Opposite Adjectives: List of Opposites of Adjectives with Pictures

In some situations you may be required to define the opposite of an adjective, for example in a sentence such as ‘The blue car is fast but the red car is slow.‘ There are a huge range of opposites and being able to pair them up in English will make you sound more like a native speaker as well as widening your overall vocabulary.

In this section, you will learn the opposite of a great selection of English adjectives which you can then apply to your day to day conversation.

Opposite Adjectives

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Opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship, like the opposite pairs big – small, long – short, …

Opposite Adjectives List

• Slow – Fast
• Thick – Thin
• Straight – Curly
• Light – Heavy
• Loose – Tight
• Beautiful – Ugly
• Big – Small
• Strong – Weak
• Healthy – Sick
• Low – High
• Poor – Wealthy
• Short – Tall
• Thin – Fat
• Insane – Sane
• Bad – Good
• Straight – Crooked
• Deep – Shallow
• Dark – Light
• Lazy – Hard-working
• Brave – Cowardly
• Cheap – Expensive
• Distant – Near
• Modern – Ancient
• Delicious – Awful
• Wide – Narrow
• Talkative – Taciturn
• Healthy – Sick
• Careful – Careless
• Pessimistic – Optimistic
• Tidy – Messy
• Patient – Impatient
• Friendly – Unfriendly
• Cold – Hot
• Dishonest – Honest
• Happy – Unhappy
• Selfish – Generous

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Common Opposite Adjectives with Pictures and Examples

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Slow – Fast

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Thick – Thin

• The winter coat is thick and warm.
• The paper is thin and flimsy.

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Straight – Curly

• Her hair is straight and sleek.
• His hair is curly and unruly.

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Light – Heavy

• The feather is light and floats in the air.
• The weight of the boulder is heavy and hard to lift.

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Loose – Tight

• The shirt is loose and comfortable.
• The pants are tight and restrictive.

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Beautiful – Ugly

• The sunset is beautiful and breathtaking.
• The garbage is ugly and unpleasant.

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Big – Small

• The elephant is big and majestic.
• The mouse is small and cute.

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Strong – Weak

• The weightlifter is strong and muscular.
• The child is weak and frail.

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Low – High

• The valley is low and surrounded by mountains.
• The airplane is high in the sky, flying above the clouds.

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Poor – Wealthy

• The beggar is poor and homeless.
• The millionaire is wealthy and successful.

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Short – Tall

• The flower is short and barely visible.
• The tree is tall and towers over everything else.

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Thin – Fat

• The pencil is thin and easy to hold.
• The elephant is fat and needs to lose weight.

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Insane – Sane

• The patient is insane and needs psychiatric help.
• The person is sane and in control of their actions.

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Bad – Good

• The movie is bad and not worth watching.
• The book is good and worth reading.

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Straight – Crooked

• The road is straight and easy to follow.
• The path is crooked and difficult to navigate.

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Deep – Shallow

• The ocean is deep and mysterious.
• The pool is shallow and easy to stand in.

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Dark – Light

• The room was dark and gloomy.
• The sun was bright and filled the room with light.

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Lazy – Hard-working

• The lazy student didn’t study for the test.
• The hard-working employee received a promotion.

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Brave – Cowardly

• The brave firefighter saved the family from the burning building.
• The cowardly thief ran away when confronted by the police.

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Cheap – Expensive

• The cheap shoes fell apart after a few wears.
• The expensive watch was a luxury item.

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Distant – Nearby

• The distant mountains were barely visible on the horizon.
• The nearby park was a great place to take a walk.

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Modern – Ancient

• The modern building was made of glass and steel.
• The ancient ruins were thousands of years old.

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Delicious – Awful

• The delicious meal was a feast for the senses.
• The awful smell made her gag.

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Wide – Narrow

• The wide river flowed slowly through the valley.
• The narrow street was barely wide enough for one car.

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Talkative – Taciturn

• The talkative person never stopped talking.
• The taciturn person rarely spoke.

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Healthy – Sick

• The healthy lifestyle included exercise and a balanced diet.
• The sick patient needed to rest and take medication.

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Careful – Careless

• The careful driver always wore a seatbelt.
• The careless mistake cost him his job.

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Pessimistic – Optimistic

• The pessimistic person always saw the negative side of things.
• The optimistic person believed that everything would work out in the end.

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Tidy – Messy

• The tidy room was organized and clean.
• The messy desk was covered in papers and clutter.

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Patient – Impatient

• She was patient enough to wait in line for hours.
• He grew impatient when the bus was late.

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Friendly – Unfriendly

• The new neighbor was very friendly and welcoming.
• The security guard was unfriendly and refused to let us in.

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Cold – Hot

• The water in the lake was too cold for swimming.
• The sun was shining hot and bright in the sky.

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Dishonest – Honest

• The politician was caught in a dishonest act.
• Honest: The teacher was honest with her students about their performance.

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Happy – Unhappy

• The children were happy to see their grandparents.
• He felt unhappy and lonely after his breakup.

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Selfish – Generous

• He only thought about himself and was considered selfish.
• She was generous with her time and always helped others in need.

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Get started: Opposite Adjectives Worksheets

Opposite Adjectives Video

Related terms:

Useful list of adjectives in English with pictures and adjective video lesson.

• Opposite adjectives in English.
• List of emotions: feeling words and emotion words with pictures.
• Descriptive adjectives to describe people in English.
• Personality adjectives, character traits and personality traits in English.