Pl. antitheses. [a. L. antithesis, a. Gr. ἀντίθεσις opposition, n. of action f. ἀντιτιθέναι, f. ἀντί against + τιθέναι (stem θε-) to place; already in Gr. a term of Logic and Rhetoric.]
1. Rhet. An opposition or contrast of ideas, expressed by using as the corresponding members of two contiguous sentences or clauses, words which are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other; as ‘he must increase, but I must decrease,’ ‘in newness of spirit, not in the oldness of the letter.’
1529. Frith (title), Antithesis; wherein are compared togeder Christes actes and oure holye Father the Popes.
1674. Govt. Tongue, iii. § 17. 115. These are miserable antithesis’s.
1728. Pope, Dunc., I. 254. All arm’d with points, antitheses and puns.
1748. J. Mason, Elocution, 29. In an Antithesis, one contrary must be pronounced louder than the other.
1872. Minto, Eng. Lit., Introd. 9. When the balanced clauses stand in antithesis, it lends emphasis to the opposition.
2. The second of two such opposed clauses or sentences; a proposition opposed to a thesis; a counter-thesis or -proposition.
1533. Frith, Answ. More, F ij. As the contrarye antithesis doth euidently expresse.
1677. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, III. Pref. Impossible … to discusse such an hypothesis without some opposition against such as defend the antithesis.
1678. Owen, Mind of God, iii. 91. Given to disputing, or the maintaining of Antitheseses, or oppositions unto the Truth.
1833. Coleridge, Table T., 264. The style of Junius is a sort of metre, the law of which is a balance of thesis and antithesis.
3. By extension: Direct or striking opposition of character or functions (between two things); contrast. Const. of, between (with obs.).
1631. Preston, Effec. Faith, 40. That Antithesis, that opposition that is made in that withdrawing of a mans selfe from God.
1850. Kingsley, Alt. Locke, xxxviii. (1879), 410. The antithesis of natural and revealed religion.
1872. Darwin, Emotions, i. 5. Movements, so clearly expressive of affections … being in complete opposition or antithesis to the attitude and movements which are expressive of anger.
4. The direct opposite, the contrast. Const. of, to.
1831. Macaulay, Moore’s Byron, Ess., I. 161. The reverse of a great dramatist, the very antithesis to a great dramatist.
1857. H. Reed, Lect. Brit. Poets, vii. 244. Rhyme is sometimes taken as the antithesis of reason.
1879. Farrar, Paul, II. 327. Is not the Pharisaic spirit … the antithesis of the Christian?
† 5. (See quot.) Obs.
1591. Percivall, Sp. Dict., B ij a. Antithesis, or Antistœchon: where if l follows immediately after r … they change r into l, to make the sound the pleasanter, as for Dexarle, dexalle.
1657. J. Smith, Myst. Rhet., 172. Antithesis is sometimes a figure, whereby one letter is put for another; and then it is the same with Antistoichon.
