Antonyms

Antonyms are words which express opposite meanings. They are found in binary relationships such as big/small, long/short and possible/impossible.  Antonyms are pairs in a set of opposites. They can be classified into three types- gradable, complementary and relational.

Gradable antonyms are antonyms with meanings which lie on a continuous spectrum. For example, hot and cold are gradable antonyms because they lie at extreme ends of the temperature spectrum. Between hot and cold we can add warm.

Complementary antonyms have meanings which do not lie on a continuous spectrum. The existence of one excludes the other. For example, dead and alive are complementary antonyms because they are the only words used to describe life. If A is dead, he/she cannot be alive and likewise if A is alive, he/she cannot be dead. Life and death cannot be expressed in degrees. Other examples of complementary antonyms include entrance/exit, off/on and occupied/vacant.

Relational antonyms express a relationship. The word student has no lexical opposite, but in the context of a relationship, the opposite is teacher.  Other examples include buy/sell, husband/wife and doctor/patient.

Antonyms are word pairs which express an incompatible relationship. One word in the pair entails that it is not the other. The relationship between the two words is known as opposition. Antonyms can be further divided into three types.