300+ Opposites (Antonyms) from A-Z with Great Examples • 7ESL

Antonyms (opposite words) are an important word type to use in almost any form of writing. Many people though, don’t actually understand what an antonym is. Most people would be surprised to hear that they probably use antonyms all of the time without realizing it though. This guide will take you through what an antonym is, how it is used in writing, and give you some of the reasons why learning antonyms is important in any type of writing.

Table of Contents

What Is An Antonym?

Antonyms are basically just words with opposite meanings to one another. Conversely,synonymsare words with meanings that are the same as one another. Most people don’t know that there are, in fact, different types of antonyms though. Below we’ll take a look at these different types ofantonyms, explain what they are, and provide some examples to make it clearer.

Antonyms (opposites) examples:

Night – Day
Arrive – Leave
Junior – Senior
Better – Worse
Right – Left
Rich – Poor
Smart – Stupid
Small – Big

Examples of Antonyms (Opposites)

Opposites (Antonyms)

Types of Antonyms/Opposites

复合基米entary and Binary pairs

Don’t let the slightly complicated names for these different types of antonyms concern you, complementary and binary pairs are the easiest antonyms to understand because there is absolutely no gray area between them. That is to say, all of these types of antonyms are the absolute opposite of the other words, and there is no room for confusion. Let’s take a look at these more concrete examples of antonyms:

Deadoralive– you cannot be anything other than these two, and dead is the absolute concrete opposite to alive. This makes them complementary and binary pair antonyms because they are very clear in their opposite meanings. In short, if dead is applicable as a descriptive word for somebody, then alive cannot be, and vice versa.
Passorfail– you cannot both passandfail, so this is another clear cut example of a complementary and binary pair antonym.
Trueorfalse– again, something can’t be both true and false.

Hopefully, the above examples have made the meaning of complementary and binary pair antonyms much clearer. To remember which antonyms are complementary and binary pairs, ask yourself if both can be true – if they can’t, then they are complete opposites and are complementary and binary pairs.

Gradable antonyms

对于这些类型的反义词,他们一般都在opposite ends of a scale. That is to say, that words exist between the two of them that can describe the gray area in the middle of those scales. In order to be antonyms at all, they do still need to be opposites of one another, so they will be at the opposite ends of the scales. Let’s take a look at some examples to make that clearer:

Uglyandbeautiful– there is some subjectivity here, and there are words in existence that can go some way to describing the gray area between the two. Words such as “plain” or “average” might be used to describe somebody who is neither ugly nor beautiful. At the opposite ends of this scale of ‘attractiveness’ sit ugly and beautiful though, so they are gradable antonyms.
Goodandbad– as we know, morality exists on a sliding scale that different people fall along at different points, and even within ourselves we can sometimes do things that are good, and sometimes do things that are bad. But, because good and bad are opposites at the end of the scale, they are gradable antonyms.
Hotandcold– again, you might be warm or cool too, but hot and cold are the extreme opposites on the scale.

Reverse or relational antonyms

These antonyms are defined by their reverse relationship. The two words are opposites but in terms of their relationship to one another. The two things or people are related, but they do have opposite meanings. So, let’s take a look at some of these reverse or relational antonyms:

Parentandoffspring– the two people obviously have a relationship to one another and the antonyms here are the opposite of one another. A parent is related to their offspring, and offspring related to their parent, so this highlights the opposite relationship that they have.
Buyandsell– this is another example of two things or actions in a relationship with one another, but again they are opposite. If somebody is buying something from someone else, then that someone else must be selling that something to the buyer. So, they have a very close opposite relationship and therefore fall into the reverse or relational antonyms.
Pushandpull– again, they are related, but opposites.

Add a Prefix to Create an Antonym

Sometimes, antonyms can be as simple as adding aprefixsuch as ‘dis’ or ‘un’ to a word to create an antonym to a word. Let’s take a look at some of these examples:

If you wanted to create an antonym to the wordsimilar– meaning something has characteristics that matches something else – then you can do so by adding a prefix. In this case, ‘dis‘ would work, to create the wordsdissimilar——这意味着没有t特点的东西hat matches something else – so you have created an antonym by simply adding a prefix. There are, of course, other examples:

Familiarcan be turned tounfamiliarby adding the prefix ‘un‘.
Importantcan be turned tounimportantby adding the same prefix.
Respectcan be turned todisrespectby adding the prefix ‘dis‘.

And there are many more besides these few.

Why Learn Antonyms and Synonyms

The importance of antonyms and synonyms in writing can not be overstated. When writing creatively or in non-fiction, you will almost certainly have to use antonyms to show an opposite relationship. Knowing these, or learning how to correctly create these, is important because it allows you to use different terms to describe something effectively. Most things we write about will have some opposition at some point, in order to show a change or difference, so it’s important to get to grips with antonyms and synonyms early to be able to show these differences.

Hopefully, this guide has given you a detailed understanding of antonyms and the different types for you to use in your own writing moving forwards!

Opposites

Here you will find an extensive list of opposite words (opposites) from A-Z with example sentences.

Opposites/Antonyms (A)

List of opposites that start with A with examples.

A lot —— A little

We’ve spenta loton the children’s education.
Fortunately, I hada littletime to spare.

Abate —— Increase

Steps are to be taken toabatepollution.
The population hasincreasedfrom 1.2 million to 1.8 million.

能力,不能

You must beableto speak French for this job.
她是unableto hide her excitement.

Abortive —— Successful

During the war of 1770 the Greeks had risen in anabortiverebellion, promptly crushed by the Turks.
They weresuccessfulin winning the contract.

Above —— Below

I heard a strange noise coming from the roomabove.
I could hear voices in the courtyardbelow米y window.

Abridge —— Expand

Antonyms examples:

She has been asked toabridgethe novel for radio.
腰部expandsto fit all sizes.

Absent —— Present

Students who are regularlyabsentfrom school.
The gasespresentin the Earth’s atmosphere.

Abundant —— Scarce

Fish areabundantin the lake.
Food was oftenscarcein the winter.

