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Does "within" have an antonym?
If there is an antonym, which one is it?

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This question made me think of a song... – Benjol Feb 3 '11 at 9:37

5 Answers

up vote 25 down vote accepted

Mehper beats me to it with outside, so I'll just throw in a third alternative for the sake of completeness. Historically, without is an antonym of within, and Merriam-Webster still says that the first meaning of without is "outside" without further comment, but I don't actually see it being used that way these days. Wiktionary marks that usage as "archaic or literary".

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The New Oxford American English has it as “[archaic or poetic/literary] outside: the barbarians without the gates.” – F'x Feb 3 '11 at 10:01
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Also the NOAD reports the use of within to mean outside as archaic/literary. – kiamlaluno Feb 3 '11 at 10:02
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I recall this usage (also serving as a double-entendre) from the Beatles song "Within You And Without You". – Robusto Feb 3 '11 at 10:04
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I remember singing the hymn "There is a green hill far away without a city wall" as a child. I could never understand why a green hill would need a city wall. – MikeJ-UK Feb 3 '11 at 10:50
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About the only time I ever hear "without" is when it's used in conjunction with "within", like "Mr Jones is well-known both within and without his home state." – Jay Dec 21 '11 at 18:56
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up vote 18 down vote

Outside is an antonym to within.

For example: Within or outside of an organization or institution.

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up vote 7 down vote

Outwith means outside of something.

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This is a regionalism from Scotland and Northern England. It's not widely used outside these regions. – F'x Feb 3 '11 at 9:45
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The NOAD doesn't report the word outwith; I agree with FX_ that is a regionalism. – kiamlaluno Feb 3 '11 at 9:59
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It is, however, a rather nice word. – TRiG May 5 '11 at 12:20
up vote 3 down vote

In Scottish English the antonym is outwith. I think it nicely resolves the problems with using without or outside, which often don't accurately reflect the intended meaning.

There's a picture of it on Wikipedia being used on a sign:

sign on door reading "please use other door outwith normal opening hours"

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that's interesting – Theta30 Dec 21 '11 at 5:51
up vote 2 down vote

I agree with "without." Reminds me of a Marx Brothers exchange:

"Without" is a broader term, covering both "lacking" and "the absence of," and also means "outside."

(This double meaning led to the Marx Brothers routine: "There's a girl waiting without." "Without what?" "Without food or clothing." "Well, feed her and send her in.")

From On Language, by William Safire.

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