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Antonyms and Synonyms
18,513 ReadsIn this lesson, we are going to learn about some different terms for words in the English language
Synonyms
First, we will look at synonyms.
If two words are synonyms, it means that they have the same meaning or similar meanings.
Let's look at some examples:
- The words "pretty" and "beautiful" have similar meanings-they are synonyms.
- The words "huge" and "enormous" have similar meanings-they are synonyms.
- The words "street" and "road" have similar meanings-they are synonyms.
- The words "true" and "factual" have similar meanings-they are synonyms.
You can use synonyms to vary words when you are writing. Instead of always using the word "big," you can use more descriptive language: "huge," "gigantic," "enormous."
Notice the difference in the following sentences:
- The bear that we saw in the woods was big.
- The bear that we saw in the woods was enormous.
The second sentence is more descriptive and gives us a better idea of how big the bear was.
It is important to realize that while words may have similar meanings, they are not always interchangeable. This means that you cannot always replace a word with another just because meanings are similar.
Let's look at some examples:
- Jennifer was hungry or Jennifer was famished.
"Hungry" and "famished" have similar meanings, but if Jennifer is "famished," she is very hungry.
If you are trying to communicate how hungry she is, "famished" is a better word. - Mark had a boo-boo or Mark had an injury.
"Boo-boo" is a common slang word for an injury, but even though these two words mean similar things, you would not want to use "boo-boo" in formal speech or writing.
Again, synonyms can help you vary your words when writing, but they can also help you to be more specific about what you want to say, and using a synonym that is more formal can help you when you are writing.
Antonyms
Now, we will look at antonyms.
If two words are antonyms, it means they have opposite meaning.
Let's look at some examples:
- The words "build" and "destroy" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
- The words "chilly" and "warm" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
- The words "smooth" and "rough" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
- The words "damp" and "dry" have opposite meanings-they are antonyms.
Again, you can use antonyms to better understand what you read and to be more descriptive when you write. For example, instead of writing, "She was not nice," use an antonym of the word "nice" to describe the girl such as "mean," or "unfriendly."
- She was mean.
- She was unfriendly.
You can also form antonyms by adding a prefix meaning "not" to a word. Some common prefixes that mean "not" are "un," "in," and "non."
Let's look at some examples:
- Able-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "un" to make "unable."
- Consistent-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "in" to make "inconsistent."
- Fat-you can form an opposite of this word by adding "non" to make "nonfat."
Words that have the same or similar meanings.
Antonym (think "against")
Words that have opposite meanings.
