Antonyms

Which word is an antonym for brave?

• fearless

• heroic

• timid

• strong

Answer explanation

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. 'Timid' means showing a lack of courage, which is the opposite of 'brave'. 'Fearless' and 'heroic' are synonyms, and 'strong' is a related but different quality.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

Match each word to its antonym.

• modern

• generous

• rare

• ancient

• defeat

• common

• stingy

• victory

Answer explanation

Each word is paired with its opposite. 'Ancient' is the opposite of 'modern', 'generous' is the opposite of 'stingy', 'victory' is the opposite of 'defeat', and 'common' is the opposite of 'rare'.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

The old path to the treehouse was perilous, but the new one they built is completely _____.

• dangerous

• safe

• long

• hidden

Answer explanation

The word 'but' signals a contrast. The opposite of a 'perilous' (dangerous) path is a 'safe' one. 'Dangerous' is a synonym, while 'long' and 'hidden' describe different characteristics.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

Which pair of words are antonyms?

• joyful, happy

• empty, full

• quick, fast

• big, large

Answer explanation

Antonyms have opposite meanings. 'Empty' is the opposite of 'full'. The other pairs ('joyful, happy', 'quick, fast', 'big, large') are synonyms, meaning they have similar meanings.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

My mom said my room was immaculate after I cleaned it; what a change from how it looked before when it was completely _____.

• tidy

• filthy

• organized

• perfect

Answer explanation

The context clue 'what a change from' signals a contrast between the room's current 'immaculate' (spotlessly clean) state and its previous state. 'Filthy' means disgustingly dirty and is the correct antonym to complete the contrast. 'Tidy', 'organized', and 'perfect' are synonyms or related positive words.

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A

An antonym is a word that has...

• the same or a similar meaning as another word.

• an opposite meaning to another word.

• the same spelling but a different meaning.

• a more intense meaning than another word.

Answer explanation

This is the definition of an antonym. A word with the same meaning is a synonym. A word with the same spelling but different meaning is a homograph.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

Sort these descriptive words into two opposite categories: Positive Traits and Negative Traits.

Groups:

(a) Positive Traits

,

(b) Negative Traits

• diligent

• humble

• cowardly

• arrogant

• lazy

• courageous

Answer explanation

Words are sorted based on their connotation. 'Courageous', 'diligent', and 'humble' are positive traits, while their antonyms 'cowardly', 'lazy', and 'arrogant' are negative traits.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.5C

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

Which word is an antonym for scarce?

• rare

• limited

• plentiful

• tiny

Answer explanation

'Scarce' means there is very little of something. The opposite is 'plentiful', which means there is a large amount. 'Rare' and 'limited' are synonyms for 'scarce'.

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.L.6.4A

CCSS.L.7.4A

CCSS.L.7.5B

Match the first part of each sentence to the second part that uses an antonym to create a contrast.

• but his second was a success.

• His first attempt was a failure,

• but his next joke was met with silence.

• The comedian was hilarious,

• while the rainforest is humid.

• The desert is arid,

Answer explanation

Each sentence pair uses antonyms to show contrast. 'Hilarious' contrasts with 'silence', 'arid' (dry) contrasts with 'humid' (wet), and 'failure' contrasts with 'success'.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

In science class, we learned that some materials absorb heat, while others reflect it. The words 'absorb' and 'reflect' are used as...

• synonyms, because they both relate to heat.

• examples, because they show what materials do.

• antonyms, because they describe opposite actions.

• details, because they add more information.

Answer explanation

The word 'while' signals a contrast between two ideas. To 'absorb' (take in) and to 'reflect' (send back) are opposite actions, making them antonyms in this context.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.W.5.2D

CCSS.W.6.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D