U ENGLISH POLISH/MEANING CONTEXT TYPE

1 conclude / end ≠ commence The day commenced with a welcome ANTONYM

commence = begin from the principal.
conclude = bring or come to an end

1 continue / ≠ waive He has agreed to waive his rights to the ANTONYM

accept money.

1 deny ≠ approve / affirm He denied accusations of corruption ANTONYM

and mismanagement.

1 discourage / ≠ assure We were assured that everything ANTONYM

distress possible was being done.

1 harm / hurt ≠ benefit We both benefited financially from the ANTONYM

arrangement.

1 loosen / ≠ hinder These laws will hinder rather than help ANTONYM
unblock hinder = make it difficult for progress.
(someone) to do something or for
(something) to happen
loosen = make less strict

1 notice / pay ≠ ignore He ignored all the ‘No Smoking’ signs ANTONYM
attention and lit up a cigarette.

1 overlook / ≠ spot Her modelling career began when she ANTONYM

miss overlook = fail to notice was spotted at the age of 14.

1 refrain / ≠ act The girl's life was saved because the ANTONYM
hesitate refrain = stop oneself from doing doctors acted so promptly.
something.
e.g., She refrained from comment.

1 soothe ≠ startle The explosion startled the horse. ANTONYM

soothe = relieve or ease (pain) /
reduce pain or discomfort in (a part
of the body) / gently calm (a person
or their feelings) / comfort
startle = cause to feel sudden shock
or alarm.
e.g., A sudden sound in the doorway
startled her.

2 advantageous ≠ harmful, unhelpful The farming community were in a ANTONYM

particularly advantageous position.

2 concentrate ≠ neglect ANTONYM

2 concentrate ≠ forget, disregard I couldn't concentrate on my work - my ANTONYM

mind was on other things.
2 conclude ≠ commence ANTONYM

2 conclude ≠ commence, begin The concert concluded with a rousing ANTONYM

chorus.

2 dash ≠ slow walk We dashed for the train, but it was ANTONYM
already pulling away from the platform.

2 deliberate ≠ imprudent ANTONYM

2 displaying ≠ hide, conceal My grandfather disapproved of ANTONYM

displaying emotion in public.

2 efficient ≠ incompetent ANTONYM

2 efficient ≠ incompetent, incapable We need someone really efficient who ANTONYM

can organize the office and make it run
smoothly.

2 expand ≠ diminish, shrink Their economy has expanded ANTONYM

enormously, while ours, by contrast,
has declined.

2 flexible ≠ resistant ANTONYM

2 flexible ≠ firm, rigid, resistant Our plans need to be flexible enough to ANTONYM
cater for the needs of everyone.

2 immune ≠ susceptible, vulnerable She's an experienced politician, but ANTONYM

she's not immune to criticism.

2 inspire ≠ deaden ANTONYM

2 integrate ≠ part ANTONYM

2 lead ≠ lose, surrender The poll shows that the government is ANTONYM
leading by the narrowest of margins.

2 meticulous ≠ careless, imprecise She kept the records in absolutely ANTONYM

meticulous order.

2 peak ≠ plunge ANTONYM

2 professional ≠ amateur, ignorant He dealt with the problem in a highly ANTONYM

professional way.

2 rare ≠ commonplace ANTONYM

2 rare ≠ commonplace, frequent This weekend, visitors will get a rare ANTONYM
chance to visit the private apartments.

2 reassure ≠ discourage, dishearten The police have reassured witnesses ANTONYM

who may be afraid to come forward
that they will be guaranteed anonymity.

2 reluctant ≠ bold ANTONYM

2 restore ≠ damage ANTONYM

2 senior ≠ inferior ANTONYM

2 senior ≠ inferior, junior Two senior officials have been ANTONYM

entrusted with organizing the auction.

2 simplify ≠ obscure ANTONYM

2 simplify ≠ complicate, mystify If you try to simplify philosophy too ANTONYM

much, you lose its essence.

2 steady ≠ irregular ANTONYM

2 strenuous ≠ effortless ANTONYM

2 strenuous ≠ effortless, trivial He rarely does anything more strenuous ANTONYM

than changing the channels on the
television.

2 succumb ≠ defend ANTONYM

2 succumb ≠ fight, conquer I felt sure it would only be a matter of ANTONYM

time before he succumbed to my
charms.

