Two items in the list (let and cleave) are really homophones, i.e.,
etymologically distinct words whose pronunciation has collapsed together. I'm
not sure those should count the way an item like 'bolt' should, where the
opposite meanings really develop from the same core idea.

Bruce Despain wrote:
> Many, many words have different meanings by degree.  I think the words under discussion are opposite in the sense that one is the negative of the other.  Sometimes the degree seems to verge on opposite.  Maybe that is the origin of some of them, when they go over the edge.  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marie-Pierre Jouannaud
> Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 1:59 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Words that are their own opposites
> 
> Would this work (I'm not a native speaker):
> 
> It wasn't scorched to the ground; it was only scorched.
> 
> Marie
> France
> 
>> sanction-to endorse, hallow
>> sanction-to impose penalty
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Bruce Despain
>>   To: [log in to unmask]
>>   Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 1:32 PM
>>   Subject: Re: Words that are their own opposites
>>
>>
>>   The list is very interesting with regard to how context and pragmatics
>> help with the interpretation of so many of these words.  Some of the
>> example sentences seem ridiculous to me in the sense that there is no
>> context to tell about how to interpret the words.  Some of them are
>> ambiguous .  The first one has a clue that (1) is an abstract noun,
>> whereas (2) is a concrete count noun.  Since lack of oversight generally
>> does not cause oversights directly, perhaps a better example would take
>> advantage of these syntactic attributes:  "Management made an oversight
>> in not providing enough oversight."    Dictionary definitions rarely
>> provide us with exact synonyms.
>>
>>
>>
>>   From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dick Veit
>>   Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 12:01 PM
>>   To: [log in to unmask]
>>   Subject: Words that are their own opposites
>>
>>
>>
>>   On a less weighty note, my colleague Todd Berliner has been collecting
>> words with seemingly contradictory definitions. I've copied his list
>> below. Can anyone supply further examples?
>>
>>   Words That Are Their Own Opposites
>>
>>
>>
>>   oversight
>>
>>      1. Watchful care or management; supervision.
>>
>>      2. a failure to notice something. An unintentional omission or
>> mistake.  an error
>>
>>   "Because there was no oversight there was an oversight."
>>
>>
>>
>>   presently
>>
>>   1. In a short time; soon
>>
>>   2. At this time or period; now
>>
>>   "He will do it presently, because he can't do it presently."
>>
>>
>>
>>   cull
>>
>>   1. To gather; collect
>>
>>   2. To remove rejected members or parts from
>>
>>   "We culled the chickens so that they would not be culled"
>>
>>
>>
>>   traffic
>>
>>   1. passage
>>
>>   2. stoppage
>>
>>   "Because there was so much traffic there was no traffic"
>>
>>
>>
>>   fearsome
>>
>>   1. Causing or capable of causing fear
>>
>>   2. Fearful; timid.
>>
>>   "Because we weren't fearsome enough, we were fearsome"
>>
>>
>>
>>   temper
>>
>>   1. a tendency to become angry or out of control
>>
>>   2. Calmness of mind or emotions; composure
>>
>>   "He had a temper because he often lost his temper"
>>
>>
>>
>>   let
>>
>>   1. to not prevent or hinder
>>
>>   2. to hinder (as in tennis "a let")
>>
>>   "Let him go to the movies; don't let him from going"
>>
>>
>>
>>   bolt
>>
>>   1. affix, attach, connect
>>
>>   2. to flee
>>
>>   "They bolted because they weren't bolted."
>>
>>
>>
>>   terrific
>>
>>   1. Very bad or unpleasant; frightful: a terrific headache
>>
>>   2. Very good or fine; splendid: a terrific tennis player
>>
>>   "It was a terrific experience because there was nothing terrific about
>> it."
>>
>>
>>
>>   cleave
>>
>>      1. to join together
>>
>>      2. to break apart
>>
>>   "We cleaved them so tightly that no one could cleave them."
>>
>>
>>
>>   I can think of an addition to Todd's list:
>>
>>   awful: 1. Awe-inspiring. 2. Disdain-provoking. "The mystic thought it
>> would be god-awful not to experience God's awful presence in the
>> hereafter."
>>
>>
>>   and maybe also:
>>
>>   unlockable: 1. Not lockable. 2. Able to be unlocked. "Before we locked
>> the door, it seemed unlockable; then it seemed unlockable.
>>
>>   Any others?
>>
>>   Dick Veit
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