Synonyms and Antonyms

A.    Synonyms

         The term synonyms come from a Greek word “sunonumon”meaning having the same name.Synonyms are words that share a similar meaning.

Example : Sorrow-Sad-Unhappy-Distress-Mourn-Grief.There are all synonyms in that share the common meaning of not happy/joy.

The synonyms are similar,but seldom the perfectly same.

Example : Lift and Elevator,Truck and Lorry,one will be preferred over the other in certain contexts and by particular speakers.

Some reasons of synonyms pairs may differ in meaning :

1.      Different dialect of English

The dialects may be one of the national English standards (British,American,Australian English,they nay be a regional dialect within a country or area.)

Example in British and American :

·         Cookies – Biscuits

·         Pants – Trousers

·         Diaper – Nappy

·         French fries – Chips

·         Cold – Chilly

2.      Relates to the style or formality of the context

   One of the pair of synonyms may be used in a more formal context than the other or one of the pair may be belong to slang or colloquial English,while the other is in more general use.

Example in informal and formal :

·         Argument - Disputation

·         Die – Decease

·         Give up – Renounce

·         Beuty – Pulchritude

·         Warning – Caveat

3.      Connotations differ

Two words may largely share a denotation,in referring to a particular entity,but they may have divergent associative or emotive meanings.

Example : in connotations ( in brackets ) : positive - negative

·         Proud – Haughty

·         Chat – Gossip

·         Hate – Loathe

·         Popular – Notorious

·         Throw – Hurl

B.     Antonyms

         Oppositeness is perhaps not such a pervasive meaning relation in the vocabulary of English as synonym,but it has an important role in structing the vocabulary of English.

Example :

·    Old x Not New ( False )

·   Old x New ( True )

         But the relation between such opposites is not always dark and light ( to use two antonyms ) and he very nation of “oppositeness” is troublesome.

Example :

·   Old man x Not old man ( False )

·   Old man x Young man ( True )

            Three types are commonly identified as follows :

1.      Gradable Antonyms

Example :

·         Expensive x Cheap

·         Fast x Slow

·         Hot x Cold

·         Long x Short

·         Rich x Poor

   This type do not represent an either / relation,but rather a more / less relation.The words can be viewed as terms at the end-points of a continiuum or gradient.The more / less relation is evident in a number of ways ; the terms allow comparison using “ –er,very,extremely,extraordinary ”.

Example :

·         Longer

·         More expensive

·         Extremely hot

·         Very long

2.      Complementary or Contradictory Antonyms

Example :

·         Dead x Alive

·         True x False

·         Off x On

·         Shut x Open

·         Remember x Forget

3.      Converse or Relational Antonyms

Example :

·         Buy x Sell

·         Before x After

·         Speak x Listen

·         Parents x Children

·         Husband x Wife

For each pair of antonyms,one expressesthe converse meaning of the other.

Example : The same transaction is expressed from different ( converse ) perspective.

·         Sinta is Dino’s husband

·         Dino is Sinta’s wufe