Synonyms and Antonyms
As you learn a language, you will want to pay particular attention to the words you choose in different contexts. Do they express what you are trying to convey? Can you choose better, more effective words? Familiarity with synonyms and antonyms can be helpful in answering these questions.
Synonyms
Synonyms are words that have the same, or almost the same, meaning as another word. You can say an “easy task” or a “simple task” because easy and simple are synonyms. You can say Hong Kong is a “large city” or a “metropolis” because city and metropolis are synonyms.
However, it is important to remember that not all pairs of words in the English language are so easily interchangeable. The slight but important differences in meaning between synonyms can make a big difference. When you are writing, for example, the words boring and insipid may have similar meanings, but the subtle differences between the two will affect the message your writing conveys. The word insipid conveys a scholarly and perhaps more pretentious message than boring.
Compare the dictionary entries for boring and insipid.
The English language is full of pairs of words that have subtle distinctions between them. All writers, professionals and beginners alike, carefully choose the most appropriate synonym to convey their ideas best. When you pay particular attention to synonyms in your writing, it comes across to your reader. The sentences become much more clear and rich in meaning.
Choosing the correct word is important not only when you are writing but also when you are speaking or presenting.
Practice
Exercise 1
Replace the underlined words in the paragraph with appropriate synonyms. Write the new paragraph on your own sheet of paper. Once complete, please share with a classmate and compare your answers.
The young teacher had worked hard to find a job. She had some years of experience as a part-time teacher in her local elementary school. At last, she had a full-time teaching job and would have her own classroom. She was happy. The head of the school gave her the keys to her classroom so that she could get ready for the new school year. She was eager to get started. However, she was surprised by what she saw when she walked into her classroom. The room was dirty. The garbage can was full. The floor was dirty. She saw papers and books in disorganized piles all over the room. The glass in one of the windows was cracked. As she looked around the room, she felt sad because she could not understand why a classroom for kids could be left in such a terrible state. After her initial shock faded, she started to clean up. As she did, she thought about how she wanted to set up the classroom she imagined for her students.
Practice
Exercise 2
On your own sheet of paper, write a sentence with each of the following words that illustrate the specific meaning of each synonym. Once complete, please share with a classmate and compare your answers.
- leave, abandon
- outside, exterior
- quiet, peaceful
- riot, revolt
- rude, impolite
- talk, conversation
- hug, embrace
- home, residence
Antonyms
Antonyms are words that have the opposite meaning of a given word. For example, the words “common” and “rare” are antonyms in the sample sentence below.
Blue and brown are common eye colours, while green is a rare eye colour. Only a very small percentage of people have green eyes.
The study of antonyms will not only help you choose the most appropriate word as you write, but it will also sharpen your overall sense of language. The following table lists common words and their antonyms.
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 | likely | unlikely |
| capable | incapable | minority | majority |
| 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. Learning words in combination with or in relation to other words helps us retain them.
Practice
Exercise 3
Correct the following sentences by replacing the underlined words with the correct antonym from the list above. You may have to change the word to the correct part of speech.
- The pilot who landed the plane was a coward because no one was injured.
- Although I have learned a lot of information through textbooks, life experience has given me ignorance.
- It was very busy at the shopping mall yesterday. Almost all 800 parking spots were vacant.
- The student felt discouraged by the positive feedback he received after his presentation.
- Our hockey coach is such a pessimist. She maintains a positive outlook even when our team loses a game.
- Understanding how to re-direct a child when they are being obedient is an important teaching skill.
- There is a permanent change to my regular bus route due to road construction in the summer months.
- The tuition increase was unexpected and a welcome surprise for the students.
Helpful Resources
Attributions
Text Attributions
- This chapter was adapted from “Synonyms and Antonyms” in Advanced English by Allison Kilgannon. Licensed under a CC BY NC 4.0 licence.
