antithesis

noun

an·​tith·​e·​sis an-ˈti-thə-səs 

plural antitheses an-ˈti-thə-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

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.

Synonyms

• opposite

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 on the Web

To say that Trump is prone to exaggeration is the antithesis of exaggeration. —Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 27 June 2025

Its ideal participant emerges as the antithesis of the troll, whose preferred genres of speech—railing, jeering, baiting—would have been familiar to any late-seventeenth-century reader. —Merve Emre, New Yorker, 16 June 2025

Schiaparelli — a brand known for an aesthetic that’s the antithesis of ’90s minimalism — delighted us with exaggerated proportions, floral appliqués, and zebra print fashions. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2025

This was the antithesis to the mess the Toronto Maple Leafs offered up in Game 5. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 17 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek, literally, opposition, from antitithenai to oppose, from anti- + tithenai to set — more at do

First Known Use

1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1b(1)

Kids Definition

antithesis

noun

an·​tith·​e·​sis an-ˈtith-ə-səs 

plural antitheses -ˈtith-ə-ˌsēz 

: the exact opposite : contrary

antithetical

ˌant-ə-ˈthet-i-kəl

adjective