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Let’s take a look at some examples to make that clearer: In order to be antonyms at all, they do still need to be opposites of one another, so they will be at the opposite ends of the scales.
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That is to say, that words exist between the two of them that can describe the gray area in the middle of those scales. Gradable antonymsįor these types of antonyms, they are generally at opposite ends of a scale. To remember which antonyms are complementary and binary pairs, ask yourself if both can be true – if they can’t, then they are complete opposites and are complementary and binary pairs.
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Hopefully, the above examples have made the meaning of complementary and binary pair antonyms much clearer. True or false – again, something can’t be both true and false.Pass or fail – you cannot both pass and fail, so this is another clear cut example of a complementary and binary pair antonym.
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In short, if dead is applicable as a descriptive word for somebody, then alive cannot be, and vice versa. This makes them complementary and binary pair antonyms because they are very clear in their opposite meanings.
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Conversely, synonyms are words with meanings that are the same as one another. Antonyms are basically just words with opposite meanings to one another.
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