Students preparing for official English exams very often need to know how to create antonyms of certain words for the Use of English part.
In fact, this is one of the most difficult exercises for students, but it’s all a matter of practice!
If you are thinking of taking a certification and want to know what are the most used English synonyms and antonyms in English, you are in luck!
In Fun Talk we are going to explain in detail how these words are formed so that you will be able to recognize them in any type of exam.
Most commonly used English synonyms and antonyms
| Adjective | Synonym | Antonym |
| Fast | Quick | Slow |
| Hot | Warm | Cold |
| Light | Bright | Dark |
| Heavy | Weighty | Light |
| Hard | Tough | Soft |
| Old | Elderly | Young |
| Short | Brief | Tall |
| New | Fresh | Old |
| Long | Extended | Short |
| High | Tall | Low |
These are just a few examples, but English has a rich variety of synonyms and antonyms that can be useful in a variety of contexts.
What we recommend you do to learn them all is to keep a vocabulary notebook during your Englishclasses, so that you can gradually write down each new word you learn.
How an antonym is formed in English
Often, regular antonyms in English are formed by through the use of prefixes or suffixes. These are the most commonly used prefixes:
- Un- (not) – Happy (happy) – Unhappy (unhappy)
- In- (not) – Formal (formal) – Informal (informal)
- Dis- (no) – Agree – Disagree (dissent)
- Anti- (against) – Fascist – Antifascist – Antifascist
However, it is important to emphasize that there are many antonyms in English that do not follow a clear pattern and are simply the result of the natural evolution of the language.
So, unfortunately, to learn them all you will need years of experience in the language.
Irregular Antonyms in English
On the other hand, there are English words that do not follow a specific rule to form their antonyms.
Some of these we have mentioned in the table above, but here is a reminder of the most commonly used ones:
- Fast – Slow
- Hard (hard) – Soft (soft)
- Good (good) – Bad (bad)
- Long – Short
- Big – Small
- Near – Far
Tips for learning antonyms in English
As we know that learning antonyms in English can be a challenging task, here are some tricks that can make the process easier for you:
- Associate a mental image with each antonym, as this can help in remembering the words and their meanings.
- Create flash cards with the word and its antonym. Writing is one of the best ways to memorize; the other is to explain.
Using flashcards like this, you can do both! - Create example sentences each time you learn a new word. That is, write sentences containing the opposite words in your vocabulary notebook.
In this way, you force yourself to internalize what you have learned rather than simply writing it down.
That’s all there is to it!
Remember that, when it comes to learning English, constant practice is key. So, you know, apply the tips we have given you, do daily exercises and contact us if you need English reinforcement classes.
The more you practice, the easier it will be to remember the antonyms in English.