Opposite Words A to Z (List and Examples Sentences)
A to Z lists of opposite words can be fun and helpful for all sorts of reasons. For one, they can help you clarify your thoughts by providing a clear distinction between two seemingly similar things. Additionally, opposites can add interest and variety to your writing.
What are opposite words? They are simply words that have the opposite meaning of each other. For example, the opposite of “happy” is “sad,” and the opposite of “up” is “down.”
Opposite Words A to Z
A Opposite Words
- amuse – bore
- alive – dead
- ascent – descent
- abundance – lack
- accidental – intentional
- ask – answer
- angel – devil
- ancient – modern
- autumn – spring
- annoy – satisfy
- awful – nice
- admit – deny
- all – none
- amateur – professional
- afraid – brave
- already – not yet
- ancestor – descendant
- advanced – elementary
- argue – agree
- antonym – synonym
- allow – forbid
- against – for
- answer – question
- animal – human
- attack – defend
- always – never
- attic – cellar
- approximately – exactly
- apart – together
- arrival – departure
- active – lazy
- asleep – awake
- after – before
- adult – child
- affirmative – negative
- awake – asleep
- about – exactly
- add – subtract
- alike – different
- agree – refuse
- above – below
- arrive – depart
- artificial – natural
- absence – presence
- accept – refuse
- answer – ask
- ancestor – descendant
- attack – defense
B Opposite Words
- below – above
- back – in front of
- best – worst
- black – white
- body – soul
- build – destroy
- beauty – ugliness
- borrow – lend
- bore – amuse
- buy – sell
- brother – sister
- better – worse
- beginning – end
- begin – end
- birth – death
- boring – exciting
- brave – cowardly
- background – foreground
- beautiful – ugly
- bottom – top
- bad – good
- before – after
- big – small
- busy – lazy
- blunt – sharp
- bad luck – fortune
- broad – narrow
- boy – girl
- break – fix
- behind – in front of
- backward – forward
- bitter – sweet
C Opposite Words
- compulsory – voluntary
- cloudy – clear
- cheap – expensive
- clean – dirty
- centre – outskirts
- ceiling – floor
- careful – careless
- courageous – cowardly
- cry – laugh
- cool – warm
- catch – miss
- cowardly – brave
- careless – careful
- create – destroy
- connect – separate
- changeable – constant
- child – adult
- certainly – probably
- clear – cloudy
- children – parents
- close – open
- calm – excited
- cry – whisper
- closed – open
- correct – wrong
- constant – changeable
- consonant – vowel
- cold – hot
- courage – fear
- cruel – human
- clever – stupid
- cellar – attic
- come – go
- comedy – drama
- compliment – insult
- cold – heat
- continue – interrupt
- construction – destruction
- complicated – simple
D Opposite Words
- divorced – married
- die – live
- descent – ascent
- day – night
- daughter – son
- divorce – marry
- dusk – dawn
- dark – light
- dead – alive
- devil – angel
- difficult – easy
- desperate – hopeful
- divorce – marriage
- dawn – dusk
- down – up
- damage – repair
- dirty – clean
- depart – arrive
- dry – humid
- danger – security
- destruction – construction
- dangerous – safe
- defence – attack
- delicious – awful
- defeat – victory
- different – alike
- death – birth
- deny – admit
- distant – near
- divide – unite
- defend – attack
- dull – interesting
- domestic – foreign
- division – unity
- dictatorship – republic
- deep – shallow
- disease – health
- drama – comedy
- downstairs – upstairs
- descendant – ancestor
- departure – arrival
- destroy – build
E Opposite Words
- east – west
- ending – beginning
- extreme – moderate
- enjoy – hate
- expensive – cheap
- excited – calm
- emigrate – immigrate
- everything – nothing
- enter – leave
- early – late
- entrance – exit
- elementary – advanced
- empty – full
- exclude – include
- exciting – boring
- end – begin
- even – odd
- emigration – immigration
- exposure – shelter
- exit – entrance
- everybody – nobody
- exactly – approximately
- equal – different
- easy – difficult
- evening – morning
- end – beginning
- enemy – friend
- export – import
F Opposite Words
- follow – lead
- finish – begin
- in front of – back
- fast – slow
- fat – slim
- front – rear
- forget – remember
- foreground – background
- few – many
- future – past
- form – destroy
- false – true
- first – final
- find – lose
- full – empty
- forbid – allow
- for – against
- finish – start
- failure – success
- forward – backward
- fix – break
- fresh – old/stale
- far – near
- floor – ceiling
- free – arrest
- fail – succeed
- final – first
- female – male
- freeze – melt
- flat – hilly
- foreign – domestic
- frequently – occasionally
- fear – courage
- funny – serious
- foreigner – native
- friend – enemy
- fortune – bad luck
G Opposite Words
- gentle – violent
- girl – boy
- generous – mean
- good – bad
- give – take
- guest – host
- gentleman – lady
- go – come
- general – particular
- guilty – innocent
- giant – tiny
- grown-up – child
H Opposite Words
- heaven – hell
- hit – miss
- hopeless – hopeful
- happy – sad
- hot – cold
- horizontal – vertical
- hungry – thirsty
- hard – easy
- heavy – light
- host – guest
- high – low
- happiness – sadness
- hate – enjoy
- human – animal
- here – there
- humid – dry
