motsats

Motsats is a Swedish term for words with opposite meanings. In linguistics these are called antonyms. The relationship is used to express contrast, comparison, and negation.

There are several kinds of antonyms. Gradable antonyms describe ends of a spectrum and can be intensified or weakened: stor–liten, varm–kall. Complementary antonyms refer to binary states with no middle ground: död–levande, sann–falsk. Relational or contextual antonyms express opposite roles or relations in a given situation: köpare–säljare, lärare–elev, ge–få.

In Swedish, motsats pairs are commonly listed in dictionaries and are a central tool in language education and vocabulary building. Not all words have a direct motsats; in some contexts different opposites may be used, and some words rely on negation or phrasing rather than a fixed opposite. New opposites can also arise through derivation or loanwords.

The concept is analogous to the English term antonym and is widely used in teaching, translation, and linguistic analysis.