How to Solve Antonyms Questions Quickly

January 6, 2021

How To Solve Antonyms Questions Quickly

Antonyms a word that has the exact opposite meaning of another word is its antonym, for example stop is antonyms of go.

The word antonym itself takes the Greek words anti, meaning “opposite,” and adds it to –onym, which comes from the Greek onoma, or “name.” So antonym literally means “opposite-name.”

Usually Antonym is just a term given to a format of words only to draw up your vocabulary in a better and constructive way. There are three main reasons why knowing your antonyms in the right manner is very important. They are:

  • To add interesting flavors to your writings
  • Make your facts sound more believable
  • To build vocabulary
Tips And Tricks To Solve Antonyms
how to solve antonyms

How To Solve Antonyms

To easily solve the questions that require you to fill up with antonyms of  specific word i is important that you follow some basic rules.

Rule #1 – Answer Choices

Any word or sentence can have a positive, negative or a neutral connotation to it. It’s important to find that out and then fill the blank. If the sentence is positive find a negative word as an antonym and vice versa.

 

Rule #2 – Types of Antonyms

Antonyms can be sharply divided into 2 parts namely Graded and Complimentary. Let’s take a quick look as to what they mean.

Types of Antonyms:

  • Gradable Antonyms: They are the type where you can associate a word with a range of other words as an opposite. T make it clearer let’s take an example:
    • let’s take a word broad. Now it’s antonyms can be limited, detailed, narrow, specific, disguised, restricted, veiled, precise, (Here you can see there’s a range of words from precise to narrow. This can relate with an idea or of a shape. hence it falls into a range.)
  • Complementary Antonyms: They are described as antonyms that have a completely contrasting nature. There is no range. It’s the two end of a line. (they are also known as Relative Antonyms – they are considered to be different than complimentary in some ways but we generally take them together)
    • black and white
    • husband and white
    • sugar and salt
    • rich and poor

 

Rule #3 – Add a prefix

Identifying antonyms through prefixes is very easy. The most common negative prefixes are un, in, ir, a, dis, de, non etc.

For example:

    • tidy – untidy
    • typical – atypical
    • negotiable – non negotiable
    • honest – dishonest
    • rational – irrational
    • encrypt – decrypt
    • ability – inability

TIP:

Another important trick how you can solve antonym is to know what a part of a word may mean. Some pair of words are associated with certain objects and hence they can help you to group some words together and solve the questions.

For example: Below are two pair of words – Loqu/ locut AND Luc

Loqu/locut : to speak

  1. Soliloquy – speak alone
  2. Interlocution – conversation
  3. Elocution – public speaking
  4. Somniloquy – speaking in sleep

Luc : means related to light

  1. Elucidate – to make clear
  2. Lucid – clear or transparent
  3. Pellucid – transparent

Learn more such words from our specially curated list of more than 700 words to solve Antonym. Click to LEARN NOW

Most Important Words For Antonyms

How To Solve Antonyms - Sample Questions

Type 1. Gradable Antonyms

In this category, both words (that is. The word and it’s opposite) fall in the continuous cycle. In other words, all those terms expressing extreme ends of a scale fall under gradable antonyms.

Question 1. 

Find the opposite of:

Pricey

Options:
A.  Lavish
B.  Valuable
C.  High
D.  Economical

Correct option: D

Explanation:

Here both words that are pricey or expensive and it’s opposite that is economic, follow a continuous spectrum.

And since lavish, valuable and high are synonymous to the given word.

Hence option D is the correct one.

Question 2.

Which word from the given options is the opposite of the below-mentioned word:

Wide

Options:
A.  Narrow
B.  Ample
C.  Broad
D.  Extensive

Correct Option: A

Explanation:

The opposite of wide is narrow, hence option A is the correct one since all the remaining options mean similar to the given word.

Question 3.

Find the antonym of:

Happy

Options:
A.  Hilarious
B.  Wonderful
C.  Mournful
D.  Hopeful

Correct option: C

Explanation:

Happy is a positive word, and hilarious, wonderful and hopeful all hold a positive connotation. Only one word that is mournful meaning sad, has a negative connotation, hence option C is the correct one.

Type 2. Complementary Antonyms

In this category, both words (Ie. The word and it’s opposite) do not fall in the continuous spectrum. They represent only two different possibilities. For example:

Question 1. 

Find the antonym of:

Correct

Options:
A.  Wrong
B.  Right
C.  True
D.  Appropriate

Correct Option: A

Explanation:

The word opposite of correct will be incorrect or wrong. And it’s a complementary antonym representing two opposite possibilities as either an act can be wrong or right, true or false.

Hence option A is the correct one.

Question 2. 

Find the antonym of:

Present

Options:
A.  Absent
B.  Available
C.  Existent
D. Coeval

Correct Option: A

Explanation:

The opposite of present is absent.  And since all the other options hold a similar meaning to the given word. Therefore option A is the correct one.

Question 3.

Find the antonym of:

Entrance.

Options:
A.  Arrival
B.  Exit
C.  Destination
D.  Archway

Correct option: B

Explanation:

The opposite of entrance will be an exit. Hence option B is the correct one.

antonyms how to solve antonyms question quickly

Type 3. How To Solve Relational antonyms

These antonyms consist of words that are generally spoken together as a pair and have some relation but in the opposite sense.

This can be explained in a better way with the help of some examples:

Question 1.

Find the antonym of:

Doctor

Options:
A.  Physician
B.  Expert
C.  Patient
D.  Scientist

Correct option: C

Explanation:

The opposite of a doctor will be a patient. Hence option C is the correct one since all the other options fall in the same category of the given word.

Question 2. 

Find the antonym of:

Predator

Options:
A.  Prey
B.  Hunter
C.  Killer
D.  Attacker

Correct option:  A

Explanation:

Predator means hunter, hence its opposite will be prey or a victim.

Therefore option A is the correct one.

Question 3. 

Find the antonym of:

Husband

Options:
A.  Spouse
B.  Companion
C.  Groom
D. Wife

Correct option: D

Explanation:

The opposite of the husband will be wife. Hence option D is the correct one.