University Challenge tonight had a question on antogonyms - words that have two mutually contradictory definitions.
The ones in the question were

dust - to remove dust or to apply dust
screen - to show or to hide
fast - moving quickly or stationary
table - to bring forward for attention now (UK) or to postpone for later attention (US)

A google search on "antogonym" got this site as the top hit.

Some are dubious but there are certainly a lot more of these than I thought there would be.

Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Saw a crossword puzzle once whose theme (all the long words) was examples of this. The paradigm is "cleave."

(Unless, of course, you meant that old play by Sophocles.)

I, too, was surprised that there are so many, though I also agree with you, Bob, that some of them are borderline. For example, I have never seen "awfully" used to mean "awe inspiring", though I suppose it is possible.

Since awe-full means "filled with awe," why not?

Has anyone heard the term "contranyms" used for what we're calling "antagonyms" here?

Also: OK, Hab, I give up. What play by Sophocles?

quote:

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Originally posted by shufitz:
Has anyone heard the term "contranyms" used for what we're calling "antagonyms" here?

Also: OK, Hab, I give up. _What_ play by Sophocles?

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Antigone, but no, multiple typos to the contrary that wasn't what I meant.

Glaubt es mir - das Geheimnis, um die größte Fruchtbarkeit und den größten Genuß vom Dasein einzuernten, heisst: gefährlich leben.
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

But while we're on the subject, does "Antigone" translate loosely as "No, don't leave me!"?