Objectives:

After the completion of this unit, you will be able to—

• explain synonyms and antonyms.

• identify synonyms and antonyms of different words.

• make sentences by using synonyms and antonyms.

Synonyms: Synonyms are those words or expressions that have the same meaning or nearly the same meaning in the same language. For example – liberty, liberation, freedom, independence and emancipation are all synonyms of each other.

Antonyms: Antonyms are those words or expressions that have the opposite meaning. For example – the antonym of ‘independence’ is ‘dependence’.

Synonyms and antonyms of any language not only enrich the language but also accelerate its natural flow. By the use of synonyms one can avoid the boring repetition of any word or expression. Synonyms and antonyms can also enhance one’s vocabulary knowledge of a language.

Synonyms and Antonyms of some important words:

1. ABANDON (v) – to leave: He abandoned his wife and children.

Synonyms: abdicate, leave, quit, desert, discard.

Antonyms: chase, follow, undertake, accept.

2. ACCUMULATE (v) – to assemble – He is gradually accumulating courage to do the work.

Synonyms: assemble, gather, collect, store, hoard, congregate, rally.

Antonyms: disperse, scatter, spread, dissipate, distribute

3. ADVERSE (adj.) – unfavourable: He made some adverse comments on my proposal. Synonyms: antagonistic, unfavourable, critical, hostile, negative, unkind, censorious. Antonyms: favourable, propitious, appropriate, advantageous, congenial.

4. ALARMING (Adj.) – ominous: Our population is increasing at an alarming rate.

Synonyms: frightful, terrible, fearful, ominous

Antonyms: hopeful, bright, auspicious

5. ANIMOSITY (n.) – hostility: There is no animosity between them.

Synonyms: enmity, hostility, antagonism, aversion, antipathy, acrimony, grudge, resentment, vindictiveness.

Antonyms: amity, love, friendliness, sympathy, good will, sweetness, cordiality.

6. ANNIHILATE (v) – to destroy : We annihilated our enemy.

Synonyms: destroy, suppress, cancel, extinguish

Antonyms: establish, support, promote, make, build, produce, found

7. APPARENT (adj.) – clear: His anxiety was apparent to everyone present there.

Synonyms: clear, visible, obvious, evident, manifest.

Antonyms: hidden, obscure, secret, covert, latent.

8. ARROGANCE (adj.) – pride: We should not exhibit our arrogance at any place.

Synonyms: haughtiness, pride, conceit, egotism

Antonyms: modesty, politeness, humanity

9. AUSPICIOUS (adj.) – propitious: Today is an auspicious day in my life.

Synonyms: favourable, suitable, propitious, happy, fortunate, opportune, promising, good.

Antonyms: unfavourable, inauspicious, hopeless, unhappy, unlucky.

10. BANKRUPT (adj.) – ruined: The company became bankrupt for incurring a heavy loss.

Synonyms: insolvent, destitute, indigent, ruined.

Antonyms: rich, well-off, solvent, prosperous

11. BARREN (adj.) – unproductive: Crops do not grow in a barren land.

Synonyms: infertile, unproductive, sterile, bleak

Antonyms: fertile, productive

12. BENEFICIAL (adj.) – useful: Exercising is beneficial to health.

Synonyms: useful, helpful, valuable, positive.

Antonyms: useless, harmful, detrimental.

13. BENEVOLENT (adj.) – kind: Our teacher is a benevolent person.

Synonyms: generous, kind, merciful, charitable, gracious.

Antonyms: cruel, unkind, inhuman, malicious, selfish.

14. BONAFIDE (adj.) – real: Those who are bonafide students can enjoy the service. Synonyms: genuine, real, sincere, authentic, legitimate, actual, true, valid, legal. Antonyms: bogus, false, inauthentic, counterfeit.

15. BORING (adj.) – not interesting at all: This is a boring movie.

Synonyms: dull, uninteresting, tedious, troublesome, monotonous, dreary, lackluster, tiresome.

Antonyms: interesting, enjoyable, amusing, pleasant, delightful.

