Contronyms [Something Interesting #35]

Today was the first time I found out about the concept of contronyms (a.k.a. contranyms), something they don't really teach you about when getting a B.A. in English. What is a contronym?

contronym noun: a word having two meanings that contradict one another. - from Merriam-Webster

My understanding is that English has the most contronyms out of any others (128-ish), which Arabic coming in 2nd (26). If you're curious as to what they are, here are some links to check out:

Contronym (Wikipedia article)

Appendix:English contranyms (Wiktionary)

"75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)" by Mark Nichols (DailyWritingTips)

Photo by Pisit Heng (Unsplash)