Opposite Words in English PDF Download: A word that expresses meaning in opposition to the meaning of a certain word is known as an opposite word. The two words in this instance are referred to as antonyms of one another. Students should acquire as many antonyms and opposite terms as they can because this will help them expand their vocabulary and strengthen their command of the English language. «Opposite words» is an important topic in English Grammar. For competitive exams, in the reading comprehension topic or in the English language section, questions from the Opposite Words in English are common. These terms will be crucial to your academic development as well as the improvement of your reading and writing abilities. However, the list of opposite words in English a to z is provided below. The candidates in search of Antonyms/Opposite Words, frequently want to know about opposite words in English 20, opposite words in English list, words and opposite in English, opposite words in English 100, opposite words in English 10, opposite words in English a to z 200, opposite words in English a to z list, 100 opposite words in English, opposite words in English 20 PDF Download, 100 opposite words in English pdf download, 100 opposite words in English easy, etc., can refer to this article for more info.
Static GK 2023
Opposite Words In English a-z
It is not possible for one individual to study the antonyms of every word in the English lexicon due to the scope of the topic «Opposite Words.» There are many opposite terms that we frequently use in our daily lives, but some of us might not be familiar with all of them. We have listed more than 1000 opposing terms in this post for your reference; browse through them and attempt to understand a few new words with opposing connotations. This article will teach you many of the opposing words used in English grammar, which will undoubtedly improve your vocabulary, especially if you’re getting ready for competitive exams like the Bank Exams, SSC Exams, UPSC, and others where you have to study for the English subject. Candidates aspiring to know all the z opposite words, 1000 opposite words in English, and opposite words in English a-z can read further.
Opposite Words In English a to z PDF Download
Candidates preparing for competitive exams can make use of the opposite words in English a to z PDF Download link provided below. With the help of opposite words in English a to z PDF Download link, aspirants can learn the opposite words easily and also they can download the PDF and take printouts if necessary. Make use of the opposite words in English a to z PDF Download link for effective preparation.
Opposite Words In English a to z PDF Download
Opposite Words In English List: Basic Words Antonyms
Here we have added the list of opposite words in English for the reference of the candidates. Below is a collection of some general and simple opposing words in English. Utilize these antonyms to expand your vocabulary in English. You can read the following general 100 opposite words in English easy here.
|
Opposite Words In English List: Basic Words Antonyms |
|
| Words | Antonyms In English |
| Absent | Present |
|
After |
Before |
|
Active |
Lazy |
|
Brave |
Afraid |
|
Bitter |
Sweet |
|
Beginning |
End |
|
Blunt |
Sharp |
| Big | Small / Little |
| Cheap | Expensive |
| Clean | Dirty |
|
Close |
Open |
| Deep | Shallow |
|
Day |
Night |
| Down | Up |
|
Daughter |
Son |
| Early | Late |
| Easy | Difficult / Hard |
|
Enter |
Exit |
| Far | Near / Close |
|
Friend |
Enemy |
| Fast | Slow |
| Fat | Thin / Skinny |
| Full | Empty |
| Good | Bad |
| Happy | Sad |
| Heavy | Light |
|
Happy |
Sad |
| Here | There |
| High | Low |
| Hot | Cold |
| In | Out |
| Inside | Outside |
| Interesting | Boring |
| Light | Dark |
| Long | Short |
| Loud | Soft |
| Many | Few |
|
Male |
Female |
| New | Old |
|
Near |
Far |
|
Over |
Under |
| Rich | Poor |
| Right | Left |
| Right | Wrong |
| Safe | Dangerous |
| Single | Married |
| Smooth | Rough |
| Soft | Hard |
| Strong | Weak |
| Tall | Short |
| Thick | Thin |
| Tight | Loose |
|
Top |
Bottom |
|
Ugly |
Beautiful |
|
Vertical |
Horizontal |
| Warm | Cool |
| Wet | Dry |
| Wide | Narrow |
| Young | Old |
|
Yesterday |
Tomorrow |
| Yes | No |
Opposite Words In English a to z List
Here you can find out the opposite words in English in alphabetical order from a to z.
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘A’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter A tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘A’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘B’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter B tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘B’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘C’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter C tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘C’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘D’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter D tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘D’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘E’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter E tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘E’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘F’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter F tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘F’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘G’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter G tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘G’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘H’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter H tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘H’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘I’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter I tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘I’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘J’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter J tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘J’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘K’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter K tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘K’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘L’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter L tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘L’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘M’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter M tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘M’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘N’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter N tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘N’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘O’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter O tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘O’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘P’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter P tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘P’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘Q’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter Q tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘Q’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘R’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter R tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘R’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘S’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter S tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘S’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘T’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter T tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘T’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘U’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter U tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘U’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘V’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter V tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘V’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘W’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter W tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘W’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘X’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter X tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘X’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘Y’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter Y tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘Y’ |
|
Opposite Words In English Starting With Letter ‘Z’
Aspirants can check the important opposite words in English starting with the letter Z tabulated below.
Opposite Words In English Starting With ‘Z’ / Z opposite words |
|
Opposite Words In English Exercises
In the English language portion of numerous tests, including SSC (SSC CGL, CHSL, JE, etc.), UPSC (NDA, CDS, etc.), Banking, and more, candidates who are taking government examinations commonly encounter questions relating to antonyms/opposite words. The opposite words that are requested in the vocabulary part are more complex than the straightforward opposite terms mentioned before. A few significant questions from the perspective of competitive exams are presented below for practice using opposite words.
Choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word
Q1. Xenophobic
- yang
- Impartial
- qualified
- Original
Ans. (b)
Q2. Optimist
- courteous
- messy
- pessimist
- sink
Ans. (c)
Q3. Wisdom
- folly
- Impartial
- always
- courteous
Ans. (a)
Q4. Ally
- enemy
- together
- repulsive
- support
Ans. (a)
Q5. Scatter
- disperse
- Inhospitable
- even
- collect
Ans. (d)
Q6. Bless
- blame
- praise
- curse
- enjoy
Ans. (c)
Q7. Cheerful
- Happy
- dreary
- Entertain
- optimistic
Ans. (b)
Q8. Hinder
- trouble
- help
- disturbance
- pessimistic
Ans. (b)
Q9. Calm
- relax
- satisfied
- Righteous
- Windy
Ans. (d)
Q10. Nefarious
- Recuperate
- Stupidity
- Righteous
- Sobriety
Ans. (c)
|
Reasoning Free Study Materials PDF |
|||||
|
Syllogism |
Blood Relation |
Coding Decoding |
Inequality |
Seating Arrangement |
Alphanumeric Series |
|
Number Sequence |
Order and Ranking |
Puzzle |
Direction Sense |
Floor Based Puzzle |
Linear Seating Arrangement |
|
Box Based Puzzle |
Floor and Flat Based Puzzle |
Year Based Puzzle |
Day based puzzle |
Age Based Puzzle |
Box with Stack Puzzle |
|
Parallel Seating Arrangement |
|
Quantitative Aptitude Free Study Materials PDF |
|||||
|
Quadratic Equation |
Simplification |
Data Interpretation |
Time and Work |
Number Series |
Time Distance Speed |
|
Mixture and Alligations |
Pipes and Cisterns |
Average |
Simple and Compound Interest |
Boats and Streams |
Problems On Trains |
|
Ages |
Partnership |
Profit Loss Discount |
Percentage |
Bar Graph DI |
Pie Chart DI |
|
Ratio and Proportion |
Radar Graph DI |
|
English Free Study Materials PDF |
|||||
|
Reading Comprehension |
Word Rearrangement |
Cloze Test |
Word Swap |
Sentence Rearrangement |
Match the column |
|
Word Usage |
Error Spotting |
Starters |
Sentence Improvementnt |
Misspelt |
Jumbled Sentence |
|
Pairs of Words |
Single Fillers |
Double Fillers |
FAQs — Opposite Words in the English Language
Q. What are the opposing words in English?
A word that expresses meaning in opposition to the meaning of a certain word is known as an opposite word. The two words in this instance are referred to as antonyms of one another.
Q. What is the opposite word of benefit?
Some of the opposite words of benefit are, disadvantage, hindrance, drawback, impediment, minus, liability, obstacle, etc.,
Q. What are the opposite words of kind?
The opposite words of kind are unkind, inconsiderate, mean, etc.,
Q. What are the opposite words of tall?
The opposite words of tall are short, small, low, etc.,
Q. What are the opposite words of fat?
The opposite words of fat are thin, skinny, etc.,
In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is long entails that it is not short. It is referred to as a ‘binary’ relationship because there are two members in a set of opposites. The relationship between opposites is known as opposition. A member of a pair of opposites can generally be determined by the question What is the opposite of X ?
The term antonym (and the related antonymy) is commonly taken to be synonymous with opposite, but antonym also has other more restricted meanings. Graded (or gradable) antonyms are word pairs whose meanings are opposite and which lie on a continuous spectrum (hot, cold). Complementary antonyms are word pairs whose meanings are opposite but whose meanings do not lie on a continuous spectrum (push, pull). Relational antonyms are word pairs where opposite makes sense only in the context of the relationship between the two meanings (teacher, pupil). These more restricted meanings may not apply in all scholarly contexts, with Lyons (1968, 1977) defining antonym to mean gradable antonyms, and Crystal (2003) warning that antonymy and antonym should be regarded with care.
General discussionEdit
Opposition is a semantic relation in which one word has a sense or meaning that negates or is, in the sense of scale, distant from a related word. Other words are capable of being opposed, but the language in question has an accidental gap in its lexicon. For example, the word devout lacks a lexical opposite, but it is fairly easy to conceptualize a parameter of devoutness where devout lies at the positive pole with a missing member at the negative pole. Opposites of such words can nevertheless sometimes be formed with the prefixes un- or non-, with varying degrees of naturalness. For example, the word undevout appears in Webster’s dictionary of 1828, while the pattern of non-person could conceivably be extended to non-platypus. Conversely, some words appear to be a prefixed form of an opposite, but the opposite term does not exist, such as inept, which appears to be in- + *ept; such a word is known as an unpaired word.
Opposites may be viewed as a special type of incompatibility.[1] Words that are incompatible create the following type of entailment (where X is a given word and Y is a different word incompatible with word X):[2]
- sentence A is X entails sentence A is not Y [3]
An example of an incompatible pair of words is cat : dog:
- It’s a cat entails It’s not a dog [4]
This incompatibility is also found in the opposite pairs fast : slow and stationary : moving, as can be seen below:
It’s fast entails It’s not slow [5]
- It’s stationary entails It’s not moving
Cruse (2004) identifies some basic characteristics of opposites:
- binarity, the occurrence of opposites as a lexical pair
- inherentness, whether the relationship may be presumed implicitly
- patency, the quality of how obvious a pair is
Some planned languages abundantly use such devices to reduce vocabulary multiplication. Esperanto has mal- (compare bona = «good» and malbona = «bad»), Damin has kuri- (tjitjuu «small», kuritjitjuu «large») and Newspeak has un- (as in ungood, «bad»).
Some classes of opposites include:
- antipodals, pairs of words which describe opposite ends of some axis, either literal (such as «left» and «right,» «up» and «down,» «east» and «west») or figurative or abstract (such as «first» and «last,» «beginning» and «end,» «entry» and «exit»)
- disjoint opposites (or «incompatibles»), members of a set which are mutually exclusive but which leave a lexical gap unfilled, such as «red» and «blue,» «one» and «ten,» or «Monday» and «Friday.»
