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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
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
Common Opposite Adjectives with Pictures and Examples
Slow – Fast
- The snail moved very slow across the garden.
- The race car zooms by at a blazing fast speed.
Thick – Thin
- The winter coat is thick and warm.
- The paper is thin and flimsy.
Straight – Curly
- Her hair is straight and sleek.
- His hair is curly and unruly.
Light – Heavy
- The feather is light and floats in the air.
- The weight of the boulder is heavy and hard to lift.
Loose – Tight
- The shirt is loose and comfortable.
- The pants are tight and restrictive.
Beautiful – Ugly
- The sunset is beautiful and breathtaking.
- The garbage is ugly and unpleasant.
Big – Small
- The elephant is big and majestic.
- The mouse is small and cute.
Strong – Weak
- The weightlifter is strong and muscular.
- The child is weak and frail.
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.
Short – Tall
- The flower is short and barely visible.
- The tree is tall and towers over everything else.
Thin – Fat
- The pencil is thin and easy to hold.
- The elephant is fat and needs to lose weight.
Insane – Sane
- The patient is insane and needs psychiatric help.
- The person is sane and in control of their actions.
Bad – Good
- The movie is bad and not worth watching.
- The book is good and worth reading.
Straight – Crooked
- The road is straight and easy to follow.
- The path is crooked and difficult to navigate.
Deep – Shallow
- The ocean is deep and mysterious.
- The pool is shallow and easy to stand in.
Dark – Light
- The room was dark and gloomy.
- The sun was bright and filled the room with light.
Lazy – Hard-working
- The lazy student didn’t study for the test.
- The hard-working employee received a promotion.
Brave – Cowardly
- The brave firefighter saved the family from the burning building.
- The cowardly thief ran away when confronted by the police.
Cheap – Expensive
- The cheap shoes fell apart after a few wears.
- The expensive watch was a luxury item.
Distant – Near
- The distant mountains were barely visible on the horizon.
- The near park was a great place to take a walk.
Modern – Ancient
- The modern building was made of glass and steel.
- The ancient ruins were thousands of years old.
Delicious – Awful
- The delicious meal was a feast for the senses.
- The awful smell made her gag.
Wide – Narrow
- The wide river flowed slowly through the valley.
- The narrow street was barely wide enough for one car.
Talkative – Taciturn
- The talkative person never stopped talking.
- The taciturn person rarely spoke.
Healthy – Sick
- The healthy lifestyle included exercise and a balanced diet.
- The sick patient needed to rest and take medication.
Careful – Careless
- The careful driver always wore a seatbelt.
- The careless mistake cost him his job.
Pessimistic – Optimistic
- The pessimistic person always saw the negative side of things.
- The optimistic person believed that everything would work out in the end.
Tidy – Messy
- The tidy room was organized and clean.
- The messy desk was covered in papers and clutter.
Patient – Impatient
- She was patient enough to wait in line for hours.
- He grew impatient when the bus was late.
Friendly – Unfriendly
- The new neighbor was very friendly and welcoming.
- The security guard was unfriendly and refused to let us in.
Cold – Hot
- The water in the lake was too cold for swimming.
- The sun was shining hot and bright in the sky.
Dishonest – Honest
- The politician was caught in a dishonest act.
- Honest: The teacher was honest with her students about their performance.
Happy – Unhappy
- The children were happy to see their grandparents.
- He felt unhappy and lonely after his breakup.
Selfish – Generous
- He only thought about himself and was considered selfish.
- She was generous with her time and always helped others in need.
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.
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