2 thrive ≠ decline ANTONYM

2 thrive ≠ lessen, decline Industries such as water, telecoms, and ANTONYM

insurance have been thriving.

2 unfashionable ≠ trendy ANTONYM

2 unfashionable ≠ trendy, chic, elegant They paid less for the house because it ANTONYM
was in an unfashionable part of town.

3 compensate ≠ deprive, penalize I took her swimming to compensate for ANTONYM

having missed out on the cinema.

3 convict ≠ liberate ANTONYM

3 deny ≠ support ANTONYM

3 ease ≠ enlarge, intensify To ease the problem of overcrowding, ANTONYM

new prisons will be built.

3 embarrass ≠ aid, calm My mum always embarrasses me by ANTONYM

arriving in some ridiculous outfit.

3 exaggerate ≠ lessen ANTONYM

3 exaggerate ≠ ignore, understate He has exaggerated the whole event to ANTONYM

make it sound rather more dramatic
than it actually was.
3 indulge ≠ deprive ANTONYM

3 intimidate ≠ comfort ANTONYM

3 intimidate ≠ comfort, encourage They were intimidated into accepting a ANTONYM

pay cut by the threat of losing their
jobs.

3 jail (verb) ≠ free, release California's "three strikes and you're ANTONYM
out" bill means that from now on
criminals found guilty of three crimes
are jailed for life.

3 pioneer ≠ conclude ANTONYM

3 pioneer (verb) ≠ complete, conclude The approach was pioneered by one of ANTONYM
the most outstanding American
therapists.

3 rebel ≠ obey, comply He rebelled against his parents' plans ANTONYM

for him and left school at the age of 16.

3 recover ≠ deteriorate ANTONYM

3 shield ≠ endanger ANTONYM

3 sympathize ≠ scorn ANTONYM

3 trigger ≠ prevent, block One type of diabetes is an auto-immune ANTONYM

disease that may be triggered by a virus.

3 wobble ≠ stabilize, remain The government can't afford to wobble ANTONYM

on this issue.

4 contribute ≠ withdraw ANTONYM

4 fall through ≠ accomplish ANTONYM

4 isolate ≠ attach ANTONYM

4 inhabit ≠ vacate ANTONYM

4 withstand ≠ surrender ANTONYM

4 boost ≠ hinder ANTONYM

4 respond ≠ request ANTONYM

4 stuff ≠ deprive ANTONYM

4 adorn ≠ spoil ANTONYM

4 bend ≠ straighten ANTONYM

4 relish ≠ detest, hate I don’t relish the prospect of getting up ANTONYM

early tomorrow.
4 thrive ≠ decline, cease The glass industry still thrives there. ANTONYM

4 withstand ≠ surrender, give up The aircraft base is protected with ANTONYM

specially designed shelters which are
built to withstand ground and air
attacks.

4 adopt ≠ discard, reject I think it's time to adopt a different ANTONYM

strategy in my dealings with him.

4 reverse ≠ hold, keep There is pressure on the council to ANTONYM

reverse its decision.

4 scatter ≠ gather, accumulate Debris from the aircraft was scattered ANTONYM
over a large area.

4 inhabit ≠ leave, vacate These remote islands are inhabited only ANTONYM
by birds.

4 strengthen ≠ diminish, weaken The accident strengthens the case for ANTONYM
better safety measures at fairgrounds.

4 dwindle ≠ enlarge, grow The community has dwindled to a tenth ANTONYM

of its former size in the last two years.

4 retain ≠ abandon, lose She has lost her battle to retain control ANTONYM
of the company.

4 pitiless ≠ sympathetic ANTONYM

4 brisk ≠ inactive ANTONYM

4 deserted ≠ populous ANTONYM

4 discreet ≠ unthoughtful ANTONYM

4 big-headed ≠ humble ANTONYM

4 excessive ≠ insufficient ANTONYM

4 muscular ≠ skinny ANTONYM

4 idyllic ≠ imperfect ANTONYM

4 monotonous ≠ eventful ANTONYM

4 spacious ≠ cramped ANTONYM

4 unique ≠ common, ordinary As many as 100 species of fish, some ANTONYM

unique to these waters, may have been
affected by the pollution.

4 whimsical ≠ boring, serious Despite his kindly, sometimes whimsical ANTONYM

air, he was a shrewd observer of
 people.

