synonym for antithesis

Translations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day
• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

[ an- tith - uh -sis ]

the antithesis of right and wrong.

Her behavior was the very antithesis of cowardly.

Synonyms: reverse , opposite

• the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas, as in “Give me liberty or give me death.”
• the second sentence or part thus set in opposition, as “or give me death.”
• Philosophy. Hegelian dialectic

/ ænˈtɪθɪsɪs /

• the exact opposite
• contrast or opposition
• rhetoric the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, phrases, or words so as to produce an effect of balance, such as my words fly up, my thoughts remain below
• philosophy the second stage in the Hegelian dialectic contradicting the thesis before resolution by the synthesis

Discover More

Other words from.

• self-an·tithe·sis noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of antithesis 1

Example Sentences

In the Democratic primary in his home state, he was humiliated by his old antithesis Wallace, who beat him decisively.

It cannot be stressed enough that the behavior of the sitting president is the antithesis of the ideals of American democracy, institutions or peaceful transitions.

American Christians may have chosen cynicism in 2016, but cynicism is the antithesis of the Christian faith, and cynicism won’t have the final word in America, either.

The transhuman cannot exist outside of ubuntu, of course, which is the antithesis of the colonial order for a number of reasons.

Tesla’s being touted as a go-go player in the antithesis of a go-go sector.

Belle Knox is the antithesis of Jenna Jameson—and not just in looks.

To me this is the antithesis of what travel should be about.

Married at First Sight is the antithesis of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.

Yet its sound is the musical antithesis of a blended Frappuccino.

Now Joffrey, the Starks' black-hearted antithesis, has met a similar fate.

If you did fail, you would try Exclusion, and you would find nothing which is the antithesis of the area of New York.

Thus seen, socialism appeared as the very antithesis of law and order, of love and chastity, and of religion itself.

There is, however, but little danger of overdoing the parallel construction where there is no antithesis.

Nor is it to be wondered at, if we consider the antithesis which is presented to their usual mode of life.

He is a sentimental Classicist, and his subjects the antithesis of the Grco-Roman ideal to which he does homage in his technique.

• ABBREVIATIONS
• BIOGRAPHIES
• CALCULATORS
• CONVERSIONS
• DEFINITIONS

  Vocabulary      

What is another word for antithesis ?

Synonyms for antithesis ænˈtɪθ ə sɪs; -ˌsiz an·tithe·sis, this thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word antithesis ., complete dictionary of synonyms and antonyms rate these synonyms: 2.6 / 8 votes.

Synonyms: contrast , opposition , contradiction , antagonism

Antonyms: identity , sameness , convertibility , coincidence , coalescence

Princeton's WordNet

• antithesis noun

exact opposite

"his theory is the antithesis of mine"

the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance

Matched Categories

• Rhetorical Device

Dictionary of English Synonymes Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

Synonyms: ( Rhet. ) contrast , opposition

Suggested Resources

Song lyrics by antithesis -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by antithesis on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce antithesis?

How to say antithesis in sign language, words popularity by usage frequency.

How to use antithesis in a sentence?

Associated Press/GoFundMe/Facebook -RRB- Ramirez :

Presuming the guilt of a young man found innocent by a jury of of his peers is the antithesis of standing for a fair criminal justice system, that JMU allowed this to take place on their official social media accounts, to say nothing of the blatant misinformation, is egregious.

Dennis Moss :

Harriet Tubman was the antithesis of slavery, i thought that suggestion was a good suggestion.

Eugene Tan :

The PAP will now have to deal with much stronger pressures for populist policies, such as higher taxes for a larger swathe of income-earners and nationalistic manpower policy as well as more social spending, which are very often the antithesis of the ruling party's core policies for the past 50 years.

Bo Counts :

How do you social distance in a place that is the antithesis of social distancing? And if you can't, how do you survive? that's the big question a lot of us in this business in Arkansas have been asking ourselves.

District Judge Dabney Friedrich :

Mr. Reffitt's reluctance to admit early that Guy Reffitt behavior is illegal is concerning, and I want to be very clear... under no legitimate definition of the term' patriot'( does) Mr. Reffitt's behavior on and around January 6 fit the term. It is the antithesis of the word.

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Style: MLA Chicago APA

"antithesis." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 17 Jun 2024. < https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/antithesis >.

Discuss these antithesis synonyms with the community:

Report Comment

We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe. If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.

You need to be logged in to favorite .

Create a new account.