16. BREVITY (n.) – briefness: I like the brevity of Bacon’s essays.

Synonyms: shortness, conciseness, pithiness, terseness, succinctness, concision.

Antonyms: lengthiness, verbosity, grandiloquence.

17. BUOYANT (adj.) – light: Cork is a buoyant material.

Synonyms: floating, hopeful, cheerful, lively, vivacious, afloat, lighthearted, upbeat, optimistic.

Antonyms: depressed, cheerless, moody, joyless

18. CANDID (adj.) – frank: He made a candid confession.

Synonyms: frank, open, sincere, straightforward, outspoken, honest, sincere, truthful, blunt.

Antonyms: reserved, insincere, enigmatic, mysterious.

19. CAPRICIOUS (adj.) – whimsical: We should give up our capricious behaviour. Synonyms: fickle, changeful, whimsical, fanciful, freakish, inconsistent, flexible. Antonyms: firm, rigid, constant, inflexible.

20. COMPULSORY (adj.) – mandatory: English is a compulsory subject at the secondary level.

Synonyms: obligatory, mandatory, coercive

Antonyms: optional, voluntary, charitable

21. COMPLACENT (adj.) – satisfied: She had a complacent smile on his face.

Synonyms: pleased, satisfied, content, happy, smug, content

Antonyms: dissatisfied, unhappy, discontented, anxious

22. CONDUCIVE (adj.) – helpful: Fresh air is conducive to health.

Synonyms: effective, productive, good, useful, promotive, beneficial, contributive

Antonyms: repugnant, preventive, counteractive, destructive, bad, injurious, harmful.

23. CONSPICIOUS (adj.) – easily visible: His honesty is conspicuous.

Synonyms: distinguished, manifest, visible, prominent, famous, noticeable, observable

Antonyms: obscure, invisible, inconspicuous.

24. CORDIAL (adj.) – hearty: He gave us a cordial reception.

Synonyms: warm, earnest, sincere, hearty, loving, genial, affable, friendly, amiable, jovial

Antonyms: cold, insincere, distant, formal, unfriendly, ceremonious

25. DECREASE (v.) – to lessen: The boy has decreased his weight.

Synonyms: abate, lower, curtail, lessen, diminish, reduce, wane, decline, cut, dwindle, shrink

Antonyms: expand, increase, grow, extend, enlarge, amplify, augment

26. DELIBERATE (adj.) – willful: Deliberate mistakes should be punished. Synonyms: intentional, willful, planned, conscious, purposeful, premeditated Antonyms: unintentional, inadvertent, unwilling, unwitting

27. DESIRABLE (adj.) – proper: Such an act of stupidity is not desirable from you.

Synonyms: acceptable, proper, suitable, advisable

Antonyms: objectionable, undesirable, improper, evil, unadvisable

28. DESTROY (v.) to ruin: He has destroyed all the documents.

Synonyms: annihilate, ruin, obliterate, demolish, undo, subvert, overthrow, devastate

Antonyms: build, construct, create, repair, make

29. DILIGENT (adj.) industrious: She is very diligent.

Synonyms: active, industrious, hardworking, assiduous, attentive

Antonyms: indolent, lazy, idle, inactive

30. Direct (adj) – straight: She gave us a direct answer.

Synonyms: straight, quick, immediate, prompt, instant, right away

Antonyms: indirect, slow, belated

31. DISPERSE (v.) – to spread: The police dispersed the mob.

Synonyms: scatter, spread, disband, diffuse, break up, dispel, dissipate

Antonyms: gather, assemble, collect, meet, accumulate

32. DREADFUL (adj.) – terrible: She saw a dreadful dream.

Synonyms: fearful, terrible, horrible, frightful, awful, alarming, monstrous, shocking

Antonyms: pleasing, pleasant, delightful, charming, hopeful, encouraging

33. ELEGANT (adj.) – graceful: She loves elegant clothes.

Synonyms: polished, refined, graceful, decent, handsome, grand, luxurious

Antonyms: coarse, rude, inelegant, ungraceful, simple, vulgar

34. ENCOURAGE (v.) – to inspire: My father always encourages me to help others.

Synonyms: incite, stimulate, urge, impel, inspire

Antonyms: prevent, discourage, dissuade, deter, dishearten

35. ENTHUSIASM (n.) – zeal: She has great enthusiasm for music.

Synonyms: ardour, passion, eagerness, rapture, interest, keenness, fervour, gusto, zest

