"What is the opposite word for X?" Is the sentence correct?

Question

I always use:

What is the opposite of X ?

But today I came across:

What is the opposite word for X ?

Are the both grammatical?

Thank you.

Jeff Morrow · Accepted Answer · 2019-03-04 02:04:56Z

-1

Yes, both are grammatical, but the second should be punctuated

What is the opposite word to "X."

You need to understand the distinction between the use and the mention of a word.

answered Mar 4, 2019 at 2:04

Jeff Morrow

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You are incorrect. "The opposite of" is correct.
– user45266
Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 5:18
@user45266 is it the only correct option?
– Andrew
Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 8:18
Not sure, but "opposite to" doesn't work. "Is in opposition to" works, and so does "antonym of".
– user45266
Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 16:54
1

@AndrewTobilko User 45266 does not have a clue what he is talking about. See here for ngram, which shows "opposite to" and "opposite of" both have a long history in English: books.google.com/ngrams/…
– Jeff Morrow
Commented Mar 4, 2019 at 17:58

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