# If the word 'Elope' had an antonym, what would it be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 27, 2020, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409 "2020-03-27T09:23:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/1 "2020-03-27T09:23:37Z")
Just looking for some creative assistance on wordplay here. I am currently baiting a scammer who says there is a fund waiting for me in the Cote D’Ivorce - which place I assume is the opposite of [Gretna Green](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Green) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/2 "2020-03-27T09:31:56Z")
Epole, presumably. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/3 "2020-03-27T09:39:59Z")
I think of eloping as running off to get married. Running off to get divorced? Isn’t that a Nevada Divorce? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/4 "2020-03-27T10:24:40Z")
Shotgun wedding. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/5 "2020-03-27T11:51:45Z")
Opposite in what why? “Jilt” is suitable if one of the party runs off to avoid a marriage. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/6 "2020-03-27T12:57:13Z")
Delope ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/7 "2020-03-27T13:09:27Z")
Antilope? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/8 "2020-03-27T14:20:23Z")
The opposite of elope would be to endlessly delay a marriage, wouldn’t it? Like a permanent engagement. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/9 "2020-03-27T14:26:31Z")
> [@pool](#): > > Delope Unlope ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/10 "2020-03-27T14:52:25Z")
Good luck with the baiting. I used to do it quite a bit. I need to get back into it. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/11 "2020-03-27T15:09:34Z")
Isn’t elope running off to get married? Wouldn’t the antonym be not running off to get married? So . . . wedding? Marriage? Although I like antilope suggested earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/12 "2020-03-27T15:15:16Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > Isn’t elope running off to get married? Wouldn’t the antonym be not running off to get married? So . . . wedding? Marriage? > > Although I like antilope suggested earlier. Elopement is still a type of marriage or wedding, though. Couples who elope to Vegas can still have a wedding ceremony, and will still have a marriage in place. The opposite of elope is to essentially have a more traditional-style wedding and ceremony with your family and friends, in varying amounts. So I feel the most concise way of putting it is a ‘traditional’ wedding. Obviously what’s traditional and what isn’t differs between groups of people, but I’d say an elopement isn’t ‘traditional’ in most groups, if any. Edit: Although I’m with you - antilope is pretty awesome ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/13 "2020-03-27T15:15:17Z")
> [@gregorio](#): > > Isn’t elope running off to get married? Wouldn’t the antonym be not running off to get married? So . . . wedding? Marriage? Or both not running off and not getting married, so the concept of a perpetual engagement, as suggested by **Alessan** , is what first came to mind to me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/14 "2020-03-27T15:37:24Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > the Cote D’Ivorce - which place I assume is the opposite of [Gretna Green](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Green) 😃 First time I laughed in a few days. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/15 "2020-03-27T15:53:36Z")
Bridezilla? Since nowadays most elopements are to avoid the over-the-top wedding stuff ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/16 "2020-03-27T16:06:20Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The opposite of elope would be to endlessly delay a marriage, wouldn’t it? Like a permanent engagement. One might say they have been [havisham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Havisham)’d. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/17 "2020-03-27T21:16:13Z")
I guess by the opposite of elope, I meant where people would romantically run away to in order to get divorced. Not that it would happen all that often, of course. I like Antilope, I will use that! Enjoying the discussion! ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/18 "2020-03-28T15:01:08Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Bridezilla? > > Since nowadays most elopements are to avoid the over-the-top wedding stuff This is EXACTLY my first thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/19 "2020-03-28T16:04:33Z")
If elope means running off to get married, then the anti- would be not being able to run off. i.e. cantalope ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409/20 "2020-03-28T16:31:41Z")
Antilope, cantalope, both are ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Unlope is pretty damn good, too. ~VOW [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-the-word-elope-had-an-antonym-what-would-it-be/850409.md?page=2)