An unpaired word is one that, according to the usual rules of the language, would appear to have a related word but does not. Such words usually have a prefix or suffix that would imply that there is an antonym, with the prefix or suffix being absent or opposite. Many unpaired words are the result of one of the words disappearing from popular usage, though others were never part of a pairing and just begin with the same letters as used in common prefixes.
Contents |
Unpaired words in English
Prefixes
| Word | Paired word(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Disambiguate | *Ambiguate | Not a word; derived from dis- + ambigu(ous) + -ate in the mid-20th century |
| Disconsolate | Consolate | Derived from the Latin consolatus; rarely used |
| Disheveled, Dishevelled | *Sheveled, *Shevelled | Not a word; from the Old French deschevelé |
| Indomitable | Domitable | Rarely used antonym |
| Ineffable | Effable | Rarely used antonym |
| Innocent | Nocent | Not an exact antonym; rarely used |
| Innocuous | Nocuous | Rarely used antonym |
| Uncouth | Couth | Derived from Old English word cunnan meaning "well-known" or "familiar"; rarely used |
| Ungainly | Gainly | Rarely used antonym |
| Unkempt | Kempt | Rarely used antonym |
| Unruly | Ruly | Rarely used antonym |
| Unstinting | Stinting | Rarely used antonym |
| Untoward | Toward | Not an antonym |
| Unwieldy | Wieldy | Rarely used antonym |
Suffixes
Less: Ageless, countless, feckless, hapless, helpless, leafless, peerless, reckless, ruthless, toothless and voiceless. Ful: Frightful, rightful.
Humorous unpaired words
The quote "if con is the opposite of pro, is congress the opposite of progress?" is not attributed to any individual but is frequently repeated, being mentioned by Forbes magazine [1] amongst others. Congress is from the Middle English congresse meaning a body of attendants, (Latin congressus, meaning a meeting), and progress is from Middle English progresse (Latin prōgressus) meaning to advance. Here, pro and con are in fact not opposite, with con meaning "together" and pro meaning "supporting" or "in place of" (while in other contexts con, or contr- can mean "against").
See also
References
- "Unpaired words" at World Wide Words
- "Absent antonyms" at 2Wheels: The Return
