Antonyms and Opposites
~10 min read
- What CDS asks: Pick the word 'most nearly opposite' in meaning to a capitalised word. 6-10 antonym items per paper.
- Three types: Graded (hot-cold - degrees between), Complementary (alive-dead - no middle), Relational (buy-sell, parent-child).
- Strategy: If you don't know the word, work via the root. Negative prefixes (un-, in-, dis-, mis-, a-, anti-) often signal the opposite directly.
Antonym questions reward systematic vocabulary building. CDS recycles the same 300-400 high-frequency words across years. This page lists the heaviest-tested antonym pairs with brief usage notes.
Three Types of Antonyms
| Type | Property | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Graded | Opposites with degrees between them | hot/cold, big/small, young/old, rich/poor |
| Complementary | Mutually exclusive; one or the other | alive/dead, true/false, present/absent |
| Relational | Two sides of a relationship | buy/sell, parent/child, teacher/student |
'Not hot' doesn't mean 'cold' (could be warm) - graded antonyms have a middle. But 'not alive' = 'dead' - complementary antonyms have no middle.
High-Frequency CDS Antonym Pairs
| Word | Antonym |
|---|---|
| abate | intensify, increase |
| abundant | scarce, sparse |
| accept | reject, refuse |
| acquit | convict, condemn |
| adversary | ally, friend |
| amateur | professional, expert |
| amicable | hostile, unfriendly |
| arrogant | humble, modest |
| artificial | natural, genuine |
| ascend | descend |
| authentic | fake, spurious |
| barren | fertile, productive |
| benevolent | malevolent, cruel |
| brave | cowardly, timid |
| candid | secretive, evasive |
| cautious | reckless, careless |
| concise | verbose, wordy |
| condense | expand, dilute |
| conspicuous | inconspicuous, hidden |
| convex | concave |
| credible | incredible, dubious |
| cynical | optimistic, hopeful |
| deficit | surplus |
| deliberate | accidental, unplanned |
| dense | sparse, scattered |
| discord | harmony, agreement |
| diverse | uniform, similar |
| encourage | discourage, deter |
| excess | shortage, deficiency |
| explicit | implicit, vague |
| flexible | rigid, inflexible |
| frank | reserved, secretive |
| frugal | extravagant, wasteful |
| generous | stingy, miserly |
| genuine | fake, counterfeit |
| guilty | innocent |
| haughty | humble, meek |
| honour | disgrace, shame |
| humility | arrogance, pride |
| ignorant | knowledgeable, learned |
| inert | active, dynamic |
| innocent | guilty |
| kind | cruel, harsh |
| liberal | conservative, restrictive |
| lucid | obscure, vague |
| melancholy | cheerful, joyful |
| meticulous | careless, sloppy |
| mortal | immortal, eternal |
| nadir | zenith, peak |
| opaque | transparent, clear |
| optimist | pessimist |
| orthodox | unorthodox, heterodox |
| partial | impartial, complete |
| permanent | temporary, transient |
| polite | rude, impolite |
| profound | shallow, superficial |
| prosperity | adversity, poverty |
| rare | common, frequent |
| refined | vulgar, coarse |
| reluctant | willing, eager |
| scarcity | abundance, plenty |
| solitary | gregarious, social |
| sparse | dense, abundant |
| steady | unsteady, fluctuating |
| stringent | lenient, lax |
| superficial | profound, deep |
| sympathy | antipathy, indifference |
| tedious | interesting, exciting |
| thrifty | extravagant, wasteful |
| transient | permanent, lasting |
| turbulent | calm, peaceful |
| vague | clear, specific |
| verbose | concise, terse |
| vice | virtue |
| victory | defeat |
| vigilant | negligent, careless |
| voluntary | compulsory, forced |
| wholesome | harmful, unhealthy |
| wise | foolish, unwise |
| zenith | nadir, lowest point |
Negative Prefix Method
If you don't know a word, check whether it carries a negative prefix - the antonym is often the same root without the prefix.
| Negative prefix | Examples |
|---|---|
| un- | unhappy, unwise, unkind → happy, wise, kind |
| in- / im- / il- / ir- | incomplete, impossible, illegal, irregular |
| dis- | dislike, disagree, dishonest → like, agree, honest |
| mis- | misuse, misunderstand → use, understand |
| a- / an- | amoral, asymmetric, anarchy → moral, symmetric, order |
| non- | nonsense, non-violent → sense, violent |
| anti- | antibody, antisocial → opposite force |
Common Traps
- Word that looks like an antonym but isn't: flammable and inflammable mean the SAME (both = easily burnt). The opposite is non-flammable.
- Negative-looking word with positive meaning: priceless = extremely valuable (not 'worthless').
- Match part of speech: 'opposite of brave' = cowardly (adj); 'opposite of bravery' = cowardice (noun).
- Different antonym in different sense: light opposite = heavy (weight) OR dark (brightness).
CDS/OTA PYQ Examples
Q: Antonym of FRUGAL:
(a) Wasteful (b) Thrifty (c) Honest (d) Bold
Answer: (a) Wasteful — 'frugal' means sparing/thrifty; the opposite is wasteful/extravagant.
Q: Antonym of TRANSIENT:
(a) Permanent (b) Beautiful (c) Movable (d) Sudden
Answer: (a) Permanent — 'transient' = short-lived; the opposite is lasting/permanent.
Q: Antonym of VINDICATE:
(a) Praise (b) Accuse (c) Convict (d) Both (b) and (c)
Answer: (d) Both — 'vindicate' = clear of blame; opposite = accuse/convict.
Q: Antonym of LACONIC:
(a) Verbose (b) Brief (c) Strict (d) Polite
Answer: (a) Verbose — 'laconic' = using few words; opposite = wordy/verbose.
Q: Antonym of OBDURATE:
(a) Flexible (b) Rigid (c) Strong (d) Stubborn
Answer: (a) Flexible — 'obdurate' = stubborn, unyielding; opposite = flexible/compliant.
Q: Antonym of CANDID:
(a) Honest (b) Reserved (c) Loud (d) Generous
Answer: (b) Reserved — 'candid' = frank, open; opposite = reserved/evasive.
Drill Antonyms and Opposites for CDS/OTA
CDS/OTA-pattern items on Antonyms and Opposites with answer keys and explanations.
Start Free Mock TestFrequently Asked Questions
Why are 'flammable' and 'inflammable' synonyms?
'In-' here is from Latin meaning 'into', not negative. Both words mean 'can be set on fire'. The genuine opposite is 'non-flammable' or 'fireproof'.
How to pick between two correct-looking antonyms?
Match part of speech and intensity. If the source word is strongly negative, pick the strongly positive option (not the merely neutral one).
Are 'opposite' and 'antonym' the same?
Yes in everyday use. Linguists subdivide them into graded, complementary and relational types, but for CDS pick the option most strongly opposed.
Can a word have more than one antonym?
Yes. 'Light' opposes 'heavy' (weight), 'dark' (brightness) and 'serious' (manner). The right CDS antonym depends on context.
Should I memorise antonyms in pairs?
Yes. Each new word should be learned with at least one synonym AND one antonym. This 'triangulation' fixes meaning faster than isolated definitions.