These antonyms are defined by their reverse relationship.
At the opposite ends of this scale of ‘attractiveness’ sit ugly and beautiful though, so they are gradable antonyms. Words such as “plain” or “average” might be used to describe somebody who is neither ugly nor beautiful. Ugly and beautiful – there is some subjectivity here, and there are words in existence that can go some way to describing the gray area between the two.Let’s take a look at some examples to make that clearer: In order to be antonyms at all, they do still need to be opposites of one another, so they will be at the opposite ends of the scales. That is to say, that words exist between the two of them that can describe the gray area in the middle of those scales. Gradable antonymsįor these types of antonyms, they are generally at opposite ends of a scale. To remember which antonyms are complementary and binary pairs, ask yourself if both can be true – if they can’t, then they are complete opposites and are complementary and binary pairs. Hopefully, the above examples have made the meaning of complementary and binary pair antonyms much clearer. True or false – again, something can’t be both true and false.Pass or fail – you cannot both pass andfail, so this is another clear cut example of a complementary and binary pair antonym.In short, if dead is applicable as a descriptive word for somebody, then alive cannot be, and vice versa. This makes them complementary and binary pair antonyms because they are very clear in their opposite meanings. Dead or alive – you cannot be anything other than these two, and dead is the absolute concrete opposite to alive.Let’s take a look at these more concrete examples of antonyms: That is to say, all of these types of antonyms are the absolute opposite of the other words, and there is no room for confusion.
Below we’ll take a look at these different types of antonyms, explain what they are, and provide some examples to make it clearer.Įxamples of Antonyms (Opposites) Opposites (Antonyms) Types of Antonyms/Opposites Complementary and Binary pairsĭon’t let the slightly complicated names for these different types of antonyms concern you, complementary and binary pairs are the easiest antonyms to understand because there is absolutely no gray area between them. Most people don’t know that there are, in fact, different types of antonyms though. Conversely, synonyms are words with meanings that are the same as one another. conceal, hide: reveal, illuminate, brighten, unmask, lay out, lighten, uncover, clarify, explain, clear up, loose.Antonyms are basically just words with opposite meanings to one another. noun: agleam, floodlit, resplendent, illuminated, blatant, direct, uncombined, defined, knowable, Relucent, great, exact, newsworthy, uniform, firm, unadorned, fabled, unconcealed, ablaze, sunlit, glorious, fabulous, legendary, sparkling, infamous, preferred, certain, alight, comprehendible, starlit, moonlit, simple, moony, translucent, honorable, self-explanatory, connected, exceptional, light, self-evident, glossy, illumined, highlighted, beamy, uncompounded, unraveled, lit, limpid, determined, sure, perspicuous, homogeneous, lightsome, leading, diaphanous, aglitter.
out-of-the-way, little-known: nearby, revealed, near, relevant, friendly, related, warm, approachable, Familiar. not easily understood: explicit, visible, clear, plain, famous, apparent, distinguished, uncovered, exposed, bare, understood, obvious, straightforward, perceptible, open, known, bright, definite, public, common, unmysterious.