- reversives, pairs of verbs which denote opposing processes, in which one is the reverse of the other. They are (or may be) performed by the same or similar subject(s) without requiring an object of the verbs, such as «rise» and «fall,» «accelerate» and «decelerate,» or «shrink» and «grow.»
- converses (or relational opposites or relational antonyms), pairs in which one describes a relationship between two objects and the other describes the same relationship when the two objects are reversed, such as parent and child, teacher and student, or buy and sell.
- overlapping antonyms, a pair of comparatives in which one, but not the other, implies the positive:
- An example is «better» and «worse.» The sentence «x is better than y» does not imply that x is good, but «x is worse than y» implies that x is bad. Other examples are «faster» and «slower» («fast» is implied but not «slow») and «dirtier» and «cleaner» («dirty» is implied but not «clean»). The relationship between overlapping antonyms is often not inherent, but arises from the way they are interpreted most generally in a language. There is no inherent reason that an item be presumed to be bad when it is compared to another as being worse (it could be «less good»), but English speakers have combined the meaning semantically to it over the development of the language.
Types of antonymsEdit
An antonym is one of a pair of words with opposite meanings. Each word in the pair is the antithesis of the other. A word may have more than one antonym. There are three categories of antonyms identified by the nature of the relationship between the opposed meanings.
Gradable antonymsEdit
A gradable antonym is one of a pair of words with opposite meanings where the two meanings lie on a continuous spectrum. Temperature is such a continuous spectrum so hot and cold, two meanings on opposite ends of the spectrum, are gradable antonyms. Other examples include: heavy : light, fat : skinny, dark : light, young : old, early : late, empty : full, dull : interesting.
Complementary antonymsEdit
A complementary antonym, sometimes called a binary or contradictory antonym (Aarts, Chalker & Weiner 2014), is one of a pair of words with opposite meanings, where the two meanings do not lie on a continuous spectrum. There is no continuous spectrum between odd and even but they are opposite in meaning and are therefore complementary antonyms. Other examples include: mortal : immortal, exit : entrance, exhale : inhale, occupied : vacant.
Relational antonymsEdit
A relational antonym is one of a pair of words that refer to a relationship from opposite points of view. There is no lexical opposite of teacher, but teacher and pupil are opposite within the context of their relationship. This makes them relational antonyms. Other examples include: husband : wife, doctor : patient, predator : prey, teach : learn, servant : master, come : go, parent : child.
Auto-antonymsEdit
An auto-antonym is a word that can have opposite meanings in different contexts or under separate definitions:
- enjoin (to prohibit, issue injunction; to order, command)
- fast (moving quickly; fixed firmly in place)
- cleave (to split; to adhere)
- sanction (punishment, prohibition; permission)
- stay (remain in a specific place, postpone; guide direction, movement)
See alsoEdit
- -onym
- Antithesis
- Litotes
- Property (philosophy)
- Semantic differential
- Thesaurus
NotesEdit
- ^ Incompatibility can be compared to exclusive disjunction in logic.
- ^ There are four types of entailment useful to lexical semantics:
- unilateral entailment: It’s a fish unilaterally entails It’s an animal. (It is unilateral, i.e. one-directional, because It’s an animal does not entail It’s a fish since it could be a dog or a cat or some other animal.)
- logical equivalence (or multilateral entailment): The party commenced at midnight entails The party began at midnight AND The party began at midnight also entails The party commenced since both cannot be simultaneously true. On the Aristotelian square of opposition, the A and E type propositions (‘All As are Bs’ and ‘No As are Bs’, respectively) are contraries of each other. Propositions that cannot be simultaneously false (e.g. ‘Something is red’ and ‘Something is not red’) are said to be subcontraries.
- contradiction: It’s dead entails It’s not alive AND It’s not alive entails It’s dead AND It’s alive entails It’s not dead AND It’s not dead entails It’s alive. It’s dead and It’s alive are said to be in a contradictory relation.
- ^ Stated differently, if the proposition expressed by the sentence A is X is TRUE, then the proposition expressed by the sentence A is not Y is also TRUE.
- ^ It is assumed here that it has the same referent.
- ^ It is also assumed here the reference point of comparison for these adjectives remains the same in both sentences. For example, a rabbit might be fast compared to turtle but slow compared to a sport car. It is essential when determining the relationships between the lexical meaning of words to keep the situational context identical.
BibliographyEdit
- Aarts, Bas; Chalker, Sylvia; Weiner, Edmund (2014), The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, Oxford University Press, p. 80, ISBN 978-0-19-965823-7
- Crystal, David. (2003). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics (5th ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
- Cruse, D. Alan. (1986). Lexical semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Cruse, D. Alan. (1992). Antonymy revisited: Some thoughts on the relationship between words and concepts. In A. J. Lehrer & E. F. Kittay (Eds.), Frames, fields, and contrasts: New essays in semantic and lexical organization (pp. 289–306). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
- Cruse, D. Alan. (2002). Paradigmatic relations of exclusion and opposition II: Reversivity. In D. A. Cruse, F. Hundsnurscher, M. Job, & P.-R. Lutzeier (Eds.), Lexikologie: Ein internationales Handbuch zur Natur und Struktur von Wörtern und Wortschätzen: Lexicology: An international handbook on the nature and structure of words and vocabularies (Vol. 1, pp. 507–510). Berlin: De Gruyter.
- Cruse, D. Alan. (2004). Meaning in language: An introduction to semantics and pragmatics (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Cruse, D. Alan; & Togia, Pagona. (1995). Towards a cognitive model of antonymy. Journal of Lexicology 1, 113-141.
- Davies, M. (2007) ‘The Attraction of Opposites: The ideological function of conventional and created oppositions in the construction of in-groups and out-groups in news texts’, in Jeffries, L., McIntyre, D. and Bousfield, D. (eds) Stylistics and Social Cognition, pp. 79–100.
- Davies, M. (2013) Oppositions and Ideology in News Discourse. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
- Jeffries, L. (2009, forthcoming) Opposition in Discourse: The Construction of Oppositional Meaning London: Continuum.
