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Opposite words – Antonyms Part A

Opposite words – Antonyms Part A

Opposite words – Antonyms Part A:- Opposite words are very important word type to use in almost any form of writing. Though, many people do not actually understand what an antonym is. In this section we will read Opposite words – Antonyms Part A started with letters a, b and c.

This guide will take us through what an antonym is, how it is used in writing, and give us some of the reasons why learning antonyms is important in any type of writing.

Basically antonyms are just words with opposite meanings to one another. Synonyms are words with meanings that are the same as one another.

Below we will take a look at these different types of antonyms. We will explain what they are, and provide some examples to make it clearer.

 

opposite words – Antonyms examples:

 

Better – Worse

Right – Left

Small – Big

Rich – Poor

Night – Day

Arrive – Leave

Junior – Senior

Smart – Stupid

 

No.-1.Opposite words – Antonyms started with A

 

A lot —— A little

We have spent a lot on the children’s education.

Fortunately, I had a little time to spare.

 

Abate —— Increase

Steps are to be taken to abate pollution.

The population has increased from 1.3 million to 1.7 million.

 

Able —— Unable

 

You must be able to speak French for this job.

She was unable to hide her excitement.

Abortive —— Successful

 

During the war of  the Greeks had risen in an abortive rebellion, promptly crushed by the Turks.

They were successful in winning the contract.

Above —— Below

 

I heard a strange noise coming from the room above.

I could hear voices in the courtyard below my window.

Abridge —— Expand

 

She has been asked to abridge the novel for radio.

The waist expands to fit all sizes.

 

Examples of Antonyms

Opposite words – Antonyms Part A:-

Absent —— Present

 

Students who are regularly absent from school.

The gases present in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Abundant —— Scarce

 

Fish are abundant in the lake.

Food was often scarce in the winter.

Accept —— Decline

 

Rick accepted her offer of coffee.

His school reports said that he never declines a challenge.

Accept —— Refuse

 

He accepted the invitation to stay with us.

The chairman refused to answer any more questions.

Accurate —— Inaccurate

 

The brochure tries to give a fair and accurate description of each hotel.

A lot of what has been written about him is inaccurate.

Achieve —— Fail

 

He had finally achieved success.

She failed to get into art college.

Add —— Subtract

 

If you add all these amounts together you get a huge figure.

If you subtract 6 from 9, you get 3.

Adjacent —— Distant

 

We stayed in adjacent rooms.

Stars are distant from our galaxy.

Admire —— Detest

 

Examples of Antonyms:

 

I really admire your enthusiasm.

The two men detested each other.

Admit —— Deny

 

A quarter of all workers admit to taking time off when they are not ill.

The department denies responsibility for what occurred.

Admit —— Reject

 

She admits to being strict with her children.

The prime minister rejected any idea of reforming the system.

Adore —— Hate

 

She adores working with children.

I hate to see you unhappy.

Advance —— Retreat

 

Examples of Antonyms:

 

The troops were finally given the order to advance.

The army was forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses.

Advantage —— Disadvantage

 

Her experience meant that she had a big advantage over her opponent.

The disadvantage of the material is that it fades in strong sunlight.

Against —— For

 

Mr. Howard has declared that he is against all forms of racism.

Everybody is always for peace.

Agree —— Disagree

 

Opposite words examples

Opposite words – Antonyms Part A:-

If she felt he was right, she would agree with him.

He is tolerant of those who disagree with him.

Alive —— Dead

 

It was a bad accident – they’re lucky to be alive.

Two men were shot dead by terrorists.

All —— None

 

Have you done all your homework?

We saw several houses but none we really liked.

Allow —— Forbid

 

My parents wouldn’t allow me to go to the party.

He was forbidden to leave the house, as a punishment.

Ally —— Enemy

 

Examples of Antonyms:

 

Ridley was one of the Queen’s closest allies.

He was accused of collaboration with the enemy.

Alone —— Together

 

She lives alone.

We’ve very much enjoyed working together.

Always —— Never

 

I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.

He’s never been to Australia.

Amateur —— Professional

 

Mickelson won his first major golf tournament while still an amateur.

You need a professional to sort out your finances.

Amuse —— Bore

 

Examples of Antonyms:

 

He made funny faces to amuse the children.

His blue eyes seemed to bore into her.

Ancient —— Modern

 

So according to history it has been found from the most ancient times, and so it is to our own day.

They are the youngest children in modern times to face murder charges.

Annoy —— Soothe

 

She annoyed him with her stupid questions.

She made a cup of tea to soothe her nerves.

Answer —— Question

 

Examples of opposite words:

 

The short answer is that it can’t be done.

