Guide to Antonyms: Examples and Types of Antonyms

An antonym is a semantic term for a word that has an opposite meaning to another word. Also known as a counterterm, the word “antonym” comes from a combination of two Greek terms: “anti,” which means “opposite,” and “-onym,” which comes from “onoma,” meaning “name.” The word “antonym” is, in and of itself, an antonym: it is the opposite of a synonym, which is a word that has the same meaning as another word.

Antonyms are frequently adjectives like “hot” and “cold,” but they can also be nouns, adverbs, and prepositions. You can use a thesaurus or American English dictionary to find the counterterms for certain words.

The main types of antonyms in the English language are:

1. 1. Auto-antonym: An auto-antonym is a word that has two meanings, including one with an opposite meaning. It has several different names, including “contronym” and “Janus word.” Examples of auto-antonyms include “bound,” “dust,” “consult,” and “fast.”
2. 2. Complementary antonyms: Also known as direct antonyms or contradictory antonyms, complementary antonyms are related words that are absolute opposites. They exist independently from one another and do not need the other term to exist. Examples of complementary antonyms include “night and day” and “inhale and exhale.”
3. 3. Converse antonyms: Converse antonyms, or relational antonyms, are closely related words that can’t exist without each other. For example, “near” and “far” are converse antonyms because an object can’t be near without measuring it with something far away.
4. 4. Graded: Graded antonyms show variations or grades between words with similar meanings. While “pleased,” “gratified,” “overjoyed,” and “content” all have a relational connection to “happy,” each has a different definition.

Adding certain prefixes can also reveal antonymous relationships between words:

• Dis-: Examples of antonyms that use the prefix “dis-” include “dislike (like),” “disappear (appear),” “disobedient (obedient),” and “discomfort (comfort).”
• Im- and In-: Adding the prefixes “im-” or “in-” will create new words that are antonyms. Examples include “injustice (justice),” “intolerance (tolerance),” “impossible (possible),” and “impatient (patient).”
• Mis-: By adding the prefix “mis-,” you can create such antonyms as “misinformation (information),” “misconduct (conduct),” “mislead (lead),” and “misunderstand (understand).”
• Non- and un-: The prefixes “non-” and “un-” will create antonymy with certain words. Examples include “uncertain (certain),” “non-compliant (compliant),” “unease (ease),” and “nonverbal (verbal).”

There are countless examples of the different types of antonyms. Read on to see example sentences:

1. 1. Auto-antonym: “Dust,” when used as a verb, is an example of an auto-antonym. One definition means “to lightly cover with fine particles,” while the other means “to clean away light debris.” Here are two sentences that illustrate this difference: “He dusted the cookie with a fine layer of powdered sugar,” and “She dusted the fireplace mantle.”
2. 2. Complementary antonyms: “The boy crossed the street” and “The girl walked to the curb” are examples of sentences with complementary antonyms. The subjects of both sentences are independent: The boy doesn’t exist as a condition of the girl.
3. 3. Converse antonyms: “The pan was warm” and “The pan was cool to the touch” show how converse antonyms are relational opposites. The pan can’t be cool unless it’s first hot and then warm.
4. 4. Graded antonyms: Graded antonyms are variations of a word with different meanings. An example is, “The results varied from pleasant and upbeat to joyous and remarkable.” These terms mean “good” but differ in scale: “pleasant” is not the same as “remarkable,” though both are positive words.

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