antithesis
noun
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Writers and speechmakers use the traditional pattern known as antithesis for its resounding effect; John Kennedy's famous "ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" is an example. But antithesis normally means simply "opposite". Thus, war is the antithesis of peace, wealth is the antithesis of poverty, and love is the antithesis of hate. Holding two antithetical ideas in one's head at the same time—for example, that you're the sole master of your fate but also the helpless victim of your terrible upbringing—is so common as to be almost normal.
Synonyms
Examples of antithesis in a Sentence
Claudia Wallis, Time, 8 Aug. 2005
Yet the newest residential rage in Dallas is the antithesis of the traditional neighborhood: the gated community. Depending on your income and level of anxiety, these private enclaves may contain golf courses, health clubs and equestrian centers …
—Paul McFedries, Word Spy, 2004
Cato, who dosed his family on cabbage soup, derided Greek physicians as the antithesis of Roman virtue: they were frauds who cheated patients and 'have sworn to kill all barbarians with their drugs'.
—Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, 1997
true love for another is the antithesis of the desire to control that person's life
Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
The disconnect is that many Catholics support Trump, who, to put it mildly, is the antithesis of a peace-and-love humanitarian.
— Ronald Kallen, Highland Park
Seceding from the state
The talk of Illinois counties separating from our state is not new.
—Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025
The ’90s Bag Timeless isn’t always the antithesis of trendy.
—Alexis Bennett Parker, Vogue, 7 Jan. 2025
The slouchy look is also the antithesis of the skinny jeans that have been unearthed as of late.
—Kelsey Stewart, refinery29.com, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for antithesis 
Cite this Entry
“Antithesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antithesis. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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antithesis
noun
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