Accept —— Decline

Rickacceptedher offer of coffee.
His school reports said that he neverdeclinesa challenge.

Accept —— Refuse

Opposites examples:

Heacceptedthe invitation to stay with us.
The chairmanrefusedto answer any more questions.

Accurate —— Inaccurate

The brochure tries to give a fair andaccuratedescription of each hotel.
A lot of what has been written about him isinaccurate.

Achieve —— Fail

He had finallyachievedsuccess.
She失败的to get into art college.

Add —— Subtract

If youaddall these amounts together you get a huge figure.
If yousubtract6 from 9, you get 3.

Adjacent —— Distant

We stayed inadjacentrooms.
Stars aredistantfrom our galaxy.

Admire —— Detest

Antonyms examples:

I reallyadmireyour enthusiasm.
The two mendetestedeach other.

Admit —— Deny

A quarter of all workersadmitto taking time off when they are not ill.
The departmentdeniesresponsibility for what occurred.

Admit —— Reject

Sheadmitsto being strict with her children.
总理rejectedany idea of reforming the system.

Adore —— Hate

Sheadoresworking with children.
Ihateto see you unhappy.

Advance —— Retreat

Opposites examples:

The troops were finally given the order toadvance.
The army was forced toretreatafter suffering heavy losses.

Advantage —— Disadvantage

Her experience meant that she had a bigadvantageover her opponent.
Thedisadvantageof the material is that it fades in strong sunlight.

Against —— For

Mr. Howard has declared that he isagainstall forms of racism.
Everybody is alwaysforpeace.

Agree —— Disagree

Opposite words examples:

If she felt he was right, she wouldagree与你好米.
He is tolerant of those whodisagree与你好米.

Alive —— Dead

It was a bad accident – they’re lucky to bealive.
Two men were shotdeadby terrorists.

All —— None

Have you doneallyour homework?
We saw several houses butnonewe really liked.

Allow —— Forbid

My parents wouldn’tallow米e to go to the party.
He wasforbiddento leave the house, as a punishment.

Ally —— Enemy

Antonyms examples:

Ridley was one of the Queen’s closestallies.
He was accused of collaboration with theenemy.

Alone —— Together

She lives独自一人.
We’ve very much enjoyed workingtogether.

Always —— Never

I’vealwayswanted to go to Paris.
He’sneverbeen to Australia.

Amateur —— Professional

Mickelson won his first major golf tournament while still anamateur.
You need aprofessionalto sort out your finances.

Amuse —— Bore

Opposites examples:

He made funny faces toamusethe children.
His blue eyes seemed toboreinto her.

Ancient —— Modern

So according to history it has been found from the mostancienttimes, and so it is to our own day.
They are the youngest children in米oderntimes to face murder charges.

Annoy —— Soothe

Sheannoyedhim with her stupid questions.
She made a cup of tea tosootheher nerves.

Answer —— Question

Opposite words examples:

The shortansweris that it can’t be done.
They asked me quite a lot of difficultquestionsabout my job.

Apparent —— Obscure

The difference in quality was immediatelyapparent.
I found her lecture veryobscure.

Arrive —— Leave

Hearrivedlate as usual.
My baby gets upset when Ileavethe room.

Arrive —— Depart

Opposites examples:

What time does the planearrivein New York?
Flights by Air EuropedepartGatwick on Tuesdays.

Arrogant —— Humble

He was unbearablyarrogant.
Taylor’s students describe him as ahumbleand modest man.

Ascend —— Descend

Antonyms examples:

The planeascendedrapidly.
Our plane started todescend.

Ask —— Answer

We’ll have toasksomeone the way to the station.
I repeated the question, but she didn’tanswer.

Ask —— Tell

Iaskedhim where he lived.
Jack had to go, but he didn’ttell米e why.

Attack —— Defend

There have been severalattackson foreigners recently.
We need todefendagainst military aggression.

Attractive —— Repulsive

She is anattractivewoman.
What arepulsive米an!

Awake —— Asleep

Opposites examples:

她是still only halfawakewhen I brought her a cup of coffee.
Kelly wasasleepon the sofa.

Awkward —— Graceful

She may appear stiff and perhapsawkward.
Her father was a quiet man withgraceful米anners.

Opposites/Antonyms (B)

List of opposite words that start with B with examples.

Back —— Front

I found some old photos at thebackof the drawer.
There’s a garden at thefrontof the house.

Bad —— Good

I have somebadnews for you.
The train service is not verygood.

Bare —— Covered

The room was completelybareexcept for a bed against the wall.
The walls werecoveredwith pictures.

Beautiful —— Ugly

Opposites examples:

The bride lookedbeautifulin that dress.
He was short, nearsighted,uglyand exceptionally awkward.

Before —— After

I saw her a few daysbeforeshe died.
I go swimming every dayafterwork.

Begin —— End

Antonyms examples:

In the third year, studentsbeginthe study of classical Chinese.
The speakerendedby suggesting some topics for discussion.

Beginning —— Conclusion

There’s a short poem at thebeginningof every chapter.
At theconclusionof the meeting, little progress had been made.

Behind —— In front of

I turned to speak to the person standingbehind米e.
She spends all daysitting in front ofher computer.

Best —— Worst

He won thebestactor award.
This is the worst recession for fifty years.

Better —— Worse

Opposites examples:

There must be abetterway to do this.
The violence wasworsethan we expected.

Big —— Little

They belong to the rich man who lives in thebigwhite house there among the trees.
He was quite an oldlittle米an and his head was long and entirely bald.

Birth —— Death

What’s your date ofbirth?
Cancer is the leading cause ofdeathin women.

Bitter —— Sweet

Black coffee leaves abittertaste in the mouth.
This tea is toosweet.

Black —— White

Matthew had thickblack头发,但Natalie’s was blonde.
His face iswhite, and he seems very weak.

Blame —— Praise

Marie stillblamesherself for Patrick’s death.
The mayorpraisedthe rescue teams for their courage.

Bless —— Curse

Antonyms examples:

Godblessyou!
Elsacursedherself for believing his lies.

