Synonyms and Antonyms A-G

Antonym means a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. Learning antonyms helps students understand the exact meaning of words and improves vocabulary. Similarly, a synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. When you learn a new word, it is useful to learn both its synonyms and antonyms so that you can use the word correctly in different sentences.

How to use synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms are useful when you want to avoid repeating the same word and when you want to change the tone or formality of a sentence. Antonyms are useful when you want to express contrast or show the opposite idea. To choose the correct synonym or antonym, remember the context: some synonyms are similar but not identical in meaning, and some antonyms are direct opposites, while others show a strong contrast.

Antonyms (A-G)

The lists below show common words beginning with the letters A to G and their antonyms. Each item is written as a word-opposite. 

A

• about - exactly
• above - below
• absence - presence
• abundance - lack
• accept - refuse
• accidental - intentional
• active - lazy
• add - subtract
• admit - deny
• adult - child
• advanced - elementary
• affirmative - negative
• afraid - brave
• after - before
• against - for
• alike - different
• alive - dead
• all - none
• allow - forbid
• already - not yet
• always - never
• ancient - modern
• ancestor - descendant
• agree - disagree
• amateur - professional
• amuse - bore
• angel - devil
• annoy - please / satisfy
• apart - together
• approximately - exactly
• argue - agree
• arrival - departure
• arrive - depart
• artificial - natural
• ascent - descent
• asleep - awake
• attack - defend
• attic - cellar
• autumn - spring
• awake - asleep
• awful - pleasant/nice

B

• back - in front of
• background - foreground
• backward - forward
• bad - good
• bad luck - fortune
• beauty - ugliness
• before - after
• begin - end
• beginning - end
• behind - in front of
• below - above
• best - worst
• better - worse
• beautiful - ugly
• big - small
• birth - death
• bitter - sweet
• black - white
• blunt - sharp
• body - soul
• bore - amuse
• boring - exciting
• borrow - lend
• bottom - top
• boy - girl
• brave - cowardly
• break - fix
• broad - narrow
• brother - sister
• build - destroy
• busy - lazy
• buy - sell

C

• calm - excited
• careful - careless
• careless - careful
• catch - miss
• ceiling - floor
• cellar - attic
• centre - outskirts
• certainly - probably (note: these differ in certainty)
• changeable - constant
• cheap - expensive
• child - adult
• clean - dirty
• clear - cloudy
• clever - stupid
• close - open
• closed - open
• cloudy - clear
• cold - hot
• come - go
• complicated - simple
• compliment - insult
• compulsory - voluntary
• connect - separate
• consonant - vowel
• construction - destruction
• continue - interrupt
• cool - warm
• correct - wrong
• courage - fear
• courageous - cowardly
• create - destroy
• cruel - kind
• cry - laugh

D  & E

• damage - repair
• danger - safety
• dangerous - safe
• dark - light
• daughter - son
• dawn - dusk
• day - night
• dead - alive
• death - birth
• deep - shallow
• defeat - victory
• defence - attack
• defend - attack
• delicious - awful
• deny - admit
• depart - arrive
• departure - arrival
• descendant - ancestor
• descent - ascent
• desperate - hopeful
• destroy - build
• destruction - construction
• devil - angel
• die - live
• different - alike
• difficult - easy
• dirty - clean
• disease - health
• distant - near
• divide - unite
• division - unity
• divorce - marry
• domestic - foreign
• down - up
• downstairs - upstairs
• drama - comedy
• dry - wet
• dull - interesting
• dusk - dawn
• early - late
• east - west
• easy - difficult
• elementary - advanced
• emigrate - immigrate
• emigration - immigration
• empty - full
• end - begin
• enemy - friend
• enjoy - hate
• enter - leave
• entrance - exit
• equal - different
• even - odd
• evening - morning
• everybody - nobody
• everything - nothing
• exactly - approximately
• excited - calm
• exciting - boring
• exclude - include
• exit - entrance
• expensive - cheap
• export - import
• extreme - moderate

F & G

• fail - succeed
• failure - success
• false - true
• far - near
• fast - slow
• fat - slim / thin
• fear - courage
• female - male
• few - many
• final - first
• find - lose
• finish - begin
• fix - break
• flat - hilly
• floor - ceiling
• follow - lead
• forbid - allow
• for - against
• foreground - background
• foreign - domestic
• forget - remember
• fortune - misfortune
• forward - backward
• free - confined / arrested
• freeze - melt
• frequently - occasionally
• fresh - stale / old
• friend - enemy
• front - rear
• full - empty
• funny - serious
• future - past
• general - particular
• generous - mean
• gentle - violent
• gentleman - lady
• giant - tiny
• girl - boy
• give - take
• go - come
• good - bad
• grown-up - child
• guest - host
• guilty - innocent

Synonyms (A-G)

The lists below show common words beginning with the letters A to G and one or more of their synonyms. Each item is written as word - synonym(s). Synonyms are suitable substitutes only where the meaning and context match.

