antonym

American  

[an-tuh-nim] / ˈæn tə nɪm /

noun

1. a word opposite in meaning to another. Fast is an antonym of slow.

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antonym British  

/ ænˈtɒnɪməs, ˈæntənɪm /

noun

1. a word that means the opposite of another word

   ``empty'' is an antonym of ``full''

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Usage

What is an antonym? An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. For example, the word small means of limited size, while big means of large size. Happy, a feeling of gladness, is an antonym of sad, a feeling of sorrow. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs can all have antonyms, though not all do. A word can also have multiple antonyms. For example, the words fast, quick, speedy, swift, and rapid are all antonyms of the word slow. Even antonym has an antonym! The opposite of antonym is synonym, which is a word that has the same meaning as another word. For example, a synonym of the word fast would be quick—both describe something that moves with speed. If you are looking for some spicy new antonyms to use in your writing, you can find them using Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

• antonymic
  adjective
• antonymous
  adjective
• antonymy
  noun

Etymology

Origin of antonym

First recorded in 1865–70; ant- + (syn)onym

Compare meaning

How does antonym compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• synonym vs. antonym

Explanation

A word that has the exact opposite meaning of another word is its antonym. Life is full of antonyms, from the "stop" and "go" of a traffic signal to side-by-side restroom doors labeled "men" and "women." Most antonyms are pretty obvious, like "good" and "bad," or "black" and "white." Some words can be transformed into their antonyms simply by adding the prefixes "un," "in," or "non," as when "likable" is changed into its antonym, "unlikable." The word antonym itself takes the Greek word anti, meaning "opposite," and adds it to -onym, which comes from the Greek onoma, or "name." So antonym literally means "opposite-name."

Example Sentences

I'm not sure "graceful" has a strong enough antonym to describe my first lurches toward a world flipped upside down.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2023

I’m not sure there’s a precise antonym for “nice.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 20, 2020

A 2015 Kellblog entry from tech executive Dave Kellogg also puts the word in business terms, defining it along with its antonym, a “simplifier.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2019

Bournemouth have almost been the antonym of Huddersfield this season.

From The Guardian • Feb. 11, 2018

The direct antonym of cause is effect, while that of antecedent is consequent.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by Fernald, James Champlin