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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Hazard and threat: antonyms? #209775 02/25/2013 11:30 AM Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 California brucenew stranger brucenew stranger Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 California I am trying to rationalize the language of risk and am stuck on antonyms of hazard and threat (both as nouns), where hazard is something in a harmless state, threat is in a harmful state. The antonym of hazard would need to mean something in a not-helping-but-could-change-to-helping state, the antonym of threat would need to mean something in a helping state. Any ideas? Some potential antonyms (such as ally for threat) surely count as antonyms but do not seem generalizable enough conceptually to include other antonyms (such as contributor).. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Hazard and threat: antonyms? brucenew #209777 02/25/2013 12:13 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 You'll probably have to explain, at least for some of us, how a hazard can be something in a harmless state. Some concrete examples would be a good start. I could see a hazard as something that is passively dangerous while a threat is actively dangerous. Not what I would call antonyms. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Hazard and threat: antonyms? Faldage #209779 02/25/2013 1:29 PM Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 California brucenew stranger brucenew stranger Joined: Feb 2013 Posts: 2 California Hazard and threat are different states of the same thing, a harmless state and a harmful state. So an example would be a river (harmless state) and flood (harmful state). I am stuck on antonyms of both hazard and threat. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Hazard and threat: antonyms? brucenew #209789 02/25/2013 11:42 PM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 A hazard is unintentionally potentially harmful. A threat is intentionally potentially harmful. That's the way I take it. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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