- Jones, S. (2002), Antonymy: A Corpus-based perspective London and New York: Routledge.
- Lehrer, Adrienne J. (1985). Markedness and antonymy. Journal of Linguistics, 21, 397-421.
- Lehrer, Adrienne J. (2002). Paradigmatic relations of exclusion and opposition I: Gradable antonymy and complementarity. In D. A. Cruse, F. Hundsnurscher, M. Job, & P.-R. Lutzeier (Eds.), Lexikologie: Ein internationales Handbuch zur Natur und Struktur von Wörtern und Wortschätzen: Lexicology: An international handbook on the nature and structure of words and vocabularies (Vol. 1, pp. 498–507). Berlin: De Gruyter.
- Lehrer, Adrienne J.; & Lehrer, Keith. (1982). Antonymy. Linguistics and Philosophy, 5, 483-501.
- Lyons, John. (1963). Structural semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lyons, John. (1968). Introduction to theoretical linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lyons, John. (1977). Semantics (Vol. 1). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Mettinger, Arthur. (1994). Aspects of semantic opposition in English. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Murphy, M. Lynne. (2003). Semantic relations and the lexicon: Antonymy, synonymy, and other paradigms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Palmer, F. R. (1976). Semantics: A new outline. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Saeed, John I. (2003). Semantics (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell
Antonyms Examples! An antonym(or opposite) is a word opposite in meaning to another (e.g. bad and good ). Following is a list of 180 common antonyms examples in English. They have been chosen especially for ESL learners.
Learn a list of 180 antonyms examples in English.
1. idle – busy
2. illegal – lawful
3. imaginary – real
4. import – export
5. imprison – free
6. include – exclude
7. lead – follow
8. left – right
9. careful – careless
10. catch – throw
11. beginning – end
12. beg – offer
13. stay – go
14. stop – go
15. straight – crooked
16. in – out
17. inside – outside
18. joy – grief
19. kind – mean
20. king – queen
21. knowledge – ignorance
22. known – unknown
23. large – small
24. last – first
25. laugh – cry
26. lazy – industrious
27. admit – deny
28. advance – retreat
29. stranger – friend
30. strengthen – weaken
31. strong – weak
32. summer – winter
33. sun – moon
34. sweet – sour
35. beneath – above
36. best – worst
37. bitter – sweet
38. black – white
39. borrow – lend
40. bottom – top
41. boy – girl
42. brave – scared
43. break – fix
44. wet – dry
45. cease – begin
46. certain – uncertain
47. cheerful – sad
48. city – country
49. closed – open
50. cold – hot
51. above – below
52. absent – present
53. abundant – scarce
54. accept – refuse
55. accidental – intentional
56. accurate – incorrect
57. increase – decrease
58. heavy – light
59. hide – show
60. after – before
61. against – for
62. ahead – behind
63. all – none
64. always – never
65. antique – modern
66. asleep – awake
67. attack – defend
68. aunt – uncle
69. authentic – imitation
70. awake – asleep
71. bad – good
72. bald – hairy
73. beautiful – ugly
74. brother – sister
75. buy – sell
76. drunk – sober
77. dry – wet
78. hungry – full
79. husband – wife
80. combine – separate
81. comedy – tragedy
82. reward – punishment
83. right – wrong
84. rough – smooth
85. south – north
86. spend – save
87. start – finish
88. stationary – movable
89. sweet – sour
90. swift – slow
91. take – give
92. tall – short
93. come – go
94. complete – incomplete
95. condemn – praise
96. conquer – fail
97. contract – expand
98. cool – warm
99. country – city
100. high – low
101. him – her
102. hit – miss
103. crooked – straight
104. cruel – kind
105. dangerous – safe
106. dark – light
107. daughter – son
108. day – night
109. dead – alive
110. death – life
111. deep – shallow
112. depart – arrive
113. destroy – create
114. different – same
115. friend-enemy
116. from – to
117. front – back
118. gain – loss
119. gather – scatter
120. generous – stingy
121. genuine – fake
122. fancy – plain
123. fat – skinny
124. fat – thin
125. fertile – barren
126. few – many
127. fiction – fact
128. find – lose
129. finish – begin
130. first – last
131. floor – ceiling
132. give – take
133. graceful – clumsy
134. grin – frown
135. guilty – innocent
136. happy – sad
137. wild – tame
138. win – lose
139. winter – summer
140. work – play
141. worthless – valuable
142. wrong – right
143. yes – no
144. young – old
145. fail – succeed
146. fall – spring
147. hard – soft
148. harmony – discord
149. harsh – mild
150. healthy – sick
151. length – width
152. less – more
153. rural – urban
154. sane – insane
155. seldom – often
156. selfish – unselfish
157. send – receive
158. together – apart
159. top – bottom
160. tough – tender
161. triumph – fail
162. true – false
163. ugly – pretty
164. unbreakable – fragile
165. under – over
166. unique – ordinary
167. up – down
168. useful – useless
169. usually – rarely
170. vacant – occupied
171. vanish – appear
172. victory – defeat
173. dirty – clean
174. discourage – encourage
175. disgrace – honor
176. dwarf – giant
177. early – late
178. East – West
179. easy – hard
180. empty – full
Antonyms List| Infographic
Pin
Pin
3.1
7
votes
Article Rating
Do you want to improve your vocabulary? If yes, we have the perfect solution for you. Discover 100+ antonym words and their meanings in this blog to improve your English! Test yourself along the way. Keep scrolling!
Table of Contents
- Antonym words | An overview
- Difference between synonyms and antonyms
- The role of antonyms
- List of 130 antonyms
- 50 more to go!
- 30 more to go!
- Types of antonyms
- 1. Auto antonyms
- 2. Complementary antonyms
- 3. Relational antonyms
- 4. Graded Antonyms
- The function of antonyms
- Can synonyms and antonyms enhance your vocabulary skills?