Antonyms: contempt, indifference, callousness, coldness, repugnance

36. EPHEMERAL (ad.) – momentary: Happiness is ephemeral.

Synonyms: fugitive, momentary, transient, temporary, fleeting, evanescent, mortal

Antonyms: permanent, eternal, perpetual, immortal, perennial

37. FASCINATE (v.) – to attract: She was fascinated by the beauty of the scenery. Synonyms: charm, attract, captivate, enthrall, affect, mesmerize, absorb Antonyms: bore, irritate, disturb, disgust

38. FATAL (adj.) – deadly: I saw a fatal accident.

Synonyms: mortal, deadly, destructive, dangerous, calamitous, harmful, serious, grave

Antonyms: harmless, wholesale, notorious, constructive, bebeficial

39. FEEBLE (adj.) – weak: He is a man of feeble mind. Synonyms: faint, weak, vain, frail, scanty, forceless, nerveless Antonyms: strong, robust, active, vigorous, muscular

40. FERTILE (adj.) – productive: The land of Bangladesh is fertile.

Synonyms: productive, rich, luxuriant, prolific, fecund, conducive, lush

Antonyms: barren, sterile, ineffective, unproductive, poor, fruitless, infertile

41. FLEXIBLE (adj.) – elastic: We should have a flexible mind to cope with others. Synonyms: plaint, supple, elastic, changeable, ductile, lithe, bendy, bendable Antonyms: hard, rigid, inflexible, tough, inelastic

42. FRIVOLOUS (adj.) – silly: We should give up our frivolous behaviour.

Synonyms: silly, trivial, petty, worthless, trifling

Antonyms: serious, grave, earnest, important

43. GALLANT (adj.) – brave: He was a gallant soldier.

Synonyms: bold, brave, courageous, valiant, heroic, fearless, chivalrous

Antonyms: cowardly, timid, churlish, fearful

44. GENEROUS (adj.) – kind: We should always be generous to poor people. Synonyms: liberal, lavish, kind, bountiful, cordial, magnanimous, open-hearted Antonyms: mean, niggardly, miserly, churlish, selfish, closefisted

45. GORGEOUS (adj.) – grand: We had a gorgeous party last night. Synonyms: pompous, grand, magnificent, splendid, superb, costly Antonyms: cheap, simple, colourless, threadbare, dingy

46. GRATIFY (v) – to satisfy: His result gratifies his parents.

Synonyms: please, satisfy, gladden, reward

Antonyms: displease, disappoint, dishearten, dissatisfy, sadden

47. GUESS (v.) – to infer: I guess that he is sick.

Synonyms: suppose, conjecture, surmise, imagine, infer, predict

Antonyms: examine, prove, investigate, deduce, establish

48. HANDSOME (adj.) – graceful: The man is really handsome. Synonyms: beautiful, lovely, pretty, graceful, elegant, comely Antonyms: ugly, ill-looking, unattractive, unpleasant, horrible

49. HAPHAZARD (adj.) – chaotic: Everything in the room was in a haphazard condition.

Synonyms: chaotic, confusing, disorderly, unsystematic, unmethodical

Antonyms: organized, systematic, planned, methodical

50. HAZARD (n.) – risk: No business is free from hazard.

Synonyms: peril, risk, danger, jeopardy

Antonyms: safety, security, protection, certainty

51. HINDER (v.) – to impede: Nothing can hinder the expression of truth.

Synonyms: retard, debar, embarrass, impede, thwart, block, prevent, interrupt, stop, obstruct

Antonyms: enable, promote, expedite, facilitate, accelerate

52. HYPOCRISY (n.) – deception: His conduct is full of hypocrisy. Synonyms: affectation, deception, pretension, falsification, duplicity Antonyms: honesty, sincerity, integrity, uprightness