Your name: * Required

Your email address: * Required

Pick a user name: * Required

Username: * Required

Password: * Required

Forgot your password?    Retrieve it

Are we missing a good synonym for antithesis ?

Image credit, the web's largest resource for, synonyms & antonyms, a member of the stands4 network, free, no signup required :, add to chrome, add to firefox, browse synonyms.com, are you a human thesaurus, which of the following terms is not a synonym of "shopsoiled", nearby & related entries:.

• antitechnological
• antiterrorism
• antiterrorist
• antithetic adj
• antithetical adj
• antithyroid adj
• antitrade noun
• antitrade wind noun

Alternative searches for antithesis :

• Search for antithesis on Amazon

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

Definition of antithesis noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• Love is the antithesis of selfishness.
• Students finishing their education at 16 is the very antithesis of what society needs.
• The current establishment is the antithesis of democracy.
• antithesis between
• antithesis of

Join our community to access the latest language learning and assessment tips from Oxford University Press!

• There is an antithesis between the needs of the state and the needs of the people.
• the sharp antithesis between their views

Nearby words

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of antithesis in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

• antithetical
• anything but idiom
• countervailing force
• diametrical
• dichotomist
• dichotomous
• or otherwise idiom

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Related word

Antithesis | intermediate english, examples of antithesis, translations of antithesis.

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

desertification

the process by which land changes into desert, for example because there has been too much farming activity on it or because a lot of trees have been cut down

Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• English    Noun
• Intermediate    Noun
• Translations
• All translations

To add antithesis to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add antithesis to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Antithesis Definition

What is antithesis? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Antithesis is a figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures. For instance, Neil Armstrong used antithesis when he stepped onto the surface of the moon in 1969 and said, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." This is an example of antithesis because the two halves of the sentence mirror each other in grammatical structure, while together the two halves emphasize the incredible contrast between the individual experience of taking an ordinary step, and the extraordinary progress that Armstrong's step symbolized for the human race.

Some additional key details about antithesis:

• Antithesis works best when it is used in conjunction with parallelism (successive phrases that use the same grammatical structure), since the repetition of structure makes the contrast of the content of the phrases as clear as possible.
• The word "antithesis" has another meaning, which is to describe something as being the opposite of another thing. For example, "love is the antithesis of selfishness." This guide focuses only on antithesis as a literary device.
• The word antithesis has its origins in the Greek word antithenai , meaning "to oppose." The plural of antithesis is antitheses.

How to Pronounce Antithesis

Here's how to pronounce antithesis: an- tith -uh-sis

Antithesis and Parallelism

Often, but not always, antithesis works in tandem with parallelism . In parallelism, two components of a sentence (or pair of sentences) mirror one another by repeating grammatical elements. The following is a good example of both antithesis and parallelism:

To err is human , to forgive divine .

The two clauses of the sentence are parallel because each starts off with an infinitive verb and ends with an adjective ("human" and "divine"). The mirroring of these elements then works to emphasize the contrast in their content, particularly in the very strong opposite contrast between "human" and "divine."

Antithesis Without Parallelism

In most cases, antitheses involve parallel elements of the sentence—whether a pair of nouns, verbs, adjectives, or other grammar elements. However, it is also possible to have antithesis without such clear cut parallelism. In the Temptations Song "My Girl," the singer uses antithesis when he says:

"When it's cold outside , I've got the month of May ."

Here the sentence is clearly cut into two clauses on either side of the comma, and the contrasting elements are clear enough. However, strictly speaking there isn't true parallelism here because "cold outside" and "month of May" are different types of grammatical structures (an adjective phrase and a noun phrase, respectively).

Antithesis vs. Related Terms

Three literary terms that are often mistakenly used in the place of antithesis are juxtaposition , oxymoron , and foil . Each of these three terms does have to do with establishing a relationship of difference between two ideas or characters in a text, but beyond that there are significant differences between them.

Antithesis vs. Juxtaposition

In juxtaposition , two things or ideas are placed next to one another to draw attention to their differences or similarities. In juxtaposition, the pairing of two ideas is therefore not necessarily done to create a relationship of opposition or contradiction between them, as is the case with antithesis. So, while antithesis could be a type of juxtaposition, juxtaposition is not always antithesis.

