---
title: "no-antithesis"
description: "Flags rhetorical antithesis that balances one idea against another."
sidebar:
  label: "no-antithesis"
  badge: "Soft"
search:
  tags: [rule, inferential, style]
---

| Property | Value |
| -------- | ----- |
| Kind | Soft rule |
| Engine | `inferential` |
| Tier | `inferential` |
| Severity | `warning` |
| Intent | `style` |
| Scope | `text` |

:::note
This is a style rule. It reports findings and participates in `--fix`, but never moves the [human-likeness score](/docs/concepts/scoring).
:::

## Why

Balanced opposition can make prose sound staged when it replaces a direct statement with a memorable contrast.

## Examples

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Column>
    **Flagged**

    It is not the tool, but the workflow, that determines the result.
  </Column>
  <Column>
    **Better**

    The workflow determines the result.
  </Column>
</Columns>

## Rubric

This rule is evaluated by the optional [AI judge](/docs/guides/judge) against the criteria below.

Flag a sentence when it uses balanced opposition as a rhetorical move:
"it is X, not Y", "less A, more B", "not X but Y", or a similar
parallel contrast whose main purpose is emphasis rather than precision.
Do not flag a contrast that carries substantive information, such as
distinguishing two legal standards, elements, causes, or remedies. Do not
flag an ordinary "but" clause that simply qualifies or limits a claim.

### Should flag

- It is not the tool, but the workflow, that determines the result.
- The issue is less about the text and more about the remedy.
- Not the deadline but the notice controls the analysis.
- This is not a question of power; it is a question of judgment.

### Should pass

- The statute applies to employees but not to independent contractors.
- The defendant challenges causation, but the record also raises a notice issue.
- The rule distinguishes direct damages from consequential damages.
- The motion is timely under Rule 12, but the court lacks personal jurisdiction.

## Turning it off

```sh
lawlint --disable no-antithesis draft.md
```

Or durably, in `.lawlint/config.json` — see [Configuration](/docs/reference/configuration).