antithetical
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of antithesis
-
directly contrasted
Other Word Forms
- antithetically adverb
Etymology
Origin of antithetical
First recorded in 1575–85; from Greek antithetikós “setting in opposition, contrasting” (from antíthetos “opposed”) + -al; antithesis ( def. ), -tic ( def. ), -al 1 ( def. ).
Explanation
Something is antithetical when it is in complete and utter opposition to the character of something. If you’re a vegetarian, eating giant T-bone steaks is antithetical to your beliefs. You’ll find that antithetical is a useful word when you’re trying to express an extreme contrast. If someone is trying to convince you to do something you don’t believe in, or to allow an organization you’re involved with to adopt measures you are strongly against, you can use antithetical. You go out to vote because sitting out of the voting process is antithetical to what you believe in. If you find that your club wants to adopt exclusive measures when it is supposed to be open, you'll tell them that that's antithetical to the club's purpose.
Vocabulary lists containing antithetical
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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Opposites Attract
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "A"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After all, the concept is considered antithetical or anathema to the Iranian Revolution, which deposed the monarchy led by the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in 1979.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
“Options and futures now allow people to gamble on the price without actually being involved in the blockchain, which is antithetical to what BTC was intended for.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026
It’s a sentence that reflects two virtues seemingly antithetical to the movie industry: false modesty and a sweet nature.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
His father was a classical-music obsessive; his mother, an artist — tendencies that, at the time, were considered antithetical to working-class life.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2025
Why was it so hard for designers to understand that being fashionable was not antithetical to being modest?
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