Blunt —— Sharp

Sharpen all yourbluntknives.
Make sure you use a goodsharpknife.

Body —— Soul

Yourbodytemperature is higher in the daytime than at night.
There was a feeling of restlessness deep in hersoul.

Bold —— Timid

My aunt was abolddetermined woman.
I was atimidchild.

Boring —— Interesting

I trudged through aboringday, knowing I’d return to an empty apartment as Betsy was off to Los Angeles for the entire week.
Dr. Bell told me manyinterestingthings about his work.

Bottom —— Top

Opposites examples:

I waited for them at thebottomof the hill.
她是standing at thetopof the stairs.

Boundless —— Limited

Today, the opportunities for leaders areboundless, but so are the challenges.
My knowledge of the business islimited.

Boy —— Girl

Theboyswanted to play football.
I’ve known Mollie ever since I was a littlegirl.

Brave —— Cowardly

It wasbraveof you to speak in front of all those people.
He was verycowardlybecause he did not tell that truth.

Break —— Repair

I had tobreaka window to get into the house.
It was too late torepairthe damage done to their relationship.

Brief —— Long

We stopped by Alice’s house for abriefvisit.
He’s been gone alongtime.

Bright —— Dull

Antonyms examples:

The weather wasbrightand sunny.
Outside the weather was hazy anddull.

Brighten —— Fade

The morning sunshinebrightenedup the room.
The sun hadfadedthe curtains.

Bring —— Remove

Robert asked the waiter tobringhim the check.
Reference books may not beremovedfrom the library.

Brother —— Sister

My youngerbrotheris a doctor.
My oldersisteris a nurse.

Busy —— Idle

Opposite words examples:

Mr. Haynes isbusywith a customer at the moment.
The workers have beenidlefor the last six months.

Buy —— Sell

The money will be used tobuyequipment for the school.
If you offer him another hundred, I think he’llsell.

Opposites/Antonyms (C)

List of opposite words that start with C with examples.

Calm —— Windy

It is acalmday.
It’s toowindyfor a picnic.

Capable —— Incapable

All the staff at the nursing home seemed verycapable.
He seemedincapableof understanding how she felt.

Captive —— Free

His son had been takencaptiveduring the raid.
He knew he could befreein as little as three years.

Capture —— Release

The robbery wascapturedon police video cameras.
Police arrested several men, who were laterreleased.

Careful —— Careless

He was being verycarefulwith the coffee so as not to spill it.
He’scareless与你好s glasses and has lost three pairs.

Cautious —— Careless

Antonyms examples:

Keller iscautiousabout making predictions for the success of the program.
It wascarelessof him to leave the door unlocked.

Center —— Edge

His goal is to turn Stanford into acenterfor environmental policy.
Billy sat on theedgeof the bed.

Change —— Remain

Susan haschangeda lot since I last saw her.
Despite the job losses, Parkerremainedas manager.

Cheap —— Expensive

Opposites examples:

Property ischeaperin Spain than here.
Petrol is becoming more and moreexpensive.

Cheerful —— Sad

She’s feeling morecheerfultoday.
I wassadabout the friends I was leaving behind.

Child —— Adult

Antonyms examples:

I was very happy as achild.
Some children find it difficult to talk toadults.

Chilly —— Warm

Despite thechillyautumn afternoon, she was wearing a thin cotton dress.
I hope we get somewarmweather soon.

Clean —— Dirty

As usual, she left her roomcleanand tidy before going to school.
She circled the bedroom, picking updirtyclothes.

Clever —— Stupid

Lucy is quitecleverand does well at school.
That was astupidthing to say.

Clever —— Foolish

She is aclevergirl.
I was young andfoolishat the time.

Close —— Open

Opposites examples:

Would you mind if Iclosedthe window?
Mr. Chenopenedthe car door for his wife.

Cold —— Hot

Let’s get in out of thiscoldwind.
In dry gourds, they were served ahottea made from the ground leaves of something Bordeaux called the lip fern.

Combine —— Separate

Antonyms examples:

A number of factors havecombinedto create this difficult situation.
Those suffering from infectious diseases wereseparatedfrom the other patients.

Comfort —— Discomfort

All our sports shoes are designed forcomfortand performance.
There can be no question of herdiscomfort.

复合基te —— Incomplete

Work on the new building is nearlycomplete.
Unfortunately, I do not have the information because our records areincomplete.

复合基x —— Simple

Opposite words examples:

It was a verycomplexrelationship between two complex people.
I’m sure there’s a perfectlysimpleexplanation.

Compliment —— Insult

Being compared to Abba is a greatcompliment.
His comments were seen as aninsultto the president.

Conceal —— Reveal

Opposites examples:

她试图concealthe fact that she was pregnant.
He may be prosecuted forrevealingsecrets about the security agency.

Continue —— Interrupt

Sheilacontinuedto work after she had her baby.
My studies wereinterruptedby the war.

Cool —— Warm

The evening air wascool.
I hope we get somewarmweather soon.

Copy —— Original

Antonyms examples:

We have sixcopiesof the movie to give away.
He copied paintings of famous artists and passed them off asoriginals.

Correct —— Incorrect

If my calculations arecorrect, we’re about ten miles from Exeter.
The information you gave us wasincorrect.

Correct —— Wrong

You arecorrect, the Missouri is the longest river in the US.
Your calculations must bewrong.

Countryman —— Foreigner

Opposites examples:

He didn’t look like a farmer, yet he looked acountryman.
Tom felt that people were suspicious of him because he was aforeigner.

Courage —— Cowardice

Sue showed greatcouragethroughout her illness.
她是ashamed of hercowardice.

Crazy —— Sane

The neighbors must think we’recrazy.
Of course he isn’t mad. He’s assaneas you or I.

Create —— Destroy

Antonyms examples:

The new factory is expected tocreate米ore than 400 new jobs.
The scandaldestroyedSimmons and ended his political career.

Cruel —— Kind

The prisoner was a hardcruel米an.
She’s a verykindand generous person.

Customer —— Supplier

Opposite words examples:

We aim to offer good value and service to all ourcustomers.
You will need to be able to deal with both customers andsuppliers.

