| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
Acquire |
Release |
Add |
Remove (e.g. an item), Subtract (arithmetic) |
Advance |
Retreat |
Allocate |
Deallocate (correct), Free (common) |
Assemble |
Disassemble |
Attach |
Detach |
Begin |
End |
Create |
Destroy |
Compile |
Decompile |
Construct |
Destruct |
Enable |
Disable |
Enqueue |
Dequeue |
Enter |
Leave, Exit |
First |
Last |
Freeze |
Unfreeze |
Front |
Back |
Get |
Set |
Import |
Export |
Increase |
Decrease |
Increment |
Decrement |
Inflate |
Deflate |
Insert |
Delete |
Install |
Uninstall |
Link |
Unlink |
Load |
Unload (e.g. a module), Store (e.g. a value) |
Lock |
Unlock |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Next |
Previous |
New |
Old |
Open |
Close |
Push |
Pop |
Read |
Write |
Register |
Deregister |
Select |
Deselect |
Send |
Receive |
Serialize |
Deserialize |
Set |
Unset (e.g. a key), Clear (e.g. a bit) |
SetUp |
TearDown |
Show |
Hide |
Start |
Stop |
StartUp |
ShutDown, CleanUp (maybe) |
Resume |
Suspend |
Up |
Down |
There is no precise antonym for Initialize and I don't think there has to be:
By using Initialize only for simple initializations that don't need any clean up code
(Initialize as its own antonym) you can
- establish a convention through that initialization routines without a corresponding clean up routine can be easily recognized, and
- circumvent the need for an antonym ;).
For routines that do not fall in this category, select another verb from the table above (most of the time there is a more descriptive alternative anyway).
If you still feel like you need an antonym; possibilities include but are not limited to: Exit (very common in conjunction with Init), Reset, Finalize, Terminate.