- Is there an easy way to learn antonym words?
- Key takeaways
- FAQs
Antonym words | An overview
The 20-volume Oxford Dictionary’s Second Edition has a whopping 171,476 words that are currently in use in the English language. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary includes close to 470,000 entries for new words. These numbers, however, do not accurately cover the expanse of words and meanings that are encompassed within the English language. Your current vocabulary may include many daily use English words, but are you aware of the right antonym words to use in your conversations?
The word “antonym” has its origins in the Greek language. The Greek word for “opposite” is “anti” and “name” is “onym.” Antonyms, therefore, are words that have opposite or contrasting meanings. In fact, the word antonym, coined in 1867, serves as the opposite of synonyms.
Understanding the kinds of antonyms and examples of the same can help you create an impact in your everyday conversations. Through these antonyms, you can make your writing more fun and engaging. They can also help you ace your IELTS and TOEFL. But do you know what some key differences between antonyms and synonyms are? Let’s have a look!
Difference between synonyms and antonyms
| Antonyms | Synonyms |
| Words that are opposites of each other are called antonyms. | Words that have similar or identical meanings are called synonyms. |
| According to Merriam Webster, an antonym is a word of opposite meaning. | According to Merriam Webster, a synonym is one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses. |
| Examples- Divide – Unite; Vacant – Occupied; Freeze – Boil. | Examples- Annihilation – Destruction; Polite – Gracious; Risky – Dangerous. |
The role of antonyms
- Antonyms serve as a good explanation of the lexicography in the definitions of words in the dictionary.
- They also appear like a good tool for forming the antithesis in literature. Also, the figurative antonym meaning is an expressive tool in the literature.
- For the word-formation linguistic ability, it can be said that they play a significant role in enriching the language and vocabulary.
- Antonyms also show the ability to better explain words with their meaning in analogous and bilingual dictionaries.
- In psychology, antonyms can be linked with studies associating words through which the human mind can function in relation to countering.
- In literature, opposites are analyzed as distinguishing features of dramatic prose.
List of 130 antonyms
Here are 130 antonyms words that can be an excellent tool to enrich your vocabulary and foster meaningful conversations in English.
1. Artificial – Natural
2. Arrive – Depart
3. Argue – Agree
4. All – None
5. Amateur – Professional
6. Alive – Dead
7. Advanced – Elementary
8. Adult – Child
9. Ancestor – Descendant
10. Angel – Devil
11. Boy – Girl
12. Build – Destroy
13. Buy – Sell
14. Borrow – Lend
15. Body – Soul
16. Blunt – Sharp
17. Bitter – Sweet
18. Bottom – Top
19. Boring – Exciting
20. Busy – Lazy
21. Ceiling – Floor
22. Catch – Miss
23. Careful – Careless
24. Calm – Excited
25. Close – Open
26. Cold – Hot
27. Clear – Cloudy
28. Child – Adult
29. Certainly – Probably
30. Callous – Sensitive
31. Die – Live
32. Dictatorship – Republic
33. Dainty – Clumsy
34. Desperate – Hopeful
35. Divide – Unite
36. Domestic – Foreign
37. Distant – Near
38. Different – Alike
39. Drama – Comedy
40. Dull – Interesting
41. Emigration – Immigration
42. Empty – Full
43. Eager – Apathetic
44. Everything – Nothing
45. Evening – Morning
46. Even – Odd
47. Exclude – Include
48. Expensive – Cheap
49. Export – Import
50. Exit – Entrance
50 more to go!
51. Foreground – Background
52. For – Against
53. Forbid – Allow
54. Flippant – Somber
55. Flat – Hilly
56. Future – Past
57. Frequently – Occasionally
58. Funny – Serious
59. Free- Dependent
60. Friend – Enemy
61. Gaiety – Misery
62. Give – Take
63. Guest – Host
64. Guilty – Innocent
65. Gentle – Violent
66. Gentleman – Lady
67. General – Particular
68. Grown-Up – Child
69. Good – Bad
70. Giant – Tiny
71. Heavy – Light
72. Heaven – Hell
73. Hopeful – Desperate
74. Health – Disease
75. Hate – Love
76. Harvest – Plant
77. Handsome – Ugly
78. Happy – Sad
79. High – Low
80. Here – There
81. Intentional – Accidental
82. Intelligent – Silly
83. Inside – Outside
84. Ignore – Notice
85. Increase – Reduce
86. Interrupt – Continue
87. Insult – Compliment
88. Ill – Healthy
89. Ignore – Notice
90. Import – Export
91. Loser – Winner
92. Lower – Higher
93. Marry – Divorce
94. Mend – Break
95. Midnight – Noon
96. Melt – Freeze
97. Negative – Affirmative
98. Native – Foreigner
99. Nasty – Nice
100. Narrow – Broad
30 more to go!
101. Happy – Wistful
102. Humble – Proud
103. Important – Trivial
104. Safe – Unsafe
105. Secure – Insecure
106. Intentional – Accidental
107. Brighten – Fade
108. Broad – Narrow
109. Limited – Boundless
110. War – Peace
111. Permanent – Temporary
112. Plentiful – Scarce
113. Plural – Singular
114. Guilty – Innocent
115. Zenith – Nadir
116. Zip – Unzip
117. Exterior – Interior
118. External – Internal
119. Justice- Injustice
120. Adjunct – Separated
121. Brittle – Tough
122. Bind – Release
123. Boisterous – Placid
124. Chastise – Cheer
125. Contrary – Similar
126. Cunning – Naive
127. Ferocious – Gentle
128. Glory – Shame
129. Adamant – Flexible
130. Compress – Expand
Types of antonyms
It is imperative for English language speakers to have an understanding of when to use what word. This can help speakers structure their conversations and convey their messages accurately.
Understanding the kinds of antonyms in English is a good step towards creating meaningful and relevant sentences – both verbal and written.
