Synonyms and Antonyms List: 159 Common Word Pairs
Synonyms are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning, such as big and large. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings, such as big and small. This page gives a list of 159 common words with a synonym and an antonym for each, followed by how to choose the right synonym and how to form antonyms with prefixes.
Learning words in pairs is a quick way to grow your vocabulary: one word you know gives you two more. For a deeper study, see our lessons on antonyms (opposite words) and synonyms and their shades of meaning.
Synonym = a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word (begin = start).
Antonym = a word with the opposite meaning (begin ≠ end).
How to Use the Lists
Each table gives one common synonym and one common antonym. Many words have more than one meaning, so the pair shown is the most usual one. For example, light is the opposite of dark in "a light room" but the opposite of heavy in "a light bag". Always check the pair against the sentence you are working with.
Synonyms and Antonyms List: Adjectives (Describing Words)
Adjectives A to D
| Adjective | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| able | capable | unable |
| abundant | plentiful | scarce |
| active | energetic | lazy |
| afraid | scared | fearless |
| ancient | age-old | modern |
| angry | furious | calm |
| awful | terrible | wonderful |
| bad | poor | good |
| beautiful | lovely | ugly |
| brave | courageous | cowardly |
| bright | shining | dull |
| brief | short | lengthy |
| calm | peaceful | agitated |
| careful | cautious | careless |
| cheap | inexpensive | costly |
| clean | spotless | dirty |
| clever | smart | stupid |
| cold | chilly | hot |
| complex | complicated | simple |
| cruel | brutal | kind |
| dangerous | risky | safe |
| dark | dim | light |
| dead | lifeless | alive |
| deep | profound | shallow |
| difficult | hard | easy |
| dirty | filthy | clean |
| dull | boring | exciting |
Adjectives E to M
| Adjective | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| eager | keen | reluctant |
| early | premature | late |
| easy | simple | difficult |
| empty | vacant | full |
| enormous | huge | tiny |
| expensive | costly | cheap |
| fake | false | genuine |
| fast | quick | slow |
| fat | plump | thin |
| foolish | silly | wise |
| fragile | delicate | sturdy |
| fresh | new | stale |
| friendly | amiable | hostile |
| generous | charitable | stingy |
| gentle | mild | harsh |
| glad | pleased | sad |
| good | excellent | bad |
| happy | cheerful | sad |
| hard | firm | soft |
| honest | truthful | dishonest |
| humble | modest | arrogant |
| important | significant | trivial |
| innocent | blameless | guilty |
| interesting | fascinating | boring |
| kind | caring | cruel |
| large | big | small |
| lazy | idle | hardworking |
| legal | lawful | illegal |
| long | lengthy | short |
| loud | noisy | quiet |
| modern | contemporary | old-fashioned |
Adjectives N to Z
| Adjective | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| narrow | tight | wide |
| neat | tidy | messy |
| new | recent | old |
| old | elderly | young |
| polite | courteous | rude |
| poor | needy | rich |
| powerful | mighty | weak |
| rare | uncommon | common |
| rich | wealthy | poor |
| rough | coarse | smooth |
| safe | secure | dangerous |
| sharp | pointed | blunt |
| shy | timid | bold |
| slow | sluggish | fast |
| sour | tart | sweet |
| strange | odd | ordinary |
| strong | sturdy | weak |
| thick | dense | thin |
| tight | snug | loose |
| tiny | minute | huge |
| true | correct | false |
| useful | helpful | useless |
| vague | unclear | clear |
| valuable | precious | worthless |
| weak | feeble | strong |
| wet | damp | dry |
| wide | broad | narrow |
| wise | sensible | foolish |
| young | youthful | old |
Synonyms and Antonyms List: Verbs (Action Words)
Verbs A to F
| Verb | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| accept | receive | reject |
| achieve | accomplish | fail |
| admire | respect | despise |
| agree | consent | disagree |
| allow | permit | forbid |
| arrive | reach | depart |
| begin | start | end |
| build | construct | demolish |
| buy | purchase | sell |
| choose | select | reject |
| close | shut | open |
| collect | gather | scatter |
| continue | carry on | stop |
| create | make | destroy |
| criticise | condemn | praise |
| decrease | reduce | increase |
| enter | go in | exit |
| fall | drop | rise |
| find | discover | lose |
Verbs G to R
| Verb | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| gain | obtain | lose |
| give | donate | take |
| help | assist | hinder |
| hide | conceal | reveal |
| hurry | rush | dawdle |
| improve | enhance | worsen |
| include | contain | exclude |
| increase | grow | decrease |
| join | connect | separate |
| keep | retain | discard |
| laugh | giggle | cry |
| like | enjoy | dislike |
| love | adore | hate |
| mend | repair | break |
| obey | follow | disobey |
| praise | applaud | criticise |
| pull | drag | push |
| punish | penalise | reward |
| remember | recall | forget |
Verbs S to Z
| Verb | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| shout | yell | whisper |
| start | begin | stop |
| stop | halt | continue |
| strengthen | reinforce | weaken |
| succeed | triumph | fail |
| support | back | oppose |
| win | triumph | lose |
Synonyms and Antonyms List: Nouns
| Noun | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| ability | skill | inability |
| advantage | benefit | disadvantage |
| beginning | start | end |
| courage | bravery | cowardice |
| danger | peril | safety |
| defeat | loss | victory |
| enemy | foe | friend |
| failure | flop | success |
| freedom | liberty | slavery |
| happiness | joy | sorrow |
| hatred | hate | love |
| health | fitness | illness |
| honesty | truthfulness | dishonesty |
| hope | optimism | despair |
| peace | calm | war |
| problem | difficulty | solution |
| reward | prize | punishment |
| shortage | lack | abundance |
| victory | triumph | defeat |
| wealth | riches | poverty |
Synonyms and Antonyms List: Adverbs
| Adverb | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| always | at all times | never |
| carefully | cautiously | carelessly |
| gladly | willingly | unwillingly |
| loudly | noisily | quietly |
| often | frequently | seldom |
| quickly | swiftly | slowly |
| usually | normally | rarely |
Learn a word with its pair. When you meet a new word in a book or on a notice board, look up one synonym and one antonym, and write all three together in your notebook.
