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Were auto-antonyms meant to have opposing meanings based on the context? Or do they become that way when people assume the meaning incorrectly? For example, no
by loquor 7y ago
Were auto-antonyms meant to have opposing meanings based on the context? Or do they become that way when people assume the meaning incorrectly?
For example, nonplussed originally means to be surprised. But a layman would think that to be 'plussed' must be to be surprised and nonplussed must be the opposite of that. Is this how auto-antonyms come to be?
- djsumdog 7y agoIt explains it a bit at the bottom of the article with dust (to dust furniture is to clean them, but to dust crops is to put dust on them); but it does seem to be around noun/verb context/usage.