Brand new auto-antonyms

Remember last year I told you about auto-antonyms ? (click here to consult the post)They are contradictory words that have a meaning and the opposite meaning at the same time. Today I'm bringing you a bunch of brand new auto-antonyms for your delight. I hope you enjoy them : 

1. Drug : There are two types of drugs in English, those intended to cure an illness (medicines), and those illegal substances people get hooked on.

From : https://mises.org/library/drugs-good-bad-and-ugly

2. Cool : This adjective is normally associated with good feelings : 'the film was cool', but it can also be associate to tension : 'a cool atmosphere.'

3. Leave : This verb means 'depart' but also to stay. 

I'm going to leave for England tomorrow. 

Please, leave my bag at home. 

4. Get : The jack-of-all-trades in English (see my post about the verb 'get'). It can mean 'but' or 'receive' :

I got Jane a wonderful present.

I got a wonderful present from John. 

5. Terrific : In the past, this adjective held the connotation of causing terror. However, now it means 'great.'

6. Sanction : It can have a negative meaning, indicating 'penalize' or 'penalization', but in other contexts, it means approval : the president granted him the official sanction for his acts (positive); he was sanctioned for drinking in the street (negative).

7. Wear : It is normally a positive verb indicating that something is strong and resist : leather wears well (it doesn't usually break easily). However, it can mean exactly the opposite : his jacket began to wear due to the  unclean conditions (=deteriorate).

8. Enjoin : It means prescribe and prohibit at the same time. 'The doctor enjoined the patient to rest.'  / The judge enjoined the father from visiting his son, because he was a drug addict.

9. Overlook : This verb normally means to ignore (the teacher overlooked the student's behaviour and that led to disaster); but in other contexts it can mean 'watch over' or 'supervise', as in 'the company has to overlook the hiring of personnel.'

Well, isn't English surprising ? Did you like the post ? Then post a comment with your favourite auto-antonym. If you want to learn something similar, visit my post about middle verbs.

See you next week.