Opposite Words: Useful List of 50 Common Antonyms You Should Know

Learn List of Opposite Words in English. Here’s a useful list of Opposite Words you can add to your vocabulary.

Opposite Words

List of Opposite Words

Here, you can find many words and their opposites.

  • Abandon – Keep
  • Able — Incapable
  • Abundant — Insufficient
  • Active — Idle
  • Adequate — Insufficient
  • Full — Empty
  • Future — Past
  • Gallant — Ungentlemanly
  • Gaunt — Overweight
  • Gentle — Rough
  • Intelligent — Ignorant
  • Insane — Sane
  • Imperative — Unnecessary
  • Good — Bad
  • Fresh — Old
  • Follow — Precede
  • Migrant  — Stationary
  • Offend — Please
  • Numerous — Few
  • Negligent — Conscientious
  • Mobile – Immobile
  • Mourn — Rejoice
  • Naughty – Good
  • Oblivious – Mindful
  • Observe – Ignore
  • Join – Separate
  • Lure — Repel
  • Magnify — Reduce
  • Laugh – Cry
  • Boy — Girl
  • Total — Partial
  • Melt – Freeze
  • Irregular — Regular
  • Alive  — Death
  • Visible — Invisible
  • Normal — Strange
  • Import — Export
  • Night — Day
  • Give — Take
  • Hard — Easy
  • Increase — Reduce
  • Ally — Enemy
  • Sunny — Cloudy
  • Amateur — Professional
  • Sweet — Sour
  • Stop — Move
  • Soft — Hard
  • Male — Female
  • Never — Always
  • Hot — Cold

Opposite Words with Examples

Abandon – Keep

  • We decided to abandon the first draft of the report and start over.
  • It is necessary to keep these two issues distinct.

Able — Incapable

  • We were able to watch the lions in complete safety.
  • The injured man was incapable of walking, so he had to be carried.

Abundant — Insufficient

  • Mosquitoes are extremely abundant in this dark wet place.
  • He decided there was insufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings.

Active — Idle

  • You’ve got to try to keep active as you grow older.
  • Many people were idle during the depression.

Adequate — Insufficient

  • The trains were not considered adequate for use on the modern railways.
  • His salary is insufficient to meet his needs.

Full — Empty

  • This suitcase won’t lock because it is too full.
  • The house stands desolate and empty.

Future — Past

  • I am on my way to the future, where you are there.
  • I’m trying not to be sentimental about the past.

Gallant — Ungentlemanly

  • She made a gallant attempt to hide her tears.
  • I am surprised at your ungentlemanly behavior.

Gaunt — Overweight

  • He was gaunt and hollow-eyed; his voice trembled.
  • She said insensitive things to the overweight woman.

Gentle — Rough

  • She gave him a gentle push towards the door.
  • He saw it as rough justice when he got food poisoning from the stolen meat.

Intelligent — Ignorant

  • Jack is an intelligent pupil, but he lacks motivation.
  • He’s completely ignorant about modern technology.

Insane — Sane

  • The prisoners were slowly going insane.
  • He seems perfectly sane to me.

Imperative — Unnecessary

  • It is imperative that every one of us remolds his world outlook.
  • She often pothers herself over unnecessary details.

Good — Bad

  • good book is a light to the soul.
  • bad beginning makes a bad ending.

Fresh — Old

  • We’ll have a fresh start for the year ahead.
  • Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.

Follow — Precede

  • She used to follow after him wherever he went.
  • We make sure our horizontal strokes precede our perpendicular.

Migrant  — Stationary

  • A lot of factory work is done by migrant workers.
  • The bus crashed into a stationary vehicle.

Offend — Please

  • She didn’t mean to offend you; she was overwrought.
  • Your sister is trying to read; please be quiet for her sake.

Numerous — Few

  • The book contains numerous plagiarized passages.
  • He hastily stuffed a few clothes into a bag.

Negligent — Conscientious

  • She was negligent in her work.
  • He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.

Mobile – Immobile

  • The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.
  • She sat immobile, wondering what to do next.

Mourn — Rejoice

  • I really mourn the loss of that gold watch.
  • rejoice that you have recovered so quickly.

Naughty – Good

  • The naughty children chucked snowballs at passing cars.
  • We know not what is good until we have lost it.

Oblivious – Mindful

  • The couple seemed oblivious to what was going on around them.
  • We must be mindful of the consequences of selfishness.

Observe – Ignore

  • I want you to observe all the details.
  • I made a suggestion but they chose to ignore it.

Join – Separate

  • She left her husband to join a women’s commune.
  • The women are kept separate from the men.

Lure — Repel

  • It’s very difficult to lure talent away from Silicon Valley.
  • The army was ready to repel an attack.

Magnify — Reduce

  • He tried to magnify the part he acted in the play.
  • The aim is to reduce traffic at peak periods.

Laugh – Cry

  • You never laugh at my jokes!
  • The strong woman is will cry, but never admit defeat.

Boy — Girl

  • We rescued the boy who fell into the river.
  • The girl bought a nice handbag.

Total — Partial

  • The total bill comes to £80, so our share is £20.
  • Our holiday was only a partial success.

Melt – Freeze

  • If you warm ice, it will melt into water.
  • When the thermometer is below zero water will freeze.

Amateur — Professional

  • Acting with an amateur theatrical group can be fun.
  • She wants to become a professional cook.

Opposite Words Infographic

Common Opposite Words – Useful List of Opposite Words 

Opposite Words

Last Updated on February 21, 2023

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