Opposite words in English A to Z help learners understand how words show contrast in meaning. Every word can have both synonyms and antonyms, and learning them together makes language learning easier.
When you learn a word along with its opposite, your vocabulary grows faster. It also improves your speaking and writing skills by helping you choose the right word in different situations. Understanding opposite words is an important step in using English correctly and confidently.
What Are Opposite Words in English?
Opposite words (antonyms) are words that express meanings that are completely different or contrary to each other.
Examples:
- hot — cold
- big — small
- begin — end
- buy — sell
Why Learning Opposite Words Is Important
For Competitive Exams
Opposite words are often asked in exams such as:
SSC (CGL, CHSL, JE)
Banking exams (IBPS, SBI, RRB)
UPSC, NDA, CDS
Railways and other government exams
These words appear in direct antonym questions, sentence completion, and reading passages.
For School Students
Opposite words help students build a strong vocabulary. They are useful for:
Creative writing
Grammar practice
Reading comprehension
Speaking activities
For Spoken and Written English
Using opposite words correctly helps you:
Speak clearly (fast vs slow, safe vs dangerous)
Write better comparisons
Avoid repeating the same words
Basic Opposite Words in English
These are common and easy opposite words. We use them in daily English.
| Word | Opposite |
|---|---|
| Absent | Present |
| After | Before |
| Big | Small |
| Cheap | Expensive |
| Clean | Dirty |
| Day | Night |
| Early | Late |
| Easy | Difficult |
| Fast | Slow |
| Full | Empty |
| Good | Bad |
| Happy | Sad |
| Hot | Cold |
| In | Out |
| Long | Short |
| Loud | Quiet |
| New | Old |
| Near | Far |
| Strong | Weak |
| Young | Old |
Opposite Words in English A to Z (Complete List)
Below is a list of opposite words arranged from A to Z.
Opposite Words Starting With A
- absent — present
- abundant — scarce
- accept — refuse / decline
- accurate — inaccurate
- admit — deny
- advantage — disadvantage
- against — for
- agree — disagree
- alive — dead
- alike — different
- all — none
- ally — enemy
- always — never
- allow — forbid
- ancient — modern
- answer — question
- above — below
- apart — together
- arrival — departure
- appear — disappear
- approve — disapprove
- artificial — natural
- ascend — descend
- attractive — repulsive
- awake — asleep
Opposite Words Starting With B
- backward — forward
- bad — good
- beautiful — ugly
- before — after
- begin — end
- below — above
- bent — straight
- best — worst
- better — worse
- big — small
- bitter — sweet
- black — white
- blame — praise
- bless — curse
- bold — timid
- borrow — lend
- bottom — top
- bound — free
- boundless — limited
- boy — girl
- brave — cowardly
- bright — dim
- broaden — narrow
- build — destroy
Opposite Words Starting With C
- calm — troubled / windy
- can — cannot
- capable — incapable
- captive — free
- careful — careless
- cheap — expensive
- cheerful — dreary / sad
- clear — cloudy
- clever — stupid
- clockwise — counterclockwise
- close — far
- closed — open
- clumsy — graceful
- cold — hot
- combine — separate
- come — go
- comfort — discomfort
- common — rare
- compulsory — voluntary
- conceal — reveal
- contract — expand
- cool — warm
- correct — incorrect
- courage — cowardice
- courteous — rude
- create — destroy
- crooked — straight
- cruel — kind
Opposite Words Starting With D
- dangerous — safe
- dark — light
- day — night
- dead — alive
- decline — accept / increase
- decrease — increase
- deep — shallow
- definite — indefinite
- demand — supply
- despair — hope
- dim — bright
- disappear — appear
- discourage — encourage
- diseased — healthy
- down — up
- dreary — cheerful
- dry — wet / moist
- dull — bright
- dusk — dawn
Opposite Words Starting With E
- early — late
- east — west
- easy — difficult / hard
- empty — full
- encourage — discourage
- end — begin
- enter — exit
- even — odd
- expand — contract
- export — import
- exterior — interior
- external — internal
Opposite Words Starting With F
- fade — brighten
- fail — succeed
- false — true
- famous — unknown
- far — near
- fast — slow
- fat — thin
- feeble — strong
- few — many
- find — lose
- first — last
- float — sink
- fold — unfold
- foolish — wise
- for — against
- forget — remember
- fortunate — unfortunate
- free — bound / captive
- frequent — seldom
- fresh — stale
- friend — enemy
- full — empty
Opposite Words Starting With G
