antithesis.

1. A person, idea, or quality directly opposed to another.

2. The balanced placement of contrasting ideas for rhetorical effect.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• antithesis of an ideal
• complete antithesis

On the page

His conduct was the antithesis of the values he proclaimed.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Singular antithesis; plural antithesises. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: argumentation, evidence, inference. Commonness: moderately common.