53. IGNOBLE (adj.) – shameful: He has done an ignoble job.

Synonyms: mean, base, detestable, shameful, dishonourable,

Antonyms: exalted, lofty, grand, eminent, illustrious, brilliant, notable

54. IMPEDIMENT ((n) – obstacle: Illiteracy is the impediment to success.

Synonyms: block, hindrance, obstacle, obstruction

Antonyms: support, succour, aid, help, assistance

55. INCLEMENT (adj.) – rough: You should not go out in the inclement weather. Synonyms: severe, rough, harsh, cruel, rigorous, awful, tyrannical Antonyms: genial, mild, clement, merciful, benign

56. INDIFFERNCE (n.) – apathy: He showed complete indifference to study. Synonyms: coolness, carelessness, apathy, callousness, insensibility Antonyms: eagerness, interest, affection, ardour, zeal, enthusiasm

57. INDULGENT (adj.) – tolerant: He is an indulgent father. Synonyms: tolerant, complaint, tender, affectionate Antonyms: severe, harsh, rough, cruel, intolerant

58. JEALOUS (adj.) – envious: We should not jealous of somebody else’s success. Synonyms: envious, covetous, suspicious, wary, grudging, resentful Antonyms: unenvious, satisfied, liberal

59. JUDICIOUS (adj.) – wise: He took a judicious decision regarding his job.

Synonyms: wise, thoughtful, sagacious, expedient, prudent, sensible, discreet

Antonyms: indiscreet, unwise, silly, rash, foolish, inexpedient, imprudent

60. JUVENILE (adj.) – youthful: This novel is full of juvenile impulse. Synonyms: young, youthful, childish, boyish, girlish, immature, adolescent Antonyms: senile, mature, manly, womanly, adult, aged

61. KINDLY (adv.) – cordially: Would you kindly help me?

Synonyms: warmly, cordially, gently, generously, politely, patiently, sympathetically

Antonyms: cruelly, impolitely, harshly, rudely, mercilessly

62. KNOWLEDGEABLE (adj.) – learned: He is a very knowledgeable person. Synonyms: educated, learned, experienced, intelligent, scholarly Antonyms: ignorant, uneducated, unaware, foolish, stupid, inexperienced

63. LACONIC (adj.) – reticent: I like Iconic person. Synonyms: curt, terse, epigrammatic, reticent Antonyms: wordy, garrulous, eloquent, circumlocutory

64. LANGUID (adj.) – spiritless: I saw his languid body on the floor. Synonyms: spiritless, exhausted, flagging, pining, drooping Antonyms: active, strong, healthy, robust, vigorous

65. LENGTHEN (v.) – to prolong: He lengthed his speech to the point of boredom. Synonyms: prolong, extend, expand, increase, protract, continue, stretch, elongate Antonyms: curtail, shorten, reduce, decrease, belittle, abbreviate

66. LIBERAL (adj.) – moderate: He is a liberal person.

Synonyms: copious, bountiful, catholic, bounteous, progressive, moderate, generous

Antonyms: conservative, mean, traditional, narrow-minded, bigoted,

67. LUDICRIOUS (adj.) – funny: He put me into a ludicrous situation. Synonyms: funny, ridiculous, farcical, comic, comical, laughable Antonyms: tragic, serious, grave, sad, doleful, mournful, somber

68. MEDIOCRE (adj.) – average: He is a mediocre student.

Synonyms: average, commonplace, medium, ordinary, second-rate, middling

Antonyms: distinctive, exceptional, extraordinary, brilliant, excellent, superior

69. MISERABLE (adj.) – wretched: He has fallen into a miserable condition. Synonyms: wretched, despicable, abject, forlorn, pitiable, worthless, sad, intolerable Antonyms: happy, worthy, comfortable, respectable, delightful, pleasant

70. MODESTY (n.) – politeness: Everybody is impressed by his modesty. Synonyms: humility, purity, bashfulness, politeness, diffidence, sobriety Antonyms: vanity, conceit, effrontery, shamelessness, wantonness

