Antonyms for Class 6

What is an Antonym?

Antonyms are words or phrases that are opposite to another word or phrase. Nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositions or adverbs can all be used as antonyms. For example, the word 'success' has many antonyms like defeat, failure, loss, setback and misfortune.

Why are Antonyms Used?

1. By using and learning antonyms we increase our vocabulary. It allows us to convey a variety of thoughts and feelings, making our language more versatile.
2. An antonym is a word that emphasises the exact opposite of an idea or a concept in a sentence which makes our messages clearer and more specific.
3. Antonyms help establish context and contrast. By using opposites, you can highlight differences in meaning, intention, or outcome.

Examples of Antonyms

Difference Between Synonyms and Antonyms

Antonyms and Prefixes

1. Prefixes are short syllables, usually between one and three letters. To change the meaning of words, we add prefixes at the beginning of words. Some prefixes can reverse the word's meaning and make the opposite.
2. Not all words can have a prefix. We cannot add prefixes to any words we want.
3. The following lists of prefixes are frequently used with antonym pairs. Each of these prefixes flips the meaning of a word.

1. Dis-

→ agreement - disagreement
→ connect - disconnect
→ obey - disobey
→ arm - disarm
→ appear - disappear

2. Irr-

→ rational - irrational
→ responsible - irresponsible
→ regular - irregular
→ revocable - irrevocable
→ reversible - irreversible

3. ill-

→ logical - illogical
→ legible - illegible
→ literate - illiterate
→ wellness - illness
→ legal - illegal

4. In-

→ sensitive - insensitive
→ tolerant - intolerant
→ capable - incapable
→ complete - incomplete
→ adequate - inadequate

5. Mis-

→ lead - mislead
→ inform - misinform
→ spell - misspell
→ calculate - miscalculate
→ understand - misunderstand

6. Im-

→ mature - immature
→ mortal - immortal
→ perfect - imperfect
→ polite - impolite
→ possible - impossible

7. Un-

→ known - unknown
→ stable - unstable
→ healthy - unhealthy
→ certain - uncertain
→ comfortable - uncomfortable

Common Mistakes With Antonyms

1. Many students use the wrong antonyms, which could lead to confusion.
2. Some students think that if they add prefixes with any words they form an antonym. It is incorrect because many words do not need a prefix. For example, the antonym of 'sad' is not 'unsad'. The antonym for sad is happy.
3. After adding prefixes, students often misspell antonyms. For example, they may write the antonym for rational as 'irrational' which is incorrect. The correct spelling is 'irrational'.

FAQs

1. What are antonyms for class 6?

Answer: Words that mean the exact opposite of another word are known as antonyms. For example, valuable-worthless, capture-release, accept-reject, wise-ignorant, etc.

2. When should we use antonyms?

Answer: Antonyms are useful to emphasise differences or contrasts between two concepts or ideas. They make it clear that the content is talking about something distinctly different from another thing.

2. What are some examples of antonyms?

Answer: Some examples of antonyms are:

1. healthy - sick
2. joy - sorrow
3. wealthy - rich
4. dishonest - honest
5. above - below