Antonyms for Class 10

Table of Content

What is an Antonym?

Why are Antonyms Used?

Examples of Antonym Words

Difference Between Synonyms and Antonyms

Antonyms Vs Prefixes

Common Mistakes With Antonyms

FAQs

What is an Antonym?

Words that directly contradict one another’s meanings are called antonyms. For example, antonyms of the word ‘despair’ are hope, optimism, assurance, etc. The name ‘antonym’ is derived from the terms ‘anti’, which means opposite and ‘onym’, which means name. If we substitute a word with its antonyms, the meaning of the phrase will contradict itself.

Why are Antonyms Used?

Antonyms help in communication with precision and clarity and make it simpler to communicate intended messages.
Antonyms help us to emphasise a point or contrast between two ideas, making the communication more impactful.
By learning antonyms, one can increase their vocabulary and linguistic proficiency, which will help them become better communicators.

Examples of Antonym Words

Words	Antonyms
intentional	unintentional, accidental, inadvertent, spontaneous, random
intermittent	continuous, constant, steady, unbroken, uninterrupted
intonation	monotone, flatness, sameness, uniformity, absence of inflexion
invalidate	validate, confirm, substantiate, support, authenticate
isolation	inclusion, integration, community, togetherness, connection
lanky	stocky, stout, sturdy, compact, solid
lavish	frugal, modest, economical, plain, restrained
legalistic	flexible, lenient, permissive, non-legalistic, relaxed
legendary	ordinary, obscure, unknown, unremarkable, insignificant
loathsome	delightful, pleasant, charming, endearing, lovely
lumber	glide, coast, slide, skim, move smoothly
lustrous	dull, tarnished, matte, lacklustre, dim
millennium	century, decade, year, period, epoch
moderation	excess, extremeness, immoderation, excessiveness, overindulgence
moist	dry, arid, parched, dehydrated, bone-dry
monumental	minor, insignificant, trivial, unimportant, modest
negligent	attentive, careful, diligent, responsible, watchful
nemesis	ally, friend, confidant, supporter, benefactor
obscure	clear, evident, obvious, prominent, well-known
occurrence	nonoccurrence, absence, omission, rarity, scarcity
odour	fragrance, aroma, scent, perfume, fragrance
parched	hydrated, moist, wet, drenched, saturated
parlance	silence, muteness, quietness, hush, noiselessness
populace	elite, aristocracy, nobility, upper class, gentry
predicament	solution, resolution, escape, relief, remedy
remoteness	proximity, nearness, closeness, adjacency, immediacy
sophisticated	unsophisticated, simple, naive, unrefined, basic
soppy	dry, unemotional, unsentimental, pragmatic, practical
sparse	dense, crowded, abundant, plentiful, teeming
stagger	balance, steady, stride, pace, march

Read About: Synonyms for Class 10

Difference Between Synonyms and Antonyms

The difference between synonyms and antonyms for class 10 are:

Synonyms	Antonyms
Synonyms are words that signify the same thing exactly or similar.	Antonyms are words with opposing and dissimilar meanings.
If a word is substituted with its synonym, the meaning of the sentence will remain similar.	If a word is replaced with its antonym, the meaning of the statement is changed and becomes the opposite.
Synonyms of the word 'famished' are starving, hungry, parched, etc.	Antonyms of the word ‘famished’ are full, content, satisfied, etc.

Antonyms Vs Prefixes

Prefixes consist of short syllables, often around one to three letters. To change the meaning of words, they are placed at the beginning of some words.
If we put a prefix at the beginning, a word can be its own antonym. For example, the antonym of the word ‘order’ after adding the prefix ‘dis-’ will become a disorder.

Commonly used prefixes are:

Dis-

→ integrate - disintegrate
→ join - disjoin
→ place - displace
→ regard - disregard
→ own - disown

In-

→ experienced - inexperienced
→ active - inactive
→ appropriate - inappropriate
→ decisive - indecisive
→ significant - insignificant

Non-

→ fiction - nonfiction
→ reactive - nonreactive
→ essential - nonessential
→ contagious - noncontagious
→ abrasive - nonabrasive

Mal-

→ adjusted - maladjusted
→ adapted - maladapted
→ nourished - malnourished
→ function - malfunction
→ practice - malpractice

Un-

→ stable - unstable
→ clear - unclear
→ worthy - unworthy
→ used - unused
→ satisfied - unsatisfied

Common Mistakes With Antonyms

When students write antonyms, they overuse prefixes like ‘un-’, ‘in-’, ‘dis’, etc. They use prefixes with words that do not need one, which creates meaningless words.
Some students incorrectly use antonyms in speech or writing as a result of a lack of knowledge.
Antonyms are often misspelt by students. It is important to become proficient in terms of spelling.

FAQs

1. What are antonyms for class 10?

Answer: Words with opposite meanings are known as antonyms. For example, daunted-encouraged, abstract-concrete, introvert-extrovert, simple-challenging, etc.

2. What is the difference between synonyms and antonyms for class 10?

Answer: Synonyms are words that can be used interchangeably without significantly affecting the meaning of the statement and have the same or similar meanings. Whereas, antonyms are words with opposite meanings that can radically alter the meaning of a statement and cannot be used interchangeably.

3. What are some examples of antonym pairs for class 10?

Answer: Some examples of antonym pairs for class 10 are:

intermittent - chronic
amid - beyond
commission - decommission
conservative - liberal
brutal - merciful

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