- harvest – plant
- huge – tiny
- husband – wife
- heat – cold
- hell – heaven
- handsome – ugly
- humane – cruel
- hopeful – desperate
- hilly – flat
- high – deep
- health – disease
- healthy – ill
I Opposite Words
- increase – reduce
- ill – healty
- in – out
- intelligent – silly
- innocent – guilty
- import – export
- ignore – notice
- insult – compliment
- interesting – boring
- be interested in – bore
- immigration – emigration
- inside – outside
- include – exclude
- in front of – back
- intentional – accidental
- interrupt – continue
- immigrate – emigrate
J, K, L Opposite Words
- good luck – bad luck
- left – right
- live – die
- liquid – solid
- long – short
- laugh – cry
- less – more
- lie – stand
- lovely – terrible
- light – heavy
- leave – arrive
- learn – teach
- lose – win
- large – small
- light – dark
- land – take off
- lower – raise
- life – death
- last – first
- late – early
- lend – borrow
- junior – senior
- loud – quiet
- loser – winner
- little – much
- kind – cruel
- lazy – active
- love – hate
- land – water
- let – forbid
- like – hate
- little – big
- bad luck – good luck
- lack – abundance
- lead – follow
- lady – gentleman
- low – high
M Opposite Words
- miss – hit
- melt – freeze
- marry – divorce
- moon – sun
- major – minor
- mend – break
- much – little
- midnight – noon
- many – few
- morning – evening
- mess – order
- monarchy – republic
- more – less
- male – female
- master – servant
- marriage – divorce
- minor – major
- mountain – valley
- married – divorced
- minimum – maximum
- moderate – extreme
- man – woman
- maximum – minimum
- mean – generous
- modern – ancient
- miss – catch
- men – women
N Opposite Words
- noon – midnight
- native – foreigner
- near – distant
- nothing – everything
- never – always
- none of – al lot of
- night – day
- north – south
- notice – ignore
- nice – awful
- normal – strange
- nobody – everybody
- not yet – already
- negative – affirmative
- no – yes
- new – ancient
- niece – nephew
- nephew – niece
- noisy – quiet
- now – then
- narrow – broad
- nasty – nice
- natural – artificial
O Opposite Words
- occasionally – frequently
- outside – inside
- outskirts – centre
- odd – even
- often – seldom
- order – mess
- open – closed
- on – off
- off – on
- opponent – supporter
- open – closed
- ordinary – special
- over – under
- other – same
- out – in
- old – modern
- occupied – vacant
P Opposite Words
- present – past
- peace – war
- pretty – ugly
- partial – total
- public – private
- pass – fail
- pupil – teacher
- past – future
- polite – rude
- push – pull
- private – public
- powerful – weak
- poverty – wealth
- protect – attack
- part – whole
- permit – forbid
- probably – certainly
- plenty – lack
- poor – rich
- professional – amateur
- particular – general
- pull – push
- pleasant – awful
- presence – absence
- plant – harvest
- parents – children
- protection – attack
Q, R Opposite Words
- rough – gentle
- rural – urban
- right – left
- rest – work
- reduce – increase
- question – answer
- regret – satisfaction
- reply – ask
- receive – send
- republic – dictatorship
- reply – question
- rise – sink
- rough – smooth
- right – wrong
- raise – lower
- quick – slow
- rude – polite
- repair – damage
- refuse – agree
- remember – forget
- rear – front
- rich – poor
- quiet – loud
- rainy – sunny
S Opposite Words
- security – danger
- safety – danger
- success – failure
- stop – start
- south – north
- sit – stand
- single – married
- suburb – centre
- sink – rise
- slim – fat
- start – stop
- strange – normal
- special – general
- succeed – fail
- sister – brother
- sugar – salt
- silent – noisy
- stranger – native
- shallow – deep
- shut – open
- son – daughter
- sunny – cloudy
- serious – funny
- sharp – blunt
- silly – intelligent
- shelter – exposure
- seldom – often
- stand – sit
- simple – complicated
- soft – hard
- some – many
- smooth – rough
- stand – lie
- slow – fast
- sometimes – often
- strong – weak
- student – teacher
- solid – liquid
- sadness – happiness
- subtract – add
- shout – whisper
- safe – dangerous
- stupid – clever
- start – finish
- servant – master
- small – big
- strict – gentle
- sun – moon
- summer – winter
- sour – sweet
- send – receive
- sell – buy
- salt – sugar
- set free – arrest
- short – long
- sad – happy
- sick – healthy
- satisfaction – regret
- satisfy – annoy
- soul – body
- scream – whisper
- same – different
- spring – autumn
- separate – connect
- senior – junior
- save – spend
T, U Opposite Words
- ugly – beautiful
- useless – useful
- true – false
- unity – division
- ugliness – beauty
- unite – divide
- upstairs – downstairs
- urban – rural
- up – down
- under – over
- trust – suspect
- useful – useless
V Opposite Words
- vacant – occupied
- voluntary – compulsory
- valley – mountain
- vertical – horizontal
- village – town
- visitor – host
- vowel – consonant
- victory – defeat
- violent – gentle
W Opposite Words
- white – black
- whole – part
- wealthy – poor
- water – land
- wet – dry
- warm – cool
- war – peace
- west – east
- wedding – divorce
- whisper – scream
- wealth – poverty
- well- ill
- waste – save
- wide – narrow
- weak – powerful
Opposite Words (A-Z) Examples
1) Alive – Dead
- She is still alive.
