Definition: Antonym — Psychometric Glossary
An antonym is a word whose meaning is opposite to that of another word. Antonymy relationships are frequently tested in the psychometric test.
- Clear definition with examples of antonyms
- Differences between direct and gradual antonyms
- Antonymy exercises for the psychometric test
- Common pitfalls to avoid in antonym questions
What is an antonym?
An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another. For example, 'hot' and 'cold,' 'rise' and 'fall,' 'day' and 'night' are pairs of antonyms.
There are several types of antonyms: complementary antonyms (alive/dead), gradual antonyms (hot/cold, with intermediate degrees), and reciprocal antonyms (buy/sell).
Antonyms in the psychometric test
Antonymy questions represent an important category of analogies. You must identify a pair of words with the same opposition relationship as the reference pair.
Watch out for traps: two words may seem opposite without being true antonyms. For example, 'big' and 'tiny' don't form a pair of direct antonyms because 'tiny' implies a degree of intensity.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an antonym and an opposite?
The terms are often used interchangeably. However, in linguistics, 'antonym' is the precise technical term for a word with an opposite meaning. 'Opposite' is more common in everyday language.
Can a word have multiple antonyms?
Yes, a polysemous word can have different antonyms depending on the meaning used. For example, 'light' can have 'heavy' (weight) or 'dark' (brightness) as antonyms.
How to spot false antonyms in the test?
Verify that both words are of the same grammatical category and that the opposition is direct and of the same type as the reference pair. False antonyms are often simply negative words or words from different registers.
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