An antonym is a word that means the opposite of

another word.
For examples:
up-down
day- night
plus –minus
Answering the what are antonyms question is quite
easy. In a word, antonyms are opposite
But depending on the situation one opposite might not
be the appropriate opposite.
What do I mean?
  If I say young,

If I say young,  If I can sit,
If I can sit,
 Then you an stand.
Then you an  If I turn left,
stand.  Then you turn right,
If I turn left,
Then you turn
 If I can frown,
right,  Then you can smile.
If I can frown,
Then you can
smile.
  Antonyms are opposites.
Left, right
In, out
Antonyms are opposites.  Antonyms are opposites.
Left, right
In, out Fast, slow,
Antonyms are opposites. Whisper, shout
Fast, slow,
Whisper, shout  Antonyms are opposites.
Antonyms are opposites.
They don’t mean the same. They don’t mean the same.
Young, old
Hot, cold
Young, old
Yes, no Hot, cold
Stop, go!
Wet, dry...
Yes, no
Tall, short... Stop, go!
If I say young,
 Wet, dry...
 Tall, short...
 If I say young,
THE MOST BASIC AND SIMPLE WELL, LET'S USE AN EXAMPLE
ONES ARE TO ILLUSTRATE. TAKE THE
THOSE ANTONYMS THAT WORD 'RIGHT.'
ARE STRICTLYOPPOSITES SUC IT'S ANTONYMIS LEFT, RIGHT?

H AS YES - NO, BLACK - NO, IT'S WRONG! YES, THAT'S
WHITE, AND UP - DOWN. RIGHT! NO, IT'S LEFT! DO YOU
SEE WHAT I'M GETTING AT?
THEN THERE ARE
The most basic and simple ones are
THOSE ANTONYMS THAT those antonyms that
ARE OPPOSITES BUT LEAVE are strictlyopposites such as yes -
no, black - white, and up - down.
ROOM FOR ERROR
ACCORDING TO USAGE. Then there are
those antonyms that
are opposites but leave room
for error according to usage.
 Well, let's use an example to illustrate. Take the
word 'right.' It's antonymis left, right? No, it's
wrong! Yes, that's right! No, it's left! Do you see
what I'm getting at?

So, depending on the situation and the

circumstance in the which the antonym is to be
used, there may be more than one possible way
to answer the question as to what
are antonyms?
 COMPLIMENTARY
PAIRS OF ANTONYMS CAN BE
ANTONYMS: THESE PAIRS OF
EXPLAINED WITH REFERENCE
WORDS REPRESENT THE
TO A CONTINUUM OR SCALE.
ONLY TWO OPPOSITE
FOR EXAMPLE, LET US LOOK
POSSIBILITIES AND THERE IS
AT THE WORD – GOOD.
NO MIDDLE GROUND
NOW, THE ANTONYM FOR
OR SCALE THAT IS INVOLVED
GOOD WOULD BE BAD BUT
BETWEEN THE TWO WORDS.
THEN, THE WORD GOOD
SUCH ANTONYMS INCLUDE:
COULD BE PLACED ON A
SCALE AND THIS COULD TRUE – FALSE
THROW UP SEVERAL POSSIBLE DEAD – ALIVE
ANTONYMS SUCH AS DAY – NIGHT
SATISFACTORY, FAIR, INCREDI MALE – FEMALE
BLE, APPALLING AND SO ON.
  Pairs of relational antonyms are
often considered as a third type.
However, they are really a
Pairs of graded subcategory of complementary
antonyms belong on a antonyms.
scale. For  In this type of antonymy, there
example, good and bad
is a relationship in which the
are antonyms. However,
if an essay, say, two opposites must both exist.
is not good, that does not For example, if someone
mean it is bad. There is a is selling, there must be
whole scale someone buying.
including appalling, terr
ible, bad, poor, satisfact  Relational antonyms describe
ory, fair, good,excellent, the same situation from
incredible, etc. opposite sides. Here are 16
examples:
REFERRED TO AS ANTONYMS.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE
ANTONYM OF HOT IS
COLD. SOME WORDS CAN  Thi
HAVE MORE THAN ONE S MEANS THAT FOR ONE TO
ANTONYM, DEPENDING ON GET THE CORRECT
THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE ANTONYM, THEY HAVE TO
SAME WORD IS USED. FOR CONSIDER THE MEANING
INSTANCE, THE WORD SHORT AND THE USAGE OF THE
COULD HAVE THE WORD. A LIST OF THE
ANTONYMS, LONG AND VARIOUS ANTONYMS CAN BE
TALL. THAT THE WORDS FOUND IN A THESAURUS.
CHOSEN ARE THE CORRECT WHILE USING THE
OPPOSITES OF THAT ANTONYMS, MAKE SURE
PARTICULAR WORD.
 1. servant master

2. husband wife
including appalling, terrible, bad, poor, satisfactory, fair, good,excellent, incredible, etc.

3. doctor patient
1. dark light
4. buy sell 2. intelligent stupid

5. parent child 3. dangerous safe

4. evil good
6. borrow lend
5. beautiful ugly

7. predator prey 6. best worst

1. man woman
7. clever foolish
8. instructor pupil 2. push pull

3. dead alive 8. early late

9. above below 4. off on 9. easy difficult
5. raise lower
10. give receive 10. empty full
6. forget remember

7. day night 11. fat skinny

11. teach learn 8. sadism masochism
12. young old
9. right wrong
12. come go 10. absent present 13. happy sad
11. against for 14. hard soft
13. toward away 12. exit entrance
15. last first
13. sink float
14. employer employee 14. employ dismiss 16. foolish wise
15. married single
17. quick slow
15. customer supplier 16. question answer

17. true false 18. warm cool

16. divisor dividend 18. send receive 19. wide narrow
19. attack defend
20. abundant scarce
20. accidental intentional

21. former latter 21. joy grief

22. depart arrive
22. knowledge ignorance
23. exterior interior

24. extinguish ignite 23. lazy industrious

25. solid fluid 24. stiff limp
26. thaw freeze

27. vacant occupied

28. inward outward

29. input output

30. exhale inhale

31. pass fail

32. read write