71. MUSTY (adj.) – stale: Your ideas are all musty.

Synonyms: stale, outdated, obsolete, fetid, rank, fusty, mildewed

Antonyms: balmy, fresh, odorous, fragrant, aromatic

72. NAUGHTY (adj.) – bad: He is a naughty boy.

Synonyms: bad, wicked, disobedient, mischievous, roguish, wayward

Antonyms: good, mild, polite, obedient, well-behaved

73. NEBULOUS (adj.) – vague: There is nebulous difference between the two ideas. Synonyms: ambiguous, cloudy, hazy, imprecise, indistinct, misty, obscure, vague Antonyms: clear, certain, precise, distinct, bright

74. NERVOUS (adj.) – anxious: He feels nervous in the examination hall.

Synonyms: shaky, jumpy, timid, anxious, hesitant

Antonyms: brave, courageous, bold, confident, valiant, calm, cool

75. NOMINAL (adj.) – so-called: The president is the nominal head of the state.

Synonyms: so-called, symbolic, titular, trivial, insignificant

Antonyms: actual, genuine, real, important, essential, substantial

76. OBJECT (v) – to oppose: I object to your decision.

Synonyms: oppose, disapprove, argue, complain, protest, refuse, repudiate, demur

Antonyms: accept, approve, agree, acquiesce

77. OBJECTIONABLE (adj.) – offensive: Your comment is highly objectionable.

Synonyms: unpleasant, unacceptable, offensive, obnoxious, disagreeable, detestable, despicable

Antonyms: pleasant, acceptable, agreeable, welcome

78. OBLIVIOUS (adj.) – forgetful: I am now oblivious of those days. Synonyms: ignorant, negligent, unaware, careless, heedless, unconscious Antonyms: aware, conscious, observant, mindful

79. OBSCENE (adj.) – dirty: I don’t like obscene jokes.

Synonyms: bawdy, coarse, indecent, filthy, foul, gross, lewd, licentious, offensive

Antonyms: clean, decent, decorous, wholesome, pure

80. OBSOLETE (adj.) – out-date: Give up your obsolete plans. Synonyms: old, ancient, out-dated, outmoded, outworn, old-fashioned Antonyms: current, new, modern, up-to-date, contemporary

81. PACIFY (v.) – to appease: The mother is pacifying her crying baby. Synonyms: calm down, soothe, appease, tranquilise, mollify, placate Antonyms: excite, irritate, rouse, exasperate, agitate, provoke,

82. PASTIME (n.) – entertainment: Travelling is one of my favourite pastimes. Synonyms: diversion, sport, recreation, entertainment, amusement, Antonyms: work, labour, business, occupation, profession

83. PERILOUS (adj.) – dangerous: Smoking is perilous for health.

Synonyms: dangerous, hazardous, risky, unsafe, horrible, terrible, fearful

Antonyms: secure, safe, sound, certain, comfortable

84. PERMIT (v) – allow: The teacher permits me to ask my question. Synonyms: approve, let, allow, authorize, encourage, content, sanction Antonyms: disallow, stop, prevent, check, forbid, prohibit

85. PERVERSE (adj.) – wayward: He leads a perverse life.

Synonyms: wick, mean, bad, untoward, stubborn, immoral, wayward, unmanageable, intractable, vicious

Antonyms: docile, ductile, amenable, governable, manageable, complacent

86. PRECIOUS (adj.) – valuable: Gold is a precious metal.

Synonyms: costly, valuable, dear, expensive, priceless, prized, loved

Antonyms: cheap, worthless, inexpensive, valueless, ordinary, base

87. QUALIFIED (adj.) – competent: He is a qualified teacher.

Synonyms: competent, suitable, eligible, capable, efficient, experienced, able, proficient, talented

Antonyms: unqualified, unable, inexperienced, incapable, incompetent, unskilled

88. QUEER (adj.) – strange: He speaks in a queer way.

Synonyms: strange, abnormal, odd, eccentric, curious, crazy, unnatural, peculiar

Antonyms: common, ordinary, usual, natural, familiar, customary, normal

89. QUITE (adv.) wholly: They were quite different from each other.

Synonyms: wholly, truly, altogether, entirely, totally, completely, perfectly, fairly

