Antonymous Synonyms and Synonymous Antonyms

Antonymous Synonyms

seemingly antonyms, but more truly synonyms or semi- or demi-synonyms. The criterion is that words syntactically indicate opposite in meaning but actually similar in meaning.

• cry, decry → you can cry, as in crying out loud, but you can also decry, by crying out loud
• linear, rectilinear → linear algebra, rectilinear motion. Rectilinear is the linearness of motion.
• enfranchise, franchise →
• flammable, inflammable → my wound has inflamed like a wild flame.
• famous, infamous → good guys are famous, bad guys are infamous.
• title, entitle → I'm entitled to title a book of my own penmanship. Title is to emphasize identification. To entitle a book is to emphasize titling.
• kindle, enkindle →
• Amend, emend → I amend text by emending.
• overwhelm, whelm → We could say that men are whelmed, women are overwhelmed.
• shamed, ashamed → I'm ashamed to be shamed in public. Ashamed is shaming of shame. (while, sleep/asleep, wake/awake probably do not make this list.)
• commend, recommend → I commend his recommendation. Commend is like a positive recommendation.
• regardless, irregardless → irregardless of the ir prefix, it means the same as without.
• indiscriminate, undiscriminate → both words are indiscriminate or undiscriminate.
• stressed, distressed → I'm distressed to be so stressed or vice versa. Stress brings us pressure and strain, distress brings up anguish and panic.
• fatigable, indefatigable →
• bone, debone →
• nude, denuded →
• guise, disguise →
• haste, posthaste →
• genius, ingenious → ingenious is as if something done by a genius.
• cute, acute →
• cease, decease →
• kin, akin →

In the grand language of English, a- anti- dis- un- im- ir- in- de- all jostle for opposition. Unwittingly, to wit: aperiodic; antihero, antipathy, antithesis; peccable, impeccable; maculate, immaculate; pervious, impervious, impure; irregular, indifferent, detached/attached, insensible, impartial, dispassionate, unbiased, apathetic, impassive, unfeeling, disinterested, uninterested, untouched, irresponsible, disdain.

Synonymous Antonyms

Note: these may not be antonyms, but just not synonyms. The criterion is that words syntactically similar in meaning but semantically not.

• same, indifferent → indifferent means impartial.
• impart, impartial →
• disinterested, uninterested → the former means impartial, the latter of no interest.
• rest, restive → restive means jumpy.
• ingenuous, disingenuous → ingenuous = artless, naive. disingenuous = crafty, cunning.
• dubitable, redoubtable →
• light, alight →
• scribe, describe →
• recondite, recondition →
• reduce, deduce →
• fair, affair →

If you know any, please comment. Thanks to Joshua Freeman, John Seal for addition.