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Origin and history of antithesis

antithesis(n.)

1520s, "opposition, contrast," originally in rhetoric, "the bringing of contrary ideas or terms in close opposition;" 1530s as "that which is in (rhetorical) opposition or contrast," from Late Latin antithesis, from Greek antithesis "opposition, resistance," literally "a placing against," also a term in logic and rhetoric, noun of action from antitithenai "to set against, oppose," a term in logic, from anti "against" (see anti-) + tithenai "to put, place" (from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

The extended sense of "direct or striking opposition" is from 1630s; by 1831 as "that which is the direct opposite."

also from 1520s

Entries linking to antithesis

antitheses(n.)

plural of antithesis.

antithetic(adj.)

"containing an antithesis," c. 1600, from Latinized form of Greek antithetikos "contrasting, setting in opposition," from antithetos "placed in opposition," from antithesis "opposition, resistance," literally "a placing against" (see antithesis).

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antithetical
"of the nature of or containing a (rhetorical) antithesis," 1580s, from Greek antithetikos "setting in opposition," from antithetos "placed in opposition," from antithesis "opposition, resistance," literally "a placing against" (see antithesis) + -al (1). The general sense of "ch
demote
Regarding an antithesis to 'promote,' the word universally in use in Cambridge, in Harvard College, is drop....
antonym
UNDER the head of Synonyms and Antonyms, Archdeacon Smith arranges words which form an antithesis to one another....
sane
OED writes, "The almost entire restriction in English to a sense 'mentally sound' is due to the use in antithesis with insane...
bad
Rare before 1400, and evil was more common until c. 1700 as the ordinary antithesis of good....
opposition
late 14c., opposicioun, an astrological term for the situation of two heavenly bodies exactly across from one another in the heavens, from Old French oposicion (12c.) and directly from Latin oppositionem (nominative oppositio) "act of opposing, a placing against," noun of action
cipher
late 14c., "arithmetical symbol for zero," from Old French cifre "nought, zero," Medieval Latin cifra, which, with Spanish and Italian cifra, ultimately is from Arabic sifr "zero," literally "empty, nothing," from safara "to be empty;" a loan-translation of Sanskrit sunya-s "empt
sarcasm
1570s, sarcasmus, "a biting taunt or gibe, a satirical remark or expression," from Late Latin sarcasmus, from late Greek sarkasmos "a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery," from sarkazein "to speak bitterly, sneer," literally "to strip off the flesh" (like dogs), from sarx (genitive sarko
soul
"A substantial entity believed to be that in each person which lives, feels, thinks, and wills" [Century Dictionary], Middle English soule, from Old English sawol "spiritual and emotional part of a person, animate existence; life, living being," from Proto-Germanic *saiwalō (sour
pardon
c. 1300, pardoun, "papal indulgence, forgiveness of sins or wrongdoing," from Old French pardon, from pardoner "to grant; forgive" (11c., Modern French pardonner), "to grant, forgive," and directly from Medieval Latin perdonum, from Vulgar Latin *perdonare "to give wholeheartedly

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