- I found my dog dead.
2) Big – Small
- He is a big man.
- She is small for her age.
3) Black – White
- His hair is black.
- Her dress is white.
4) Brave – Cowardly
- He was brave enough to speak out against the regime.
- She was too cowardly to speak up.
5) Clean – Dirty
- The kitchen needs to be cleaned.
- The floor is dirty.
6) Complicated – Simple
- This problem is very complicated.
- It’s simple, just do this.
7) Confident – Unsure of Himself/Herself
- She is confident in her abilities.
- He seems unsure of himself around new people.
8) Cruel – Kind
- They were cruel to the dog.
- They were kind to the stray cat.
9) Delicious – Inedible
- This food is delicious.
- That food looks inedible.
10) East – West
- He lives on the east coast.
- She lives on the west coast.
11) Female – Male
- The lion is the king of the jungle, and the lioness is its queen.
- He is a brave boy.
12) Fiction – Nonfiction
- This book is fiction.
- That book is nonfiction.
13) Funny – Serious
- He always has a funny story to tell.
- She takes everything seriously.
14) Good – Evil
- She did a good thing by helping him.
- He did an evil thing by stealing from her.
15) Happy – Sad
- I’m so happy that you’re here!
- I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling sad.
16) Hard – Soft
- The rock is hard.
- The pillow is soft.
17) High – Low
- The high school is on a hill.
- The low income housing is in a bad part of town.
18) Hot – Cold
- It’s hot outside.
- It’s cold in here.
19) Hungry – Full
- I’m hungry.
- I’m full.
20) Ignorant – Wise
- He is ignorant about the issue.
- She is wise beyond her years.
21) Interesting – Boring
- This book is interesting.
- That book is boring.
22) Jealous – Uninterested
- She was jealous of his new girlfriend.
- He was uninterested in her advances.
23) Joyful – Displeased
- She was joyful when she got the news.
- He was displeased with the decision.
24) Kind – Mean
- She has a kind heart.
- He was mean to her when she was down.
25) Large – Small
- The elephant is the largest land animal.
- The shrew is the smallest mammal.
26) Liberal – Conservative
- She is liberal about spending money.
- He is conservative about taking risks.
27) Mature – Immature
- He is a mature young man.
- She is still very immature for her age.
- 28) Naive – Experienced
- She is naïve about the world.
- He is experienced in international affairs.
29) North – South
- The north pole is the top of the world.
- The south pole is at the bottom.
30) Old – Young
- He is old for his age.
- She is young for her age.
31) Pessimistic – Optimistic
- He is pessimistic about the future.
- She is optimistic about the outcome.
32) Poor – Rich
- She is poor, but he is rich.
33) Positive – Negative
- The positive pole is the top of the battery.
- The negative pole is the bottom.
34) Quiet – Loud
- He was quiet during the meeting.
- She was loud and obnoxious at the party.
35) Right – Wrong
- He was right about the situation.
- She was wrong about what happened.
36) Sad – Happy
- I’m sorry to hear that you’re sad.
- I’m happy to hear that you’re doing well!
37) Tasty – Inedible
- This food is tasty.
- That food looks inedible.
38) True – False
- The statement is true.
- The statement is false.
39) Ugly – Beautiful
- She thinks he’s ugly.
- He thinks she’s beautiful.
40) Young – Old
- He is young for his age.
- She is old for her age.
