What Are Antonyms? Explanation and Examples

What Is an Antonym?

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Small is an antonym of big. Stop is an antonym of go. Correct is an antonym of incorrect.

Simple enough, right?

When it comes to antonyms, you should keep in mind that:

• Words can have multiple antonyms (and of varying degrees).
• Many types of words can be/have an antonym including nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and prepositions.

Synonyms, on the other hand, are words that have similar meanings. Knowing this, you can deduce that synonym is the antonym of antonym.

Below, we’ll give you more examples of antonyms, go over the different types, and show how they can help elevate your writing.

Examples of Antonyms

What Are the Different Types of Antonyms (With Examples)?

There are a few different types of antonyms.

1. Auto-Antonyms (Contronyms)

Auto-antonyms (also referred to as contronyms) are words that have two meanings that are opposite of each other.

Take the word overlook as an example. It can mean “to fail to notice something” or “to look over something or supervise”

We overlooked an error that caused a massive decrease in profits.

Our boss had to overlook the sale of the products.

These two contradictory meanings make “overlook” an auto-antonym. A few more examples are:

Dust (verb): to clean or wipe the dust off a surface
Dust (verb: to sprinkle a surface with a powder or dust

Back up (phrasal verb): to support
Back up (phrasal verb): to retreat

Fine (adjective): of superior or high quality
Fine (adjective): acceptable or satisfactory

2. Graded Antonyms

Graded (or gradable) antonyms are those words that fall on the opposite sides of a spectrum when referring to a specific quality. For example, hot and cold have to do with temperature and are opposites. Other gradable antonyms include:

small — big (size)

near — far (distance)

light — heavy (weight)

3. Complementary Antonyms

Complementary antonyms (sometimes known as binary or contradictory antonyms) offer no middle ground. In other words, something can be one or the other, but not both.

For instance, you can be mortal or immortal, but it would be impossible to be somewhere in the middle. A few more examples of complementary antonyms are:

vacant — occupied

on — off

yes — no

4. Converse Antonyms

Converse antonyms are also referred to as relational antonyms. These are a pair of words that establishes a relationship from opposite perspectives. For example, parent is a relational antonym of offspring.

Here are a few more examples of converse antonyms:

employee — employer

prey — predator

doctor — patient

Prefixes and Antonyms

Sometimes (but not always) a prefix can be added to a word to create an antonym. Remember: A prefix is a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word.

Below, you’ll find a few words that, when prefixes are added, express an antonymous relationship:

Dis-

obedient — disobedient

honest — dishonest

comfort — discomfort

Im- or In-

decent — indecent

patient — impatient

possible — impossible

Mis-

understand — misunderstand

lead — mislead

behave — misbehave

Non-

believer — nonbeliever

combatant — noncombatant

verbal — nonverbal

Un-

important — unimportant

impressed — unimpressed

ease — unease

Why Use Antonyms?

There are a few reasons why you should familiarize yourself with antonyms.

First, they help expand your vocabulary. Sometimes the best way to truly understand what a word means is to know what it is not. So, when you’re studying vocabulary, make sure to take a look at the word’s antonyms. Secondly, antonyms can help add variety to your text, especially with descriptive writing. Take a look at the following examples:

Using antonyms can help your audience better visualize your writing.

Lastly, familiarizing yourself with antonymous relationships can help strengthen comparisons. For instance, understanding that good is the opposite of evil and strategically juxtaposing them in your writing can help highlight one over the other. So, if you’re trying to elevate your skills as a writer, it’s a good idea to start learning antonyms. Doing this, plus using LanguageTool as your writing assistant, will surely take your writing to the next level.