Why do we need antonyms

In colloquial speech or text, you often hear or see antonyms, but you do not always notice them, as these are ordinary words, only with the opposite meaning in relation to each other. Why do we need antonyms, why do people with a rich vocabulary often use them in their speech?

The main purpose of the antonyms is to make speech more understandable and figurative, they help to better convey to the readers or listeners the thoughts and feelings of the author. Many words in the Russian language are in some kind of relationship with others, and if they are opposite in meaning, then their skillful arrangement in one phrase allows you to maximize the shade of the author’s emotions. For example, compare the phrases “today the stars are bright” and “the darker the night, the brighter the stars”.

Nevertheless, contrasting words are often closely related to each other, and not only deny each other, but also suggest the presence of the opposite concept. For example, speaking about speeding up the process, they mean that he used to go too slowly, and the words about the strict teacher also say that there are good teachers.

One word, if it has several meanings, can have several antonyms. Sometimes the use of the antonym next to such a word allows us to clarify the meaning, for example, in the famous phrase I.A. Krylova “It’s always the powerless to blame for the strong”, it’s immediately clear that “strong” stands for “possessing physical strength” and not “knowing, skilled in any field”.

With the help of antonyms, the contradictory essence of the phenomenon can be revealed, as an example, the words of N.A. Nekrasova about Russia "You are miserable, you are plentiful, you are powerful, you are powerless."

To further enhance emotionality, the author can use several anthonymic pairs in one phrase, for example, with V.V. Mayakovsky: "Joy crawls snail, grief frantic run."

Adds expression to the text using one of the antonyms with negation, this allows you to strengthen and emphasize the author’s thought. "I am not an enemy to you, but a friend. I came not to quarrel, but to put up."

Very often, antonyms are used in aphorisms and proverbs. For example, "It is jokingly said, but seriously planned, " "Prepare a sled in the summer, and a cart in the winter." Sometimes proverbs themselves can be antonymic, if their meaning is completely opposite. Compare "Cause time, and fun hour" with the saying "Work is not a wolf, he won’t run away into the forest."