Antonym & Synonym

A synonym is a word that means the same, or almost the same, as another word.
An antonym is a word that is the opposite meaning of another.

Here is a list of adjectives and their synonyms that are commonly used to describe people.

• Beautiful: Attractive, Pretty, Lovely, Stunning
• Fair: Just, Objective, Impartial, Unbiased
• Funny: Humorous, Comical, Hilarious, Hysterical
• Happy: Content, Joyful, Mirthful, Upbeat
• Hardworking: Diligent, Determined, Industrious, Enterprising
• Honest: Honorable, Fair, Sincere, Trustworthy
• Intelligent: Smart, Bright, Brilliant, Sharp
• Introverted: Shy, Bashful, Quiet, Withdrawn
• Kind:Thoughtful, Considerate, Amiable, Gracious
• Lazy: Idle, Lackadaisical, Lethargic, Indolent
• Mean: Unfriendly, Unpleasant, Bad-tempered, Difficult
• Outgoing: Friendly, Sociable, Warm, Extroverted
• Rich: Affluent, Wealthy, Well-off, Well-to-do
• Strong: Stable, Secure, Solid, Tough
• Unhappy: Sad, Depressed, Melancholy, Miserable
• Lucky: Auspicious, Fortunate
• Positive: Optimistic, Cheerful, Starry-eyed, Sanguine
• Bossy: Controlling, Tyrannical

There are three categories of antonyms:

Graded antonyms deal with levels of the meaning of the words, like if something is not “good”, is may still not be “bad.” There is a scale involved with some words, and besides good and bad there can be average, fair, excellent, terrible, poor, or satisfactory.

Examples include:

• Fat and skinny
• Young and old
• Happy and sad
• Hard and soft
• Last and first
• Foolish and wise
• Fast and slow
• Warm and cool
• Wide and narrow
• Abundant and scarce
• Joy and grief
• Dark and light
• Dangerous and safe
• Clever and foolish
• Early and late
• Empty and full
• Smart and dumb
• Risky and safe
• Bad and good
• Pretty and ugly
• Best and worst
• Simple and challenging
• Soft and hard
• Worried and calm
• Sane and crazy
• Rich and poor
• Cool and hot
• Wet and dry
• Late and early
• Ignorant and educated
• Big and small
• Optimistic and pessimistic
• Excited and bored
• Dull and interesting

Complementary antonyms have a relationship where there is no middle ground. There are only two possibilities, either one or the other.

Examples include:

• Man and woman
• Push and pull
• Dead and alive
• Off and on
• Day and night
• Absent and present
• Exit and entrance
• Sink or float
• True or false
• Pass and fail
• Former and latter
• Input and output
• Interior and exterior
• Exhale and inhale
• Input and output
• Occupied and vacant
• Leave and arrive
• Pre and post
• Question and answer
• Single and married
• Hired and fired
• Brother and sister
• Before and after
• Crooked and straight
• Identical and different
• Natural or artificial
• Silence or noise
• Identical or different
• Yes and no
• Wet and dry
• Sharp and dull
• Raise and lower
• Fantasy and reality

Relational antonyms are sometimes considered a subcategory of complementary antonyms. With these pairs, for there to be a relationship, both must exist.

Examples are:

• Husband and wife
• Doctor and patient
• Buy and sell
• Predator and prey
• Above and below
• Give and receive
• Teach and learn
• Instructor and pupil
• Servant and master
• Borrow and lend
• Come and go
• Toward and away
• Divisor and dividend
• Parent and child
• East and west
• North and south
• Seller and buyer
• Mother and daughter
• Slave and master
• Floor and ceiling
• Front and back
• Up and down
• Win and lose
• Part and whole
• Offense and defense
• Behind and ahead
• Before and after
• On or off
• Trap and release
• Lost and found
• Left and right
• Give and get
• Employer employee