On the Contrary: Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites

Some words look like they have opposites but don't. Confused? Don't be trepid, be couth! Check out this list and see if it doesn't gruntle you and shevel your vocabulary!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    "Cadbury trying to say that the change is for health reasons when it seems painfully obvious it's for profit margins," said another disgruntled customer. BBC (Jul 17, 2020)
    Gruntle is an Old English word based on grunt, the sound a pig makes, that describes grumbling or muted complaining. But disgruntled isn't its opposite, it's the state of being grouchy or pouty.
  2. disheveled
    in disarray; extremely disorderly
    In one particularly egregious instance, the Los Angeles Times published a front-page photo of disheveled men descending from a box car, purportedly drawn west by the promise of that 50 bucks. Los Angeles Times (Aug 5, 2020)
    Chevel is an Old French word for "hair," so deschevelé means "having messy, unbrushed hair." Sheveled doesn't exist, although it can be used for comic effect.
  3. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
    Shopping for flower bulbs: It’s one of the more joyful summertime garden chores, certainly better than dragging hoses and sprinklers around or keeping ahead of the most incorrigible weeds. New York Times (Jul 15, 2020)
    From the Latin verb corrigere, meaning "to correct," incorrigible refers to someone who won't change their behavior even if they're punished for it repeatedly. Corrigible is a word in English, but it hasn't been used in about 150 years.
  4. ineffable
    defying expression or description
    Protesters are tapping into dance’s power as an act of rebellion as well as connection, a way to express ineffable emotions and share those emotions with others. Washington Post (Jun 4, 2020)
    Something effable would be easily expressed or explained with words. So the fact that it barely ever saw use in English and is now archaic is pretty effable.
  5. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
    By comparison, all earlier examples of active drapery seem inert. History of Art, Volume 1
    Ert should really be a word, but sadly it isn't. Inert actually uses the Latin root arti-, meaning "skill" or "ingenuity," which is the root of art and artificial.
  6. innocent
    free from sin
    They don't trust the system to hold police accountable and provide recompense to innocent victims like Breonna Taylor, shot to death by Louisville police who broke into her home March 13 with a no-knock warrant. Salon (Aug 9, 2020)
    Instead of nocent, we have guilty.
  7. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
    The chain’s curry bases are soupier, sweeter affairs than the average biryani or dhal, with diners invited to select toppings and spice level, from an innocuous mild to eye-watering level 10. The Guardian (Aug 7, 2020)
    Nocuous is a logical opposite, from the Latin nocuus, meaning "to harm" — which comes from the same root as innocent, above — but it never happened.
  8. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
    Hello it is I, your intrepid murder hornet correspondent. The Verge (Aug 2, 2020)
    Trepidation is nervous fear, but trepid is not a word.
  9. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    On my patio sat the neighborhood monkey I call Bro for his nonchalant attitude. Washington Post (Apr 24, 2020)
    Chalant would be a cool word for "caring" or "concerned" if it existed.
  10. noncommittal
    refusing to bind oneself to a particular course of action
    As for when he will play next, Woods was noncommittal, but he said he was taking a week off. Washington Post (Aug 9, 2020)
    Committal exists, but it's only used in legal or funeral contexts.
  11. nonplussed
    filled with bewilderment
    The singer, songwriter and actress was nonplussed at becoming the oldest living artist to lead a British music chart. Seattle Times (Jun 18, 2020)
    Non plus is Latin for "no more," so to be nonplussed is to be in a state where you can't say or do anything out of confusion or an "I can't even" level of exasperation. So to be plussed would be "not fed up yet," which doesn't exist due to an obvious lack of demand for it.
  12. overwhelm
    overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    It was 46 years ago, on August 8, 1974, that President Richard Nixon — overwhelmed by the Watergate scandal — announced his resignation. Salon (Aug 8, 2020)
    Underwhelming is a recent comic coinage born out of the lamentable lack of an opposite for overwhelming.
  13. postpone
    hold back to a later time
    MLB opted to postpone Thursday’s doubleheader to continue additional testing while players and staff are quarantined before the team returns to play. Washington Times (Aug 10, 2020)
    Postponere means "to put after" or "to put later," which suggests that prepone should be the opposite. Sadly, that's not the case.
  14. reckless
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    For three years, we survived the most ruthless, reckless, dishonest president in American history. Slate (Aug 9, 2020)
    Reck is a Germanic word for "care," and while reckful should be a word, it isn't.
  15. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
    That ruthless dynamic drove former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers yesterday to disavow any interest in returning to the federal government. Scientific American (Aug 7, 2020)
    Not the Hebrew name Ruth from the Bible, ruth is of Scandinavian origin, meaning "compassionate." It's from the same root as rue, meaning "regret." It's a word, but very rare.
  16. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    Across hygiene-conscious Eastern Europe, many people consider it uncouth and unsanitary to eat a burger with their bare hands. New York Times (Jun 20, 2020)
    Couth is a word, but rarely used.
Created on Mon Jul 06 11:44:33 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Aug 18 16:50:55 EDT 2020)

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