Antonyms · Kindergarten
In Kindergarten you learn: opposites.
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).
Worked examples
Example 1
Match the opposites: big, fast, open with shut, small, slow.
Answer: big–small, fast–slow, open–shut
Example 2
Give the opposite of each word: hot, up, happy.
Answer: cold, down, sad
Example 3
What is the opposite of early?
Answer: late