Antonyms (Opposites) List – Image 2

Opposites/Antonyms (D)

List of opposite words that start with D with examples.

Damage —— Improve

Smoking can severelydamageyour health.
The doctors say she isimproving.

Dark —— Bright

At the kitchen door she nearly ran into adarkform.
With his small frame andbrighteyes, he’d always reminded her of an elf of some sort.

黑暗,光明

Opposites examples:

The church wasdarkand quiet.
The kitchen waslightand spacious.

Dawn —— Sunset

It had been the hope which had kept her going through thedawnand early morning.
Lovers walked hand in hand towards thesunset.

Daytime —— Midnight

I can’t sleep in thedaytime.
We stayed there until way after米idnight.

Deep —— Shallow

Opposites examples:

The castle is on an island surrounded by adeeplake.
The lake is quiteshallow.

Demand —— Supply

Idemandto know what’s going on.
An informersuppliedthe police with the names of those involved in the crime.

Despair —— Hope

She killed herself indespair.
When I first arrived in New York, I was full ofhopefor the future.

Difficult —— Easy

The exam was verydifficult.
Finishing the task will beeasy.

Dim —— Bright

Opposite words examples:

Isaac was old and his eyes weredim.
Her eyes were hurting from thebrightlights.

Discourage —— Encourage

My father is a lawyer, and he气馁我从进入事业中d.
I want to thank everyone who hasencouragedand supported me.

Doctor —— Patient

Antonyms examples:

她是treated by her localdoctor.
St Dominic’s Hospital treats about 10,000patientsa year.

Doubt —— Trust

The incident raisesdoubtsabout the safety of nuclear power.
You shouldn’t put yourtrustin a man like that.

Downwards —— Upwards

Share prices continued theirdownwardtrend.
Stroke the cream onto your skin in anupwarddirection.

Drunk —— Sober

David would getdrunkand I would have to take him home and put him to bed.
He’s a nice guy when he’ssober.

Dry —— Wet

Opposites examples:

The air wasdryand hot, as if she were in a sauna.
Deidre whipped the door open, ignoring the sting of herwethair against her shoulders.

Dusk —— Dawn

The street lights go on atdusk.
The boats set off atdawn.

Opposites/Antonyms (E)

List of opposite words that start with E with examples.

Early —— Late

The bus was ten minutesearly.
You’re half an hourlate.

Earth —— Sky

Antonyms examples:

They watched the kite fall back toearth.
There wasn’t a cloud in thesky.

East —— West

He turned and walked away towards theeast.
A damp wind blew from thewest.

Easy —— Hard

The test waseasy.
You’ll have to make someharddecisions.

Effective —— Ineffective

Opposites examples:

培训的ten much lesseffective than expected.
The chemical was almost totallyineffectivein killing the weeds.

Elementary —— Advanced

You’ve made a veryelementary米istake.
她是learningadvancedphysics.

Employer —— Employee

他们是非常好的employers.
The firm has over 500employees.

Empty —— Full

Opposite words examples:

The fuel tank’s almostempty.
The kitchen wasfullof smoke.

Enter —— Exit

Opposites examples:

Silence fell as Ienteredthe room.
Iexitedthrough a side window.

Evening —— Morning

I do most of my studying in theevening.
I’m not feeling very well this米orning.

Evil —— Good

Antonyms examples:

There is too muchevilin the world.
I learn to see life as a titanic moral struggle betweengoodand evil.

Excited —— Bored

I’m soexcitedthat we’re going to New York.
After a while, I gotboredand left.

Exhale —— Inhale

He sat back andexhaleddeeply.
She closed her eyes andinhaleddeeply.

Expand —— Contract

The last were razed in 1890, and the town was permitted toexpandin this direction.
All leeches are very extensile and cancontractthe body to a plump, pearshaped form, or extend it to a long and wormlike shape.

Expand —— Shrink

Opposite words examples:

The hotel wants toexpandits business by adding a swimming pool.
The firm’s staff hadshrunkto only four people.

Export —— Import

Italian food has beenexportedall over the world.
Weimportcoffee from Colombia.

Exterior —— Interior

Antonyms examples:

The dome is tiled on theexterior.
Theinteriorof the church was dark.

External —— Internal

Anexternalauditor will verify the accounts.
Some photos containinternalevidence that may help to date them.

Opposites/Antonyms (F)

List of opposite words that start with F with examples.

Fact —— Fiction

Much of the novel is based on事实.
Anthony’s first books were historicalfiction.

Fake —— Real

Opposites examples:

The defense said the photos werefake.
She had never seen areallive elephant before.

Fall —— Rise

The rate of inflation wasfalling.
Salesroseby 20% over the Christmas period.

Famous —— Unknown

Manyfamouspeople have stayed in the hotel.
Anunknownnumber of people were killed.

Fashionable —— Old Fashioned

He looked to be about her age and his blond hair was neatly combed into afashionablestyle.
Many houses, especially in State, Danforth and Congress streets, are simple in style andoldfashionedin architecture.

Fast —— Slow

Opposites examples:

I’m afastlearner.
The wound wasslowto heal.

Fat —— Thin

You’ll getfatif you eat all that chocolate.
He was tall andthin, with short brown hair.

Fat —— Skinny

He looks muchfatterthan in his photo.
Some supermodels are far tooskinny.

Feeble —— Strong

Antonyms examples:

她是toofeebleto leave her room.
Laura had astrongcharacter.

Few —— Many

The team that makes thefewest米istakes usually wins.
Manypeople have to use a car to travel to work.

Find —— Lose

“Yes. I couldn’tfinda better friend than Alex, could I?” she said.
I didn’t want toloseyou, but I didn’t want you to be unhappy like mother either.

Firm —— Flabby

Opposite words examples:

The sofa cushions are fairlyfirm.
It was that of a young man, tall but somewhatflabby米uscled.

First —— Last

Opposites examples:

Thefirsttime I flew on a plane I was really nervous.
I hadn’t seen him since thelast米eeting.