1. Auto antonyms
Auto-antonyms are words that have two meanings, including an opposite meaning. Auto-antonyms are also referred to as “Janu words” and “contronym.”
Examples of auto-antonyms are-
I. Clip (Verb)
Meaning 1 – To hold tightly or fasten together.
Meaning 2 – To cut off or cut apart.
II. Give Out (Verb)
Meaning 1 – To stop producing or cease functioning.
Meaning 2 – To distribute or produce
III. Bound (Verb)
Meaning 1 – To spring or leap.
Meaning 2 – To be restrained by a material such as rope.
IV. Moot (Adjective)
Meaning 1 – Something academic and debatable.
Meaning 2 – Irrelevant.
V. Oversight (Noun)
Meaning 1 – To keep under watchful care or supervision
Meaning 2 – To omit or make an omission.
2. Complementary antonyms
Complementary antonym words are also referred to as contradictory antonyms or direct antonyms. These are words that exist independently of one another. They do not need any other term or definition to be included in a statement.
Examples of complementary antonyms are-
I. True – False
II. Entrance – Exit
III. Night – Day
IV. Dead – Alive
V. Pass – Fail
3. Relational antonyms
Relational antonyms are also referred to as converse antonyms. This term describes word pairs where the opposite makes sense only in the context of the relationship between the two meanings. An example of relational antonyms is “near” and “far,” since an object cannot be near without measuring it against an object that is far away.
Examples of relational antonyms include-
I. Teacher – Pupil
II. Teach – Learn
III. Come – Go
IV. Parent – Child
V. Doctor – Patient
4. Graded Antonyms
Graded antonyms show a variation or grade between words that have similar meanings. For example, the words “overjoyed,” “gratified,” “pleased,” and “content” have a connection in relation to the word happy. These antonyms can be used in place of regular-use terms.
Additional examples of graded antonyms include-
I. Healthy – Vigorous, Fit, Strong
II. Sad – Gloomy, Dejected, Miserable
III. Stupid – Obtuse, Foolish, Unwise, Dim
IV. Petite – Slight, Little
V. Big – Huge, Full-Size, Bulky
The function of antonyms
- Learning antonyms is an easy and effective way of enhancing your vocabulary.
- Recognizing words in combination with the other or in relation to other groups of words can help you derive the right meanings and insights.
- Studying antonyms allows you to choose your words appropriately when conveying a message to your audience.
- Learning these opposite words will additionally facilitate following instructions and directions to the T.
- Antonym words help you better describe the state of the world around you.
- In addition to school texts, it helps dictionaries explain words better to foreign students.
- Antonyms are also key to designing the signs on traffic lights, visual artworks, and more.
Can synonyms and antonyms enhance your vocabulary skills?
Learning synonyms and antonyms is a great way to improve your vocabulary as you get several substitutes for the same word. This helps in-
- Minimizing monotony in your language, and you might be able to capture the attention of your audience too.
- Antonyms and synonyms can also help you express yourself better by using the right word in the right place.
- Using these words can also help make your language interesting and effective.
- Lastly, many competitive exams judge you on your vocabulary or have synonyms and antonyms as part of the syllabus. Learning these words can help you nail those exams.
Is there an easy way to learn antonym words?
While learning antonyms can enrich your vocabulary, it might also leave you confused if you try to do it all at once. Therefore, we have listed some effective ways of learning these words-
- Begin with learning a few words and inculcating those in your vocabulary. Try and integrate the words you learn in your conversations and writing. Only then will it serve its purpose.
- Don’t try to learn antonyms and synonyms together, as it might confuse you and affect your fluency in English. Instead, learn one thing at a time and master it before moving on to the next.
- Start with familiarizing yourself with synonyms and antonym words related to your interests, hobbies, etc. Then, you can move to watching movies, listening to podcasts, reading blogs, etc., to broaden your horizon of learning.
- Don’t mug up the antonym words, as they won’t always fit the same in every sentence. Instead, learn what the word means in the sentence context and use antonyms when appropriate.
- Take every word as a new word and learn its meaning. This way, your brain will build connections, and antonyms will come more naturally over time.
Key takeaways
- The word “antonym” is derived from the Greek equivalent of the words “opposite” and “name.” Therefore, antonym words help convey the opposite aspect of an idea.
- There are many antonyms that are used in everyday conversation. Understanding these antonyms can help structure sentences and increase vocabulary.
- There are four different kinds of antonyms- auto-antonyms, complementary antonyms, relational antonyms, and graded antonyms.
- Understanding the applications of antonyms is key to using them effectively and without errors.
- Use antonyms to make sentences more refined and interesting.
- Save the antonym list given above. Learn 5 or more each day and incorporate them into your daily vocabulary.
- Make this process fun by trying word games and using different antonyms each time.
That’s all we have for you in this blog. If you have any questions/suggestions, reach out to us or drop a comment below.
Liked this blog? Read next: English speech topics | Best topics to engage your audience!
FAQs
Q1. What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?
Answer – Synonyms are words that have the same or a similar meaning to a given the word. Antonyms are words that have an opposite meaning.
Q2. What is a synecdoche?
Answer – A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part represents a whole.
Q3. How are antonyms used in debates?
Answer – Antonyms can be used effectively in debates to draw comparisons between two or more points of view.
Q4. What is the best antonym for the word common?
Answer- Some antonyms for the word common are-
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Exceptional
- Infrequent
- Peculiar
- Irregular
Q5. What does antonym mean?
Answer- Words that have opposite meanings are called antonyms. They can be used to make sentences sound more interesting and grab the readers’ attention.
Q6. How do you use antonyms?
Answer- When you use antonyms, you can show contrast in points and give clear distinctions in meanings. They give you speech/language a broader variation. To use antonyms right, first, figure out the meaning of the word you want to use. To make a sentence sound and feel right, use antonyms of the same word.
Antonym example- The ocean waves look fierce today, but they were very gentle yesterday.
