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Antonyms

29 April, 2016 - 11:35

Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning of a given word. The study of antonyms will not only help you choose the most appropriate word as you write; it will also sharpen your overall sense of language. Table "Table 4.4" lists common words and their antonyms.

Table 4.4 Common Antonyms

Word

Antonym

 

Word

Antonym

absence

presence

 

frequent

seldom

accept

refuse

 

harmful

harmless

accurate

inaccurate

 

horizontal

vertical

advantage

disadvantage

 

imitation

genuine

ancient

modern

 

inhabited

uninhabited

abundant

scarce

 

inferior

superior

artificial

natural

 

intentional

accidental

attractive

repulsive

 

justice

injustice

borrow

lend

 

knowledge

ignorance

bravery

cowardice

 

landlord

tenant

create

destroy, demolish

 

likely

unlikely

bold

timid, meek

 

minority

majority

capable

incapable

 

miser

spendthrift

combine

separate

 

obedient

disobedient

conceal

reveal

 

optimist

pessimist

common

rare

 

permanent

temporary

decrease

increase

 

plentiful

scarce

definite

indefinite

 

private

public

despair

hope

 

prudent

imprudent

discourage

encourage

 

qualified

unqualified

employer

employee

 

satisfactory

unsatisfactory

expand

contract

 

tame

wild

forget

remember

 

vacant

occupied

 

Tip

Learning antonyms is an effective way to increase your vocabulary. Memorizing words in combination with or in relation to other words often helps us retain them.