Antithesis vs. Oxymoron

In an oxymoron , two seemingly contradictory words are placed together because their unlikely combination reveals a deeper truth. Some examples of oxymorons include:

• Sweet sorrow
• Cruel kindness
• Living dead

The focus of antithesis is opposites rather than contradictions . While the words involved in oxymorons seem like they don't belong together (until you give them deeper thought), the words or ideas of antithesis do feel like they belong together even as they contrast as opposites. Further, antitheses seldom function by placing the two words or ideas right next to one another, so antitheses are usually made up of more than two words (as in, "I'd rather be among the living than among the dead").

Antithesis vs. Foil

Some Internet sources use "antithesis" to describe an author's decision to create two characters in a story that are direct opposites of one another—for instance, the protagonist and antagonist . But the correct term for this kind of opposition is a foil : a person or thing in a work of literature that contrasts with another thing in order to call attention to its qualities. While the sentence "the hare was fast, and the tortoise was slow" is an example of antithesis, if we step back and look at the story as a whole, the better term to describe the relationship between the characters of the tortoise and the hare is "foil," as in, "The character of the hare is a foil of the tortoise."

Antithesis Examples

Antithesis in literature.

Below are examples of antithesis from some of English literature's most acclaimed writers — and a comic book!

Antithesis in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

In the famous opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities , Dickens sets out a flowing list of antitheses punctuated by the repetition of the word "it was" at the beginning of each clause (which is itself an example of the figure of speech anaphora ). By building up this list of contrasts, Dickens sets the scene of the French Revolution that will serve as the setting of his tale by emphasizing the division and confusion of the era. The overwhelming accumulation of antitheses is also purposefully overdone; Dickens is using hyperbole to make fun of the "noisiest authorities" of the day and their exaggerated claims. The passage contains many examples of antithesis, each consisting of one pair of contrasting ideas that we've highlighted to make the structure clearer.

It was the best of times , it was the worst of times , it was the age of wisdom , it was the age of foolishness , it was the epoch of belief , it was the epoch of incredulity , it was the season of Light , it was the season of Darkness , it was the spring of hope , it was the winter of despair , we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven , we were all going direct the other way —in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Antithesis in John Milton's Paradise Lost

In this verse from Paradise Lost , Milton's anti-hero , Satan, claims he's happier as the king of Hell than he could ever have been as a servant in Heaven. He justifies his rebellion against God with this pithy phrase, and the antithesis drives home the double contrast between Hell and Heaven, and between ruling and serving.

Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Othello

As the plot of Othello nears its climax , the antagonist of the play, Iago, pauses for a moment to acknowledge the significance of what is about to happen. Iago uses antithesis to contrast the two opposite potential outcomes of his villainous plot: either events will transpire in Iago's favor and he will come out on top, or his treachery will be discovered, ruining him.

This is the night That either makes me or fordoes me quite .

In this passage, the simple word "either" functions as a cue for the reader to expect some form of parallelism, because the "either" signals that a contrast between two things is coming.

Antithesis in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Shakespeare's plays are full of antithesis, and so is Hamlet's most well-known "To be or not to be" soliloquy . This excerpt of the soliloquy is a good example of an antithesis that is not limited to a single word or short phrase. The first instance of antithesis here, where Hamlet announces the guiding question (" to be or not to be ") is followed by an elaboration of each idea ("to be" and "not to be") into metaphors that then form their own antithesis. Both instances of antithesis hinge on an " or " that divides the two contrasting options.

To be or not to be , that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them ...

Antithesis in T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets"

In this excerpt from his poem "Four Quartets," T.S. Eliot uses antithesis to describe the cycle of life, which is continuously passing from beginning to end, from rise to fall, and from old to new.

In my beginning is my end . In succession Houses rise and fall , crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass. Old stone to new building , old timber to new fires ...

Antithesis in Green Lantern's Oath

Comic book writers know the power of antithesis too! In this catchy oath, Green Lantern uses antithesis to emphasize that his mission to defeat evil will endure no matter the conditions.

In brightest day , in blackest night , No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power—Green lantern's light!

While most instances of antithesis are built around an "or" that signals the contrast between the two parts of the sentence, the Green Lantern oath works a bit differently. It's built around an implied "and" (to be technical, that first line of the oath is an asyndeton that replaces the "and" with a comma), because members of the Green Lantern corps are expressing their willingness to fight evil in all places, even very opposite environments.

Antithesis in Speeches

Many well-known speeches contain examples of antithesis. Speakers use antithesis to drive home the stakes of what they are saying, sometimes by contrasting two distinct visions of the future.

