Antonyms for Class 8

Table of Content

What is an Antonym?

Why are Antonyms Used?

Examples of Antonyms

Difference Between Synonyms and Antonyms

Antonyms Vs. Prefixes

Common Mistakes With Antonyms

FAQs

What is an Antonym?

Words that purely contradict one another in meanings are called antonyms. For example, the word 'abrasive' has many antonyms like smooth, soft and polished. Antonyms cannot be used interchangeably because the meaning of the sentence will change and be opposite.

Why are Antonyms Used?

Using antonyms makes our communication more precise and clear.
Our vocabulary expands as a result of using and learning antonyms. Our language becomes more adaptable and diverse as a result of being able to express a wider range of thoughts and feelings.
Antonyms allow us to compare different points in our content. The distinction in meanings is highlighted with the use of antonyms.

Common Examples of Antonyms

Words	Antonyms
abominable	admirable, commendable, laudable, likeable, pleasant
accession	departure, recession, withdrawal, loss, subtraction
accomplice	adversary, enemy, opponent, foe, antagonist
acquaint	disconnect, disassociate, estrange, isolate, distance
advantageous	disadvantageous, unfavourable, unhelpful, detrimental, harmful
affliction	comfort, pleasure, relief, satisfaction, contentment
affluent	impoverished, destitute, poor, penniless, needy
ageist	egalitarian, inclusive, unbiased, fair, unprejudiced
aloofness	friendliness, warmth, sociability, approachability, intimacy
ambiguous	clear, definite, distinct, straightforward, unambiguous
amid	outside, beyond, away from, external to, absent from
aspiration	apathy, indifference, lethargy, passivity, resignation
backlash	support, endorsement, approval, favour, encouragement
betrayal	loyalty, faithfulness, trustworthiness, devotion, fidelity
brutal	gentle, kind, merciful, humane, compassionate
captivating	repulsive, uninteresting, dull, boring, uninspiring
chronic	occasional, sporadic, infrequent, rare, intermittent
clergy	laity, congregation, secular, laypeople, nonclerical
combustion	extinction, smothering, quenching, suppression, dousing
composed	agitated, perturbed, unsettled, nervous, anxious
conservative	progressive, liberal, radical, avant-garde, forward-thinking
convergent	divergent, diverging, spreading, separating, deviating
dainty	unappetising, coarse, plain, unpalatable, unsavoury
daunted	encouraged, emboldened, inspired, motivated, reassured
dawdle	hurry, hasten, rush, expedite, accelerate
dazzling	dim, unimpressive, unremarkable, ordinary, dull
debacle	success, triumph, victory, accomplishment, achievement
decommission	activate, commission, launch, energise, start
defray	owe, retain, hold, keep, withhold
dejection	elation, jubilation, exhilaration, ecstasy, happiness

Read About: Synonyms for Clas 8

Difference Between Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms	Antonyms
Synonyms are words that have comparable or the same meaning.	Antonyms are words with opposing and dissimilar meanings.
When we replace words with their synonyms then the sentence's meaning remains the same.	When we replace a word with its antonym, the meaning of the sentence becomes the opposite.
Synonyms of the word 'abstract' are conceptual, non-representational, philosophical, etc.	Antonyms of the word 'abstract' are concrete, real, tangible, etc.

Antonyms Vs. Prefixes

Prefixes are made up of short syllables, often between one and three letters. To change the meaning of words, they are put at the start of a word. Some prefixes flip or reverse the word's meanings.
Not every word can have a prefix. This means that any word cannot have a prefix added.
The following lists are frequently used antonym pairs with prefixes. These are:

1. Dis-

→ believe - disbelieve
→ obey - disobey
→ connect - disconnect
→ agree - disagree
→ like - dislike

2. In-

→ accurate - inaccurate
→ secure - insecure
→ complete - incomplete
→ direct - indirect
→ justice - injustice

3. Non-

→ violent - non-violent
→ stop - nonstop
→ renewable - non-renewable
→ sense - nonsense
→ functional - non-functional

4. Mal-

→ practice - malpractice
→ nourished - malnourished
→ treatment - maltreatment
→ content - malcontent
→ software - malware

5. Un-

→ true - untrue
→ successful - unsuccessful
→ educated - uneducated
→ familiar - unfamiliar
→ fortunate - unfortunate

Common Mistakes With Antonyms

Some students use antonyms incorrectly in speech or writing because they don't fully understand their meanings.
Many students think that prefixing words will result in an antonym. Prefixes are not always necessary for words, hence adding them might result in wrong words.
Antonyms are often misspelt by students. As a result, learning new words along with their spellings is crucial.

FAQs

1. What are antonyms for class 8?

Answer: The term 'antonym' refers to words whose meanings are opposite of one another. For example, close-distant, construct-destroy, cruel-kind, etc.

2. What is the difference between antonyms and synonyms for class 8?

Answer: Synonyms are interchangeable terms having the same or a similar meaning. On the other hand, words that entirely contradict one another are called antonyms.

3. What are some examples of opposite words for class 8?

Answer: Some examples of opposite words for class 8 are:

happy - miserable
exciting - boring
whisper - shout
resolved - unresolved
productive - unproductive

Quick Video Recap

In this section, you will find interesting and well-explained topic-wise video summary of the topic, perfect for quick revision before your Olympiad exams.

Share Your Feedback

CREST Olympiads has launched this initiative to provide free reading and practice material. In order to make this content more useful, we solicit your feedback.

Do share improvements at info@crestolympiads.com. Please mention the URL of the page and topic name with improvements needed. You may include screenshots, URLs of other sites, etc. which can help our Subject Experts to understand your suggestions easily.