Float —— Sink

I wasn’t sure if the raft wouldfloat.
Their motorboat struck a rock and began tosink.

Floor —— Ceiling

We are located on the seventhfloorof the building.
The house has two rooms with highceilings.

Foolish —— Wise

Opposites examples:

It would befoolishto ignore his advice.
I think you werewiseto leave when you did.

Forget —— Remember

What happened that day will never beforgotten.
Iremember米eeting her at a party once.

Forgivable —— Unforgivable

It was an easilyforgivable米istake.
Patrick had deceived her, and that wasunforgivable.

Forgive —— Blame

Opposites examples:

I’ve tried toforgivehim for what he said.
The reportblamespoor safety standards for the accident.

Fortunate —— Unfortunate

I’ve beenfortunateto find a career that I love.
他已经anunfortunatehabit of repeating himself.

Forward —— Backward

He leanedforward, his elbows resting on the table.
She went without abackwardglance.

Free —— Restricted

Opposite words examples:

The animals are allowed to runfreein the park.
It’s difficult trying to work in such arestrictedspace.

Freeze —— Boil

Antonyms examples:

The water pipes havefrozen.
We were advised toboilthe water before drinking it.

Fresh —— Stale

The beans arefreshfrom the garden.
French bread goesstalevery quickly.

Friend —— Enemy

Opposites examples:

Don’t worry, you’re amongfriends.
Cats and dogs have always been naturalenemies.

Frown —— Smile

Shefrownedas she read the letter.
Mark read the message andsmiledto himself.

Funny —— Sad

Do you remember anyfunnystories about work?
Dad lookedsadand worried as he read the letter.

Antonyms (Opposites) List – Image 3

Opposites/Antonyms (G)

List of opposite words that start with G with examples.

Generous —— Stingy

She’s always verygenerousto the kids.
She’s toostingyto give money to charity.

Gentle —— Rough

Opposites examples:

Arthur was a verygentle, caring person.
Rugby is a veryroughsport.

Giant —— Tiny

Giantcabbages grew in the garden.
You only need to use atinyamount of salt.

Give —— Receive

Opposite words examples:

I’ve got some old diaries that my grandmothergave米e years ago.
All the children willreceivea small gift.

Grow —— Shrink

Antonyms examples:

Sales of new carsgrewby 10% last year.
We want to expand the business, notshrinkit.

Guilty —— Innocent

I feel reallyguiltyabout forgetting her birthday again.
Nobody would believe that I wasinnocent.

Opposites/Antonyms (H)

List of opposite words that start with H with examples.

Harmful —— Harmless

Scientists tend to agree that most diets don’t work and can beharmful.
Her brother’s a bit simple, but he’s quiteharmless.

Harsh —— Mild

The Canadian winter is veryharsh.
We had an exceptionally米ildwinter last year.

He —— She

Opposite words examples:

It washe who first suggested the idea.
I saw you talking to that girl. Who isshe?

Healthy —— Sick

I’ve always been perfectlyhealthyuntil now.
Maria can’t come in today because she’ssick.

Heaven —— Hell

Antonyms examples:

He believed that he and his wife would one day be together again inheaven.
She must have gone throughhellevery day, the way we teased her about her weight.

Here —— There

What are you doinghere?
We could go back to my cottage and have lunchthere.

Hero —— Coward

He had dared to speak out against injustice, and overnight he became a nationalhero.
Perhaps I should have turned back but I didn’t want to be known as a quitter and acoward.

High —— Low

Opposites examples:

The camp was surrounded by ahighfence.
The sun waslowin the sky.

Hungry —— Full

If you gethungry, there’s some cold chicken in the fridge.
I ate chocolate cakes so I wasfull.

Husband —— Wife

Mr. Nicholls was a goodhusband.
One year he arrived with a young lady, then came back when she was hiswife.

Opposites/Antonyms (I)

List of opposite words that start with I with examples.

Identical —— Different

The sisters wereidenticalin appearance and character.
Her appearance and character are不同。

Ignite —— Extinguish

The candleignitedthe plastic.
Firemen were called toextinguishthe blaze.

Ignorant —— Educated

Antonyms examples:

He’signorantabout modern technology.
The boy came from a good home, was welleducatedand had every advantage.

Important —— Unimportant

Happiness is moreimportantthan money.
The exact details areunimportant.

Important —— Trivial

Nothing could be moreimportantto me than my family.
We were punished for the mosttrivialoffences.

In —— Out

Antonyms examples:

He took us for a driveinhis new car.
Charlotte went to the window and lookedout.

Increase —— Decrease

The populationincreaseddramatically in the first half of the century.
The number of people who have the disease hasdecreasedsignificantly in recent years.

Inside —— Outside

Opposite words examples:

The jewels were locked awayinsidethe safe.
I’ll meet yououtsidethe theatre at two o’clock.

Instructor —— Pupil

I managed to find a very good drivinginstructor.
The new law reduces the number offpupilsper class in the first four years of schooling.

Opposites/Antonyms (J)

List of opposites that start with J with examples.

Joy —— Grief

I leaped into the air withjoy.
Charles was overcome withgrief.

Junior —— Senior

Opposites examples:

She started work as ajuniorreporter on a local newspaper.
He’s aseniorexecutive at Volkswagen.

Justice —— Injustice

Children have a strong sense ofjustice.
The movie deals withinjusticessuffered by Native Americans.

Opposites/Antonyms (L)

List of opposite words that start with L with examples.

Landlord —— Tenant

The newspaper is negotiating with itslandlordto reduce its rent.
They had evicted theirtenantsfor nonpayment of rent.

Large —— Small

Los Angeles is the secondlargestcity in the US.
The Tshirt was toosmallfor him.

Laugh —— Cry

Ilaughat her ignorance.
She began tocry, no longer able to deny what she knew deep down: she’d never get her life back.

Lawful —— Unlawful

Opposites examples:

The police may not interfere in lawful demonstrations
The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Lazy —— Diligent

He felt toolazyto get out of bed.
She is adiligentstudent.

Lazy —— Industrious

He felt toolazyto get out of bed.
Most of the students I knew at college were serious andindustrious.

