The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship. Complementary antonyms, like on and off, cannot be true at the same time. Gradable antonyms show opposite amounts of the same quality, like big and small, which describe different sizes. Relational antonyms show opposite roles in the same relationship, like teacher and student.
- Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, like hot and cold, good and bad, and happy and sad.
- The synonyms ascribe and assign are sometimes interchangeable, but ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.
- [‘əˈsaɪn’] give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person).
- Contronyms are words that have multiple meanings, and some of those meanings are antonyms of each other.
- Antonyms are best used in comparisons to draw attention to what separates two opposing things.
- We go into full detail and explain the different types and when to use them.
For example, bugs are usually small, so when you mention a “giant bug,” the contrast makes the phrase stronger. Sometimes the best way to describe something is to explain what it isn’t. Using antonyms with a negative can add new dimensions to your descriptions and improve your writing’s word choice. Essentially, the word dust means both to “add dust” and “remove dust.” This contrast in definitions makes it a contronym. You can find more examples in our article on verb contronyms.
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, an antonym of day is night, and an antonym of on is off. Antithesis is a literary device that directly harnesses the power of opposites by placing them next to or near each other. As mentioned above, antonyms draw attention to what makes things different, making each word seem stronger. Antithesis takes this to the next level by putting antonyms together. Always look for opportunities to use antithesis when you revise your writing.
Can you solve 4 words at once?
In this way, antonyms can enhance your persuasive writing by strengthening your descriptive words and challenging your reader’s expectations. This is because big and small are opposites; the synonym of big is large because big and large mean the same thing. If you “assign” users to an operator, you may “remove” users from the operator. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, like hot and cold, good and bad, and happy and sad. When we say antonyms are opposites, that’s a bit general. There are different types of opposites and so different types of antonyms.
Types of antonyms
Knowing how to use antonyms can improve your writing and English skills, but some details need to be explained. Below we answer the question, What are antonyms? We go into full detail and explain the different types and when to use them.
Thesaurus Entries Near assign
In some situations, the words credit and assign are roughly equivalent. However, credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation. [‘əˈsaɪn’] give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person).
The designs of Russia have long been proverbial; but the exercise of the new art of printing may assign them new features. Renee Richardson knows she’ll likely never be able to assign blame for her son’s death—she’s done fighting for assign antonym that. When we assign a primitive “not me” status to another individual or social group, it can—and does—take us down a destructive path. Now the Kremlin will assign more loyal people to rule the region, mostly military leaders.