Antonyms (Vilom Shabd) — Patwari Notes
Vilom (antonym) words are those whose meaning is the exact opposite of another word's meaning. Exams often ask you to choose the correct antonym of a word, and deliberately mix in synonyms from the same word-family among the options, to create confusion between antonyms and synonyms.
- Class 6-8 depth level
- 7 min read
What are Vilom (antonym) words?
Words whose meaning is the complete opposite of another word's meaning are called vilom or viparitarthak (antonym) words — for example, the antonym of 'दिन' (day) is 'रात' (night), and of 'सुख' (happiness) is 'दुख' (sorrow). There are mainly two ways of forming antonyms in Hindi: first, using a completely different word (जैसे राजा-रंक — king-pauper), and second, by adding a negating prefix (अ, अन, नि, वि, दुर, कु) to the root word (जैसे ज्ञान-अज्ञान, आस्तिक-नास्तिक).
The biggest challenge in such questions is that the options include synonyms of the original word itself, meant to confuse the candidate. For example, the correct antonym of 'मुक्त' is 'बद्ध' (bound), but the options might include words like 'मोक्ष' and 'निर्वाण', which are actually synonyms of 'मुक्ति' (liberation) and give no opposite meaning at all.
Another point worth noting — some words can have more than one antonym depending on context. For example, when 'गुरु' means 'heavy', its antonym is 'लघु'; but when 'गुरु' means 'teacher', its antonym is taken to be 'शिष्य' (disciple). In such cases, decide which sense the word is used in by looking at the sentence or passage's context, and only then choose the correct antonym. In exams, context-dependent words are usually given within a passage, so it is important to read the sentence carefully before looking at the options.
So when memorising antonyms, always keep in mind both the exact meaning of the root word and its context, so that misleading options in the exam can be easily avoided.
Antonym pairs asked in exams
| Word | Correct antonym | Misleading option (a synonym, not an antonym) |
|---|---|---|
| संन्यासी (ascetic) | गृहस्थ (householder) | जंगल वासी, उपवन वासी, सदाचारी (none of these give an opposite meaning) |
| अनुकूल (favourable) | प्रतिकूल (unfavourable) | अनुसार, अनुरूप (these are synonyms of 'अनुकूल' itself) |
| मुक्त (free) | बद्ध (bound) | मोक्ष, निर्वाण, कैवल्य (these are synonyms of 'मुक्ति' itself) |
The two ways of forming antonyms — in detail
The first way is to add a negating prefix to the root word, as seen above — this method mostly applies to tatsam (Sanskrit-derived) words and is relatively easy to work out. The second way is to use a completely different word, where the root word and its antonym have no linguistic (morphological) connection at all — जैसे राजा-रंक, दिन-रात, अमीर-गरीब — these have to be memorised directly as word-pairs, since they cannot be worked out through a prefix rule.
Both kinds of antonyms are asked in exams, so it's a better strategy to build separate lists for each category while preparing — one list of prefix-based antonyms (ज्ञान-अज्ञान, आस्तिक-नास्तिक) and another of completely different-word antonyms (राजा-रंक, शत्रु-मित्र).
There is also a third, less common category, where changing between feminine and masculine gives the impression of an opposite sense (जैसे राजा-रानी — king-queen), but grammatically this is a gender-change, not an antonym — because both words share the same core meaning (ruler), only the gender differs. In the exam, such options should be carefully identified and ruled out, since on the surface they can look like antonyms.
While preparing, it's important to understand each word's meaning along with its antonym, because rote-learning word-pairs without knowing the meaning increases the chance of confusion once the context changes (as with words that have multiple meanings).
General rules for forming antonyms with a prefix
- अ/अन prefix
- ज्ञान → अज्ञान, आदि → अनादि, संतोष → असंतोष
- नि prefix
- कलंक → निष्कलंक, आशा → निराशा (here in the form 'निर्')
- वि prefix
- स्वदेश → विदेश, योग → वियोग (the opposite of union/meeting)
- दुर/कु prefix
- भाग्य → दुर्भाग्य, पुत्र → कुपुत्र
Antonyms formed from completely different words
| Word | Antonym | Note |
|---|---|---|
| राजा (king) | रंक (pauper) | Both words come from completely different roots; no connection via a prefix |
| शत्रु (enemy) | मित्र (friend) | Different-root words describing a social relationship |
| जय (victory) | पराजय (defeat) | Here the antonym is formed with the prefix 'परा' |
| स्वर्ग (heaven) | नरक (hell) | Completely different-root words |
| आरंभ (beginning) | अंत (end) | Different-root words; no common prefix involved |
Not all antonyms are formed by adding a prefix — many word-pairs are historically made up of entirely different words, and these must be memorised directly.
Memory trick / exam tip
In an antonym question, ask yourself of every option — 'does this word give the exact opposite sense of the root word, or the same/a similar sense?' If it gives the same sense (like मोक्ष/निर्वाण, synonyms of मुक्ति), eliminate that option — this is the most common trap in the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are vilom (antonym) words?+
Words whose meaning is completely opposite to another word's meaning are called vilom or viparitarthak words — for example, the antonym of 'सुख' (happiness) is 'दुख' (sorrow).
What is the difference between vilom and paryayvachi?+
Paryayvachi (synonym) words have the same or a similar meaning, while vilom (antonym) words have a completely opposite meaning — for example, 'सुख' has the synonym 'आनंद' and the antonym 'दुख'.
Which are the main prefixes used to form antonyms?+
Antonyms are often formed by adding negating prefixes like अ, अन, नि/निर्, वि, दुर, कु to the root word — for example, ज्ञान-अज्ञान, आशा-निराशा.
Can a single word have more than one antonym?+
Yes, when a word carries different meanings depending on context, its antonyms can also differ — for example, 'गुरु' (heavy) has the antonym 'लघु', while 'गुरु' (teacher) has the antonym 'शिष्य'.