phantonyms

Noun

phantonym (plural phantonyms)

1. A word that appears to mean one thing but actually means something else. Such terms are predisposed toward catachrestic use (including malapropisms) by speakers and writers.
   • High-school juniors across the country, facing their first Preliminary SAT exams, are engrossed in improving their vocabulary. Here's a thought that might help: A word that means the opposite of another is an antonym; a word that looks as if it means one thing but means quite another could be...2009 September 25, Jack Rosenthal, “Phantonym. On Language column”, in New York Times Magazine, archived from the original on 13 Jun 2021, retrieved 07 Feb 2023