antithesis

noun an·tith·e·sis \ an-ˈti-thə-səs \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Examples: antithesis in a Sentence

Definition of antithesis

plural antitheses play \-ˌsēz\

1 a : the direct opposite

Her temperament is the very antithesis of mine.

b (1) : the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentences (as in "action, not words" or "they promised freedom and provided slavery")

(2) : opposition, contrast

the antithesis of prose and verse

c : the second of two opposing words, clauses, or sentences that are being rhetorically contrasted

2 philosophy : the second stage of a dialectical process

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Examples of antithesis in a Sentence

In urban areas, middle schools often became the antithesis of what reformers had intended. Instead of warm incubators of independence and judgment, they became impersonal, oppressive institutions. —Claudia Wallis, Time, 8 Aug. 2005
Yet the newest residential rage in Dallas is the antithesis of the traditional neighborhood: the gated community. Depending on your income and level of anxiety, these private enclaves may contain golf courses, health clubs and equestrian centers … —Paul McFedries, Word Spy, 2004
Cato, who dosed his family on cabbage soup, derided Greek physicians as the antithesis of Roman virtue: they were frauds who cheated patients and 'have sworn to kill all barbarians with their drugs'. —Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, 1997
true love for another is the antithesis of the desire to control that person's life

Recent Examples of antithesis from the Web

Sprawl’s antithesis—the compressing of populations into increasingly dense urban cores—also has a host of problems.

— anthony alofsin, The Atlantic, "A Defense of the Suburbs," 6 June 2018
Historically, Microsoft has represented the antithesis of the open-source idea.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Microsoft Is Buying GitHub: What Does That Mean?," 4 June 2018
Vince Neil, the crown prince of party-hearty rock, is the antithesis of Underoath.

— bill brownlee, kansascity, "Rockfest at the Kansas Speedway draws 30,000 — a big, loud, happy family," 3 June 2018
By contrast, Croatia were the antithesis of politics.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 5 Weeks to Go Croatia Win Bronze Thanks to Their Golden Boy Davor Šuker," 19 May 2018
This is the antithesis of the polarization, the aggressive nationalism, the identity politics that have grown so common of late.

— katie reilly, Time, "'Fight Our Tribal Mindset.' Read Justin Trudeau's Commencement Address to NYU Graduates," 16 May 2018
Perhaps what makes Longshore's space so delightful is that the environment is the antithesis of the typical austere gallery.

— devin alessio, ELLE Decor, "This Artist's Studio Is Nothing Short Of Sparkling," 2 Aug. 2016
My experience, and that of Schneiderman’s victims, are the antithesis of how BDSM is truly practiced.

— jessica wakeman, Glamour, "Don't Use My Kink as a Cover for Your Abuse," 9 May 2018
And then there is her famous friendship with the expansive Antonin Scalia, her legal and temperamental antithesis, which is a wonder to behold.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "'RBG' is a love letter to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'antithesis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Writers and speechmakers use the traditional pattern known as antithesis for its resounding effect; John Kennedy's famous "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" is an example. But antithesis normally means simply "opposite". Thus, war is the antithesis of peace, wealth is the antithesis of poverty, and love is the antithesis of hate. Holding two antithetical ideas in one's head at the same time—for example, that you're the sole master of your fate but also the helpless victim of your terrible upbringing—is so common as to be almost normal.