Q7. Does every word have an antonym?
Answer- No, not all words have antonyms, but most nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives do. Some words can have more than one antonym; for example, the antonym for neat can be messy and untidy.
What are words opposite in meaning?
antonym
What is the use of words to convey the opposite?
noun, plural i·ro·nies. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.
What is it called when two words are opposites?
An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which two apparently contradictory terms appear together. Examples include a deafening silence, harmonious discord, an open secret, and the living dead.
What are 2 words put together called?
Portmanteau word, also called blend, a word that results from blending two or more words, or parts of words, such that the portmanteau word expresses some combination of the meaning of its parts. A portmanteau is a suitcase that opens into halves.
What are the 50 examples of antonyms?
Antonym Examples
| Achieve – Fail | Giant – Dwarf | Random – Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Arrive – Depart | Innocent – Guilty | Simple – Complicated |
| Arrogant – Humble | Knowledge – Ignorance | Single – Married |
| Attack – Defend | Liquid – Solid | Sunny – Cloudy |
| Blunt – Sharp | Marvelous – Terrible | Timid – Bold |
What are the 10 examples of antonyms?
10 examples of Antonyms
- monarchy and democracy.
- truth and lie.
- good and bad.
- enemy and friend.
- antonym and synonym.
- love and hate.
- hi and bye.
- happy and sad.
What are the 50 examples of synonyms?
50 Examples of Synonyms With Sentences
- Magnify – expand: He magnified their happiness like their pain.
- Baffle – confuse, deceive: The bad news he received consecutively confused him.
- Beautiful – attractive, pretty, lovely, stunning: You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life.
What are homonyms give 5 examples?
Homonym Examples
- Address – to speak to / location.
- Air – oxygen / a lilting tune.
- Arm – body part / division of a company.
- Band – a musical group / a ring.
- Bark – a tree’s out layer / the sound a dog makes.
- Bat – an implement used to hit a ball / a nocturnal flying mammal.
What are the 20 examples of homonyms list?
Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs
| accept – take in | except – other than |
|---|---|
| real – factual | reel – roll |
| right – correct; not left | write – scribble |
| ring – encircle | wring – squeeze |
| road – street | rode – past tense of ride |
What are the 2 types of homonyms?
Homonyms are words that have different meanings but are pronounced or spelled the same way. There are two types of homonyms: homophones and homographs.
What are the 10 example of homonyms?
English 10 homonyms with meanings and sentences Break – Brake: Break: pause, stopover Brake: curb Who broke this glass? I couldn’t brake while in the car. Cache – Cash: Cache: gros over, hide Cash: money I caught my grandpa’s caches. Withdraw all the cash in the bank and bring it to me.
What is homonyms and example?
Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same as each other (e.g., “maid” and “made”) or have the same spelling (e.g., “lead weight” and “to lead”). Therefore, it is possible for a homonym to be a homophone (same sound) and a homograph (same spelling), e.g., “vampire bat” and “cricket bat”.
Can you give me a list of homophones?
Common Homophones List
| air | heir |
|---|---|
| eye | I |
| bare | bear |
| be | bee |
| brake | break |
What is polysemy and example?
A polyseme is a word or phrase with different, but related senses. English has many polysemous words. For example, the verb “to get” can mean “procure” (I’ll get the drinks), “become” (she got scared), “understand” (I get it) etc. In linear or vertical polysemy, one sense of a word is a subset of the other.
What is polysemy example?
One example of polysemy is the word ‘sound’. This word has a very large number of meanings. It has 19 noun meanings, 12 adjective meanings, 12 verb meanings, 4 meanings in verb phrases, and 2 adverb meanings. A word with an even greater number of meanings is another example, ‘set’.
What are the types of polysemy?
Types of polysemy Linear polysemy accounts for a specialization-generalization relation between senses and, in turn, is divided into four types: autohyponymy, automeronymy, autosuperordination and autoholonymy. Metaphorical and metonymous polysemy are thought to belong to the non-linear category.
What are Polysemantic words?
1. polysemantic word – a word having more than one meaning. polysemant, polysemous word. word – a unit of language that native speakers can identify; “words are the blocks from which sentences are made”; “he hardly said ten words all morning”
What is a Monosemantic word?
Polysemy is the ability of words to have more than one meaning. Monosemantic words, which have only one meaning, are comparatively few; they are mainly scientific terms (e.g. hydrogen) or rare words (e.g. flamingo). The bulk of English words are polysemantic.
What is the meaning of homonyms?
1a grammar : homophone the homonyms there and their. b grammar : homograph The words lead, as in the metal, and lead, as in the verb, are homonyms. c grammar : one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning (such as the noun quail and the verb quail)
What are 100 homonyms examples?
Homonym Words List
| Arm | |
|---|---|
| “The company arm of the separatist group” | I can’t hold the baby on my arm |
| She has a lot of books. | I will book a table at the swan. |
| Bat | |
| The bat king of caves. | He has batted for playing cricket. |
What is the importance of homonyms in our lives?
Importance of Homonyms – Homonyms are important because words that look alike and/or sound alike can mean completely different things. – It is important that you pay attention to context when you are reading so as to not misinterpret what is being said because of homonyms.
What are homophones and why is it important to use the correct word?
Homophones are a group of words that sound the same when they are said aloud, but have different spellings and meanings. They can also be different parts of speech. When using a word that is a homophone, it is important to know the meaning for each word, so you can choose the one you want.
What is the importance of Homographs?
The Importance of Homographs. It is important to be capable of identifying homographs. The most vital purpose in this is the avoidance of confusion, particularly if the words are written, not spoken, and one must rely solely on context to infer meaning from otherwise identical spelling.
Why is it important to learn Homographs?
It is important to be able to use homographs because: the same word can have different meanings. you can better understand what you are reading. it can be tested on the CST.
What are some examples of Homographs?
Homograph Examples
- agape – with mouth open OR love.
- bass – type of fish OR low, deep voice.
