Antipathy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ænˈtɪpəθi/

Definitions

1. A strong feeling of dislike or opposition toward someone or something
2. A powerful and lasting feeling of aversion or hostility directed at a particular individual or concept exists in this state of disaffection
3. An intense feeling of opposition or distaste toward a person, thing, or idea

Etymology: The most striking thing about "antipathy" is that it was originally a term of physical sympathy, not a feeling at all. Ancient Greek "antipathēs" meant "felt mutually" or "suffering in return," and "antipatheia" was used for a counteraction or reciprocal feeling between things. The Greek roots are "anti-," meaning "against," and "pathos," meaning suffering or strong feeling, the same root behind "pathos" and "sympathy." The word passed into Latin as "antipathia," where it kept the sense of a natural aversion, a thing's inborn opposition to another. From there it reached French as "antipathie," and English borrowed it from that French form, bringing with it the older idea that certain things were naturally incompatible, the way one substance might repel another. Over time the sense narrowed from a natural opposition between things to a deep dislike felt by people. The shift from the physical to the emotional is what makes the word's history distinctive: the same "pathos" that gives us "sympathy," feeling with another, is the root of its opposite, feeling against.

Synonyms: aversion, dislike, hostility, animosity, repugnance

Antonyms: affection, liking, fondness, admiration