Vocabulary in context
SAT Vocabulary Workbook
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Antithesis
The direct opposite or contrast of something; a proposition or idea that stands in direct opposition to another.
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Imagine This
Professor X always has opposite views on his Ph.D. student's thesis, and people called him an antithesis.
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Sounds Like
an-TIH-thuh-sis
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Looks Like
anti-thesis
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Remember This
The prefix anti- means opposite; antithesis refers to a direct opposing idea or proposition.
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Other Forms
antitheticaladjective
antithesesnoun
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Connect With
contrast, juxtaposition, contradiction, opposition, foil
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Note
Used in rhetoric and literary analysis to describe a sharp contrast between two ideas or arguments. Not to be confused with merely a disagreement; antithesis emphasizes opposite or contrasting positions.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The novel presents a striking antithesis between innocence and corruption.
- In his speech, he set the antithesis of freedom against tyranny.
Synonyms
contrastoppositioncounterpointfoiljuxtaposition
Antonyms
synthesisconsonanceharmony
Etymology
From Greek anti- (against) + thesis (placing, proposition); entered English via Latin and French.
Mnemonic
Anti- means against; remember antithesis as the 'opposite thesis'—the direct opposite idea or statement.
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Fastidious
adjectiveVery particular about details; meticulous to the point of being hard to please.
Receptive
adjectiveWilling to consider or receive new ideas, signals, or feedback; open to information and influence.
Spontaneous
adjectiveProduced by a sudden inner impulse or without premeditation; happening naturally and unplanned; arising from within rather than being forced from without.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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