Vocabulary Development 4
Name:
Student #:
Synonyms and Antonyms

A synonym is a word or phrase that is similar in meaning. For example,
the words big, large, and huge are synonyms. They don’t mean exactly the
same thing, but they are close in meaning.

An antonym is a word or phrase that means the opposite of another word
or phrase. For example, the words big and small are antonyms.
*One good way to increase your vocabulary is to learn synonyms and antonyms.
1. Choose a synonym for each word. (Adjective = Adjective)
smart
outgoing
thoughtful
wealthy
1)
rich = ____________
2)
intelligent = ____________
3)
friendly = ____________
4)
considerate = ____________
2. Choose s synonym for each word. (Verb Phrase = Adjective)
ambitious
caring
dedicated
talented
supportive
honest
inspiring
kind
1)
telling the truth = ____________
2)
inspire someone = ____________
3)
support someone = ____________
4)
dedicate oneself to something = ____________
5)
have talent = ____________
6)
care for someone = ____________
7)
have an ambition = ____________
8)
treat someone well = ____________
3. Restate the sentences. Use a synonym.
1)
He is honest. He _____________________________.
2) She is talented. She _____________________________.
3) He is an ambitious filmmaker. He ______________________ to succeed in filmmaking.
4) He is a caring parent. He _____________________________ his children.
5) She is a dedicated employee. She ____________________________ herself to her work.
6) She is very thoughtful about other people’s feeling. She ___________________________
*Avoiding repetition
To avoid sounding repetitive in your writing, try not to use the same words too often. Where
possible, use a synonym. Try to use a thesaurus to find synonyms.
4. Replace the words in bold in the passage with synonyms or similar expressions. Use your
dictionary or thesaurus to help.
From ancient times until today, the basic process of producing the oil is the same. First,
whole olives are crushed. Then, the liquid is separated from the solids. After that, the valuable
oil is separated from the water.
Many olive growers maintain their ancient traditions and still harvest the olives by hand. “It
would be less expensive to do it with machines, but it’s more a social thing. Twenty people
come to help with the harvest, and we pay them in oil”, says Don Celso, an olive farmer from
Tuscany, Italy.
Word
Synonym or
similar expression
Synonym or
similar expression
Word
basic
maintain
the same
by hand
valuable
less expensive
5. Match the words with their antonyms from the box
quiet, low, maximum, false, public, early, difficult, the same
Word
Antonym
Word
different
true
private
minimum
easy
high
late
loud
Antonym
6. Complete the sentences with the words from above. You might have to change the form of the
word.
1)
There was a ___________ knocking on the door.
2)
‘Listen,’ she said _____________, ‘I want to tell you something.’
3)
The scheme has a lot of _____________ support.
4)
We want you to get _______________ benefit from the treatment.
5)
Williams is a ______________ competitive player who hates losing.
6)
The fundamental _________________ between John and Jake is their attitudes to money.