100 Examples of Antonyms With Sentences! In everyday speech, we use a variety of words to describe the world around us. These words can be divided into different categories, based on their meaning. One such category is opposite words, or antonyms. Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. For example, the antonyms of “hot” are “cold” and “cool.” Similarly, the antonyms of “happy” are “sad” and “unhappy.” In this article, we will look at 100 examples of antonyms with sentences to help you better understand their usage.
When using antonyms, it is important to be aware of the context in which they are used. This is because some words can have multiple meanings, and the opposite may not make sense in all contexts.
100 Examples of Antonyms With Sentences
Here are some more examples of common English antonyms:
1- Open – Close
I find it quite difficult to be open.
You might close up your suitcase.
2- Above – Below
The cat jumped up above the table.
Please write your name below.
3- Loud – Quiet
She was listening to music loudly.
I need you to be quiet now.
4- Left – Right
Please turn left at the next junction.
He writes with his right hand.
5- Big – Small
This is a big company.
I only have a small amount of change.
6- Empty – Full
Please empty your pockets.
The glass is full of water.
7- Negative – Positive
She has a negative attitude.
He gave me a positive response.
8- Light – Dark
Is it light outside?
They were walking in the dark.
9- Fast – Slow
He is a fast driver.
Please walk slowly.
10- Early – Late
I always get up early.
We are going to be late for the meeting.
11- Strong – Weak
Coffee is a strong drink.
She is quite weak after her illness.
12- Over – Under
The bird was flying over the tree.
Please put your shoes under the bed.
13- Hot – Cold
I need something hot to drink.
It’s cold today, isn’t it?
14- Hard – Soft
The ground is hard.
This pillow is too soft.
15- True – False
That is a true story.
You must have been false to me.
16- Cheap – Expensive
This is a cheap car.
Her dress was very expensive.
17- Easy – Difficult
The test was easy.
I find it difficult to speak in front of people.
18-Narrow – Wide
The road is narrow here.
The river is quite wide.
19- Near – Far
She lives near me.
The supermarket is far from here.
20- Young – Old
He is young for his age.
She looks old for her years.
21- In front – Behind
Please stand in front of the class.
The cat was hiding behind the curtain.
22- To enter – To exit
You need to show your ticket to enter the stadium.
Please exit the train at the next stop.
23- To arrive – To leave
We arrived at the party at 9 pm.
When do you plan to leave?
24- To increase – To decrease
The company’s profits have decreased.
We need to find a way to increase sales.
25- To invite – To refuse
They refused my invitation to the party.
I was invited to his wedding.
26- Front – Back
Please stand at the back of the line.
There is a stain on the front of your shirt.
27- To allow – To forbid
You are not allowed to enter this area.
I forbid you to see him again.
28- Present – Absent
Is John present in the meeting?
She was absent from school today.
29- To welcome – To reject
They welcomed me with open arms.
The company rejected my application.
30- To employ – To dismiss
The company employs 200 people.
He was dismissed from his job last week.
31- To fill – To empty
Please fill the glass with water.
When you finish, please empty it in the sink.
32- To buy – To sell
I want to buy a new car.
The company is selling its products online.
33- To catch – To release
They caught a fish in the river.
Please release the bird.
34- Successful – Unsuccessful
The project was unsuccessful.
She is a successful businesswoman.
35- To contain – To lack
The book contains many errors.
His speech lacked substance.
36- Gross – Net
The gross weight of the package is 10 kg.
After deductions, the net salary is $2,000.
37- To increase – To reduce
Due to the recession, many companies reduced their workforce.
Please increase the volume.
38- To approve – To disapprove
The board approved the proposal.
He disapproved of her behavior.
39- To hurt – To cure
I hurt my back last week.
The medicine will help to cure your infection.
40- To own – To rent
We own our house.
They are renting an apartment.
41- To produce – To consume
The company produces 100 widgets per day.
Each widget consumes 0.5 kg of material.
42- To borrow – To lend
Can I borrow your pen?
I lent him $100 last week.
43- To describe – To explain
Can you describe the situation to me?
I can’t explain it.
44- Agreement – Disagreement
There was disagreement among the members of the committee.
We have reached an agreement on the terms of the contract.
45- Possibility – Impossibility
It is possible that he will come.
It is impossible to know what will happen in the future.
46- Certainty – Doubt
I am certain that he will come.
I doubt that she will be able to help you.
47- Reality – Imagination
The situation is not as bad as it seems. It’s just your imagination.
This is a reality.
48- Friendship – Enmity
They are friends.
There is enmity between them.
49- Solution – Problem
The problem is that we don’t have enough money.
I think I have a solution to your problem.
50- To encourage – To discourage
He was encouraged by her words.
