There is an attachment or connection if someone bolts, fasts or bounds. But if someone is bound for home and bolts fast, they’re long gone. It’s odd, a word being its opposite, an antonym of itself, yet not uncommon. Contronyms, or Janus words, are everywhere and formed for numerous reasons.
Of course, most people overlook them, automatically knowing their intended meanings through context clues. Others, like linguists, who overlook language, carefully study their evolutions and patterns. Some are more obvious, like “literally,” which gained figurative meaning through its use in sarcasm. According to Merriam-Webster, more are because of semantic broadening or narrowing. Semantic broadening occurs when a word has a meaning that is too limited. For instance, John McWhorter, a professor at Columbia University, pointed out the term “dog,” which had been used specifically for large breeds but now can be used to describe a Pomeranian or a Doberman alike. In the context of contronyms, “peruse” was initially meant to examine carefully before widening to simply looking. Now, its modern meaning, to skim, is used more commonly but still parallel to its original.
Conversely, semantic narrowing, when a word has too many meanings, can also lead to contronyms. The term “sanction” is a good example of this, traditionally referring to anything that compels morally but later became more specialized, narrowing into two opposing definitions to approve or disapprove behavior, specifically in governmental or financial sectors. This phenomenon occurs because both newer meanings follow logical etymological paths. In this case, authorization or rejection by a government is a tactic used to sway people’s actions, often for what is considered good.
Contronyms are odd customs in the English language. Their confusing meanings are usually transparent to native speakers—often in both meanings of the word—but regardless of whether you notice them, they are present and proof of a changing language and the illogical nature of human behavior. McWhorter notes, “Language is not just about words; it’s about people,” words reflect the adaptability of speech and the importance of context. In a time when face-to-face communication is decreasing, remembering the duality and the seldom simple vocabulary history is key to curbing miscommunication.