How to Choose the Right Synonym
Synonyms rarely mean exactly the same thing. Before you replace a word, check these four things.
- Meaning in context. Bank has several meanings, so its synonym depends on the sentence.
- Collocation (words that normally go together). We say heavy rain, not strong rain, and make a mistake, not do a mistake.
- Formality. Buy is neutral, purchase is formal. Kids is informal, children is neutral.
- Feeling (positive or negative). Slim is positive, skinny is often negative; determined is positive, stubborn is negative.
✅ The teacher praised her for the neat work.
✅ The principal commended the students in the assembly (more formal).
❌ Strong rain fell all night. ✅ Heavy rain fell all night.
❌ I did a mistake in the test. ✅ I made a mistake in the test.
| Word | Stronger or different word | Note |
|---|---|---|
| big | huge, enormous | Huge and enormous are much stronger than big. |
| angry | furious | Furious means extremely angry. |
| tired | exhausted | Exhausted means completely tired. |
| thin | slim, skinny | Slim is positive; skinny can be negative. |
| smell | fragrance, stink | A fragrance is pleasant; a stink is not. |
Types of Antonyms
| Type | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Gradable | There are levels between the two words. | hot – cold (warm, cool in between); big – small |
| Complementary | One word or the other; nothing in between. | alive – dead; true – false; pass – fail |
| Relational | The words describe the same relationship from two sides. | buy – sell; teacher – student; parent – child |
How to Form Antonyms with Prefixes
Many antonyms are made by adding a prefix (a group of letters added to the beginning of a word) that means "not" or "the opposite of". The spelling of the base word does not change.
| Prefix | Used before | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un- | most adjectives and some verbs | happy – unhappy; lock – unlock; fair – unfair |
| in- | many adjectives, often Latin words | complete – incomplete; visible – invisible; active – inactive |
| im- | words that begin with m or p | possible – impossible; polite – impolite; mature – immature |
| il- | words that begin with l | legal – illegal; logical – illogical; literate – illiterate |
| ir- | words that begin with r | regular – irregular; responsible – irresponsible; relevant – irrelevant |
| dis- | verbs, adjectives and nouns | agree – disagree; honest – dishonest; like – dislike |
| mis- | verbs and nouns (wrongly, badly) | behave – misbehave; trust – mistrust |
| non- | nouns and adjectives | fiction – non-fiction; violent – non-violent; smoker – non-smoker |
The suffix -less also gives opposites: hopeful – hopeless, careful – careless, useful – useless. For more, see Prefixes and Their Meanings and the post How Prefixes and Suffixes Can Double Your English Vocabulary.
Not every word with a prefix is the opposite of its base word. Invaluable does not mean “not valuable”: it means extremely valuable. Flammable and inflammable both mean "able to catch fire", and famous and infamous are not opposites (infamous means well known for something bad). Use nonflammable or not flammable for something that does not burn. When in doubt, check a dictionary.
Practice and Worksheets
After studying the lists, try the printable synonyms worksheet and the antonyms worksheet, both with answers. If you are not sure of your level, take the free English level test.
✍️ Quick Practice — Choose the Synonym
- The teacher was furious. (a) very angry (b) very happy (c) tired (d) surprised
- It is a difficult question. (a) easy (b) hard (c) short (d) strange
- Please begin the exam. (a) finish (b) cancel (c) start (d) check
- The box was enormous. (a) tiny (b) huge (c) empty (d) heavy
- He is very courageous. (a) brave (b) rude (c) clever (d) lazy
- We must repair the bench. (a) break (b) paint (c) mend (d) sell
Answers: 1 (a), 2 (b), 3 (c), 4 (b), 5 (a), 6 (c)
✍️ Quick Practice — Write the Antonym
- ancient
- generous
- victory
- increase
- hostile
- include
- shallow
- polite
Answers: 1 modern; 2 stingy (or selfish, mean); 3 defeat; 4 decrease (or reduce); 5 friendly; 6 exclude; 7 deep; 8 rude (or impolite)
✍️ Quick Practice — Add a Prefix to Make the Opposite
- possible
- legal
- agree
- regular
- happy
- honest
Answers: 1 impossible; 2 illegal; 3 disagree; 4 irregular; 5 unhappy; 6 dishonest
Summary
Synonyms are words with similar meanings and antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Learn the 159 pairs above in groups, and check meaning, collocation, formality and feeling before you choose a synonym. Many antonyms are formed with the prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, mis- and non-, but check the dictionary because not every prefixed word is a true opposite. Practise with the synonyms and antonyms worksheets.