Antithesis in Patrick Henry's Speech to the Second Virginia Convention, 1775

This speech by famous American patriot Patrick Henry includes one of the most memorable and oft-quoted phrases from the era of the American Revolution. Here, Henry uses antithesis to emphasize just how highly he prizes liberty, and how deadly serious he is about his fight to achieve it.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take: but as for me, give me liberty or give me death .

Antithesis in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Oberlin Commencement Address

In this speech by one of America's most well-known orators, antithesis allows Martin Luther King Jr. to highlight the contrast between two visions of the future; in the first vision, humans rise above their differences to cooperate with one another, while in the other humanity is doomed by infighting and division.

We must all learn to live together as brothers —or we will all perish together as fools .

Antithesis in Songs

In songs, contrasting two opposite ideas using antithesis can heighten the dramatic tension of a difficult decision, or express the singer's intense emotion—but whatever the context, antithesis is a useful tool for songwriters mainly because opposites are always easy to remember, so lyrics that use antithesis tend to stick in the head.

Antithesis in "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash (1981)

In this song by The Clash, the speaker is caught at a crossroads between two choices, and antithesis serves as the perfect tool to express just how confused and conflicted he is. The rhetorical question —whether to stay or to go—presents two opposing options, and the contrast between his lover's mood from one day (when everything is "fine") to the next (when it's all "black") explains the difficulty of his choice.

One day it's fine and next it's black So if you want me off your back Well, come on and let me know Should I stay or should I go ? Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble If I stay it will be double ...

Antithesis in "My Girl" by the Temptations (1965)

In this song, the singer uses a pair of metaphors to describe the feeling of joy that his lover brings him. This joy is expressed through antithesis, since the singer uses the miserable weather of a cloudy, cold day as the setting for the sunshine-filled month of May that "his girl" makes him feel inside, emphasizing the power of his emotions by contrasting them with the bleak weather.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside I've got the month of May Well I guess you'd say, What can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl Talkin' bout my girl.

Why Do Writers Use Antithesis?

Fundamentally, writers of all types use antithesis for its ability to create a clear contrast. This contrast can serve a number of purposes, as shown in the examples above. It can:

• Present a stark choice between two alternatives.
• Convey magnitude or range (i.e. "in brightest day, in darkest night" or "from the highest mountain, to the deepest valley").
• Express strong emotions.
• Create a relationship of opposition between two separate ideas.
• Accentuate the qualities and characteristics of one thing by placing it in opposition to another.

Whatever the case, antithesis almost always has the added benefit of making language more memorable to listeners and readers. The use of parallelism and other simple grammatical constructions like "either/or" help to establish opposition between concepts—and opposites have a way of sticking in the memory.

Other Helpful Antithesis Resources

• The Wikipedia page on Antithesis : A useful summary with associated examples, along with an extensive account of antithesis in the Gospel of Matthew.
• Sound bites from history : A list of examples of antithesis in famous political speeches from United States history — with audio clips!
• A blog post on antithesis : This quick rundown of antithesis focuses on a quote you may know from Muhammad Ali's philosophy of boxing: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

• PDFs for all 136 Lit Terms we cover
• Downloads of 1944 LitCharts Lit Guides
• Teacher Editions for every Lit Guide
• Explanations and citation info for 40,985 quotes across 1944 books
• Downloadable (PDF) line-by-line translations of every Shakespeare play
• Climax (Figure of Speech)
• Figure of Speech
• Juxtaposition
• Parallelism
• Protagonist
• Rhetorical Question
• Blank Verse
• Anachronism
• Extended Metaphor
• Internal Rhyme
• Dynamic Character
• Foreshadowing
• Verbal Irony
• Round Character
• Anadiplosis
• Common Meter
• Slant Rhyme
• End-Stopped Line
• Onomatopoeia
• Static Character

ANTITHESIS Crossword Clue & Answer

All solutions for antithesis, top answers for: antithesis.

Top answer for ANTITHESIS crossword clue from newspapers

Definition of antithesis.

• exact opposite; "his theory is the antithesis of mine"; the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance

ANTITHESIS Crossword puzzle solutions

69 Solutions - 1 Top suggestions & 68 further suggestions. We have 69 solutions for the frequently searched for crossword lexicon term ANTITHESIS. Furthermore and additionally we have 68 Further solutions for this paraphrase.

For the puzzel question ANTITHESIS we have solutions for the following word lenghts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 16.