4 deserted ≠ crowded, populous The coastal resorts are deserted in ANTONYM

winter.

4 harsh ≠ mild, moderate We had to face up to the harsh realities ANTONYM

of life sooner or later.

4 redundant ≠ necessary, essential In the sentence "She is a single ANTONYM

unmarried woman", the word "
unmarried" is redundant.

4 irresistible ≠ ineffective, repulsive The temptation to take a look proved to ANTONYM

be irresistible.

4 ancient ≠ modern, current Archaeologists are excavating the ANTONYM

ruined temples of this ancient
civilization.

4 spacious ≠ small, insufficient The boat provides spacious ANTONYM

accommodation for five people.

4 solitary ≠ sociable, friendly He was a solitary child who enjoyed ANTONYM

playing on his own.

4 humble ≠ rude, conceited Be humble enough to learn from your ANTONYM

mistakes.

5 abnormal ≠ conventional ANTONYM

5 alter ≠ remain, preserve, stagnate Although the cost of making phone calls ANTONYM
is going up, the charge for connecting to
the internet will not alter.

5 ascend ≠ decline ANTONYM

5 attentive ≠ negligent ANTONYM

5 attentive ≠ negligent, ignorant Never before had she had such an ANTONYM
attentive audience.

5 cancel ≠ sanction, validate, approve The original orders were cancelled and I ANTONYM
was given fresh instructions.

5 cancel ≠ validate ANTONYM

5 conclude ≠ begin, commence, open The book concludes with a plea for a ANTONYM
change in the law.

5 conclude ≠ commence ANTONYM

5 contemplate ≠ neglect ANTONYM

5 diminish ≠ enlarge, increase, expand We've seen our house diminish ANTONYM
substantially in value over the last six
 months.

5 diminish ≠ expand ANTONYM

5 erect ≠ destroy, demolish, ruin The soldiers had erected barricades to ANTONYM
protect themselves.

5 erect ≠ demolish ANTONYM

5 exacerbate ≠ soothe ANTONYM

5 fierce ≠ mild, moderate Despite fierce competition she made a ANTONYM

gallant effort to win the first medal of
the championships.

5 fortunate ≠ unlucky, unsuccessful We certainly were fortunate to get a ANTONYM

fine day for the fete, considering how
wet it's been lately.

5 hesitant ≠ confident, certain She felt somewhat hesitant about ANTONYM

accepting the offer.

5 hesitant ≠ confident ANTONYM

5 inhabit ≠ vacate ANTONYM

5 injure ≠ heal ANTONYM

5 jam ≠ clear, loosen, unblock The centre of town was jammed with ANTONYM
cars moving at a very slow pace.

5 liberal ≠ intolerant, conservative Despite his apparent liberal views, he's ANTONYM
really something of a puritan.

5 mandatory ≠ optional, voluntary In 1991, the British government made it ANTONYM

mandatory to wear rear seat belts in
cars.

5 mandatory ≠ voluntary ANTONYM

5 merge ≠ disconnect ANTONYM

5 merge ≠ disconnect, disperse, part The villages expanded and merged into ANTONYM
one large town.

5 mount ≠ decrease, lessen, decline The children's excitement is mounting ANTONYM

as Christmas gets nearer.

5 prudent ≠ hasty, reckless, thoughtless It's always prudent to read a contract ANTONYM
carefully before signing it.

5 prudent ≠ reckless ANTONYM

5 redundant ≠ necessary ANTONYM

5 redundant ≠ necessary, essential She was made redundant a year ago ANTONYM
 and hasn't found any work since.

5 resentful ≠ kind, friendly They were bitterly resentful of the fact ANTONYM
that they had to work such long hours.

5 resentful ≠ kind ANTONYM

5 retreat ≠ advance, enter, forward On seeing us, the deer stood stock-still ANTONYM
for a moment, then turned and
retreated into the forest.

5 savage ≠ mild, peaceful, gentle She had been badly hurt in what police ANTONYM
described as ‘a savage attack’.

5 savage ≠ tender ANTONYM

5 substantial ≠ insignificant ANTONYM

5 suppress ≠ allow, encourage, release His feelings of resentment have been ANTONYM
suppressed for years.

5 unavoidable ≠ doubtful ANTONYM