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What are some words where the "opposite" one means the same thing? (sopuli.xyz)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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For example, "flammable" and "inflammable" both describe an object that can easily catch on fire. I can also think of "ceased" and "deceased", both of which can mean someone or something has been brought to an end.

edit: Some people are including words that can also mean its opposite (like sanction or table), those are cool too! The more weird words, the better!

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[–] 18 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This is kinda the opposite to what you are asking: awesome and awful used to mean the same thing IIRC, both being something filling you with awe. Later the meanings split between positive and negative.

Same with terrible and terrific.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (1 child)

    I often thought awful was an odd word. Surely awful = full of awe, but it is frequently used to describe things that have little to no awe.

    Also I have now said the word awe too much and it looks strange.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    My guess is it came about because people were using it to mean "something so bad it fills you with awe". Like "the thing humans are doing to the environment are awful". But then it lost its connection to awe.

    That's my guess.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    As a non-native English speaker, I always have to think a second extra about "terrific", about it being negative or positive. Probably because it sound similar to "terrible".

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