vastupidised

Vastupidised, or antonyms, are words that express opposite meanings in relation to another word. They are a central tool for conveying contrast and polarity in language, and they play an important role in lexical organization, language learning, and discourse. In Estonian linguistics, vastupidised are studied to understand how opposites are stored, retrieved, and used in communication.

They are commonly categorized into three main types. Complementary antonyms are binary opposites where only one of the two states can be true at a time, such as elus vs surnud (alive vs dead). Gradable antonyms exist on a scale, allowing degrees, as in suur vs väike (large vs small), pikk vs lühike (long vs short), and kuum vs külm (hot vs cold). Relational or converse antonyms describe opposing roles or relations in an interaction, such as müüja vs ostja (seller vs buyer) or anda vs võtta (give vs take).

Formation and usage vary. In Estonian, many antonyms are stored as fixed word pairs in the lexicon rather than generated by a single universal rule. Some opposites emerge through changes in the word stem or through conventional pairing rather than productive morphology. Antonyms function to mark contrast, enable precise negation, and structure semantic fields within texts and spoken language.

See also: Antonyms, Lexical semantics.