Taxonomy of Wordplay

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  1. Synonyms and Antonyms
    1. double synonyms or words with two different synonymous meanings, shortest
    2. synonymic and antonymic reversals and transposals
      1. synonymous reversal, longest
      2. synonymous transposal, longest
      3. anagram (synomymous phrase containing the same letters), longest
      4. antigram (antonymous phrase containing the same letters), longest
      5. antonymic transformation (beheadment, substitution or charade that yields an opposite)
      6. synonymous beheadment or deletion
      7. meaningful charade (splits into words that describe it, or into synonyms or antonyms)
      8. definitive palindrome (a word plus its definition form a palindrome)
      9. antonymous reversal (reversal pair with opposite meanings)
      10. antonym-pair anagram (two opposite words scrambled together into a word or phrase)
      11. homoantonym (pair of words homophonous with a pair of antonyms)
    3. contranyms (homographic antonym)
      1. for each letter
      2. contranyms, homophonic
    4. double-duty antonyms (antonyms of two or more words)
      1. antonyms, most
      2. for each letter
      3. mutually antonymic set (three or more words, each the antonym of every other)
      4. mean word (word for the midpoint between two extreme opposites)
    5. pseudantonyms (synonyms that appear to be antonyms)
      1. false antonym compound pair (compounds of antonyms with unrelated meanings)
    6. self-synonym (homographs of unrelated origin with about the same meaning)
    7. rhyming antonyms and synonyms
      1. antonymic couplet (two adjective-noun phrases whose adjectives are antonyms and whose nouns rhyme)
    8. one-letter synonym or antonym pair (differ by one substituted, added or deleted letter)

Synonyms and Antonyms

double synonyms or words with two different synonymous meanings, shortest

        common word: list & roll (4) (set of names & tilt)

synonymic and antonymic reversals and transposals [8-111]
synonymous reversal, longest [7-172,241,8-111]
        common word: pat => tap (3)
synonymous transposal, longest
        common word: angered => enraged (7)
        uncommon word: adulation => laudation (9)
        uncommon word: amatorian => inamorata (9)
        uncommon word: listerize => sterilize (9)
anagram (synomymous phrase containing the same letters), longest [7-189,9-250,10-3]
        uncommon word: unconventionalities : unite in novel actions (19)
antigram (antonymous phrase containing the same letters), longest
        common word: protectionism : nice to imports (13)
antonymic transformation (beheadment, substitution or charade that yields an opposite) [39-232,42-130]
        e.g. bonus => onus; covert => overt (beheadment)
        e.g. auspicious => suspicious; milestone => millstone (substitution)
        a.  antonymic compound (each element of a compound replaced by its opposite gives another compound) [18-43]
                e.g. HANDSPRING > FOOTFALL; URBAN RENEWAL > RURAL LAPSE
        b.  antonym exchange pair (two words alike except that one holds a word where the other holds its antonym, incl. split
            antonyms) [45-142]
                e.g. F(AT)E / TH(IN)E; SH(IN) / SH(OUT); ASK(ER) / TELL(ER)
synonymous beheadment or deletion [9-111,15-124,31-53,37-129]
        e.g. brim / rim; chunk / hunk; crumple / rumple (unrelated roots)
        e.g. INDOLENT minus N, O, N, T = IDLE
meaningful charade (splits into words that describe it, or into synonyms or antonyms) [31-53,39-33]
        e.g. atone = at one; island = is land; daredevil = dared evil
        a.  Ouija word (word that splits into synonymous parts from different languages) [23-187]
                e.g. OUI + JA (yes + yes, French and German)
definitive palindrome (a word plus its definition form a palindrome) [38-88]
        e.g. DIARY - YR. AID; PAT TAP
antonymous reversal (reversal pair with opposite meanings) [36-137]
        e.g. TIP / PIT; BAN / NAB; REUS (defendant) / SUER
antonym-pair anagram (two opposite words scrambled together into a word or phrase) [7-217]
        e.g. SWEET + SOUR = SOU'WESTER
homoantonym (pair of words homophonous with a pair of antonyms) [10-216]
        e.g. knights / daze (nights / days)

contranyms (homographic antonym) [2-179,9-29,11-27,12-167,15-154]
for each letter
        see list Self-Antonym Beginning with Each Letter
contranyms, homophonic [22-38]
        common words: aural & oral (heard & spoken)
        common words: fiance & fiancee (female betrothed & male betrothed)
        common words: raise & raze (erect & tear down)
        common words: succor & sucker (aid & hoodwink)
        common words: enumerable & innumerable (countable & uncountable)
        uncommon words: erupt & irrupt (burst out & burst in)
        uncommon words: eradicate & irradicate (pull up by the roots & root deeply)
        uncommon words: petalless & petalous (lacking petals & having petals)
        uncommon words: reckless & wreckless (careless & careful)

double-duty antonyms (antonyms of two or more words) [8-111,19-93]
antonyms, most
        common word: acute : chronic & blunt & obtuse & dull & grave (5)
for each letter
        see list Antonym of Two Different Words, Beginning with Each Letter
mutually antonymic set (three or more words, each the antonym of every other) [21-20]
        e.g. always / never / now / occasionally / often / then / when
mean word (word for the midpoint between two extreme opposites) [24-27,24-87]
        e.g. rare / medium / well done; vacuum / ? / plenum

pseudantonyms (synonyms that appear to be antonyms)

        see list False Antonym Beginning with Each Letter
false antonym compound pair (compounds of antonyms with unrelated meanings) [3-41,168,TJ4-64]
        e.g. hothead / cold feet; nightfall / dayspring

self-synonym (homographs of unrelated origin with about the same meaning) [36-46,37-45,38-26]

        e.g. halt (stop) / halt (falter), from unrelated roots
        e.g. pen (animal enclosure) / pen (from penitentiary)

rhyming antonyms and synonyms [39-232,49-316,50-13,176,TJ3-55]

        e.g. adore / abhor; glad / sad; hired / fired
antonymic couplet (two adjective-noun phrases whose adjectives are antonyms and whose nouns rhyme) [47-70]
        e.g. TRUE CONFESSIONS / FALSE IMPRESSIONS

one-letter synonym or antonym pair (differ by one substituted, added or deleted letter) [34-139,35-288]

        common words: brain & brawn
        common words: auspicious & suspicious

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