You Say the Same Words to Mean Different/Opposite
Things!
English learners often get confused with a wealth of contronyms
that look the same but mean something different or even opposite/ contrasting within
their own definitions. Let’s go over some of those words/phrases that have
contrasting meaning.
1.
bad: meaning ‘of poor quality/
evil/ low standard’ ó ‘excellent’
e.g., My dad was not thrilled by my
choice of friends. He thought they all had a bad influence on my
academics.
ó I loved
Janet Jackson’s concert a few years ago. It was really bad and perfectly
outrageous!
2. dope:
meaning ‘illegal drugs/ substances’ ó ‘awesome/cool/fabulous’
e.g., She was the leading advocate of RAD
campaign, which stands for Running Against Dope’, in the later years of
her running career.
ó Look
at his super lowered car! That’s dope, dope!!
3. to give
out: meaning ‘to provide
someone something’
ó ‘to
stop doing something due to lack of supply’
e.g., The volunteers at this downtown shelter
house were willing to spare some of their precious time once a month to give
out nonperishable food items, clothing, and books for those in need.
ó
Sarah’s legs gave out at the end of her first half marathon.
4. to hold
up:
meaning ‘to delay’ (mostly in a passive form of sentences) ó ‘to
continue to stay in good condition’
e.g., I got a call from Tom. He said he’ll
arrive a couple of hours late, because his flight was held up.
ó
This is my favorite pair of go-to running shoes. They’ve been holding up
for years through heinous weather in the brutal Midwest winter.
5. bomb:
‘the
bomb’ means someone/something that is excellent and impressive ó ‘a
bomb’ means a complete failure/ fiasco
e.g., Joshua’s performance was the
bomb! The entire audience gave him a huge round of standing ovation.
ó The play was a bomb. Most of the actors
seemed to have forgotten their lines and actions.
6. nutty: meaning
‘having a flavor like that of nuts’ ó ‘mentally
unbalanced, odd, peculiar, or eccentric’
e.g., I love nutty snack such as
peanuts or almond candy bars.
ó The
newcomer to our basketball team is a nutty kiddo. He makes fun of all
the players, and even the coach!
7. finished:
meaning ‘completed’ ó ‘destroyed’
e.g., Let’s hang out at the mall when we’re
finished with homework.
ó He spent
his short vacation in Vegas and lost all his savings. He’s totally finished.
8. to seed: meaning
‘to plant seeds or sow land with seeds’ ó ‘to
remove the seeds of fruits’
e.g., My auntie loves gardening. She
spends hours and hours in her backyard, seeding and watering. ó Make
sure to seed the dried dates before bring them to a boil for tea.