- bat – piece of sports equipment OR an animal.
- bow – type of knot OR to incline.
- down – a lower place OR soft fluff on a bird.
- entrance – the way in OR to delight.
- evening – smoothing out OR after sunset.
- fine – of good quality OR a levy.
What does aught mean?
1 : zero, cipher. 2 archaic : nonentity, nothing.
What is the meaning of homographs and examples?
Homographs are words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. For example, “lead” would be a homograph because its two meanings—a noun referring to a metal that was once added to paint, and a verb meaning to guide the way for others—come from different root words.
What are two Homographs?
Homographs are words that have same spelling but can be used in different meanings and/or pronunciations. For examples – wind, bear, founded, wound, row, evening, bat etc… Some common homographs. Wind. The usual pronunciation is similar to ‘I’ in the words ‘is’ or ‘in’.
What is Homograph mean?
: one of two or more words spelled alike but different in meaning or derivation or pronunciation (such as the bow of a ship, a bow and arrow)
Is back a Homograph?
Homograph definition: In English, homographs are words with the same spelling but having more than one meaning. Taking the stricter definition of homograph, we will review some homographs words that are often confused. Homograph examples: back-back.
Meaning | Definition
The opposite word expresses the opposite or inverse meaning of another word, making both of them antonyms to each other.
Whether English is the reader’s native language or not, this page helps to understand the meaning of both the opposite words and helps the reader enhance their vocabulary and knowledge of spellings. Similar (synonyms) and opposite (antonyms) words are helpful to know as they improve reading and writing skills. They allow students to understand the text at a deeper, richer level. Students learn to differentiate between shades of meaning by learning opposite words that enable them to be more precise and enhancing their overall command of English. Next on this page, you will find a list of more than 100 most common, basic, and top opposite English words.
| Word | Opposite |
|---|---|
| Above | Below |
| After | Before |
| Amateur | Professional |
| Ask | Reply |
| Awake | Asleep |
| Always | Never |
| Alive | Dead |
| Allow | Forbid |
| Begin | Finish |
| Big | Small |
| Black | White |
| Bore | Amuse |
| Borrow | Lend |
| Boy | Girl |
| Brief | Long |
| Bright | Dark / Dull |
| Busy | Lazy |
| Buy | Sell |
| Cheap | Expensive |
| Clever | Stupid |
| Cold | Hot |
| Day | Night |
| Deep | High, Shallow |
| Difficult | Easy |
| East | West |
| Enemy | Ally |
| Even | Odd |
| Fast | Slow |
| Full | Empty |
| Funny | Serious |
| Good | Bad |
| Give | Take |
| Happy | Sad |
| Hard | Easy |
| Heavy | Light |
| Here | There |
| High | Low |
| Huge | Tiny |
| Humid | Dry |
| Import | Export |
| Increase | Reduce |
| Include | Exclude |
| Inside | Outside |
| Interesting | Boring |
| Junior | Senior |
| Kind | Cruel |
| Late | Early |
| Laugh | Cry |
| Left | Right |
| Less | More |
| Light | Dark |
| Little | Big / Large |
| Liquid | Solid |
| Let | Forbid |
| Love | Hate |
| Male | Female |
| Man | Woman |
| Many | Few |
| Maximum | Minimum |
| Major | Minor |
| Male | Female |
| Modern | Ancient |
| Narrow | Broad |
| Natural | Artificial |
| Near | Far |
| Noisy | Quiet |
| Normal | Unusual |
| North | South |
| Old | Young |
| On | Off |
| Open | Close |
| Opposite | Same |
| Out | In |
| Polite | Rude |
| Poverty | Wealth |
| Pretty | Ugly |
| Public | Private |
| Push | Pull |
| Regular | Irregular |
| Remember | Forget |
| Rich | Poor |
| Safe | Dangerous |
| Simple | Complex |
| Single | Married |
| Sister | Brother |
| Sit | Stand |
| Smooth | Rough |
| Soft | Hard |
| Special | General |
| Start | Stop |
| Summer | Winter |
| Sunny | Cloudy |
| Sweet | Sour |
| Thick | Thin |
| Teach | Learn |
| Tight | Loose |
| Top | Bottom |
| Total | Partial |
| Unity | Division |
| Up | Down |
| Urban | Rural |
| Useful | Useless |
| Vertical | Horizontal |
| Visible | Hidden |
| Visitor | Host |
| War | Peace |
| Weak | Strong |
| Wet | Dry |
| Wide | Narrow |
| Wrong | Right |
| Yes | No |
| Yesterday | Tomorrow |
| Young | Old |
Share your thoughts or suggest more opposites.
History and Origin of Opposite Words
When thinking of opposite words in the English language, the term “antonym” comes to mind. The English language uses antonyms with ONLY nouns and adjectives. Nouns describe a person, a place, or a thing. Alternatively, adjectives can modify a person, place, thing (noun) or pronoun. Using antonyms (opposites) help to provide insights into nouns as part of the general language. Synonyms (same) are the opposite of Antonyms but have a role in the English language. Moreover, the word, antonym, ant (anti), and onym (name) have Greek roots.
However, we should not confuse Antonyms with opposite words. An incompatible binary relationship is one phrase that comes to mind when discussing opposites and their usage in the English language. Indeed, William Shakespeare used opposites to describe characters in his famous works. Some of these opposites pitted humans against animals in written form and infused opposite hues of colour to bring out the differences amongst living creatures or moods in Shakespeare’s world. Even books of the bible like Ecclesiastes had used opposites to illustrate how opposed things can be when scribes were writing parables. While opposites, also known to the Greeks as an “antithesis,” are just as important in many regards as antonyms, synonyms have been noted to have been used for about five centuries before antonyms became a recent lexicographical phenomenon. Furthermore, antonyms have been used since the 1860s. Indeed, author Ven. C.J. Smith used the term antonym in his work, “Synonyms and Antonyms,” published in 1867.