Results for “what is antonyms” · retrieved September 22, 2026

Quick answer

An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word.

Antonyms can be various parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. While some antonyms are direct opposites, others are gradable, representing opposite ends of a scale, such as hot and cold or big and small. The term itself is derived from the Greek words anti, meaning opposite, and onoma, meaning name. Antonyms are the opposite of synonyms, which are words that share the same meaning. Some words can also be turned into antonyms by adding prefixes like un-, in-, or non-.

Answer details

1

Examples of Antonyms

Common examples include pairs like hot and cold, good and bad, or day and night.

2

Creating Antonyms

Antonyms can be formed by adding prefixes such as un-, in-, or non- to a base word, for example, changing likable to unlikable.

3

Gradable Antonyms

Some antonyms are gradable, meaning they represent opposite ends of a spectrum, such as short and tall or big and small.

4

Relationship to Synonyms

The term antonym is the opposite of synonym, which refers to words that have the same or similar meanings.

dictionary.cambridge.org

ANTONYM | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

a word that means the opposite of another word:...Two antonyms of " light" are " dark" and " heavy."...Gradable opposites (antonyms)The most common gradable adjectives can be grouped into pairs of opposites (antonyms) which refer to features like height: short – tall; heat: hot – cold, size; big – small, etc. These adjectives are at the upper and lower parts of an open-ended scale (a scale with no maximum or minimum): …...a word or phrase whose m

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merriam-webster.com

ANTONYM Definition & Meaning

noun an·to·nym ˈan-tə-ˌnim Synonyms of antonym : a word of opposite meaningThe usual antonym of good is bad....The English language (and, we may presume, many other languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have synonyms in the words hoagie, grinder, submarine, and

July 1, 2026

dictionary.com

ANTONYM Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

- antonyms plural 1. a word opposite in meaning to another. Fast is an antonym of slow. antonym British play audio of antonym / ˈæntənɪm / noun...1. a word that means the opposite of another word > ``empty'' is an antonym of ``full'' "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012...Usage What is

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britannica.com

Antonym

plural antonyms...: a word with a meaning that is opposite to the meaning of another word...“Hot” and “cold” are antonyms.

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oxfordlearnersdictionaries.co.uk

antonym noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

1. a word that means the opposite of another word synonym opposite...- ‘Old’ has two possible antonyms: ‘young’ and ‘new’.- a dictionary of antonyms...Word Origin mid 19th cent.: from French antonyme, from ant- (from Greek anti- ‘against’) + Greek onoma ‘a name’. See antonym in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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grammarly.com

What Is an Antonym? Definition and Examples

An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. For example, hot and cold are antonyms, as are good and bad. Antonyms can be all types of words: verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and even prepositions....Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For example, an antonym of day is night, and an antonym of on is off. The term antonym comes from antonymy, which is the technical grammar term for words that have contradictory meani

August 22, 2022

merriam-webster.com

ANTONYMS Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

noun an·to·nym ˈan-tə-ˌnim Synonyms of antonym : a word of opposite meaningThe usual antonym of good is bad....-ˈtä...nə-mē noun...The English language (and, we may presume, many other languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have synonyms in the words hoagie, grin

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en.wiktionary.org

antonym - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

antonym (plural antonyms)...(semantics) A word which has the opposite meaning of another word. Synonyms: counterterm, opposite Antonym: synonym Coordinate terms: near-antonym; coordinate term, cohyponym; antiphrasis; near-synonym, parasynonym, plesionym...“Rich” is an antonym of “poor”; “full” is an antonym of “empty”....A word that describes one end of a scale, while its opposite describes the other end, such as large versus small; a gradable an

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