This blog is named for the opposite of disgruntled, which should be gruntled — but really isn't. The dis- in disgruntled is not the same as the dis- in, say, disfavor. ("My boss disfavors me. That's why I'm so disgruntled.")
Instead, this dis- is used as an intensive. The gruntled comes from the Middle English gruntelen, meaning "to grumble." The intensive -dis means you're grumbling more when you're disgruntled. Ann from Esmerel.com has a nice explanation of all this here.
So while we're speaking of feelings and their opposites — like happy and sad — why the heck is there no opposite for angry? Recently we talked about how anger leads to the Dark Side — no, wait, that's something else — how anger leads to employee lawsuits (see the post on "Retained Dignity"). If we should be worrying about angry employees, what do we call them when they're not angry?
WordNet (via Answers.com) lists unangry as an antonym for angry, but that's sillier than disgruntled. It's completely made up. The word mavens at Oxford Dictionaries certainly don't buy it: otherwise, there'd be a solution for the old riddle of the three English words ending in "-gry" (along with hungry and, of course, angry). (There is no third word.)
What's the big deal? you ask. Well, I submit that opposites are important. For proof, there's the classic bit on The Simpsons where Dr. Nick literally pours gasoline on a fire, while reassuring bystanders, "Don't worry. It says Inflammable." After the explosion, Dr. Nick says, "Inflammable means flammable? What a country!"
What a country, indeed.
i'm trying to do this for homework.........in german!
no idea either! maybe it's calm?
Posted by: hayley | 05 October 2008 at 04:52 PM
I believe the opposite to angry is placid. It fits quite well, but I suppose is not an exact opposite or very 'popular emotion'.
Many just think of happy as the opposite for both angry and sad- but how can 1 emotion be an opposite for 2 totally different emotions? That just doesn't make enough sense to me.
Posted by: Abbey | 27 October 2008 at 08:52 PM
Happy is to sad as angry is to sanguine. I should know, I was married to one.
Doesn't anyone use their Thesaurus anymore?
Posted by: rae reich | 26 December 2011 at 12:22 PM