Opposites are words that mean completely different things: hot and cold, big and small, happy and sad, open and shut.
Knowing opposites helps you describe things clearly and understand what you read. If a story says the giant was not big but tiny, you know the opposite was a surprise.
Some opposites are made by adding un- to the front: kind and unkind, happy and unhappy, safe and unsafe. That is a quick way to make an opposite.
Worked example
What is the opposite of “fast”?
- Think of something fast, like a car.
- What is the other end? A snail is slow.
Answer:slow
Key words
- opposite
- a word that means the other end
- antonym
- another name for an opposite
- describe
- say what something is like
Practise this
New questions every time.
Common Core-referenced: L.1.5