antithet means an antithetical or contrasted statement. It carries an Arena rating of 1556, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, antithet ranks #4,403 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #4,758 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #5,616 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #5,899 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
Why “antithet” is a great word
A statement deliberately set in sharp opposition to another. From Latin antithetum, from Ancient Greek ἀντίθετον (antítheton, 'that which is opposed'), a substantivization of the neuter form of ἀντίθετος (antíthetos, 'opposing, contrasting'). Unlike 'antithesis', which denotes the rhetorical device or abstract principle of contrast, or 'paradox', which implies a baffling logical contradiction, an antithet is the crystallized product of that opposition: the specific, articulated counter-statement itself. It is the cool marble against the warmth of polished wood, the silence that defines a previous shout, the bitter herb that sharpens the taste of honey—a recognition that meaning is often most fully grasped by its deliberate and clarifying opposite.
Etymology
From Latin antithetum, antitheton, from Ancient Greek ἀντίθετον (antítheton), substantivization of the neuter form of ἀντίθετος (antíthetos, “opposing, contrasting”).
noun
- An antithetical or contrasted statement.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.