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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Ambiguous words #149280 10/24/05 08:01 AM Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 1 B barksdac OP stranger OP barksdac stranger B Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 1 Is there a word for words or phrases that have two, contradictory meanings? For example, "draw the curtains" can mean both open and shut the curtains. The "shank of the evening" can be both the early part and the late part of the evening. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ambiguous words #149281 10/24/05 11:43 AM Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 5 Ottawa Canada podictionary stranger podictionary stranger Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 5 Ottawa Canada "Double entendre" springs to mind, but that is usually two intentional meanings. How about "equivocal" or "bifarious"? www.podictionary.com the audio word-a-day Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ambiguous words #149282 10/24/05 07:46 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York You might want to double-check this (I'm on a borrowed computer and don't want to look it up right now) but I believe the word is contranym. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Ambiguous words #149283 10/24/05 10:33 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass here's a quote from our own Anu Garg: I call them fence-sitters. They sit on the fences, ready to say one thing or its opposite, depending on which side they appear. I'm not talking about politicians. These are words, known by many names: autoantonym, antagonym, contranym, enantiodromic, amphibolous, Janus word, and so on. actually, that middlish one should be enantiodrome (and I suppose the next is amphibole), to maintain noun forms. 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 Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,913 Posts229,361 Members9,182 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV 9,182 Registered Users Who's Online Now 0 members (), 772 guests, and 1 robot. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 30 A C Bowden 21 LukeJavan8 3 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 10,557 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,919 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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