Opposite Adjectives in English: Word Pairs, Examples and Quiz

of a large size; the opposite of small

They live in a big house near the park.

not large in size or amount; the opposite of big

Can I have a small coffee, please?

higher than most people or things; the opposite of short

My brother is very tall, almost two meters.

not tall (for people), or not long (for things and time)

She's short, but she plays basketball really well.

measuring a lot from one end to the other, or lasting a lot of time; the opposite of short

It was a long meeting, nearly three hours.

a big distance from one side to the other; the opposite of narrow

The river is very wide here, so there's a bridge.

a small distance from one side to the other; the opposite of wide

The streets in the old town are very narrow.

with a lot of distance between the two sides, like a big book; the opposite of thin

I need a thick sweater for the winter.

with very little distance between the two sides; for people, not fat

Cut the bread into thin slices.

weighing a lot and difficult to lift; the opposite of light

This suitcase is too heavy for me.

not weighing much; it can also mean pale in color or full of daylight

Take the light bag and I'll carry the heavy one.

going a long way down from the top; the opposite of shallow

Be careful, the water is deep at this end of the pool.

not going far down; the opposite of deep

The children can play in the shallow water.

having lived or existed for a long time

My grandmother is old, but she still walks every day.

not old; in the early part of life

My parents met when they were very young.

recently made or bought; not old or used before

Do you like my new phone?

of the present time, using new ideas; the opposite of old-fashioned or traditional

The hotel has a modern design with lots of glass.

not modern; from a time in the past

My dad still writes letters. He's a bit old-fashioned.

moving or happening quickly; the opposite of slow

The fast train takes only two hours.

not moving or happening quickly

The internet is really slow today.

before the usual or planned time; the opposite of late

We caught an early flight to Rome.

after the usual or planned time

Sorry I'm late. The bus didn't come.

not hard to do or understand; the opposite of difficult

The first exercise is easy. The last one is harder.

not easy; needing a lot of effort or skill

English spelling can be difficult.

costing little money; the opposite of expensive

The food at the market is good and cheap.

costing a lot of money

Hotels in the city center are very expensive.

not in danger and not likely to hurt anyone; the opposite of dangerous

Is it safe to walk here at night?

likely to hurt someone or cause problems

It's dangerous to use your phone while driving.

with no dirt; the opposite of dirty

Put on a clean shirt before dinner.

not clean; with dirt or marks on it

Your shoes are dirty. Take them off at the door.

with no space left inside; the opposite of empty

The bus was full, so we waited for the next one.

with nothing or nobody inside

The streets are empty early on Sunday morning.

making little or no noise; the opposite of noisy or loud

We stayed in a quiet village by the sea.

full of loud sounds

Our neighbors are very noisy at night.

correct or true; the opposite of wrong

Is this the right way to the station?

not correct; not true

Sorry, I think you have the wrong number.

having a high temperature; the opposite of cold

Be careful, the soup is very hot.

having a low temperature

It's cold today. Take a coat.

covered in water or another liquid; the opposite of dry

My hair is still wet from the shower.

with no water or liquid; also, with little or no rain

Is the washing dry yet?

firm and not easy to press; also, difficult

This bed is too hard. I can't sleep.

easy to press and nice to touch; the opposite of hard

The baby's blanket is really soft.

with an even surface and no rough parts; the opposite of rough

The stones on this beach are round and smooth.

not smooth; with an uneven surface

My hands get rough when I work in the garden.

with little or no light; for colors, closer to black

It gets dark at five o'clock in winter.

full of light, or with a strong color

The kitchen is bright and sunny in the morning.

making a lot of noise; the opposite of quiet

The music is too loud. Can you turn it down?

feeling good and pleased; the opposite of sad

She's happy because she passed her test.

not happy; feeling bad about something

I was sad when my best friend moved away.

having a lot of money; the opposite of poor

He became rich after he sold his company.

having very little money

They were poor when they were young, but they were happy.

having a lot of power in the body; the opposite of weak

You need to be strong to carry that box.

not strong; having little power or energy

I felt weak after the flu.

speaking and acting in a kind, respectful way; the opposite of rude

The children were very polite and said thank you.

not polite; saying or doing things that upset people

It's rude to look at your phone during dinner.

having a lot of things to do; the opposite of free

I'm busy this morning. Can we talk after lunch?

not busy, with time to do what you want; it also means costing nothing

Are you free on Saturday evening?

not happy; sad or not satisfied

He's unhappy with his new job.

not friendly; not kind or welcoming to people

The waiter was a bit unfriendly.

not comfortable; making you feel bad in your body or nervous

These chairs are really uncomfortable.

not able to happen or be done; the opposite of possible

It's impossible to read all these books in a week.

not correct; wrong (a little more formal than wrong)

Two of your answers are incorrect.

not honest; telling lies or cheating

It was dishonest of him to keep the money.

not allowed by law; the opposite of legal

It's illegal to park here.