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
- A good book is a light to the soul.
- A 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.
- I 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
Last Updated on February 21, 2023