motsatsen

Motsatsen, literally meaning “the opposite,” is a term used in linguistics and language education to describe the semantic opposite of a word or concept. In Swedish, it corresponds to the English word “antonym,” and it is used to discuss how words relate to each other in meaning.

Antonyms fall into several categories. Complementary opposites are binary with no intermediate state, such as levande—död (alive–dead). Gradable opposites cover a spectrum and allow intermediate values, for example stor—liten (big–small) or varm—kall (warm–cold). Relational opposites describe reciprocal relationships, such as köpare–säljare (buyer–seller) or lärare–elev (teacher–student). Some antonyms are context-dependent and may vary in usage across dialects or registers.

In practice, motsatsen is a common concept in dictionaries, thesauri, and language teaching. The definite form motsatsen appears in phrases like “motsatsen till…” (the opposite of…). Swedish learners often use antonyms to reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and contrastive thinking. The study of opposites also supports lexical organization in semantic networks and helps illuminate how language encodes negation and opposition.

Etymology commonly links motsats to a compound of mot, meaning “against,” and sats, a term related to a statement or proposition, reflecting the idea of a counter-statement or counter-meaning. While the details vary, the term consistently denotes an opposite or counterpoint to another word or concept.

See also: antonym, synonym, thesaurus, semantical relations.