Synonym
A synonym is a word that means exactly the same
as, or very nearly the same as, another word in the same language. For
example, "close" is a synonym of "shut".
Note that a synonym may share an identical meaning
with another word, but the two words are not necessarily interchangeable.
For example, "blow up" and
"explode" have the same meaning, but "blow up" is informal
(used more in speech) and "explode" is more formal (used more in
writing and careful speech).
Synonym Examples
- Annihilation, destruction, carnage, extinction
- Benefit, profit, revenue, yield
- Cunning, keen, sharp, slick
- Destitute, poor, bankrupt, impoverished
- Deterioration, pollution, defilement, adulteration
- Enormous, huge, gigantic, massive
- Fertile, fruitful, abundant, productive
- House, dwelling, abode, domicile
- Intelligent, clever, brilliant, knowledgeable
Antonym
An antonym is a word that is the opposite meaning of
another. It comes from the Greek words “anti” for opposite and “onym” for name.
Since language is complex, people may at times, disagree on what words are
truly opposite
in meaning to other words.
Antonym Examples
- Achieve – Fail
- Idle – Active
- Afraid – Confident
- Ancient – Modern
- Arrive – Depart
- Arrogant – Humble
- Ascend – Descend
Categories of Antonyms
There are three categories of antonyms:
- Graded antonyms - deal with levels of the meaning of the words, like if something is not “good”, is may still not be “bad.” There is a scale involved with some words, and besides good and bad there can be average, fair, excellent, terrible, poor, or satisfactory.
- Complementary antonyms - have a relationship where there is no middle ground. There are only two possibilities, either one or the other.
- Relational antonyms - are sometimes considered a subcategory of complementary antonyms. With these pairs, for there to be a relationship, both must exist.
Adding a Prefix
Sometimes, an antonym can be easily made by adding a
prefix.
Examples of antonyms that were made by adding the
prefix “un” are:
- Likely and unlikely
- Able and unable
- Fortunate and unfortunate
- Forgiving and unforgiving
By adding the prefix “non” you can make these pairs:
- Entity and nonentity
- Conformist and nonconformist
- Payment and nonpayment
- Combatant and noncombatant
Lastly, adding the prefix “in” can make the following
pairs:
- Tolerant and intolerant
- Decent and indecent
- Discreet and indiscreet
- Excusable and inexcusable
Some differences between synonyms and antonyms
The English language (and, we may presume, many other
languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms
than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not
have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have
synonyms in the words hoagie, grinder, submarine, and many other words, but there is
no opposite of sandwich).
Antonym is also a much more recent
addition to English than synonym is; it first appeared in the 1860s,
whereas synonym has been used for more than 500 years. Additionally,
both nouns have adjectival forms: synonymous and antonymous. Synonymous,
which is often used loosely ("She has become synonymous with good
taste"), is the more common of the two.
hyponym
In linguistics, a hyponym is a specific term
used to designate a member of a broader class. For instance, daisy and rose
are hyponyms of flower. Also called a subtype or
a subordinate term.
Hyponymy shows the relationship between the more
general terms (hypernyms) and the more specific instances of it
(hyponyms).
A hyponym is a word or phrase whose semantic
field is more specific than its hypernym. The semantic field of a hypernym,
also known as a superordinate, is broader than that of a hyponym. An approach
to the relationship between hyponyms and hypernyms is to view a hypernym as
consisting of hyponyms.
This, however, becomes more difficult with abstract
words such as imagine, understand and knowledge. While
hyponyms are typically used to refer to nouns, it can also be used on other
parts of speech. Like nouns, hyponyms in verbs are words that refer to a broad
category of actions
example :
the verb cook has many hyponyms.
Word: Cook
Hyponyms: Roast, boil, fry, grill, bake.
the verb colour has many hyponyms
Word: colour
Hyponyms: blue, red, yellow, green, black and purple
Hyponymy involves the logical relationship of entailment. Example : ‘There is a horse’ entails that ‘There is an animal”. Hyponymy often functions In discourse as a means of lexical cohesion by establishing referential equivalence to avoid repetition.
references :
http://learningcommunity-akbar.blogspot.co.id/2009/11/homonimy-polysemy-and-hyponymy.html
