Opposites & Synonyms

Quick reference for 50 opposite pairs and 30 synonym pairs used in the exercises.

OPPOSITES Adjectives

big↔small

hot↔cold

fast↔slow

happy↔sad

long↔short

young↔old

easy↔difficult

cheap↔expensive

clean↔dirty

heavy↔light

thick↔thin

wide↔narrow

deep↔shallow

empty↔full

loud↔quiet

bright↔dark

strong↔weak

safe↔dangerous

rich↔poor

polite↔rude

tight↔loose

smooth↔rough

brave↔cowardly

ancient↔modern

boring↔exciting

OPPOSITES Verbs

open↔close

start↔finish

buy↔sell

push↔pull

arrive↔leave

win↔lose

lend↔borrow

remember↔forget

love↔hate

laugh↔cry

accept↔refuse

include↔exclude

appear↔disappear

agree↔disagree

rise↔fall

succeed↔fail

attack↔defend

allow↔forbid

reward↔punish

increase↔decrease

OPPOSITES Nouns & Adverbs

always↔never

here↔there

inside↔outside

above↔below

success↔failure

OPPOSITES B1–C1 Level

generous↔stingy

humble↔arrogant

transparent↔opaque

abundant↔scarce

reliable↔unpredictable

optimistic↔pessimistic

flexible↔rigid

genuine↔fake

cautious↔reckless

concise↔verbose

voluntary↔compulsory

superficial↔profound

SYNONYMS Common Pairs

big=large, huge

small=tiny, little

happy=glad, pleased

sad=unhappy, upset

angry=furious, mad

scared=afraid, frightened

fast=quick, rapid

start=begin, commence

end=finish, complete

help=assist, aid

want=desire, wish

choose=select, pick

important=essential, crucial

beautiful=gorgeous, stunning

difficult=hard, challenging

easy=simple, straightforward

strange=odd, weird

clever=smart, intelligent

tired=exhausted, weary

rich=wealthy, affluent

fix=repair, mend

mistake=error, blunder

answer=reply, respond

keep=retain, hold

trip=journey, voyage

get=obtain, receive

nice=kind, pleasant

rude=impolite, offensive

quiet=silent, calm

whole=entire, complete