Word Confusion: Ante- vs Ante vs Anti- vs Anti

Posted July 16, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
24 June 2023

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It’s a busy quartet of words, ante- vs ante vs anti- vs anti, and it behooves writers to understand the difference amongst them.

I do understand being anti the cost of a professional proofreader. However, it’s not easy to recover your reputation, and it would be so much easier if we could simply ante up and antedate publishing our books and turn this debacle into an antifailure.

Read on to figure out what that last sentence meant, lol.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Ante-	Ante	Anti-	Anti
Antenatal Baby Bump is under the CC0 license, via MaxPixel, <https://www.maxpixel.net/Awaiting-Abdomen-Antenatal-Baby-Baby-Bump-American-3991872>.	A Friend in Need, 1903, by C.M.Coolidge is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Not much of an ante in that pot.	Anti-dictators Sign by futureatlas.com is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. NOTE: The image was cropped, skewed, and colors adjusted.	LBBTQ Protest by Ted Eytan is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via This is York. — Protestors are always anti something.
Part of Grammar:
Prefix	Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: antes Gerund: anteing Third person present verb: antes Past tense or past participle: anted, anteed Present participle: anteing	Prefix Alternate spelling: Sometimes ant- if used before a vowel, but this is not set in stone.	Adjective; Noun; Preposition Plural for the noun: antis
Before Preceding	Noun: Something anted up [Cardplaying] A stake put up by each player in poker and similar games before receiving cards An amount of money paid in advance to insure an individual’s share in a joint business venture [Informal] An individual’s share of the total expenses incurred by a group [Informal] The price or cost of something. Verb, intransitive: [Informal; ante up] Put up one’s money Pay up [Poker] To put one’s initial stake into the pot [Informal] To pay (usually followed by up) Verb, transitive: [ante something up] Put up an amount as an stake in poker and similar games [North American; informal] Pay an amount of money in advance To produce or pay one’s share (sually followed by up)	Opposed to Against Preventing or suppressing Reversing or undoing The opposite of [Physics] The opposite state of matter or of a specified particle Acting as a rival Unlike the conventional form	Adjective: [Predic.] Opposed Noun: A person opposed to a particular policy, activity, idea, etc. Preposition: Opposed to Against
Examples:
It was a civilization that antedated the Roman Empire. Abnormalities of the sinus are difficult to demonstrate antemortem. Has she followed up on her antenatal care? Her early life and antecedents have been traced. Some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa’s oral traditions. There can be a number of antecedent events that prompt you to break a diet.	Noun: I want to up the ante. He decided to up the ante in the trade war. What’s the ante? But, as he himself proclaimed, that was no more than getting his ante back. Verb, intransitive: The owners have to ante up if they want to attract the best talent. He anted up for his share. They anted for the tickets. Verb, transitive: He anted up $925,000 of his own money. He anted up his half of the bill. He essentially gets to pick which bets he thinks are best and ante them up. We’re told it’s because FOX didn’t want to ante up money for her band.	Set up the antiaircraft guns and ensure they operate as intended. I think we should administer an anti-inflammatory. Did you pick up the antibacterial soap? There are few examples of gold and silver work anterior to the dynasty of the Romanoffs. These antidemocratic measures have severely curtailed political freedom. Coconut oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties. They’ve been increasing her dosages of antihypertensive drug treatments. He’s a committed antiracist who used his vocal genius and popularity to break racist picket lines at schools. He’s undergoing a controversial antiretroviral therapy. I upgraded the antiroll bars on my dune buggy. The number of anti-vax parents is increasing despite the evidence.	Adjective: Neither side in the debate, whether anti or pro, has offered a particularly convincing case. But even in January 1975 the anti campaign still had an 8% edge. They thought the debate went from the pro argument to the anti argument. Noun: There is a shadow army of antis who endanger your sport. The threat to field sports from the antis is a serious one. You know that if you are working within the regulations, you are doing it right, no matter what the antis accuse you of. Preposition: I’m anti the abuse of drink and the hassle that it causes. Their group is violently anti about abortion. But we’re really anti the rock star thing. You’re not anti the pharmaceutical industry, are you?
Derivatives:
Adjective: antebellum, antediluvian, antemortem, antenatal, antepartum, antepenultimate, anterior, anteverted Adverb: antemortem, antenatally, anteriorly Noun: antecedence, antechamber, antechapel, antedating, antenatal, anteriority Verb: antedate		Adjective: anti-American, antiabortion, antiabortionist, anti-aging, anti-ageing, antiaircraft, antibacterial, anticancer, anticapitalist, antichoice, anti-Christian, anticipate, anticlerical, anticlimactic, anticlockwise, anticoagulant, anticompetitive, anticyclonic anticonvulsant, anticorruption, antidemocratic … you get the idea Adverb: anticlimactic, anticlockwise, anticompetitively Noun: anti-Americanism, anti-Christian, antiabortionist, antialiasing, antibubble, anticapitalist, anticlerical, anticlericalism, anticlimax, anticoagulant, anticompetitiveness, anticonvulsant, anticyclone … you get the idea
History of the Word:
From the Latin ante meaning before.	Early 19th century from the Latin prepositional and adverbial ante literally meaning before and akin to the Greek antí and the Old English and- meaning against, toward, and/or opposite.	From the Greek anti meaning against.	Late 18th century (as a noun) in an independent usage of anti-.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

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