An antonym of a word is another word which means the opposite of the first word. The word antonym itself was coined in the 19th century, when a concerted effort was being made to classify and categorize the words in the English language, as the antonym of the previously-existing word synonym, which means “a word that has the same meaning.” Both of these words come from the Greek root onoma (“name”) with the prefixes anti- (“against, opposite”) and syn- (“with, same”). In general, the antonym of a word only corresponds to one of that word’s meanings. For example, the word fast has several antonyms, depending on the meaning you assign to it:

– if fast means “quick” then one antonym is “slow”
– if fast means “refrain from eating” then an antonym might be “overeat”
– if fast means “stuck firmly” then its antonym is “loose”

Here are five verbs that are unusual because they can be their own antonyms:

overlook
A common meaning for to overlook is “to not notice.” However, it can also mean “to supervise or inspect,” which implies that even the minor details of something are being noticed.
Example: Anna was assigned to overlook the publication of the monthly magazine because her former supervisor assured us that she would never overlook even the smallest typographical error.

weather
“To weather” means something different depending on whether the verb is transitive (describing an action) or intransitive (describing a state of being).
Example: The strongly-built ship was able to weather the storm and come safely back to port, but the ice floes weathered away the paint along both sides during the six months it was in the Arctic Ocean.

sanction
Depending on the context, if you sanction something it can mean either that you approve of it, or that you disapprove of it. This holds true whether you use this word as a verb or as a noun.
Example: The bilateral commission plans to sanction the use of military force against the dictator and his supporters, while imposing sanctions against any other country that supplies them with arms or other support.

dust
This verb can be used to talk about adding something or taking it away.
Example: George let the children dust the cakes with powdered sugar, but then spent several hours dusting all the countertops to get rid of the sugar they spilled.cleave
“To cleave” can mean either to cut apart or to stick together.
Example: When the butcher cleaves the carcass of a pig into pieces, he has to be careful afterwards to wash off all the bits of bone and skin that cleave to his boots, apron, and arms.