Antonyms

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings: hot and cold, win and lose. One word can have different opposites, and a prefix can turn a word into its opposite: happy → unhappy.

Key facts

  • Antonyms are opposites: early/late, empty/full, win/lose.
  • One word can have different antonyms: old is the opposite of new (a car) and of young (a person).
  • Prefixes can make antonyms: happy → unhappy, agree → disagree, possible → impossible, correct → incorrect, legal → illegal, regular → irregular.

Worked examples

Example 1

Match the opposites: big, fast, open with shut, small, slow.

  1. Take each word and ask: what is the opposite?
  2. big goes with small, fast with slow, open with shut.

Answer: big–small, fast–slow, open–shut

Example 2

Give the opposite of each word: hot, up, happy.

  1. Opposites are as different as they can be.
  2. hot and cold, up and down, happy and sad.

Answer: cold, down, sad

Example 3

What is the opposite of early?

  1. early means before the time.
  2. The opposite is late: after the time.

Answer: late

Example 4

Which word is the opposite of old when we talk about a person: new or young?

  1. For things, the opposite of old is new: an old car, a new car.
  2. For people, it is young: an old man, a young man.

Answer: young

Example 5

Write the opposite of honest using a prefix.

  1. The prefixes that make opposites include un-, dis-, im- and in-.
  2. With honest we use dis-: dishonest.

Answer: dishonest

Example 6

Make the opposite with a prefix: possible

  1. Words starting with p often take the prefix im-.
  2. possible → impossible

Answer: impossible

Example 7

Are wet and dry synonyms or antonyms?

  1. Something wet has water on it; something dry has none.
  2. They mean opposite things, so they are antonyms.

Answer: Antonyms

Example 8

Give a synonym and an antonym for generous.

  1. A synonym means the same: someone generous is giving.
  2. An antonym means the opposite: selfish.

Answer: synonym: kind or giving; antonym: mean or selfish

Example 9

Give an antonym for brave and use it in a sentence.

  1. The opposite of brave is cowardly or scared.
  2. Use it so the meaning is clear: The cowardly lion hid behind a tree.

Answer: cowardly (or scared): The cowardly lion hid behind a tree.