Get FREE NRO Newsletters

 

June 11 Issue  |  Subscribe  |  Renew

Close

New on NRO . . .

The Corner

The one and only.

Print   |  Text
 

Where’s the Opposition?

A reader writes:

Mr. Derbyshire,

In your July Diary on NRO you mentioned your annoyance with words that have no opposite. Earlier today I was discussing languages with a friend and I recalled that in the past I have used the word “shallow” as a sort of vague, inexact opposite to “steep”, but it never seemed right. What is the actual opposite of “steep”? What word can you put in place of “steep” in “this mountain is very steep” to make it mean the opposite? I don’t think there is one.

Just so. We need an adjective to describe words like this — words with no opposite. “Anantonymous”?

But then … what would be the opposite?

New on The Corner. . .


COMMENTS   20

EXPAND  

   08/15/11 10:20

The opposite of a steep slope is a gentle slope. (Or a steep decline.)

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   08/15/11 10:21
   08/15/11 10:21

With respect to a slope, the opposite of "steep" is "gentle." The mountain itself isn't steep; its sides are steep (or gentle.)

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
John Burke
   08/15/11 10:22

Opposite of steep slope, hill or rise would be gentle, moderate or easy slope. Harder to define an opposite when steep is used metaphorically as in steep prices.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   08/15/11 10:22

Gentle, of course. "This is a nice gentle hill."

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
John Burke
   08/15/11 10:22

Opposite of steep slope, hill or rise would be gentle, moderate or easy slope. Harder to define an opposite when steep is used metaphorically as in steep prices.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Steamer
   08/15/11 10:28
PeteH
   08/15/11 10:30

Wouldn't the opposite of steep be gradual?

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Mike Mc
   08/15/11 10:30

The slope can be steep or gradual.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   08/15/11 10:30

The opposite of steep is flat.

Of course, if a mountain was flat it wouldn't be a mountain. Even if it had only a minimally sloping grade it would still doubtfully be a mountain.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   08/15/11 10:43

Ah ... the comfortable intellectual diversion of navel gazing ... made possible by the material advances made possible by the Age of Enlightenment. And enshrined as a natural right by our founding documents. Enjoy.

d(^_^)b
External Link 
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Andrew B.
   08/15/11 10:47

Level or flat strike me as perfectly good antonyms of steep.

That being said, my favorite category of words are those words that are their own antonym-- contranyms. A good example would be "fast" which can refer to something that moves quickly or something totally immovable ("holding fast" vs. "a fast runner").

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Lee Haslup
   08/15/11 10:48

The opposite of the word "steep" when used as an adjective is "gradual." When used as a verb having to do with making tea it neither has nor needs an antonym.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Lee Haslup
   08/15/11 10:55

Excuse me if this is a double posting. My first attempt to comment seems to have been without effect.

The opposite of the word "steep" when used as an adjective is "gradual." When it is used as a verb having to do with making tea it neither has nor requires an antonym.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
   08/15/11 11:02

"Gentle" is a good antonym for "steep," as is "gradual," "flat," or "level," "easy," or "moderate."

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
tomwinnfl
   08/15/11 11:04

I am in the roof truss business, and we use "shallow" routinely, as in "shallow pitch truss", along with its opposite, "steep pitch truss." Around here, a roof pitch of 8/12 or above is considered steep because shingle installers charge more per square to work on them. Shallow pitch is usually 4/12 or less.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Steve Reick
   08/15/11 11:06
Michael Anderson
   08/15/11 11:18

The adjective is easy, antonymless. It's the noun form that tangles the tongue; such words would be anantonyms. Which, of course, gives us ANOTHER adjective, anantonymic!

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
Chris B. Behrens
   08/15/11 11:31

Everyone else is focused on "steep", so I'll tackle "anonymous". The word means "without name" - "a" plus "nonymous", so the opposite, is "onymous". Check out wiktionary if you don't believe me.

At any rate, I'm completely gruntled and plussed about the whole situation.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse
lee g
   08/15/11 15:27

Chris, speaking of being plussed and gruntled--you may have run across a short piece by Jack Winter in The New Yorker some years back entitled "How I Met My Wife"--it's one of my favorite examples of wordplay.

Here's an external link, but I'll also see if the powers that be allow me to post the entire piece.

External Link 

How I Met my Wife by Jack Winter

It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.

I was furling my weildy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.

I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I’d have to make bones about it, since I was travelling cognito. Beknowst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn’t be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do.

Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion.

So I decided not to risk it. But then, all at once, for some apparent reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make head or tails of.

I was plussed. It was concerting to see that she was communicado, and it nerved me that she was interested in a pareil like me, sight seen. Normally, I had a domitable spirit, but, being corrigible, I felt capacitated—as if this were something I was great shakes at—and forgot that I had succeeded in situations like this only a told number of times. So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings.

Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had not time to prepare a promptu speech, I was petuous. Wanting to make only called-for remarks, I started talking about the hors d’oeuvres, trying to abuse her of the notion that I was sipid, and perhaps even bunk a few myths about myselfs.

She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savoury character who was up to some good. She told me who she was. “What a perfect nomer,” I said, advertently. The conversation became more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.

Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse

Add a Comment

Already Registered? Log In Here.


The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.


* Designates a required field.
© National Review Online 2012
All Rights Reserved.
Subscriptions
NR / Print
NR / Digital

Gift Subscriptions
NR / Print
NR / Digital
NR Apps
iPhone/iPad
Android

NRO Apps
iPhone
Support Us
Donate
Media Kit
Contact