Most Important Opposite Words in English

Most Important Opposite Words in English

ANTONYM OPPOSITE WORDS

Antonym opposite words contradict each other and meet opposite meanings. A word has synonyms as well as antonyms. When we learn a language, when we learn a word in that language, it will be very useful for us to learn both the opposite and the synonyms of this word.

Because learning a word with its synonyms increases our competence in that language as well as our competence in speaking and writing. Learning a word with its opposite meanings both broadens our vocabulary and helps our activity on language. There are some things we need to know about opposite words.

First, the negative of a word cannot be the opposite of that word. Negative words indicate whether an action should be taken to us, that is, not the opposite meaning of a word. In a language, not every word has a synonym, but not every word has an opposite. In general, adjectives and adverbs have opposite meanings, that is, words reporting quality and quantity often have opposite words.

Also, the opposite meaning of a word may vary depending on the usage of that word in the sentence. Some common uses are given below with opposite meaningful words, example sentences:

• about – exactly
• above – below
• absence – presence
• abundance – lack
• accept – refuse
• accidental – intentional
• active – lazy
• add – subtract
• admit – deny
• adult – child
• advanced – elementary
• affirmative – negative
• afraid – brave
• after – before
• against – for
• alike – different
• alive – dead
• all – none
• allow – forbid
• already – not yet
• always – never
• ancient – modern
• ancestor – descendant
• agree – refuse
• amateur – professional
• amuse – bore
• ancestor – descendant
• angel – devil
• animal – human
• annoy – satisfy
• answer – ask
• answer – question
• antonym – synonym
• apart – together
• approximately – exactly
• argue – agree

• arrival – departure
• arrive – depart
• artificial – natural
• ascent – descent
• ask – answer
• asleep – awake
• attack – defend
• attack – defense
• attic – cellar
• autumn – spring
• awake – asleep
• awful – nice
• back – in front of
• background – foreground
• backward – forward
• bad – good
• bad luck – fortune
• beauty – ugliness
• before – after
• begin – end
• beginning – end
• behind – in front of
• below – above
• best – worst
• better – worse
• beautiful – ugly
• big – small
• birth – death
• bitter – sweet
• black – white
• blunt – sharp
• body – soul
• bore – amuse
• boring – exciting
• borrow – lend
• bottom – top

• boy – girl
• brave – cowardly
• break – fix
• broad – narrow
• brother – sister
• build – destroy
• busy – lazy
• buy – sell
• calm – excited
• careful – careless
• careless – careful
• catch – miss
• ceiling – floor
• cellar – attic
• centre – outskirts
• certainly – probably
• changeable – constant
• cheap – expensive
• child – adult
• children – parents
• clean – dirty
• clear – cloudy
• clever – stupid
• close – open
• closed – open
• cloudy – clear
• cold – hot
• cold – heat
• come – go
• comedy – drama
• complicated – simple
• compliment – insult
• compulsory – voluntary
• connect – separate
• consonant – vowel
• constant – changeable

• construction – destruction
• continue – interrupt
• cool – warm
• correct – wrong
• courage – fear
• courageous – cowardly
• cowardly – brave
• create – destroy
• cruel – human
• cry – whisper
• cry – laugh
• damage – repair
• danger – security
• dangerous – safe
• dark – light
• daughter – son
• dawn – dusk
• day – night
• dead – alive
• death – birth
• deep – shallow
• defeat – victory
• defence – attack
• defend – attack
• delicious – awful
• deny – admit
• depart – arrive
• departure – arrival
• descendant – ancestor
• descent – ascent
• desperate – hopeful
• destroy – build
• destruction – construction
• devil – angel
• dictatorship – republic
• die – live

• different – alike
• difficult – easy
• dirty – clean
• disease – health
• distant – near
• divide – unite
• division – unity
• divorce – marry
• divorce – marriage
• divorced – married
• domestic – foreign
• down – up
• downstairs – upstairs
• drama – comedy
• dry – humid
• dull – interesting
• dusk – dawn
• early – late
• east – west
• easy – difficult
• elementary – advanced
• emigrate – immigrate
• emigration – immigration
• empty – full
• end – begin
• end – beginning
• ending – beginning
• enemy – friend
• enjoy – hate
• enter – leave
• entrance – exit
• equal – different
• even – odd
• evening – morning
• everybody – nobody
• everything – nothing

• exactly – approximately
• excited – calm
• exciting – boring
• exclude – include
• exit – entrance
• expensive – cheap
• export – import
• exposure – shelter
• extreme – moderate
• fail – succeed
• failure – success
• false – true
• far – near
• fast – slow
• fat – slim
• fear – courage
• female – male
• few – many
• final – first
• find – lose
• finish – begin
• finish – start
• first – final
• fix – break
• flat – hilly
• floor – ceiling
• follow – lead
• forbid – allow
• for – against
• foreground – background
• foreign – domestic
• foreigner – native
• forget – remember
• form – destroy
• fortune – bad luck
• forward – backward

• free – arrest
• freeze – melt
• frequently – occasionally
• fresh – old/stale
• friend – enemy
• front – rear
• in front of – back
• full – empty
• funny – serious
• future – past
• general – particular
• generous – mean
• gentle – violent
• gentleman – lady
• giant – tiny
• girl – boy
• give – take
• go – come
• good – bad
• grown-up – child
• guest – host
• guilty – innocent
• happiness – sadness
• happy – sad
• handsome – ugly
• hard – easy
• harvest – plant
• hate – enjoy
• health – disease
• healthy – ill
• heat – cold
• heaven – hell
• heavy – light
• hell – heaven
• here – there
• high – deep