- generous — stingy
- gentle — rough
- get — give
- giant — tiny
- girl — boy
- give — receive
- glad — sad
- gloomy — cheerful
- go — stop
- good — bad
- grant — refuse
- great — small / unimportant
- grow — shrink
- guest — host
- guilty — innocent
Opposite Words Starting With H
- happy — sad
- hard — easy
- hard — soft
- harmful — harmless
- harsh — mild
- hate — love
- healthy — ill
- heaven — hell
- heavy — light
- help — hinder
- here — there
- hero — coward
- high — low
- hill — valley
- honest — dishonest
- horizontal — vertical
- hot — cold
- humble — proud
Opposite Words Starting With I
- ill — healthy
- immense — tiny
- important — trivial
- in — out
- include — exclude
- increase — decrease
- inferior — superior
- inhale — exhale
- inner — outer
- inside — outside
- intelligent — stupid
- intentional — accidental
- interesting — boring
- interior — exterior
- internal — external
Opposite Words Starting With J
- join — separate
- junior — senior
- just — unjust
- justice — injustice
Opposite Words Starting With K
- knowledge — ignorance
- known — unknown
Opposite Words Starting With L
- landlord — tenant
- large — small
- last — first
- laugh — cry
- lawful — unlawful / illegal
- lazy — industrious
- leader — follower
- left — right
- lend — borrow
- lengthen — shorten
- lenient — strict
- less — more
- light — dark
- like — dislike
- likely — unlikely
- limited — boundless
- little — big
- long — short
- loose — tight
- lose — find
- loss — win
- loud — quiet
- loyal — disloyal
Opposite Words Starting With M
- mad — sane
- major — minor
- many — few
- mature — immature
- maximum — minimum
- melt — freeze
- merry — sad
- messy — neat
- minority — majority
- miser — spendthrift
- misunderstand — understand
- more — less
Opposite Words Starting With N
- nadir — zenith
- narrow — wide
- near — far
- neat — messy
- never — always
- new — old
- night — day
- no — yes
- noisy — quiet
- none — some
- north — south
Opposite Words Starting With O
- obedient — disobedient
- odd — even
- offer — refuse
- old — new
- old — young
- on — off
- open — closed
- opposite — same / similar
- optimist — pessimist
- out — in
- outer — inner
- over — under
Opposite Words Starting With P
- past — present
- patient — impatient
- peace — war
- permanent — temporary
- plentiful — scarce
- plural — singular
- poetry — prose
- polite — rude
- possible — impossible
- poverty — wealth
- powerful — weak
- pretty — ugly
- private — public
- prudent — imprudent
- pure — impure
- push — pull
Opposite Words Starting With Q
- qualified — unqualified
- question — answer
- quiet — loud / noisy
Opposite Words Starting With R
- raise — lower
- rapid — slow
- rare — common
- real — fake
- regular — irregular
- rich — poor
- right — left / wrong
- rough — smooth
- rude — courteous
Opposite Words Starting With S
- safe — unsafe
- same — opposite
- satisfactory — unsatisfactory
- scatter — collect
- secure — insecure
- separate — join
- serious — trivial
- shallow — deep
- shrink — grow
- sick — healthy
- simple — complex
- singular — plural
- sink — float
- slim — fat
- slow — fast
- soft — hard
- some — none
- sorrow — joy
- sour — sweet
- start — finish
- stop — go
- straight — crooked
- strict — lenient
- strong — weak
- success — failure
- sunny — cloudy
- synonym — antonym
Opposite Words Starting With T
- take — give
- tall — short
- tame — wild
- them — us
- there — here
- thick — thin
- tight — loose
- tiny — huge
- together — apart
- top — bottom
- tough — easy / tender
- transparent — opaque
- true — false
- truth — lie
Opposite Words Starting With U
- under — over
- unfold — fold
- unknown — known
- unqualified — qualified
- unsafe — safe
- up — down
- upside-down — right-side-up
- upstairs — downstairs
- useful — useless
Opposite Words Starting With V
- vacant — occupied
- vanish — appear
- vast — tiny
- victory — defeat
- virtue — vice
- visible — invisible
- voluntary — compulsory
Opposite Words Starting With W
- war — peace
- wax — wane
- weak — strong
- wet — dry
- white — black
- wide — narrow
- win — lose
- wisdom — folly
- within — outside
- wrong — right
Opposite Words Starting With X
- xenial — inhospitable
- xenophobic — impartial
- xerox — original
Opposite Words Starting With Y
- yes — no
- yin — yang
- young — old
Opposite Words Starting With Z
- zenith — nadir
- zip — unzip
Opposite Words with Examples in Sentences
Learning opposite words is easier With sentences. Examples help you understand how words are used in real English.
