What is a contronym (and why might authors care)?

We all learned about antonyms, homonyms, and synonyms back in our school days.

But perhaps less familiar, at least by its formal name, is the contronym.

Writer's Digest Senior Editor Robert Lee Brewer recently learned the term — which describes a word that has two opposite meanings — and thought it provided great material for authors.

So check out his list of contronyms and see what creative seeds they might plant.

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