Find antonyms in context

Key Notes :

What are Antonyms?

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Think of them as being on opposite sides of a coin! For example:

• Happy is the antonym of sad
• Hot is the antonym of cold
• Big is the antonym of small

Finding Antonyms in Context

Sometimes, you won’t be told directly what the antonym of a word is. You have to use the context (the surrounding words and sentences) to figure it out. Here’s how:

1. Read the sentence carefully: Understand the main idea.
2. Identify key words: Which words seem important to the meaning?
3. Look for contrast: Are there words or phrases that suggest an opposite idea or situation?
4. Think of opposites: What word would make sense as the opposite of the key word in that sentence?

Example:

‘The day started out gloomy, but by noon, the sun was radiant. ‘

• Key word: gloomy
• Contrast: ‘but by noon, the sun was radiant’
• Antonym of gloomy: radiant (or sunny, bright)
• ‘The soup was too salty, so I added some sugar to make it sweet.’ (Antonyms: salty/sweet)
• ‘Instead of being brave, he felt afraid.’ (Antonyms: brave/afraid)
• ‘The path was narrow at the start, but soon became wide.’ (Antonyms: narrow/wide)

Time for Practice!

Read the following sentences and find the antonyms for the underlined words.

1. The cat was awake during the day, but asleep at night.
2. The question was very easy, but the answer was difficult.
3. She agreed to help, but later refused.
4. The classroom was incredibly noisy, then suddenly became quiet.
5. The material felt very rough, but the lining was really smooth.

Answers are below:

1. asleep
2. difficult
3. refused
4. quiet
5. smooth

Summary

In these notes, we covered what antonyms are, how to identify them within the context of a sentence, and worked through some examples. Remembering to think of the opposite meaning is key to identifying antonyms.

Let’s practice