Editing Opposite (section)

{{short description|Linguistic concept}}
{{Redirect|Opposites|other uses|Opposite (disambiguation)}}
In [[lexical semantics]], '''opposites''' are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is ''even'' entails that it is not ''odd''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members in a set of opposites. The relationship between opposites is known as '''opposition'''. A member of a pair of opposites can generally be determined by the question: "What is the opposite of ''X''{{-?}}"

The term '''antonym''' (and the related '''antonymy''') is commonly taken to be synonymous with opposite, but antonym also has other more restricted meanings. Graded (or gradable) antonyms are word pairs whose meanings are opposite and which lie on a continuous spectrum (''hot'', ''cold''). Complementary antonyms are word pairs whose meanings are opposite but whose meanings do not lie on a continuous spectrum (''push'', ''pull''). [[Relational antonym]]s are word pairs where opposite makes sense only in the context of the relationship between the two meanings (''teacher'', ''pupil''). These more restricted meanings may not apply in all scholarly contexts, with Lyons (1968, 1977) defining antonym to mean gradable antonyms, and Crystal (2003) warning that antonymy and antonym should be regarded with care.