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Some Differences Between Synonyms and Antonyms
The English language (and, we may presume, many other languages) has both antonyms and synonyms. There are many more words with synonyms than there are words with antonyms, since many things exist which do not have an opposite (the word sandwich, for instance, may be said to have synonyms in the words hoagie, grinder, submarine, and many other words, but there is no opposite of sandwich). Antonym is also a much more recent addition to English than synonym is; it first appeared in the 1860s, whereas synonym has been used for more than 500 years. Additionally, both nouns have adjectival forms: synonymous and antonymous. Synonymous, which is often used loosely ("She has become synonymous with good taste"), is the more common of the two.
Examples of antonym in a Sentence
Leo Guan, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024
Indoctrination is the antonym of critical thinking.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2024
Cisgender is a term for a person whose gender identity matches the one assigned to them at birth—an antonym for transgender.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 21 June 2023
Accountable is an antonym of the first words that come to mind.
—Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2023
Or was it bungled when Snyder was replaced by his tonal antonym, Joss Whedon?
—Max Cea, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2021
Cooper, on the other hand, is the living, breathing antonym of controversy.
—Nick Martin, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Antonym.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antonym. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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