/ ænˈtɪθəsɪs; NAmE / noun [ C , U ] ( pl. an·tith·eses / ænˈtɪθəsiːz; NAmE /) ( formal )
1.
the opposite of sth :
Love is the antithesis of selfishness.
Students finishing their education at 16 is the very antithesis of what society needs.
2.
a contrast between two things :
There is an antithesis between the needs of the state and the needs of the people.
► an·ti·thet·ic·al / ˌæntɪˈθetɪkl; NAmE / adjective
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (originally denoting the substitution of one grammatical case for another): from late Latin , from Greek antitithenai set against, from anti against + tithenai to place. The earliest current sense, denoting a rhetorical or literary device, dates from the early 16th cent.