Agency Dictionary

Antithesis

nounPronunciation: /ænˈtɪθ.ə.sɪs/

In Portuguese: Antítese

What does “Antithesis” mean?

A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.

Etymology

From Late Latin antithesis, from Greek antithesis, "opposition", from antitithenai, "to set against", formed from anti ("against") and tithenai ("to place"). English took the word in the 16th century as a term of rhetoric for the setting of contrasted ideas in parallel phrases. The sense of a person or thing that is the direct opposite of another came afterwards. The plural is antitheses.

Usage note

Stressed on the second syllable (an-TITH-uh-sis). It is followed by of or to: the antithesis of everything he stood for.

Synonyms

opposite
contrary
reverse
converse
inverse
contrast

Often confused with

paradox: An antithesis sets two opposed ideas side by side; a paradox is a single statement that seems to contradict itself and may still be true.

Word family

antithetical
antithetically
thesis
synthesis

Usage examples

I felt the urge to be an antithesis of what he represented.
Creative.11 - Thiago Patriota
I realise today that Goebbels, the chief propagandist of the Nazi Party, was my first contact with communication, not because I admired his work but precisely, fundamentally and truthfully because I felt the urge to be an antithesis of what he represented.

Concepts

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Words of the same theme

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Discursiveadjective: Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
quotationnoun: A group of words taken verbatim from a published text or speech and repeated by another author.
verbatimadjective: In exactly the same words as the original, word for word. Said of a quotation or a transcription that changes nothing.
rhetoricnoun: The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
Tangibleadjective: Perceptible by the sense of touch or capable of being physically grasped and measured in concrete physical reality. It distinguishes concrete material products from virtual or intellectual entities.
literary devicenoun: A technique that a writer uses to produce a particular effect or to convey meaning, such as metaphor, irony, repetition, quotation or aphorism.
Holisticadjective: Characterized by the comprehension of parts as intimately interconnected and explicable only in reference to the whole.

Also from these editions: terms

paperweightnoun: A small, heavy object placed on loose sheets of paper to prevent them from scattering or blowing away.
omissionnoun: The intentional or accidental act of leaving something out or excluding details from a statement or text.
Treatisenoun: A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
Maximnoun: A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
Resiliencenoun: The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.
briefingnoun: A concise set of instructions or background information provided to guide a project or creative assignment.
aestheticsnoun: A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
anesthetizedadjective: Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.
Authenticitynoun: The quality of being real, genuine, and true to one's own character or stated origins.
Catharticadjective: Providing psychological relief through the open expression and release of strong or repressed emotions.
helmnoun: The wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered. Figuratively, the position of control or leadership.
numbnessnoun: The state of being unable to feel or react, in the body or, figuratively, in the mind and the will.