We all know English can be a tricky language. It has an immense vocabulary plucked and plundered from all over the world, many words that look or sound the same but have rather different meanings, some difficult-to-follow grammar rules, and countless curveballs in spelling and pronunciation.
One confounding feature of this gloriously eccentric language of ours is the abundance of words that, depending on context, can have opposite or nearly opposite meanings.
These are called contronyms (or contranyms). The term, coined in the early 1960s by an English professor at Arizona State University, is derived from the Latin word contra, meaning against or opposing.
Contronyms are also sometimes called Janus words, in reference to a god in ancient Roman mythology who had two faces looking in opposite directions. A third term for this kind of word is auto-antonym, denoting that the word is an antonym of itself.
The verb sanction can mean “to permit or authorize” – or, alternatively, “to condemn or penalize.” NATO might sanction the use of force, meaning it authorizes the use of force. A judge might sanction (penalize) a lawyer for an outburst in court.
When we speak of oversight, we could be referring to either monitoring or a failure to notice. “The government is strengthening its oversight of independent schools.” “The error was a simple oversight.”
When people say something is fine, they might mean it’s of high quality. Then again, they might mean it’s just “OK” or barely satisfactory. “Fine china” is fancy stuff; “I’m fine” means I’m feeling OK but certainly could be in better shape.
Dozens of other contronyms are listed at Daily Writing Tips. They include cleave (which can mean either to adhere or to separate), left (departed, or remained) and trip (a journey, or a stumble).
When using a contronym, take care to be sure that the context makes your meaning clear. You don’t want the reader unsure which kind of oversight or sanction you’re talking about.
Also, consider using different words that remove doubt as to what you mean. Instead of saying the sportswriter overlooked the soccer club’s achievements, you could say she failed to notice their achievements.
As always, clarity is paramount.