antithetical

Archaic, an·ti·thet·ic

[an-tuh-thet-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of the nature of or involving antithesis.

2. directly opposed or contrasted; opposite.

antithetical

/ ˌæntɪˈθɛtɪkəl /

adjective

1. of the nature of antithesis

2. directly contrasted

Other Word Forms

• antithetically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of antithetical¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Greek antithetikós “setting in opposition, contrasting” (from antíthetos “opposed”) + -al; antithesis ( def. ), -tic ( def. ), -al ¹ ( def. ).

Example Sentences

“It feels very strange to be a liberal Jewish artist right now when you’re being painted as someone antithetical to wanting to end the war,” Bialik said in an interview.

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Such overtly dogmatic religious politics are antithetical to democracy and modern society because they exist outside of empirical reality; they are based on truth claims rooted in faith that facts cannot reach.

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In forceful speeches, University of Southern California department chairs, professors, researchers and others who attended the virtual meeting called the compact “egregiously invalid,” “probably unconstitutional,” “antithetical to principles of academic freedom” and “a Trojan horse.”

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It is antithetical to democracy and good governance.

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His father was a classical-music obsessive; his mother, an artist — tendencies that, at the time, were considered antithetical to working-class life.

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Related Words

• contradictory