Daily-Use Antonyms With Examples
Happy — Sad
She felt happy after the exam.
He looked sad when he lost.
Fast — Slow
The train is very fast today.
My internet is slow at night.
Hot — Cold
The tea is hot.
The water is cold.
Open — Closed
Please keep the door open.
The shop is closed on Sundays.
Strong — Weak
This rope is strong.
The old chair is weak.
Exam-Oriented Antonyms With Examples
Optimist — Pessimist
An optimist expects good results.
A pessimist expects failure.
Qualified — Unqualified
She is qualified for the post.
He is unqualified for that role.
Visible — Invisible
The stain is visible on the shirt.
The gas is invisible but dangerous.
Courage — Cowardice
It takes courage to speak the truth.
Cowardice stops people from acting.
Guilty — Innocent
The judge found him guilty.
The child was innocent of any wrongdoing.
Opposite Words Exercises
1) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Choose the opposite word:
Q1. Optimist
a) courteous
b) messy
c) pessimist
d) sink
Answer: c
Q2. Wisdom
a) folly
b) impartial
c) always
d) courteous
Answer: a
Q3. Ally
a) enemy
b) together
c) repulsive
d) support
Answer: a
Q4. Scatter
a) disperse
b) inhospitable
c) even
d) collect
Answer: d
Q5. Dangerous
a) brave
b) safe
c) weak
d) harsh
Answer: b
2) Fill in the Blanks
Fill the blank with the correct opposite:
- The box is not empty; it is ______.
Answer: full - He is not lazy; he is ______.
Answer: industrious - This rule is not legal; it is ______.
Answer: illegal / unlawful - The road is not wide; it is ______.
Answer: narrow - Don’t push the door; ______ it.
Answer: pull
3) Match the Following
Match Column A with Column B:
Column A | Column B
- Ancient | a) Poor
- Rich | b) Modern
- Begin | c) End
- Above | d) Below
Answers: 1-b, 2-a, 3-c, 4-d
Common Mistakes While Learning Antonyms
One Word Can Have More Than One Opposite
A word can have different opposites. This depends on its meaning in the sentence.
Example: light
light (not heavy) → heavy
light (bright) → dark
Opposites Depend on Context
The opposite word can change with meaning.
Example: old
old (not new) → new
old (not young) → young
Always check how the word is used before choosing its opposite.
Memorizing Without Sentences Causes Confusion
Learning words alone can confuse you. You may mix up similar pairs.
Examples:
borrow — lend
import — export
Read sentences and use examples. This helps you remember the correct meaning.
FAQs – Opposite Words in English A to Z
What are opposite words in English?
Opposite words (antonyms) are words that have contrasting meanings, such as hot–cold or big–small.
What are the top 100 opposite words?
Common antonyms include pairs like good–bad, fast–slow, happy–sad, open–closed, strong–weak, and many more from the A–Z list above.
What are opposite words from A to Z?
They are antonyms arranged alphabetically from A to Z, such as absent–present (A) and zip–unzip (Z).
Are antonyms important for competitive exams?
Yes. Antonyms are frequently asked in vocabulary questions and also support reading comprehension and sentence-based questions.
Is this list suitable for beginners?
Yes. It includes basic to advanced opposite words, plus examples and exercises for practice.
Conclusion
Opposite words play an important role in learning English. They help you understand meaning clearly and express ideas in a better way. Using antonyms correctly improves both spoken and written English.
Learning opposite words from A to Z helps build a strong vocabulary. When you study them with examples and practice exercises, it becomes easier to remember and use them correctly in daily life and exams.
Always focus on how a word is used in a sentence before choosing its opposite. Regular practice will improve your confidence and help you use English more effectively.