Leave —— Stay

My baby gets upset when Ileavethe room.
I decided tostayhome.

Legal —— Illegal

What the company has done is perfectlylegal.
They were involved inillegalactivities.

Lenient —— Strict

Antonyms examples:

School examiners say that marking has become morelenientin recent years.
This company is verystrictabout punctuality.

Like —— Dislike

I don’tlikeit when you get angry.
Idislikebeing the centre of attention.

Live —— Die

We used tolivein London.
Her husbanddiedsuddenly last week.

Lock —— Unlock

I can’t get this drawer tolock.
Iunlockedthe door of the apartment and found that my wife was still awake.

Long —— Short

Antonyms examples:

He stretched out hislonglegs.
I’ve only been in Brisbane ashorttime.

Long —— Short

I haven’t been there for alongwhile.
I’ve only been in Brisbane ashorttime.

Loose —— Tight

I’m very uncomfortable in thislooseshirt.
My shoes were sotightthat I could hardly walk.

Loud —— Quiet

Opposites examples:

The music was soloudthat I had to shout.
We’ll have to bequietso as not to wake the baby.

Love —— Hate

Every motherlovesher children.
Shehates米aking mistakes.

Loyal —— Disloyal

The army has remainedloyalto the government.
He felt he had beendisloyalto his friends.

Opposites/Antonyms (M)

List of oppositewords that start with Mwith examples.

Major —— Minor

There is a米ajorproblem with parking in London.
We have made some米inorchanges to the program.

Male —— Female

Opposites examples:

All the attackers were米ale, aged between 25 and 30.
Two of the candidates must befemale.

Man —— Woman

He’s a very kind米an.
When awomanis pregnant, the levels of hormones in her body change.

Marry —— Divorce

No one wanted a dying girlfriend, especially when she’d flat out refused to米arryhim.
She wants todivorceher husband.

Mature —— Immature

Antonyms examples:

Laura is very米aturefor her age.
He forgave his son’simmaturebehavior.

Maximum —— Minimum

The car has a米aximumspeed of 120 mph.
The米inimumnumber of students we need to run the course is fifteen.

Melt —— Freeze

It was warmer now, and the snow was beginning to米elt.
The lake hadfrozenovernight.

Merry —— Sad

He marched off, whistling a米errytune.
Lilly feltsadthat Christmas was over.

Miser —— Spendthrift

Opposites examples:

Everyone said Mr. Henny was a米iserwho had thousands of pounds hidden under his bed.
她是by no means aspendthrift, but somehow all the money disappeared anyway.

Most —— Least

She’s one of the米ostexperienced teachers in the district.
He’s myleastfavorite member of staff.

Opposites/Antonyms (N)

List of opposite words that start with N with examples.

Nadir —— Zenith

By 1932, the depression had reached its nadir.
The Roman Empire reached its zenith around the year 100.

Narrow —— Broad

Antonyms examples:

The stairs were verynarrow.
The room is three meter long and two meterbroad.

Nasty —— Nice

I went to school with him – he wasnastythen and he’s nasty now.
You looknicein that suit.

Nasty —— Pleasant

Drivers often have anastyhabit of driving too close to cyclists.
The restaurant was large andpleasant.

Natural —— Artificial

My hair soon grew back to itsnaturalcolor.
A job interview is a very artificial situation.

Near —— Far

Antonyms examples:

She told the children not to gonearthe canal.
It’s notfarto the beach.

Near —— Distance

They moved house to benearerthe school.
The cottage is somedistancefrom the road.

Neat —— Messy

His clothes were alwaysneatand clean.
The place is so米essy, I haven’t had time to clear up.

Negative —— Positive

My drinking was starting to have anegativeeffect on my work.
She’s got a reallypositiveattitude to life.

Nephew —— Niece

Hisnephewtold him to take a walk, get lost in the crowd.
As they moved towards the next tee she nodded towards herniece.

Night —— Day

Antonyms examples:

I didn’t sleep too well last night.
She only leaves her house during the day.

Noisy —— Quiet

Opposites examples:

The kids have been really嘈杂的today.
I didn’t know anything about it so I just keptquiet.

Noisy —— Silent

The bar was very嘈杂的.
She keptsilent, forcing Buchanan to continue.

None —— Some

I wish I could offer you some cake but there’snoneleft.
Many local businesses are having difficulties, andsomehave even gone bankrupt.

Noon/ Midday —— Midnight

We met at 12noon(midday).
We stayed there until way after米idnight.

North —— South

Opposites examples:

Cheshunt is a few miles to thenorthof London.
Gatwick airport is a few miles to thesouthof London.

Notice —— Ignore

Henoticeda woman in a black dress sitting across from him.
You can’tignorethe fact that many criminals never go to prison.

Now —— Then

Untilnow, doctors have been able to do very little to treat this disease.
They’re sending out the results next week, so we won’t know anything untilthen.

Antonyms (Opposites) List – Image 4

Opposites/Antonyms (O)

List of oppositewords that start with Owith examples.

Obedient —— Disobedient

My son is anobedientchild.
He is a pleasant child, but often rowdy,disobedientand rough with others.

Old —— New

Some of the houses around here are veryold.
They’ve just moved into theirnewhome.

Old —— Young

Antonyms examples:

Theold米an lay propped up on cushions.
You’re tooyoungto get married. young trees.

On —— Off

The TV’son, but nobody seems to be watching it.
Will someone switch the radiooff?

Open —— Shut

Opposites examples:

Heopenedthe drawer of the desk.
Ellenshutsthe window.

Opposite —— Same

I thought the medicine would make him sleep, but it had theoppositeeffect.
They went to thesameschool.

Optimistic —— Pessimistic

Bankers are cautiouslyoptimisticabout the country’s economic future.
He remains deeplypessimisticabout the peace process.

Over —— Under

She leanedoverthe desk to answer the phone.
Wendy had hidden the boxunderher bed.

Opposites/Antonyms (P)

List of opposites that start with P with examples.