Her behavior discouraged him from asking her out.
51- To support – To oppose
I support your decision.
Some people opposed the new law.
52- Majority – Minority
The majority of people voted for the proposal.
The minority opposes it.
53- Certain – Uncertain
I am certain that he will come.
I am uncertain about what to do.
54- To prefer – To dislike
I prefer coffee to tea.
She dislikes spinach.
55- To praise – To criticize
He was praised for his work.
She was criticized for her behavior.
56- Negative – Positive
The negative side of the situation is that we don’t have enough money.
The positive side is that we can get a loan.
57- To represent – To misrepresent
He was accused of misrepresenting the facts.
She was elected to represent her district.
58- To investigate – To ignore
The police are investigating the case.
The media ignored the story.
59- To join – To leave
He joined the army.
She left the organization.
60- Necessity – Option
It is necessary to arrive on time.
It is an option to take a taxi.
61- Advantage – Disadvantage
The advantage of living in the city is that there are many things to do.
The disadvantage is that it is expensive.
62- To insist – To refuse
She insisted on going to the party.
He refused to answer the question.
63- Benefit – Cost
The benefit of taking the course is that you will learn new things.
The cost of the course is $200.
64- To participate – To abstain
They are participating in the race.
I am abstaining from alcohol.
65- Increase – Decrease
Due to the recession, many companies reduced their workforce.
Please increase the volume.
66- Limited – Unlimited
The offer is limited to the first 100 customers.
His power is unlimited.
67- To welcome – To refuse
The company welcomed the new employees.
The government refused to comment on the situation.
68- Reward – Punishment
If you finish the work, you will get a reward.
If you don’t finish the work, you will be punished.
69- To reach – To miss
I reached the station at 9:00.
The train left at 8:30.
70- Easy – Difficult
It is easy to learn English.
It is difficult to speak fluently.
71- Serious – Silly
This is a serious matter.
Please don’t be silly.
72- Calm – Excited
He is calm in difficult situations.
She was so excited that she couldn’t sleep.
73- To achieve – To fail
They achieved their goal.
He failed the test.
74- To prevent – To allow
The law prevents smoking in public places.
The company allows its employees to work from home.
75- To deny – To confirm
She denied the rumors.
The company confirmed that it is going to reduce its workforce.
76- Opportunity – Threat
This is an opportunity to learn new things.
The recession is a threat to the company.
77- To protect – To endanger
The law protects your right to free speech.
Smoking tobacco can endanger your health.
78- To limit – To extend
The offer is limited to the first 100 customers.
Please extend your stay for another week.
79- Friendship – Hostility
They are friends.
There is hostility between them.
80- To approve – To disapprove
The board approved the proposal.
Some members disapproved of the decision.
81- To permit – To forbid
The law permits smoking in public places.
The company forbids its employees to smoke tobacco.
82- To encourage – To discourage
He was encouraged by her words.
Her behavior discouraged him from asking her out.
83- Majority – Minority
The majority of people voted for the proposal.
The minority of people voted against it.
84- To admire – To despise
He admires her.
She despises him.
85- Seriousness – Playfulness
Please be serious.
He has a playful personality.
86- Curiosity – Boredom
I am curious about what he will say.
She was bored with the movie.
87- To punish – To forgive
He was punished for his behavior.
She forgave him for what he did.
88- Importance – Unimportance
It is important to arrive on time.
It is unimportant to take a taxi.
89- To embarrass – To proud
He was embarrassed by his behavior.
She was proud of her achievement.
90- Confidence – shyness
He has a lot of confidence.
She is shy.
91- To frighten – To comfort
The noise frightened the baby.
She comforted him after the accident.
92- To annoy – To please
Her behavior annoyed me.
Please behave in a way that pleases others.
93- To satisfy – To unsatisfied
I am satisfied with your work.
Some customers were unsatisfied with the service.
94- Popularity – Unpopularity
The new product is becoming popular.
The old product is becoming unpopular.
95- To criticize – To praise
He criticized her for what she did.
She praised him for his work.
96- To disappoint – To encourage
I am disappointed with your work.
His words encouraged me to continue.
97- To amuse – To bore
The movie amused me.
The book bored me.
98- To select – To reject
He selected the best option.
She rejected all of the options.
99- Strength – Weakness
His strength is his ability to work hard.
Her weakness is her shyness.
100- Intelligent – unintelligent
He is very intelligent.
She is not unintelligent, but she is not very intelligent.
As you can see from these examples, many antonyms represent different extremes on a spectrum. However, there are also cases where the two concepts are completely different from one another (e.g., Up vs Down). No matter what type of antonym you are dealing with, understanding their usage will help you to communicate more effectively in English.
