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Word list · Ages 3 to 8
Opposite Words for Kids
Opposites (also called antonyms) are pairs of words with completely different meanings, like hot and cold or up and down. Learning them helps children describe things, compare them and understand stories. Below are 173 opposite pairs used in the FunMinds Opposites game, sorted from easy to harder.
Practise opposites in a free gameOpposite describing words (adjectives)
Easy
- Hot ↔ Cold
- Big ↔ Small
- Happy ↔ Sad
- Day ↔ Night
- Wet ↔ Dry
- Fast ↔ Slow
- Long ↔ Short
- Soft ↔ Hard
- Dark ↔ Light
- New ↔ Old
- Sour ↔ Sweet
- Awake ↔ Asleep
- Good ↔ Bad
- Noisy ↔ Quiet
- Yes ↔ No
- Boy ↔ Girl
- High ↔ Low
- Thick ↔ Thin
Medium
- Tall ↔ Short
- Full ↔ Empty
- Heavy ↔ Light
- Loud ↔ Quiet
- Clean ↔ Dirty
- Old ↔ Young
- Wide ↔ Narrow
- Strong ↔ Weak
- Messy ↔ Tidy
- Dangerous ↔ Safe
- Hungry ↔ Full
- Sick ↔ Healthy
- Curly ↔ Straight
- True ↔ False
- The same ↔ Different
- Kind ↔ Mean
- Expensive ↔ Cheap
- Sharp ↔ Blunt
- Tight ↔ Loose
- Bright ↔ Dark
- Busy ↔ Free
- Correct ↔ Wrong
- Frozen ↔ Melted
- Wild ↔ Tame
Harder
- Brave ↔ Afraid
- Rough ↔ Smooth
- Early ↔ Late
- Easy ↔ Difficult
- Shallow ↔ Deep
- Polite ↔ Rude
- Ancient ↔ Modern
- Generous ↔ Selfish
- Careful ↔ Careless
- Temporary ↔ Permanent
- Rare ↔ Common
- Interesting ↔ Boring
- Private ↔ Public
- Maximum ↔ Minimum
- Natural ↔ Artificial
- Invisible ↔ Visible
- Honest ↔ Dishonest
- Complicated ↔ Simple
- Guilty ↔ Innocent
- Lazy ↔ Hard-working
- Victory ↔ Defeat
- Famous ↔ Unknown
- Patient ↔ Impatient
Opposite action words (verbs)
Easy
- Open ↔ Close
- Sit ↔ Stand
- Give ↔ Take
- Laugh ↔ Cry
- Sleep ↔ Wake up
- Come ↔ Go
- Push ↔ Pull
- Stop ↔ Go
- Find ↔ Lose
- Run ↔ Walk
- Hide ↔ Seek
- Ask ↔ Answer
- Fill ↔ Empty
- Climb up ↔ Climb down
- Pack ↔ Unpack
- Put on ↔ Take off
- Turn on ↔ Turn off
- Lie down ↔ Stand up
Medium
- Buy ↔ Sell
- Win ↔ Lose
- Throw ↔ Catch
- Start ↔ Finish
- Float ↔ Sink
- Remember ↔ Forget
- Lend ↔ Borrow
- Enter ↔ Exit
- Teach ↔ Learn
- Raise ↔ Lower
- Add ↔ Take away
- Mend ↔ Break
- Tie ↔ Untie
- Lock ↔ Unlock
- Smile ↔ Frown
- Melt ↔ Freeze
- Agree ↔ Disagree
- Lead ↔ Follow
- Send ↔ Receive
- Fold ↔ Unfold
- Defend ↔ Attack
- Rise ↔ Fall
Harder
- Whisper ↔ Shout
- Arrive ↔ Leave
- Build ↔ Destroy
- Accept ↔ Refuse
- Save money ↔ Spend
- Increase ↔ Decrease
- Appear ↔ Disappear
- Breathe in ↔ Breathe out
- Expand ↔ Shrink
- Obey ↔ Disobey
- Attach ↔ Detach
- Succeed ↔ Fail
- Include ↔ Leave out
- Admit ↔ Deny
- Reward ↔ Punish
- Combine ↔ Separate
- Ascend ↔ Descend
- Gather ↔ Scatter
- Permit ↔ Forbid
- Tighten ↔ Loosen
- Notice ↔ Ignore
- Praise ↔ Criticise
- Advance ↔ Retreat
- Lengthen ↔ Shorten
Opposite position and time words
Easy
- Up ↔ Down
- In ↔ Out
- On ↔ Off
- Open ↔ Closed
- Near ↔ Far
- Left ↔ Right
- Over ↔ Under
- Here ↔ There
- Together ↔ Apart
- High up ↔ Low down
- In front ↔ Behind
- Come in ↔ Go out
- The sky ↔ The ground
- At home ↔ Away
- Pointing up ↔ Pointing down
Medium
- Above ↔ Below
- Before ↔ After
- First ↔ Last
- Inside ↔ Outside
- Front ↔ Back
- Top ↔ Bottom
- Morning ↔ Evening
- Upper ↔ Lower
- Entrance ↔ Exit
- Ahead ↔ Behind
- Towards ↔ Away from
- Landing ↔ Taking off
- High tide ↔ Low tide
Harder
- North ↔ South
- Upstairs ↔ Downstairs
- Forward ↔ Backward
- Sunrise ↔ Sunset
- Beginning ↔ End
- The ceiling ↔ Floor
- East ↔ West
- The end ↔ The beginning
- The floor ↔ The ceiling
- Vertical ↔ Horizontal
- Interior ↔ Exterior
- Clockwise ↔ Anticlockwise
- Uphill ↔ Downhill
- Departure ↔ Arrival
- The centre ↔ The edge
- Overhead ↔ Underfoot
How to teach opposites
- Start with pairs children can see and feel: big and small toys, hot and cold water, an open and closed door.
- Say one word and let your child say its opposite, then swap turns.
- Act out action opposites: sit and stand, push and pull, give and take.
- Move to the harder list once the easy pairs come quickly, usually around ages 6 to 8.