What are auto-antonyms? Provide examples.

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What are auto-antonyms? Provide examples.

Auto-antonyms, also known as contronyms or Janus words, are words that have opposite meanings depending on the context in which they are used. These words can be quite confusing as they can convey contradictory meanings. Here are a few examples of auto-antonyms:

1. Cleave: It can mean to stick together or to split apart. For example, "The glue will cleave the pieces together" (stick together) and "The axe will cleave the log in two" (split apart).

2. Dust: It can mean to remove dust or to sprinkle dust. For instance, "She dusted the furniture" (removed dust) and "He dusted the cake with powdered sugar" (sprinkled dust).

3. Oversight: It can mean to supervise or to fail to notice. For example, "The manager provided oversight to the project" (supervised) and "The mistake was an oversight" (failure to notice).

4. Bolt: It can mean to secure or to flee quickly. For instance, "He bolted the door shut" (secured) and "The rabbit bolted into the woods" (fled quickly).

5. Sanction: It can mean to approve or to penalize. For example, "The committee will sanction the proposal" (approve) and "The government will impose sanctions on the country" (penalize).

6. Weather: It can mean to withstand or to wear away. For instance, "The house will weather the storm" (withstand) and "The rocks will weather over time" (wear away).

These examples demonstrate how auto-antonyms can create confusion due to their contradictory meanings. It is important to consider the context in which these words are used to determine their intended meaning.