Your user suggestion for ANTITHESIS

Find for us the 70nth solution for ANTITHESIS and send it to our e-mail (crossword-at-the-crossword-solver com) with the subject "New solution suggestion for ANTITHESIS". Do you have an improvement for our crossword puzzle solutions for ANTITHESIS, please send us an e-mail with the subject: "Suggestion for improvement on solution to ANTITHESIS".

Frequently asked questions for antithesis:

What is the best solution to the riddle antithesis.

Solution OPPOSITE is our most searched for solution by our visitors. Solution OPPOSITE is 8 letters long. We have 11 further solutions of the same word length.

How many solutions do we have for the crossword puzzle ANTITHESIS?

We have 69 solutions to the crossword puzzle ANTITHESIS. The longest solution is MISUNDERSTANDING with 16 letters and the shortest solution is CON with 3 letters.

How can I find the solution for the term ANTITHESIS?

With help from our search you can look for words of a certain length. Our intelligent search sorts between the most frequent solutions and the most searched for questions. You can completely free of charge search through several million solutions to hundreds of thousands of crossword puzzle questions.

How many letters long are the solutions for ANTITHESIS?

The lenght of the solutions is between 3 and 16 letters. In total we have solutions for 13 word lengths.

More clues you might be interested in

• big drop of water
• sitting duck, sometimes
• english explorer
• physical power
• take for granted
• scottish island group
• explorer sir francis
• ineffectual
• made possible
• appointed group
• pamplona parlor
• diner employee
• subsidiary proposition
• Legal Notice
• Missing Link
• Made with love from Mark & Crosswordsolver.com

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day
• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

adjective as in not strong

Strongest matches

anemic , feeble , fragile , frail , hesitant , powerless , shaky , sickly , sluggish , uncertain , unsteady , weakened , wobbly

Weak matches

debilitated , decrepit , delicate , effete , enervated , epicene , exhausted , faint , flaccid , flimsy , forceless , impuissant , infirm , insubstantial , irresolute , lackadaisical , languid , languorous , limp , makeshift , out of gas , prostrate , puny , rickety , rocky , rotten , senile , spent , spindly , supine , torpid , undependable , unsound , unsubstantial , wasted , wavering , weakly

adjective as in cowardly

hesitant , indecisive , ineffectual , insecure , nervous , powerless , shaky , soft , uncertain , unstable , wobbly

faint-hearted , fluctuant , frightened , impotent , infirm , irresolute , nerveless , spineless , timorous , undependable , unreliable , unsure , vacillating , wavering , weak-kneed , wimpy , wishy-washy , zero

adjective as in faint, soft

dull , feeble , low , poor , quiet , small , thin

bated , dim , distant , gentle , imperceptible , inaudible , indistinct , muffled , pale , reedy , slight , stifled , unaccented , unstressed , whispered

adjective as in deficient, feeble

immature , inadequate , incomplete , ineffective , ineffectual , inept , lacking , limited , poor , shaky , slim , small , thin

faulty , flabby , flimsy , forceless , green , hollow , implausible , impotent , improbable , incompetent , inconceivable , inconclusive , incredible , invalid , pathetic , raw , shallow , slight , spineless , substandard , thick , unbelievable , unconvincing , unprepared , unqualified , unsatisfactory , unsubstantial , unsure , untrained , wanting

adjective as in exposed, vulnerable

accessible , assailable , defenseless , helpless , indefensible , unguarded , unprotected , unsafe , untenable , wide-open , woundable

adjective as in watered-down

Strongest match

dilute , diluted , insipid , milk-and-water , runny , tasteless , washy , waterish , watery , wishy-washy

Discover More

Example sentences.

He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.

A meta-analysis of 426 studies found only weak effects of anti-bias training on both implicit and explicit biases.

Lowe’s has long been derided as a weaker version of its bigger rival Home Depot.

The idea became more plausible in the 1970s, after physicists discovered that massive particles carry the weak and strong forces.

Another victim of the weak advertising market, ViacomCBS reported a 27% decline in ad revenue in its second quarter.

They even released a (pretty damn weak) hip-hop song on SoundCloud recounting their antics.

Instead of being strong and resilient, bones become weak and brittle.

A lot of people think females are too weak for the job, but I know that all the men she worked with saw her as one of the guys.

Alas, his soul is willing, but his flesh is weak and he whiffs.

The paperwork was spotless: he had died in transit, the conjunction of a weak heart and long trip.

First Impressions are usually vivid but the power to revive them is weak—a poor memory.

First Impressions are usually weak but the power to revive them is strong—still a poor memory.

