400 Opposite Words List in English
Table of Contents
Opposites
Opposites (antonyms) are words that contain contradictory characteristics, that is, words that are opposed to one another in terms of meaning. Everyone should be taught how to appropriately use words that have antonyms. It is vital in tests as well as in everyday life, in terms of utilizing the language appropriately and successfully expressing oneself in a variety of situations.
Antonyms are only words that have meanings that are opposed to each other; for example, the negative connotation of a word with a positive meaning cannot be considered an antonym. For example, the phrase “not descending,” which is the negative meaning of the word descend, cannot be considered an antonym. The opposite of the descend is the word ascend. Along with that not every word has an opposite.
If you wish to express yourself with more delicacy or precision in your language choices, you’ll need antonyms. The following are some of the reasons why comprehending this principle is critical.
To Expand Your Vocabulary
Antonyms will help expand a person’s vocabulary. It is possible to get a more acute grasp of a word by comprehending its opposite – or precisely what the phrase does not represent – rather than by understanding the word itself.
- stop-go
- forget-remember
- former-latter
- forward-backward
- frequent-infrequent
- sharp-dull
- she-he
- shout-whisper
- shrink-expand
- sick-well
- simple-complicated
- sink-float
- sit-stand
- slavery-freedom
- slow-fast
- small-large
- smart-dumb
- smile-frown
- soft-hard
- solid-liquid
- literal-figurative
- little-big
- lock-unlock
- long-short
- loose-tight
- lose-find
- lost-found
- loud-soft
- love-hate
- straight-crooked
- in-out
- inside-outside
- joy-grief
- kind-mean
- king-queen
- knowledge-ignorance
- known-unknown
- large-small
- last-first
- laugh-cry
- lazy-industrious
- admit-deny
- advance-retreat
- stranger-friend
- strengthen-weaken
- strong-weak
- summer-winter
- sun-moon
- sweet-sour
- beneath-above
- best-worst
- bitter-sweet
- black-white
- borrow-lend
- bottom-top
- boy-girl
- brave-scared
- against-for
- ahead-behind
- all-none
- always-never
- antique-modern
- asleep-awake
- attack-defend
- aunt-uncle
- authentic-imitation
- awake- asleep
- bad-good
- bald-hairy
- beautiful-ugly
- brother-sister
- buy-sell
- drunk-sober
- dry-wet
- hungry-full
- husband-wife
- combine-separate
- comedy-tragedy
- reward-punishment
- right-wrong
- rough-smooth
- south-north
- spend-save
- start-finish
- stationary-movable
- sweet-sour
- swift-slow
- take-give
- tall-short
- come-go
- complete-incomplete
- condemn-praise
- conquer-fail
- contract-expand
- cool-warm
- country-city
- high-low
- him-her
- hit-miss
- crooked-straight
- finish-begin
- first-last
- floor-ceiling
- give-take
- graceful-clumsy
- grin-frown
- guilty-innocent
- happy-sad
- wild-tame
- win-lose
- winter-summer
- work-play
- worthless-valuable
- wrong-right
- yes-no
- young-old
- fail-succeed
- fall-spring
- break-fix
- Antonym Word List
- cease-begin
- certain-uncertain
- cheerful-sad
- city-country
- closed-open
- cold-hot
- above-below
- absent-present
- abundant-scarce
- accept-refuse
- accidental-intentional
- accurate-incorrect
- increase-decrease
- heavy-light
- hide-show
- after-before
- hard-soft
- harmony-discord
- harsh-mild
- healthy-sick
- length-width
- less-more
- rural-urban
- sane-insane
- seldom-often
- selfish-unselfish
- send-receive
- together-apart
- top-bottom
- tough-tender
- triumph-fail
- true-false
- ugly-pretty
- unbreakable-fragile
- under-over
- unique-ordinary
- up-down
- useful-useless
- usually-rarely
- vacant-occupied
- vanish-appear
- victory-defeat
- dirty-clean
- discourage-encourage
- disgrace-honor
- dwarf-giant
- early-late
- east-west
- easy-hard
- empty-full
- mix-sort
- moist-dry
- permit-forbid
- polite-rude
- poor-rich
- cruel-kind
- dangerous-safe
- dark-light
- daughter-son
- day-night
- dead-alive
- death-life
- deep-shallow
- depart-arrive
- destroy-create
- different-same
- friend-enemy
- from-to
- front-back
- gain-loss
- gather-scatter
- generous-stingy
- genuine-fake
- fancy-plain
- fat-skinny
- fat-thin
- fertile-barren
- few-many
- fiction-fact
- find-lose
