antithetical
antithetical
Pronunciation
The word is "antithetical".
IPA Phonetic Spelling
/ˌæntɪˈθɛtɪkəl/
Syllable Breakdown
an-: /æn/ - The 'a' is a short 'a' sound as in "cat," and the 'n' is a regular 'n' sound.
ti-: /tɪ/ - The 't' is a regular 't' sound, and the 'i' is a short 'i' sound as in "kit."
thet-: /θɛt/ - The 'th' is an unvoiced 'th' sound as in "thin," the 'e' is a short 'e' sound as in "bed," and the 't' is a regular 't' sound.
i-: /ɪ/ - The 'i' is a short 'i' sound as in "kit."
cal: /kəl/ - The 'c' is a 'k' sound, and the 'al' forms a schwa followed by an 'l' sound.
Word Form Variations
Adjective: antithetical
Adverb: antithetically
Noun: antithesis (the state or condition of being antithetical, or the direct opposite)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Antithetical
Directly opposed or contrasted; constituting an antithesis. This refers to something that is the absolute opposite of something else, often in a conceptual or abstract sense.
Synonyms: opposing, contrary, converse, contradictory, conflicting, diametrically opposed, antipodal
Antonyms: similar, analogous, congruent, parallel, harmonious, complementary
Characterized by or containing antithesis (a rhetorical device involving a contrast of ideas by parallelism of words or clauses). This definition relates to the rhetorical use of strong contrasts.
Synonyms: contrasting, polarizing, conflicting, paradoxical
Antonyms: uniform, consistent, congruent, corresponding
Examples of Use
Books: "For many, the idea of a completely unregulated market is antithetical to the principles of social justice, as it can lead to vast inequalities." (From The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, January 2019)
Newspapers: "The mayor's proposed budget cuts are seen by some council members as antithetical to the city's long-standing commitment to public education." (From The New York Times, November 2023)
Online Publications: "The very notion of privacy is often considered antithetical to the pervasive data collection practices of modern tech companies." (From Wired.com, February 2024)
Entertainment Mediums (Film Review): "While the first film was a whimsical adventure, this sequel's grim tone feels antithetical to the spirit of the original." (From a film review on Rotten Tomatoes, July 2024)
Entertainment Platforms (Video Game Discussion): "Players debated whether the game's new pay-to-win mechanics were antithetical to its competitive integrity." (From a Reddit discussion thread on r/gaming, April 2025)
General Public Discourse (Political Commentary): "Many argued that the candidate's recent statements were antithetical to the values they had previously espoused during their campaign." (Heard on a political news commentary program, March 2025)
General Public Discourse (Academic Lecture): "The idea of a fixed, unchanging identity is often viewed as antithetical to contemporary understandings of fluid selfhood." (From a university lecture on sociology, October 2024)
10 Famous Quotes Using Antithetical
"Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts." (Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, December 1964)
"What an antithetical mind! -- tenderness, roughness -- delicacy, coarseness -- sentiment, sensuality -- soaring and groveling, dirt and deity -- all mixed up in that one compound of inspired clay!" (Lord Byron)
"The wisdom of literature is quite antithetical to having opinions." (Susan Sontag)
"Courage and cowardice are antithetical." (Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love)
"Subjectivity and objectivity, spirituality and materiality, activity and suffering, lose their antithetical character, and – thus their existence as such antitheses only within the framework of society." (Karl Marx)
"To say that Trump is prone to exaggeration is the antithesis of exaggeration." (Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, June 2016)
"In urban areas, middle schools often became the antithesis of what reformers had intended." (Claudia Wallis, Time, August 2005)
"Greed is the antithesis of peace." (Craig D. Lounsbrough)
"The act of giving a reason is the antithesis of authority." (Frederick Schauer)
"The average person is not especially curious about the world... Most people develop quite antithetical talents, in fact - to look without seeing, to listen without hearing, mainly to preserve oneself within oneself." (Ryszard Kapuściński)
Etymology
The word "antithetical" comes from ancient Greek!
Let's break it down:
"anti-": This is a Greek prefix meaning "against" or "opposite." Think of words like "antidote" (against a poison) or "antifreeze" (against freezing).
"tithenai": This is a Greek verb meaning "to place" or "to set."
"-ikos" / "-ical": This is a Greek and later Latin suffix that makes a word into an adjective, meaning "pertaining to" or "characteristic of."
So, if you put it all together, "antithetical" literally means "pertaining to being set against" or "characteristic of being placed opposite."
The first known use of "antithetical" in English dates back to the early 17th century (around the 1620s). At that time, its meaning was very closely tied to the rhetorical device called antithesis. Antithesis is when you place two contrasting ideas side-by-side to create a strong effect (like in the phrase "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee"). So, "antithetical" originally meant "relating to or characterized by antithesis" – in other words, expressing a strong contrast of ideas.
Over time, its meaning broadened to the more general sense we use today: simply "directly opposed to" or "constituting a direct contrast," even outside of rhetorical contexts.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Antithetical
Antithetical to common sense: Something that goes completely against what is logical or reasonable.
Spiritually antithetical: Describing beliefs or practices that are fundamentally opposed in a spiritual sense.
Antithetical to the core values: Directly conflicting with the fundamental principles of something.
Philosophically antithetical: Representing a direct opposition in terms of philosophical thought.
The antithetical viewpoint: The perspective that is completely opposite to another.
Diametrically opposed: (Using a strong synonym for a similar effect) Directly and completely opposite.
Poles apart: (Idiom using a concept similar to "antithetical") Very different; having no common ground.
At loggerheads: (Idiom implying strong opposition, a state that might arise from antithetical views) In conflict or dispute.
Worlds collide: (Idiom suggesting the meeting of vastly different or antithetical elements) When very different ideas or cultures meet, often with conflict.
A complete inversion: (Phrase using a concept related to antithetical) The exact opposite of what was expected or intended.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of antithetical from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