But the nasty part of the whole thing was, that Haggard had won eleven thousand pounds from a weak-headed boy.

He shut his fist and hit Butterface a weak but well intended right-hander on the nose.

But in her first rage Mrs. Charmington had been weak enough to let out that the prince had called young Mrs. Haggard "lovely."

Related Words

Words related to weak are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word weak . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

adjective as in not feeling well

• debilitated
• feeling awful
• sick as a dog
• under the weather

adjective as in anxious, fearful

• biting nails
• butterflies
• feel in bones
• have a hunch
• have cold feet
• have funny feeling
• have stage fright
• in a cold sweat
• in a dither
• lily-livered
• mistrustful
• running scared
• worried sick

adjective as in open to attack

• conquerable
• defenseless
• undefendable

adjective as in vulnerable

• susceptible
• unprotected

adjective as in sick

Viewing 5 / 192 related words

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for weak .

Weak means not strong.

A synonym for weak in the context of physical strength is feeble . A person might also be considered weak as in cowardly or easily defeated .

Something that can easily break can be described as fragile or delicate .

When a sick or very tired person says they feel weak , it means they have no energy. A person who’s very ill and generally weak in this way might be described as frail .

When weak means lacking in force, effectiveness, or support, synonyms are ineffectual and poor , as in That’s a weak/poor excuse .

In the context of sounds, weak is used to mean faint , soft , and quiet . A weak sound might be one that’s indistinct , thin , or muffled .

A very informal slang term that can mean the same thing as weak is weak sauce .

To become weak is to weaken . A specific way of being weak is a weakness . Other terms for this are weak point , vulnerability , and soft spot . These terms often suggest a flaw that can allow someone or something to be defeated, attacked, exploited. An expression that means this is Achilles heel .

What is the opposite (antonym) of weak ?

The direct and commonly used opposite of weak is strong .

Strong can be used as the opposite of weak in most contexts, such as a person’s physical strength, the effectiveness of an argument, the flavor of a drink, etc.

Other antonyms for weak include hearty and healthy (when weak means ill or frail ), bold and brave (when weak means cowardly ), and loud (when weak means faint or quiet ).

How do you spell weak ?

Weak as in lacking strength is spelled with ea . Week as in the period of seven days is spelled with ee. You can remember this because seven also has two e ’s.

On this page you'll find 381 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to weak, such as: anemic, feeble, fragile, frail, hesitant, and powerless.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

preposition

• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Definition of opposite

 (Entry 1 of 4)

Definition of opposite  (Entry 2 of 4)

Definition of opposite  (Entry 3 of 4)

Definition of opposite  (Entry 4 of 4)

• antithetical
• contradictory
• diametrical

opposite , contradictory , contrary , antithetical mean being so far apart as to be or seem irreconcilable.

opposite applies to things in sharp contrast or in conflict.

contradictory applies to two things that completely negate each other so that if one is true or valid the other must be untrue or invalid.

contrary implies extreme divergence or diametrical opposition.

antithetical stresses clear and unequivocal diametrical opposition.

Examples of opposite in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opposite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin oppositus, from past participle of oppōnere "to place (over or against), place as an obstacle, set in opposition to, argue in reply" — more at oppose

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin oppositus, noun derivative from past participle of oppōnere "to place (over or against), place as an obstacle, set in opposition to, argue in reply" — more at oppose

derivative of opposite entry 1

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

1667, in the meaning defined above

1758, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing opposite

• diametrically opposite
• exact opposite
• opposite number
• opposite / other extreme
• opposite sex
• the opposite sex
• the other / opposite / flip side of the coin

Articles Related to opposite

Uncommon Opposites

Word Matters, Episode 86

Which Word Does Not Belong?

For each set of words, can you tell which one is not a synonym of all the others?

Words That are Their Own Opposites

Dictionary entries near opposite.

opposing train

opposite lady

Cite this Entry

“Opposite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opposite. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of opposite.

Kids Definition of opposite  (Entry 2 of 4)

Kids Definition of opposite  (Entry 3 of 4)

Kids Definition of opposite  (Entry 4 of 4)

More from Merriam-Webster on opposite

Nglish: Translation of opposite for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of opposite for Arabic Speakers

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More commonly misspelled words, your vs. you're: how to use them correctly, every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, more commonly mispronounced words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), popular in wordplay, 8 words for lesser-known musical instruments, birds say the darndest things, 10 words from taylor swift songs (merriam's version), 10 scrabble words without any vowels, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), games & quizzes.