposite meanings, e.g.
sanction
(which can mean both ‘a penalty for disobeying a law’ and ‘official permission or approval for an action’).
Origin:
1960s
: blend of
contra-
and
-onym
, on the pattern of
synonym
and
antonym
More words in this category
-eme
aleph
baby talk
classifier
denominal
etymologize
filler
1
function word
glossary
Grimm
Hebraism
interlingual
monogenesis
monosyllable
rankshift
set phrase
subaudition
vowel point
Nearby Words
control
control account
control character
control freak
control key
control rod
control tower
controller
controlling interest
contronym
controversial
controversy
controvert
contumacious
contumacy
contumelious
contumely
contuse
contusion