ant- (anti-) means opposite
-onym means name
so antonyms are words which have opposite meanings.
If we think about antonyms, however, we see that we have a problem: What does "opposite" mean? Some words seem to fit together: if you have one, you must have the other. This is called complementarity. The Yin Yang symbol on the South Korean flag is a beautiful example of complementarity. The cat picture below looks similar (So cute!). Do you see how they seem to fit together?
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| 640px-Flag_of_South_Korea (Wikimedia).svg.png |
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| The Cat-Circle of Love, Gloson, Flickr, I-NC, 4594527045_c38b45d85d.jpg |
Words like married/unmarried are complementary opposites (互補關係). If you are human, you are either one or the other, but you can't be both. Rocks and toys are neither because they are not human.
We can say "What a cute toy!" but we can't say "Is it married?"
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| Sammy Blue-Jay, Unfurled, Flickr, I-NC, 3326694711_600480747f.jpg |
Only look at the toy, do not look at the cute baby!