Part —— Whole

Partof the building was destroyed in the fire.
Thewholecountry mourned her death.

Pass —— Fail

Antonyms examples:

Shepassedwith flying colors.
他已经失败的his driving test.

Patient —— Impatient

You’ll just have to bepatientand wait till I’m off the phone.
We are growingimpatientwith the lack of results.

Permanent —— Temporary

Opposites examples:

He gave up apermanentjob in order to freelance.
You might want to considertemporarywork until you decide what you want to do.

Plentiful —— Scarce

During the summer tomatoes areplentifuland cheap.
Food was oftenscarcein the winter.

Plural —— Singular

‘Sheep’ remains the same in theplural.
Thesingularof ‘bacteria’ is ‘bacterium’.

Polite —— Rude

Opposites examples:

We left the party as soon as it waspoliteto do so.
I didn’t mean to berude, but I had to leave early.

Polite —— Impolite

It’s notpoliteto talk with your mouth full.
It isimpolitenot to eat what you are served at a dinner party.

Possible —— Impossible

Antonyms examples:

Computer technology makes itpossiblefor many people to work from home.
Members with young children often found itimpossibleto attend evening meetings.

Poverty —— Wealth

We need an effective strategy to fightpoverty.
The purpose of industry is to createwealth.

Poverty —— Riches

Millions of elderly people live inpoverty.
He was enjoying his newfoundriches.

Powerful —— Weak

He was one of the mostpowerful米en in Bohemia.
The country is in aweakposition economically.

Praise —— Criticism

Her teacher was full ofpraisefor her work.
My maincriticismof the scheme is that it does nothing to help families on low incomes.

Pre —— Post

Opposites examples:

As usual, the government seems to have forgotten most of itspreelection promises.
Its share price rocketed from itspostcrash low.

Predator —— Prey

Some animals have no naturalpredators.
The lion will often stalk itspreyfor hours.

Pretty —— Ugly

She still lookspretty米iserable.
Nick’s dog is asuglyas sin.

Private —— Public

There isprivateownership of property in a market economy.
We do not believe he is fit forpublicoffice.

Prudent —— Imprudent

Antonyms examples:

It might be谨慎的to get a virus detector for the network.
The banks made hundreds ofimprudentloans in the 1970s.

Pure —— Impure

Our beef patties are 100%pure.
Some of these drugs are highlyimpure.

Push —— Pull

Opposites examples:

I promised topushhim on the swings for as long as he wanted.
Shepulledopen the door and hurried inside.

Put on —— Take off

He took off his uniform andput ona sweater and trousers.
Charlie wastaking offhis shirt when the phone rang.

Opposites/Antonyms (R)

List of oppositewords that start with Rwith examples.

Rapid —— Slow

The patient made arapidrecovery.
The car was travelling at a veryslowspeed.

Rare —— Common

It is veryrarefor her to miss a day at school.
Bad dreams are fairlycommonamong children.

Real —— Fake

She had never seen areallive elephant before.
He is afakedesigner clothing.

Regular —— Irregular

Antonyms examples:

The company holdsregular米eetings with employees.
He’s receiving medication for anirregularheartbeat.

Relevant —— Irrelevant

We received all therelevantinformation.
We’re focusing too much onirrelevantdetails.

Rich —— Poor

Nobody getsrichfrom writing nowadays.
They were toopoorto buy shoes for the kids.

Right —— Left

Antonyms examples:

He had a knife in hisrighthand.
She held out herlefthand.

Right —— Wrong

I think you’reright. We should have set out earlier.
Your calculations must bewrong.

Risky —— Safe

Doctors say it’s tooriskyto try and operate.
I think it’ssafeto say that the future is looking pretty good.

Rude —— Courteous

I didn’t mean to berude, but I had to leave early.
The staffs are alwayscourteousand helpful.

Opposites/Antonyms (S)

List of opposite words that start with S with examples.

Sad —— Happy

I wassadabout the friends I was leaving behind.
He was ahappychild who rarely cried.

Safe —— Dangerous

Opposites examples:

Flying is one of thesafestforms of travel.
The business is in adangerousfinancial position.

Satisfied —— Dissatisfied

They have plenty ofsatisfiedcustomers.
If you aredissatisfiedwith this product, please return it.

Secondhand —— New

I know where he bought asecondhandbicycle.
I got a used video camera for £300 – it would have cost £1,000 if I’d bought itnew.

Secure —— Insecure

Antonyms examples:

We want asecurefuture for our children.
She felt lonely andinsecureaway from her family.

Seller —— Buyer

They are hidden because such taxes are typically shifted bysellersto consumers through higher product prices.
We couldn’t find abuyerfor our house, so we weren’t able to move after all.

Servant —— Master

Hisservanthastened to make all ready, build fires and heat water for the baths and prepare food.
Bill Ritchie is now the米asterof these techniques, by the learnt them originally from Lawrence.

Shout —— Whisper

The men on the wall lowered their weapons at hershout, and the remaining pursuer tackled her.
He wanted to hear herwhisper他的名字在他们做爱和flutter soft kisses with her full lips across his face, the way she had the other night.

Simple —— Hard

Modern cameras are verysimpleto use.
You’ll have to make someharddecisions.

Single —— Married

The changes in tax rates will benefitsingle人最多。
Married米en earn 70 percent more than single men.

Sit —— Stand

Why don’t yousitdown and rest and I’ll bring you a piece of pie.
Istandthere and can’t do anything!

Slave —— Master

Opposites examples:

These areas need developing, so entrepreneurs pump in investment: capital accumulated from theslavetrade, sugar and cotton.
Later that evening Heathcliff’s servant Joseph arrived and asked to speak to the米aster.

Sleep —— Wake up

I usuallysleepon my back.
James usuallywakes upearly.

Small —— Big

The Tshirt was toosmallfor him.
The garage isn’tbigenough for two cars.

Smart —— Stupid

Antonyms examples:

Thesmartkids get good grades and go off to college.
I can’t believe Kate wasstupidenough to get involved in this.

Smooth —— Rough

Her skin feltsmoothand cool.
Her hands wereroughfrom hard work.