Antonyms: barely, hardly, partially, scarcely

90. RAPID (adj.) – quick: The rapid growth of population is a problem of our country.

Synonyms: swift, speedy, fast, prompt, hasty

Antonyms: slow, lazy, tardy, sluggish, leisurely, belated

91. REBUKE (v). – to scold: The teacher rebuked us for make noise in the class. Synonyms: chide, reprove, censure, reprimand, scold, admonish, reproach Antonyms: praise, commend, admire, encourage, applaud, appreciate, eulogise

92. REDUCE (v.) – to decrease: We should reduce the speed of your car. Synonyms: lessen, diminish, decrease, curtail, shorten, contract, weaken Antonyms: increase, expand, enlarge, lengthen, extend, augment

93. RELISH (n.) – taste: He ate the food with great relish. Synonyms: taste, appetite, zest, gusto, flavour Antonyms: disrelish, disflavour, nauseousness, insipidity

94. REMEDY (n.) – solution: There is no remedy to this disease. Synonyms: redress, relief, cure, solution, treatment, antidote, reparation Antonyms: malady, disease, sickness, infection, illness

95. REPEAL (v.) – to cancel: All the oppressive rules should be repealed. Synonyms: abolish, cancel, annul, revoke, abrogate, rescind, discontinue Antonyms: sanction, enact, continue, establish, pass, confirm

96. RUSTIC (adj.) – uncouth: You must give up your uncouth behaviour.

Synonyms: awkward, boorish, clumsy, pastoral, uncouth, uncultured, rough, rural

Antonyms: polished, refined, cultured, sophisticated, urban

97. SACRED (adj.) – holy: All religions have some sacred places.

Synonyms: holy, heavenly, religious, divine, blessed, solemn, devout, godly

Antonyms: mundane, profane, irreligious, secular, ungodly, temporal, unholy

98. SATISFY (v.) – to please: Your performance has satisfied me. Synonyms: gratify, please, fulfill, gladden, amuse, meet Antonyms: fail, disappoint, displease, dissatisfy

99. SHABBY (adj.) – ragged: She was wearing a shabby dress. Synonyms: ragged, beggarly, threadbare, dirty, paltry Antonyms: smart, tidy, neat, clean, fashionable

100. SOLITARY (adj.) – lonely: He lives a solitary life. Synonyms: lonely, isolated, secluded, deserted, uninhabited Antonyms: populous, social, inhabited, well-frequented.

101. TACTFUL (adj.) – skilful: He is very tactful in dealing with students. Synonyms: careful, diplomatic, discreet, politic, skilful, prudent Antonyms: careless, rude, tactless, impolitic, imprudent

102. TANGIBLE (adj.) – manifest: There is no tangible evidence of his crime.

Synonyms: actual, real, definite, manifest, evident, concrete, positive, substantial, material

Antonyms: intangible, abstract, indefinite, unreal, negative, untouchable

103. TERMINATE (v.) – end: She terminates her speech with a reference from Shakespeare.

Synonyms: cease, close, complete, conclude, finish, wind up, stop

Antonyms: begin, start, commence, initiate

104. UNANIMOUS (adj.) – concerted: They reached a unanimous decision on the matter.

Synonyms: common, concerted, harmonious, joint, united

Antonyms: discordant, divided, disunited, split

105. VACATE (v.) – to leave: The police asked the people to vacate the place.

Synonyms: leave, quit, abandon, withdraw, desert, evacuate

Antonyms: occupy, capture, enter, fill, take

106. WEAKEN (v.) – to decline: The disease has weakened his body.

Synonyms: dilute, impair, paralyse, debilitate, enfeeble

Antonyms: empower, confirm, strengthen, invigorate

107. ZENITH (n.) – peak: He has reached the zenith of his fame. Synonyms: acme, climax, height, peak, summit, top, vertex Antonyms: nadir, bottom, depth, lowest point