Learn 100 List of Opposite Adjectives in English. Common opposite Adjectives are used to describe contrasting objects and people. They help a lot to improve English speaking. using opposite adjectives only means talking about people or objects that have both kinds of factors.
Common Opposite Adjectives
Adjectives | Opposites |
alive | dead |
beautiful | ugly |
big | small |
bitter | sweet |
cheap | expensive |
clean | dirty |
curly | straight |
difficult | easy |
good | bad |
early | Late |
fat | thin |
full | empty |
hot | cold |
happy | sad/unhappy |
hardworking | lazy |
modern | traditional |
new | old |
nice | nasty |
intelligent | stupid |
interesting | boring |
light | heavy |
polite | rude/impolite |
poor | rich |
quiet | noisy |
right | wrong |
safe | Dangerous |
short | long |
small | big |
soft | hard |
single | married |
true | false |
well | ill/unwell |
white | black |
Light | Short |
Heavy | Tall |
Beautiful | Insane |
Ugly | Sane |
Big | Dark |
Small | light |
Thick | Straight |
Thin | Crooked |
Strong | Deep |
Weak | Shallow |
Loose | Brave |
Tight | Cowardly |
Straight | Distant |
Curly | Near |
Slow | Lazy |
Fast | Hard-working |
Poor | Cheap |
Wealthy | Expensive |
Healthy | Delicious |
Sick | Awful |
Low | Talkative |
High | Taciturn |
Thin | Modern |
Fat | Ancient |
Bad | Wide |
Good | Narrow |
Careful | Patient |
Careless | Impatient |
Opposite Adjectives with Examples
- Big – Small
Example: The elephant is big, while the mouse is small.
- Hot – Cold
Example: The coffee is hot, but the ice cream is cold.
- Fast – Slow
Example: The sports car is fast, whereas the tortoise is slow.
- High – Low
Example: The plane flies high in the sky, but the submarine dives low into the ocean.
- Happy – Sad
Example: She was happy when she received the gift, but she became sad when she lost it.
- Good – Bad
Example: Eating vegetables is good for your health, but eating junk food is bad.
- Rich – Poor
Example: The millionaire is rich, but the homeless person is poor.
- Strong – Weak
Example: He is strong and can lift heavy weights, while she is weak and struggles with lifting.
- Tall – Short
Example: The basketball player is tall, but the jockey is short.
- Young – Old
Example: The baby is young, and the grandparent is old.
- Clean – Dirty
Example: The kitchen is clean after being scrubbed, but the muddy boots are dirty.
- Beautiful – Ugly
Example: The sunset over the ocean is beautiful, but the abandoned building is ugly.
- Smart – Stupid
Example: He is smart and solves complex math problems easily, but she feels stupid when it comes to math.
- Brave – Cowardly
Example: The firefighter is brave and rushes into burning buildings, but the cowardly cat hides from loud noises.
- Kind – Mean
Example: She is kind and always helps others, while he can be mean and hurtful with his words.
- Near – Far
Example: The store is near our house, but the amusement park is far away.
- Thin – Thick
Example: The paper is thin, but the book is thick.
- Quiet – Loud
Example: The library is quiet, while the rock concert is loud.
- Clean – Messy
Example: Her room is clean and organized, but his room is always messy.
- Light – Dark
Example: The room is light when the sun is shining, but it becomes dark at night.
- Thin – Fat
Example: She is thin, while her brother is a bit fat.
- Innocent – Guilty
Example: The suspect claimed to be innocent, but the evidence made him look guilty.
- Generous – Stingy
Example: She is generous and often donates to charity, while he is known for being stingy with his money.
- Calm – Nervous
Example: She remained calm during the presentation, but he was nervous and stuttered.
- Empty – Full
Example: The glass is empty, but I can fill it with water.
- Easy – Difficult
Example: The simple puzzle is easy to solve, but the complex one is difficult.
- Beautiful – Ugly
Example: The flowers in the garden are beautiful, but the weeds are ugly.
- Shallow – Deep
Example: The pond is shallow near the edge but gets deeper in the center.
- Clean – Filthy
Example: The bathroom is clean after being cleaned, but the neglected restroom is filthy.
- Honest – Dishonest
Example: She is honest and always tells the truth, while he is known for being dishonest and telling lies.
- Brilliant – Dull
Example: The diamond is brilliant and sparkles in the light, but the rock is dull and uninteresting.
- Short – Long
Example: The road trip will be short, but the marathon will be long.
- Sweet – Sour
Example: The candy is sweet, but the lemon is sour.
- Near – Distant
Example: The park is near, but the mountains are distant.
- Hard – Soft
Example: The rock is hard, but the pillow is soft.
- Empty – Crowded
Example: The beach is empty in the morning, but it becomes crowded in the afternoon.
- Healthy – Sick
Example: She is healthy and rarely gets sick, but he is often sick with the flu.
- Clever – Clumsy
Example: She is clever and can solve puzzles easily, but he is clumsy and often drops things.
- Straight – Crooked
Example: The road is straight, but the tree’s trunk is crooked.
- Young – Old
Example: The kitten is young, while the cat is old.