What is an antonym?Â
Words that meet opposite concepts and contain contradictory meanings are called “antonyms”.
Examples:
- Beautiful → Ugly
- Thin → Thick
- Cry → Laugh
- Long → Short
Important Points about Antonyms
∗ Not every word has antonyms. In particular, words that express quality and quantity, namely adjectives and adverbs, have antonyms.
Example:
- The words ‘book, yellow, table, wall’ do not have antonyms.
∗ The positive-negative forms of the verbs do not create opposition. They report whether the same action has taken place. It has to be a different word to create an antonym. In short, the negative of a word is not its opposite.
Example:
- Coming (positive) – not coming (negative) ≠No antonyms.
- Coming – going = There is an antonym relationship.
∗ The antonym of a word changes according to its use in the sentence.
Example:
- I have short hair. → long hair
- I am shorter than my friends. → taller
