antithesis an-ˈti-thə-səs noun
1. exact opposite
2. the juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas to give a feeling of balance
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The word antithesis has appeared in 78 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 31 in “Hockey’s Fights and Handshakes? Not Exactly Socially Distant” by Stephen Smith:
As the clock ran out on their season in Edmonton, the desperate Chicago Blackhawks did what any team would: They crowded the net, looking for an opening, anything. Stopped short, the Blackhawks could only watch as the victorious Vegas Golden Knights hugged out their five-game series win. Both teams then removed the gloves they had been wearing, lining up for the handshakes that hockey tradition demands.
Cast in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, the clustering and close-fought commotion of the N.H.L. playoffs might seem like the antithesis of best public health practices, a daily tutorial — a crash course — on how not to social distance.
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