They asked me quite a lot of difficult questions about my job.

Apparent —— Obscure

 

The difference in quality was immediately apparent.

I found her lecture very obscure.

Arrive —— Leave

 

He arrived late as usual.

My baby gets upset when I leave the room.

Arrive —— Depart

 

Examples of opposite words

Opposite words – Antonyms Part A:

What time does the plane arrive in New York?

Flights by Air Europe depart Gatwick on Tuesdays.

Arrogant —— Humble

 

He was unbearably arrogant.

Taylor’s students describe him as a humble and modest man.

Ascend —— Descend

 

Antonyms examples:

 

The plane ascended rapidly.

Our plane started to descend.

Ask —— Answer

 

We’ll have to ask someone the way to the station.

I repeated the question, but she didn’t answer.

Ask —— Tell

 

I asked him where he lived.

Jack had to go, but he didn’t tell me why.

Attack —— Defend

 

There have been several attacks on foreigners recently.

We need to defend against military aggression.

Attractive —— Repulsive

 

She is an attractive woman.

What a repulsive man!

Awake —— Asleep

 

Examples of opposite words:

 

She was still only half awake when I brought her a cup of coffee.

Kelly was asleep on the sofa.

Awkward —— Graceful

 

She may appear stiff and perhaps awkward.

Her father was a quiet man with graceful manners.

List of opposite words with examples that start with B.

 

Back —— Front

 

I found some old photos at the back of the drawer.

There’s a garden at the front of the house.

Bad —— Good

 

I have some bad news for you.

The train service is not very good.

Bare —— Covered

 

The room was completely bare except for a bed against the wall.

The walls were covered with pictures.

Beautiful —— Ugly

 

Opposite words examples:

 

The bride looked beautiful in that dress.

He was short, nearsighted, ugly and exceptionally awkward.

Before —— After

 

I saw her a few days before she died.

I go swimming every day after work.

Begin —— End

 

 

In the third year, students begin the study of classical Chinese.

The speaker ended by suggesting some topics for discussion.

 

Examples of antonyms

 

Beginning —— Conclusion

 

There’s a short poem at the beginning of every chapter.

At the conclusion of the meeting, little progress had been made.

Behind —— In front of

 

I turned to speak to the person standing behind me.

She spends all day sitting in front of her computer.

Best —— Worst

 

He won the best actor award.

This is the worst recession for fifty years.

Better —— Worse

 

Opposites examples:

 

There must be a better way to do this.

The violence was worse than we expected.

Big —— Little

 

They belong to the rich man who lives in the big white house there among the trees.

He was quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald.

Birth —— Death

 

What’s your date of birth?

Cancer is the leading cause of death in women.

Bitter —— Sweet

 

Black coffee leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

This tea is too sweet.

Black —— White

 

Matthew had thick black hair, but Natalie’s was blonde.

His face is white, and he seems very weak.

Blame —— Praise

 

Marie still blames herself for Patrick’s death.

The mayor praised the rescue teams for their courage.

Bless —— Curse

 

Antonyms examples:

 

God bless you!

Elsa cursed herself for believing his lies.

Blunt —— Sharp

 

Sharpen all your blunt knives.

Make sure you use a good sharp knife.

Body —— Soul

 

Your body temperature is higher in the daytime than at night.

There was a feeling of restlessness deep in her soul.

Bold —— Timid

 

My aunt was a bold determined woman.

I was a timid child.

Boring —— Interesting

 

I trudged through a boring day, knowing I’d return to an empty apartment as Betsy was off to Los Angeles for the entire week.

Dr. Bell told me many interesting things about his work.

Bottom —— Top

Opposites Words

 

Examples of opposites:

 

I waited for them at the bottom of the hill.

She was standing at the top of the stairs.

Boundless —— Limited

 

Today, the opportunities for leaders are boundless, but so are the challenges.

My knowledge of the business is limited.

Boy —— Girl

 

The boys wanted to play football.

I’ve known Mollie ever since I was a little girl.

Brave —— Cowardly

 

It was brave of you to speak in front of all those people.

He was very cowardly because he did not tell that truth.

Break —— Repair

 

I had to break a window to get into the house.

It was too late to repair the damage done to their relationship.

Brief —— Long

 

We stopped by Alice’s house for a brief visit.

He’s been gone a long time.

Bright —— Dull

 

Examples of opposites:

 

 

The weather was bright and sunny.

Outside the weather was hazy and dull.

Brighten —— Fade

 

The morning sunshine brightened up the room.

The sun had faded the curtains.

Bring —— Remove

 

Robert asked the waiter to bring him the check.

Reference books may not be removed from the library.