Sour —— Sweet

The milk’s turnedsour.
The tea is toosweet.

Sow —— Reap

The fields around had beensownwith wheat.
几个预言他们将rapehigher yields and profits while saving the soil.

Speed up —— Slow down

The truckspeeded upgoing down the hill.
Growth in sales hasslowed down.

Spend —— Save

Mum neverspendsany money on herself.
He managed tosaveenough to buy a small house.

Start —— Finish

Opposites examples:

有这么多我不知道在哪里start.
You can’t go anywhere until you’vefinishedyour homework.

停,走

I was worried that the security guards wouldstopus at the gate.
Dinahwentinto the kitchen.

Straight —— Crooked

Antonyms examples:

她是lookingstraightat me.
His lips curled into acrookedsmile.

Strengthen —— Weaken

The team has beenstrengthenedby the arrival of two new players.
Changes in policy haveweakenedthe power of the trade unions.

Stress —— Relax

My headaches are caused bystress.
A hot bath should help torelaxyou.

Strict —— Lenient

This company is verystrictabout punctuality.
School examiners say that marking has become morelenientin recent years.

Strong —— Weak

He picked her up in his bigstrongarms.
She’s tooweakto feed herself.

Success —— Failure

Opposites examples:

The experiment was a bigsuccess.
I always felt a bit of afailureat school.

Sunny —— Cloudy

I hope it will besunnytomorrow.
Tomorrow, it will becloudyand cool.

Synonym —— Antonym

“Shut”’ is asynonymof “closed”.
“Old” has two possibleantonyms. They are “young” and “new”.

Opposites/Antonyms (T)

List of opposite words that start with T with examples.

Tall —— Short

She’s a littletallerthan her sister.
He’s a bitshorterthan me.

Tame —— Wild

The bird became sotamethat it was impossible to release it back into the wild.
In my opinion,wildanimals should not be kept in zoos.

Teach —— Learn

Antonyms examples:

Heteachesgeography at the local secondary school.
Ilearntto drive when I was 17.

Terrible —— Wonderful

Their son had been injured in aterribleaccident.
We had awonderfultime in Spain.

Thick —— Thin

He was wearingthickglasses.
She’s only wearing athinsummer jacket.

Throw —— Catch

Hethrewhis shirt to someone in the crowd.
Stephen leapt up andcaughtthe ball in one hand.

Tie —— Untie

I kept all his letterstiedtogether with a ribbon.
Peteruntiedhis shoelaces.

Tolerant —— Intolerant

Antonyms examples:

My parents weretolerantof my choice of music.
A number of patients wereintolerantof the diet.

Tough —— Easy

The reporters were asking a lot oftoughquestions.
It would have beeneasyfor the team to lose the game.

Tough —— Tender

The meat wastoughand hard to chew.
Continue cooking until the meat istender.

Transparent —— Opaque

The insect’s wings are almosttransparent.
The windows areopaque, and the curtains you can see on the second floor are light gray.

Trap —— Release

Antonyms examples:

The policetrappedthe terrorists at a roadblock.
Theyreleasedten political prisoners last year.

True —— False

Opposites examples:

Students decide if statements aretrueor false.
Please decide whether the following statements are true orfalse.

Opposites/Antonyms (U)

List of opposite words that start with U with examples.

Understand —— Misunderstand

I couldunderstandwhat the woman was saying.
I completely米isunderstandher intentions.

Unqualified —— Qualified

He wasunqualifiedfor the job.
Dawn is wellqualifiedfor her new role.

Unsafe —— Safe

Many people feelunsafewalking alone at night.
She feelssafein the house on her own.

Up —— Down

We walked slowlyupthe hill.
Tears were streamingdown米y face.

Upstairs —— Downstairs

Antonyms examples:

I wentupstairsand had a shower.
Charles wasdownstairsin the kitchen.

Useful —— Useless

A little Japanese can be reallyuseful.
The doctor concluded that further treatment would beuseless.

Opposites/Antonyms (V)

List of opposite words that start with V with examples.

Vacant —— Occupied

Only a few apartments were stillvacant.
Only half of the rooms areoccupiedat the moment.

Vague —— Definite

The governor gave only avagueoutline of his tax plan.
It’s impossible for me to give you adefiniteanswer.

Vanish —— Appear

Antonyms examples:

Public support for the prime minister has nowvanished.
She didn’tappearat all surprised at the news.

Vast —— Tiny

The government will have to borrowvastamounts of money.
She always felt atinybit sad.

Vertical —— Horizontal

There was averticaldrop to the ocean.
I was so tired, I just wanted to behorizontal.

Victory —— Defeat

She is confident ofvictoryin Saturday’s final.
The world champion has only had twodefeats in 20 fights.

Virtue —— Vice

Antonyms examples:

Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness.
Jealousy is a vice.

Visible —— Invisible

山的轮廓很明显visible.
The house was surrounded by trees, andinvisiblefrom the road.

Opposites/Antonyms (W)

List of oppositewords that start with W-Y with examples.

War —— Peace

No one wants to start a tradewarhere.
The country is atpeacewith its neighbors for the first time in years.

Wide —— Narrow

The boat was nearly as宽as the canal.
This is a longnarrowroad.

Win —— Lose

Antonyms examples:

I think you willwinthe next election.
They played so badly they deserved tolose.

Within —— Outside

Prisoners who died were buriedwithinthe walls of the prison.
It’soutside米y experience, I’m afraid.

Yes —— No

“Would you like a sandwich?”
“Yes, please.”
“Could you help me write this?”
“No, sorry, I haven’t got time at the moment.”

Antonyms | Pictures

List of Opposites (Antonyms List) in English | Image 1

Opposites (Antonyms List) in English | Image 2

Opposites (Antonyms List) in English | Image 3

List of Opposites (Antonyms List) in English | Image 4

Opposite Words Video

Learn 120+ common antonyms (opposites) in English from A-Z with an American pronunciation video lesson.

Learn 120+ commonopposites (antonyms) with a pronunciation video lesson.

Last Updated on October 4, 2022

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