Antonyms and Antonyms Formed by Prefixes
Antonyms and Antonyms Formed by Prefixes
Antonyms supply two questions and about half of them are antonyms formed by adding a prefix. Learning pairs by heart is therefore not enough on its own — what matters is recognising which prefix goes in front of which word to reverse its sense.
Antonyms Formed by Prefixes
| Prefix | Word | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| अ | ज्ञान | अज्ञान |
| अन | आदि | अनादि |
| नि | डर | निडर |
| वि | योग | वियोग |
| दुर् | गुण | दुर्गुण |
| प्रति | पक्ष | प्रतिपक्ष |
The rule is simple — a word beginning with a consonant takes अ, as in अधर्म and अज्ञान, while a word beginning with a vowel takes अन, as in अनादि, अनुचित and अनावश्यक. This one rule solves several questions at once.
✗ The antonym of आदि is अआदि | ✓ Since it begins with a vowel, अन applies here — अनादि
Major Pairs
| Word | Antonym | Word | Antonym |
|---|---|---|---|
| आदान | प्रदान | उत्कर्ष | अपकर्ष |
| आकर्षण | विकर्षण | अनुराग | विराग |
| सृष्टि | प्रलय | संयोग | वियोग |
| ज्येष्ठ | कनिष्ठ | शुष्क | आर्द्र |
| उन्नति | अवनति | आयात | निर्यात |
उत्कर्ष-अपकर्ष and ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ are asked most often. Note that the antonym of उन्नति is अवनति, not अवनत — that is exactly the difference the options are built on.
Antonyms of Tatsam Words
- आस्तिक — नास्तिक.
- सापेक्ष — निरपेक्ष.
- साकार — निराकार.
- सुगम — दुर्गम.
- अनुकूल — प्रतिकूल.
- आरोह — अवरोह.
One check always helps when choosing an antonym — match the word class. If the given word is a noun the antonym must also be a noun, and if it is an adjective the antonym must be an adjective. That is why उन्नति pairs with अवनति and not अवनत, and शुष्क with आर्द्र and not आर्द्रता. In a five-option paper this check removes two or three options at a stroke.
आसान तरीका: स और नि का जोड़ा पहचान लीजिए — सापेक्ष का निरपेक्ष, साकार का निराकार, सगुण का निर्गुण। एक पैटर्न से कई उत्तर मिल जाते हैं।
TRE pointer: The most useful rule is अ before a consonant, अन before a vowel. उत्कर्ष-अपकर्ष, ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ and आरोह-अवरोह are near certainties. The स to नि pattern — सापेक्ष to निरपेक्ष, साकार to निराकार — solves several questions together, so hold it as a rule rather than as separate pairs.
60-Second Recap
- Words beginning with a consonant take अ; those beginning with a vowel take अन.
- आदान pairs with प्रदान and उत्कर्ष with अपकर्ष.
- The antonym of उन्नति is अवनति, not अवनत.
- ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ, शुष्क-आर्द्र and आयात-निर्यात are standard pairs.
- सापेक्ष-निरपेक्ष, साकार-निराकार and सगुण-निर्गुण follow one pattern.
- Match the word class of the antonym with the given word.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is अ used and when अन?
A word that begins with a consonant takes अ in front of it, as धर्म gives अधर्म and ज्ञान gives अज्ञान. A word that begins with a vowel takes अन, as आदि gives अनादि, उचित gives अनुचित and आवश्यक gives अनावश्यक. The rule follows ease of pronunciation.
What is the correct antonym of उन्नति?
अवनति. The options often include अवनत as well, which is an adjective, whereas उन्नति is a noun and its antonym must also be a noun. Matching the word class is a reliable check whenever two options look equally plausible.
Why is निरपेक्ष the antonym of सापेक्ष?
Because the prefix स carries the sense of being with something and निर् the sense of being without it. सापेक्ष means with reference to something, and निरपेक्ष means free of any such reference. The same pattern runs through साकार and निराकार, and सगुण and निर्गुण.
What is the quickest way to learn antonyms?
Sort the pairs into patterns. Make one group of antonyms formed by prefixes, a second of tatsam pairs, and a third of pairs that follow no rule at all. Finish the rule-governed groups first, because those are the ones the paper draws from most often.