A

• abandon - desert
• abbreviate - shorten
• ability - aptitude
• able - qualified
• above - overhead / over
• abundant - ample
• accurate - correct
• achieve - accomplish
• adjourn - recess
• advocate - support
• after - following
• afraid - scared
• aggressive - militant
• aid - assist
• always - forever
• amateur - novice
• ambitious - driven
• apparent - obvious, evident
• approve - ratify, endorse
• arrive - come
• arrogant - stuck-up
• awful - atrocious
• awkward - clumsy
• ban - prohibit
• barren - unproductive
• bashful - shy
• beautiful - pretty
• before - prior
• beginning - start
• blend - mix
• bottom - base
• brave - heroic
• break - burst
• brief - short
• broad - wide, expansive
• busy - active
• buy - purchase
• calm - quiet
• capture - arrest
• care - concern
• careful - watchful
• cease - stop
• certain - positive
• charming - enchanting
• chilly - cool
• chubby - plump
• comical - amusing
• complex - complicated
• competent - capable
• comprehend - grasp
• complete - conclude
• compress - crush
• concrete - real
• concur - agree
• condemn - denounce
• condense - compress
• confess - admit
• confine - contain
• conflict - oppose / fight
• conform - comply
• confuse - muddle
• congested - overcrowded
• connect - join
• conscientious - scrupulous
• conscious - aware
• consecutive - successive
• conservative - cautious
• considerate - thoughtful
• constantly - always
• contaminate - pollute
• contented - satisfied
• continue - persevere
• convalesce - heal
• convenient - handy
• cozy - comfortable
• cranky - irritable
• crazy - daft
• cruel - mean
• cry - sob
• dally - linger
• damage - hurt
• dangerous - perilous
• daring - bold
• dark - dismal
• dawn - daybreak
• dead - lifeless
• decay - rot
• deduct - subtract
• defend - protect
• defy - resist
• delicate - fragile
• demolish - destroy
• denounce - blame
• dense - thick
• depart - leave, exit
• detach - separate
• deter - hinder, prevent
• determined - sure / resolute
• die - expire, perish
• different - distinct
• difficult - hard
• dilute - weaken
• drab - dull
• drastic - severe
• dreadful - terrible
• dry - arid, parched
• dubious - doubtful
• dull - blunt
• dumb - dense / stupid
• early - beforetime
• easy - simple
• eccentric - unusual
• ecstasy - elation
• empty - unload
• encourage - urge
• enemy - opponent
• enjoy - like
• enlarge - expand
• evident - apparent
• evil - bad
• exceptional - outstanding
• excite - arouse
• exhilarated - elated
• explicit - exact
• exquisite - delightful
• exterior - outside
• extravagant - luxurious
• fabulous - marvellous
• face - confront
• fair - honest
• fake - artificial
• false - incorrect
• fancy - ornate
• fantastic - outrageous
• fast - rapid
• fat - chubby
• fatal - deadly
• fatigue - tire
• feasible - possible
• feeble - weak
• ferocious - fierce
• fertile - fruitful
• fiction - fantasy
• fill - load
• fix - mend
• follow - succeed
• forbid - prohibit
• forgive - pardon
• former - previous
• fraction - part
• frank - candid
• frenzy - fury
• fresh - unused
• friend - comrade
• frigid - freezing
• frivolous - trivial
• front - fore
• full - packed
• furious - enraged
• future - coming
• gain - acquire
• gallant - chivalrous
• gather - accumulate
• gaudy - showy
• gaunt - scrawny
• generous - giving
• gentle - mild
• genuine - authentic
• gigantic - immense
• give - donate, present
• glad - happy
• gloomy - dark
• glorious - splendid
• good - nice
• gratitude - thankfulness
• great - outstanding