What is Antonym?
Antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another, for example:
| Some Basic Examples of Antonyms | |
|---|---|
| Bad | Good |
| Male | Female |
| Wet | Dry |
| Boy | Girl |
| Healthy | Unhealthy |
The word "Antonym" comes from the Greek words - anti and onym.
What are the different kinds of antonyms?
There are three kinds of antonyms:
This kind of antonyms have no middle ground. See examples below:
| Complementary Antonyms Examples | |
|---|---|
| Loose | Tight |
| Day | Night |
| Eat | Starve |
| Awake | Asleep |
| Dead | Alive |
In this kind of antonyms, a converse relationship exists between the words. See examples below:
| Complementary Antonyms Examples | |
|---|---|
| Teacher | Student |
| Seller | Buyer |
| Brother | Sister |
| Left | Right |
| Ahead | Behind |
This kind of antonyms deal with levels of comparison. See examples below:
| Complementary Antonyms Examples | |
|---|---|
| Hot | Cold |
| Fast | Slow |
| Easy | Hard |
| Tall | Short |
| Far | Near |