Brother —— Sister

 

My younger brother is a doctor.

My older sister is a nurse.

Busy —— Idle

 

Opposite words examples:

 

Mr. Haynes is busy with a customer at the moment.

The workers have been idle for the last six months.

Buy —— Sell

 

The money will be used to buy equipment for the school.

If you offer him another hundred, I think he’ll sell.

List of opposite words with examples that start with C.

 

Calm —— Windy

 

It is a calm day.

It’s too windy for a picnic.

Capable —— Incapable

 

All the staff at the nursing home seemed very capable.

He seemed incapable of understanding how she felt.

 

Antonyms examples

 

Captive —— Free

 

His son had been taken captive during the raid.

He knew he could be free in as little as three years.

Capture —— Release

 

The robbery was captured on police video cameras.

Police arrested several men, who were later released.

Careful —— Careless

 

He was being very careful with the coffee so as not to spill it.

He’s careless with his glasses and has lost three pairs.

Cautious —— Careless

 

Antonyms examples:

 

Keller is cautious about making predictions for the success of the program.

It was careless of him to leave the door unlocked.

Center —— Edge

 

His goal is to turn Stanford into a center for environmental policy.

Billy sat on the edge of the bed.

Change —— Remain

 

Susan has changed a lot since I last saw her.

Despite the job losses, Parker remained as manager.

Cheap —— Expensive

 

Examples of opposites:

 

Property is cheaper in Spain than here.

Petrol is becoming more and more expensive.

Cheerful —— Sad

 

She’s feeling more cheerful today.

I was sad about the friends I was leaving behind.

Child —— Adult

 

Antonyms examples:

 

I was very happy as a child.

Some children find it difficult to talk to adults.

Chilly —— Warm

 

Despite the chilly autumn afternoon, she was wearing a thin cotton dress.

I hope we get some warm weather soon.

Clean —— Dirty

 

As usual, she left her room clean and tidy before going to school.

She circled the bedroom, picking up dirty clothes.

Clever —— Stupid

 

Lucy is quite clever and does well at school.

That was a stupid thing to say.

Clever —— Foolish

 

She is a clever girl.

I was young and foolish at the time.

Close —— Open

 

Examples of opposites

 

Would you mind if I closed the window?

Mr. Chen opened the car door for his wife.

Cold —— Hot

 

Let’s get in out of this cold wind.

In dry gourds, they were served a hot tea made from the ground leaves of something Bordeaux called the lip fern.

Combine —— Separate

 

A number of factors have combined to create this difficult situation.

Those suffering from infectious diseases were separated from the other patients.

Comfort —— Discomfort

 

All our sports shoes are designed for comfort and performance.

There can be no question of her discomfort.

Complete —— Incomplete

 

Work on the new building is nearly complete.

Unfortunately, I do not have the information because our records are incomplete.

Complex —— Simple

 

Examples of antonyms:

 

It was a very complex relationship between two complex people.

I’m sure there’s a perfectly simple explanation.

Compliment —— Insult

 

Being compared to Abba is a great compliment.

His comments were seen as an insult to the president.

Conceal —— Reveal

 

Examples of antonyms:

 

She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.

He may be prosecuted for revealing secrets about the security agency.

Continue —— Interrupt

 

Sheila continued to work after she had her baby.

My studies were interrupted by the war.

Cool —— Warm

 

The evening air was cool.

I hope we get some warm weather soon.

Copy —— Original

 

Examples In Detail

 

We have six copies of the movie to give away.

He copied paintings of famous artists and passed them off as originals.

Correct —— Incorrect

 

If my calculations are correct, we’re about ten miles from Exeter.

The information you gave us was incorrect.

Correct —— Wrong

 

You are correct, the Missouri is the longest river in the US.

Your calculations must be wrong.

Countryman —— Foreigner

 

Opposites examples:

 

He didn’t look like a farmer, yet he looked a countryman.

Tom felt that people were suspicious of him because he was a foreigner.

Courage —— Cowardice

 

Sue showed great courage throughout her illness.

She was ashamed of her cowardice.

Crazy —— Sane

 

The neighbors must think we’re crazy.

Of course he isn’t mad. He’s as sane as you or I.

Create —— Destroy

 

Examples of antonyms:

 

The new factory is expected to create more than 400 new jobs.

The scandal destroyed Simmons and ended his political career.

Cruel —— Kind

 

The prisoner was a hard cruel man.

She’s a very kind and generous person.

Customer —— Supplier

 

Examples of antonyms:

 

We aim to offer good value and service to all our customers.

You will need to be able to deal with both customers and suppliers.

 

 

About the author

Rakesh Kumar