• high – low
• hilly – flat
• hit – miss
• hopeful – desperate
• hopeless – hopeful
• horizontal – vertical
• host – guest
• hot – cold
• huge – tiny
• human – animal
• humane – cruel
• humid – dry
• hungry – thirsty
• husband – wife
• in front of – back
• ignore – notice
• ill – healty
• immigrate – emigrate
• immigration – emigration
• import – export
• in – out
• include – exclude
• increase – reduce
• innocent – guilty
• inside – outside
• insult – compliment
• intelligent – silly
• intentional – accidental
• be interested in – bore
• interesting – boring
• interrupt – continue
• junior – senior
• kind – cruel
• lack – abundance
• lady – gentleman
• land – take off

• land – water
• large – small
• last – first
• late – early
• laugh – cry
• lazy – active
• lead – follow
• learn – teach
• leave – arrive
• left – right
• lend – borrow
• less – more
• let – forbid
• lie – stand
• life – death
• light – dark
• light – heavy
• like – hate
• liquid – solid
• little – big
• little – much
• live – die
• long – short
• lose – win
• loser – winner
• loud – quiet
• love – hate
• lovely – terrible
• low – high
• lower – raise
• bad luck – good luck
• good luck – bad luck
• major – minor
• male – female
• man – woman
• many – few

• marriage – divorce
• married – divorced
• marry – divorce
• master – servant
• maximum – minimum
• mean – generous
• melt – freeze
• men – women
• mend – break
• mess – order
• midnight – noon
• minimum – maximum
• minor – major
• miss – hit
• miss – catch
• moderate – extreme
• modern – ancient
• monarchy – republic
• moon – sun
• more – less
• morning – evening
• mountain – valley
• much – little
• narrow – broad
• nasty – nice
• native – foreigner
• natural – artificial
• near – distant
• negative – affirmative
• nephew – niece
• never – always
• new – ancient
• nice – awful
• niece – nephew
• night – day
• no – yes

• nobody – everybody
• noisy – quiet
• noon – midnight
• none of – al lot of
• normal – strange
• north – south
• not yet – already
• nothing – everything
• notice – ignore
• now – then
• occasionally – frequently
• occupied – vacant
• odd – even
• off – on
• often – seldom
• old – modern
• on – off
• open – closed
• open – closed
• opponent – supporter
• order – mess
• ordinary – special
• other – same
• out – in
• outside – inside
• outskirts – centre
• over – under
• parents – children
• part – whole
• partial – total
• particular – general
• pass – fail
• past – future
• peace – war
• permit – forbid
• plant – harvest

• plenty – lack
• pleasant – awful
• polite – rude
• poor – rich
• poverty – wealth
• powerful – weak
• presence – absence
• present – past
• pretty – ugly
• private – public
• probably – certainly
• professional – amateur
• protect – attack
• protection – attack
• public – private
• pull – push
• pupil – teacher
• push – pull
• question – answer
• quick – slow
• quiet – loud
• raise – lower
• rainy – sunny
• rear – front
• receive – send
• reduce – increase
• refuse – agree
• regret – satisfaction
• remember – forget
• repair – damage
• reply – ask
• reply – question
• republic – dictatorship
• rest – work
• rich – poor
• right – left

• right – wrong
• rise – sink
• rough – gentle
• rough – smooth
• rude – polite
• rural – urban
• sad – happy
• sadness – happiness
• safe – dangerous
• safety – danger
• salt – sugar
• same – different
• satisfaction – regret
• satisfy – annoy
• save – spend
• scream – whisper
• security – danger
• seldom – often
• sell – buy
• send – receive
• senior – junior
• separate – connect
• serious – funny
• servant – master
• set free – arrest
• shallow – deep
• sharp – blunt
• shelter – exposure
• short – long
• shout – whisper
• shut – open
• sick – healthy
• silent – noisy
• silly – intelligent
• simple – complicated
• sink – rise

• single – married
• sister – brother
• sit – stand
• slim – fat
• slow – fast
• small – big
• smooth – rough
• soft – hard
• solid – liquid
• some – many
• sometimes – often
• son – daughter
• soul – body
• sour – sweet
• south – north
• special – general
• spring – autumn
• stand – sit
• start – stop
• start – finish
• stop – start
• stand – lie
• strange – normal
• stranger – native
• strict – gentle
• strong – weak
• student – teacher
• stupid – clever
• suburb – centre
• succeed – fail
• success – failure
• subtract – add
• sugar – salt
• summer – winter
• sun – moon
• sunny – cloudy

• true – false
• trust – suspect
• ugliness – beauty
• ugly – beautiful
• under – over
• unite – divide
• unity – division
• up – down
• upstairs – downstairs
• urban – rural
• useful – useless
• useless – useful
• vacant – occupied
• valley – mountain
• vertical – horizontal
• victory – defeat
• village – town
• violent – gentle
• visitor – host
• voluntary – compulsory
• vowel – consonant
• war – peace
• warm – cool
• waste – save
• water – land
• weak – powerful
• wealth – poverty
• wealthy – poor
• wedding – divorce
• well- ill
• west – east
• wet – dry
• whisper – scream
• white – black
• whole – part
• wide – narrow