1.
antonym; word with opposite meaning
A word that has the opposite meaning of another word. A fundamental concept in linguistics and language education, used when discussing vocabulary relationships.
「大きい」の反意語は「小さい」だ。
The antonym of 'big' is 'small.'
反意語を使って文を作りなさい。
Make a sentence using an antonym.
漢字の反意語を覚えると語彙が効率よく増える。
Memorizing kanji antonym pairs is an efficient way to build vocabulary.
Compound of 反意 ('opposite meaning') and 語 ('word'). The standard linguistic term for words with opposite meanings, frequently encountered in language textbooks, dictionaries, and vocabulary study materials.
USAGE:
- Commonly encountered in Japanese language classes and textbooks when studying vocabulary relationships.
- In Japanese, many antonym pairs are formed by kanji with opposing meanings: 上/下, 長い/短い, 入る/出る.
- The variant 反対語 is used interchangeably in everyday contexts and is slightly more colloquial.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 反意語を調べる: to look up an antonym
- 反意語の関係: antonymic relationship
- 反意語辞典: antonym dictionary
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 反対語: antonym — near-synonym; slightly more colloquial variant using 反対 ('opposite') instead of 反意
- 対義語: antonym — the most formal and technically precise term, preferred in academic linguistics
- 類義語: synonym — word with a similar meaning; the opposite concept
- 同義語: synonym — word with the same meaning; even closer equivalence than 類義語