Antonyms
Words with opposite meanings, the prefixes that make them, and quick practice.
The answer
Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, such as hot and cold, or arrive and leave.
Examples
The soup was hot but the drink was cold.
Some of the ducks were big and some were little.
The shop opens at nine and closes at five.
Verbs can have antonyms too.
A heavy bag is harder to carry than a light one.
How to spot it
- Put the two words in the same sentence. If one says the opposite of the other, they are antonyms.
- Many antonyms are made with a prefix: happy, unhappy; appear, disappear.
- One word can have different antonyms: light has dark (for colour) and heavy (for weight).
The common mistake
Choosing a word that is just different, not opposite.
The antonym of hot is cold, not wet. Ask what the word means, then find the word that means the reverse.
When it is taught
- First met
- Year 6
- On the pupil word list
- Year 6, as “antonym”
Year 6 teaches how words are related by meaning as synonyms and antonyms, using the curriculum’s example big, large, little.
Try a question
Which word is the antonym of ancient? Tick one.
- old
- modern
- broken
- famous
Show the answer
Answer: modern
Ancient means very old, and modern means new or from the present day. Old is a synonym, not an antonym.
Practise it
A short quiz where your child picks the antonym of each word.
Related terms
- Practise the 11+ skill: Select an antonym
More grammar terms
Questions parents ask
Is opposite the same as antonym?
Yes. Antonym is the grammar word for a word with the opposite meaning.
Does adding un- always make an antonym?
Often: kind, unkind. But some words take other prefixes (dis-, in-, im-), and some opposites are completely different words, such as brave and cowardly.
Can a verb have an antonym?
Yes: arrive and leave, open and close, remember and forget.
Grammar turns up in 11+ English too
Many 11+ English papers include grammar and punctuation questions alongside comprehension. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.