Revised 2022 More entries for "anti"

antinoun, adjective, & preposition

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the word anti mean?

There are four meanings listed in OED's entry for the word anti. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

See meaning & use

How common is the word anti?

About 50occurrences per million words in modern written English

1780	2.5
1790	2.6
1800	3.2
1810	4.5
1820	5.5
1830	7.6
1840	9.8
1850	10
1860	10
1870	10
1880	13
1890	15
1900	15
1910	20
1920	23
1930	32
1940	47
1950	43
1960	54
1970	57
1980	56
1990	53
2000	54
2010	54

See frequency

How is the word anti pronounced?

British English

/ˈanti/

AN-tee

U.S. English

/ˈænˌtaɪ/

AN-tigh

/ˈæn(t)i/

AN-tee

See pronunciation

Where does the word anti come from?

Earliest known use

late 1700s

The earliest known use of the word anti is in the late 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for anti is from 1788, in a letter by Jeremy Belknap, Congregationalist minister in America and historian.

anti is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: anti- prefix.

See etymology

Nearby entries

anthroposophical, adj.1906–
anthroposophist, n.1851–
anthroposophy, n.1588–
anthropotomical, adj.1846–
anthropotomist, n.1846–1902
anthropotomy, n.1786–
anthropurgic, adj.1817–
anthrozoology, n.1992–
anthurium, n.1833–
anthypophora, n.1549–
anti, n., adj., & prep.1788–
anti-, prefix
anti-abortion, adj.1866–
anti-abortionism, n.1967–
anti-abortionist, n. & adj.1959–
antiae, n.1874–
anti-ageing, adj.1917–
anti-aircraft, adj. & n.1911–
anti-American, adj. & n.1765–
anti-Americanism, n.1767–
anti-Anglican, n. & adj.1764–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Pronunciation

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Frequency

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Compounds & derived words

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Entry history for anti, n., adj., & prep.

anti, n., adj., & prep. was revised in March 2022.

anti, n., adj., & prep. was last modified in July 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into anti, n., adj., & prep. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the New English Dictionary (1933)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View anti, a. and n. in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for anti, n., adj., & prep.

Browse entry

Nearby entries

anthroposophical, adj.1906–
anthroposophist, n.1851–
anthroposophy, n.1588–
anthropotomical, adj.1846–
anthropotomist, n.1846–1902
anthropotomy, n.1786–
anthropurgic, adj.1817–
anthrozoology, n.1992–
anthurium, n.1833–
anthypophora, n.1549–
anti, n., adj., & prep.1788–
anti-, prefix
anti-abortion, adj.1866–
anti-abortionism, n.1967–
anti-abortionist, n. & adj.1959–
antiae, n.1874–
anti-ageing, adj.1917–
anti-aircraft, adj. & n.1911–
anti-American, adj. & n.1765–
anti-Americanism, n.1767–
anti-Anglican, n. & adj.1764–

Browse more nearby entries