Contronyms

Can A Word Be Its Own Opposite?

Yes! They are called Contronyms— words that are their own antonyms, depending on usage.

Here are a few examples

Dust : can mean ‘to add fine particles’ or ‘to remove fine particles’.

Left :can mean both ‘remaining’ and ‘departed’.

Off : can mean both ‘activated’ and ‘deactivated’.

Eg:- “Set off” - Activated “ Switch off - Deactivated

Oversight : means both ‘watchful care’ and ‘an inadvertent error’.

Screen : can mean both ‘to show’ and ‘to hide’.

Sanction - can mean both ‘a penalty for disobeying a law’ and ‘official permission or approval for an action.

See more examples