Examples of Antonyms, Synonyms and

Homonyms
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Synonyms are words
that have the same or a similar meaning. Homonyms are words that are
pronounced the same and spelled the same but have different meanings.

Antonym Examples
An antonym is the opposite of another word. Antonyms can be used to
help show contrast between two things or give clues to exactly what is
meant. Below are some examples of antonyms:
 Achieve – Fail
 Idle – Active
 Afraid – Confident
 Ancient – Modern
 Arrive – Depart
 Arrogant – Humble
 Ascend – Descend
 Attack – Defend
 Blunt – Sharp
 Brave – Cowardly
 Cautious – Careless
 Complex – Simple
 Compliment – Insult
 Crazy – Sane
 Crooked – Straight
 Decrease – Increase
 Demand – Supply
 Destroy – Create
 Divide – Unite
 Drunk – Sober
 Expand – Contract
 Freeze – Boil
 Full – Empty
 Generous – Stingy
 Giant – Dwarf
 Gloomy – Cheerful
 Guilty – Innocent
 Hire – Fire
 Include – Exclude
 Individual – Group
 Innocent – Guilty
 Knowledge – Ignorance
 Liquid – Solid
 Major – Minor
 Marvelous – Terrible
 Mature – Immature
 Maximum - Minimum
 Noisy – Quiet
 Optimist - Pessimist
 Ordinary – Extraordinary
 Partial – Complete
 Passive – Active
 Permanent – Unstable
 Plentiful – Sparse
 Positive – Negative
 Powerful – Weak
 Praise – Criticism
 Private – Public
 Problem – Solution
 Professional – Amateur
 Profit – Loss
 Quality – Inferiority
 Random – Specific
 Rigid – Flexible
 Segregate – Integrate
 Shame – Honor
 Simple - Complicated
 Single – Married
 Strength – Weakness
 Sunny - Cloudy
 Superb – Awful
 Temporary – Permanent
 Timid – Bold
 Toward – Away
 Tragic – Comic
 Transparent - Opaque
 Triumph – Defeat
 Union – Separation
 Unique – Common
 Upset – Relaxed
 Urge – Deter
 Vacant – Occupied
 Vague – Definite
 Vertical – Horizontal
 Villain – Hero
 Visible - Invisible
 Wax - Wane  Wealth – Poverty

Synonym Examples
Synonyms can provide you with variety in speech or writing. There are
endless examples of synonyms, making it easy for you to avoid overusing
the same word and sounding repetitive. Some examples of synonyms
include the following:
 Amazing, astounding, surprising,  Intelligent, clever, brilliant,
stunning knowledgeable
 Annihilation, destruction,  Look, glance, see, gaze, stare
carnage, extinction  Loyal, faithful, ardent, devoted
 Benefit, profit, revenue, yield  Old, elderly, aged, senior
 Brave, courageous, valiant, heroic  Organization, institution,
 Center, middle, inside, midpoint management
 Cunning, keen, sharp, slick  Partner, associate, colleague,
 Destitute, poor, bankrupt, companion
impoverished  Polite, courteous, cordial,
 Deterioration, pollution, gracious
defilement, adulteration  Quick, fast, swift, speedy, rapid
 Enormous, huge, gigantic,  Risky, dangerous, perilous,
massive treacherous
 Evil, bad, wicked, vile, malicious  Sleepy, drowsy, listless, sluggish
 Fertile, fruitful, abundant,  True, correct, right, accurate,
productive exact
 House, dwelling, abode, domicile  Under, below, beneath, lower
 Hungry, ravenous, empty  Vacant, empty, deserted,
 Injured, damaged, wounded, uninhabited
harmed  Woman, lady, female, girl
 Wet, damp, moist, soaked, soggy

Homonym Examples
Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and pronunciation but
have different meanings. The following are examples of homonyms:
 Address - manner of speaking to another / Address - description of a
property location
 Arm – body part / Arm – division of a company
 Bat – an implement used to hit a ball / Bat – a nocturnal flying mammal
 Bear - an animal / Bear - to tolerate something
 Book - to reserve a hotel room or a table at a restaurant / Book – pages of
writing bound together with a cover
 Bright – very smart or intelligent / Bright – filled with light
 Cave - to give in or surrender / Cave – a hole or gap in a rock or in earth
 Chair - an item of furniture / Chair – the distinguished head of a
department
 Change - to replace the clothing you are wearing with another outfit /
Change – money given back after a purchase
 Cool - chilly in temperature / Cool – someone trendy or popular
 Crane - a large type of bird / Crane – a mechanical device used for lifting
 Deck - a pack of playing cards / Deck - to punch someone and knock them
out
 Dive – to go down quickly / Dive – an unpleasant place
 Duck - a type of bird / Duck – to lower your head or body in order to avoid
being hit by something
 Employ - to put into use / Employ – to hire someone for a job
 Even - without any variation / Even – flat and level surface
 Express – something done fast / Express – to show your thoughts by using
words
 File - to store computer data / File – to make a formal request
 Fine – being of high quality / Fine – sum of money used as a penalty
 Fire - to terminate someone from a job / Fire – a blaze
 Grave – something very serious / Grave – a place to bury the dead
 Groom - to make tidy in appearance / Groom – the man who is about to get
married
 Gross - disgusting / Gross – large
 Hide – to keep something secret / Hide – the skin of an animal
 Iron – to press or smooth / Iron – silvery-gray metal
 Jam – pack tightly / Jam – spread made from fruit and sugar
 Key - scale of musical notes / Key – device used to lock or unlock a door
 Left - side of the body / Left – what is remaining of something
 Light - to set fire / Light – pale in color
 Line – a continous length / Line – verse in a poem or story
 Man - male person / Man – to brace or fortify
 Match - competitive sporting event / Match – a device used to start a fire
 Nail - the end plate of your finger or toe / Nail – spike shaped metal
fastener
 Park - area used for recreation / Park – to bring a vehicle to a halt
 Pen – an instrument for writing / Pen - type of enclosure for animals
 Ring – a band on a finger / Ring – something circular in shape
 Right – correct / Right – direction opposite of left
 Rock – a genre of music / Rock – a stone
 Seal - a type of mammal / Seal – a tight closure
 Show - to display / Show – a type of broadcast
 Sign - omen / Sign – to write your signature on something to make it
official
 Stalk – a part of a plant / Stalk – to follow or harass someone
 Tank - military vehicle / Tank- container used to store liquid
 Tire - rubber covering of a wheel / Tire – to become bored with or in need
of rest
 Trip - to stumble / Trip - journey
 Wave - move your hand sideways to say hello / Wave – a movement in
water
 Watch - wearable timepiece / Watch – to observe
 Well- in good health / Well – a source for water in the ground
 Yard – space around a house / Yard – measurement of length