11 Plus Antonyms and Synonyms List: 250+ Words, Worksheets and Exam Technique

Synonyms are words that mean the same or almost the same thing, such as happy and glad. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite of each other, such as hot and cold. In the 11 plus, both appear regularly on verbal reasoning papers, usually in one of two formats, either picking a matching word from a list, or picking one word from each of two or three groups to form a pair. 

Two small words, same meaning or opposite meaning, and yet they quietly decide a surprising number of marks on the 11 plus. Here is a complete, easy to follow guide to 11 plus synonyms and antonyms, with a full list and real practice questions. 

What are synonyms and antonyms?

A synonym is a word that means the same, or almost the same, as another word. Pleased and glad are synonyms, since both describe someone feeling happy.

An antonym is a word that means the exact opposite of another word. Wet and dry are antonyms because they describe completely opposite states.

Why synonyms and antonyms matter so much in the 11 plus

Synonym and antonym questions are a genuine staple of 11 plus verbal reasoning papers, appearing on both GL Assessment and ISEB Common Pre-Test formats. They test far more than memorised word pairs, they test whether a child truly understands word meaning, word class and subtle shades of difference between similar words.

These questions also show up in cloze passages, where a child has to pick the correct word from a bank to complete a sentence sensibly. Beyond verbal reasoning, a strong grasp of synonyms genuinely lifts creative writing too, giving a child a wider, more varied vocabulary to draw on instead of repeating the same simple words throughout a piece.

We build vocabulary work like this into every stage of our 11 plus tuition, since it quietly supports almost every part of the English and verbal reasoning papers at once.

11 plus synonyms list

Here is a solid core list to work from. It covers the synonyms and antonyms 11 plus candidates meet most often, and each word is paired with two synonyms, because the exam will frequently use the less obvious one.

Synonyms A to C

Synonyms D to G

Synonyms H to N

Synonyms O to S

Synonyms T to Z

11 plus antonyms list

Now the opposites. Learn these as pairs, because in the exam your child may be given either side of the pair.

Antonyms A to E

Antonyms F to O

Antonyms P to Z

Antonyms made with prefixes

Here is a shortcut worth teaching early. Many antonyms are just the original word with a small piece added to the front. That piece is called a prefix.

A word of caution though. Prefixes are a useful shortcut, not a rule you can apply to everything. You cannot simply attach un- to any word and expect a real antonym. And as the next section shows, a few prefix words behave in ways nobody expects.

Misleading words that catch children out

Some word pairs look like obvious synonyms or antonyms and are nothing of the sort. These trip up strong readers in particular, because strong readers trust their instincts.

There is also the homonym trap, where one spelling carries several completely different meanings. Take the word bore. It can mean to drill a hole, to make someone weary, a dull person, or the past tense of bear. A synonym for one of those meanings will be nothing like a synonym for another.

The question formats used in the exam

There are two shapes of question for synonyms and two for antonyms. They are near enough identical, which is good news.

Format one: pick the matching word

Synonym example

Which word below means the same as weary?

Answer: alert, cheerful, exhausted, wealthy, careless

Antonym example

Which word below means the opposite of generous?

Answer: kindly, wealthy, cheerful, stingy, honest

Format two: one word from each group

This is the format that costs children marks, and almost always for the same reason.

Synonym example

Choose two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.

(brave, garden, quickly)  |  (table, courageous, softly)

Antonym example

Choose two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.

(ancient, cheerful, running)  |  (loudly, kitchen, modern)

Synonym and antonym questions also hide inside cloze passages, where a child picks words from a bank to complete a text. The skill is the same. Work out what the gap needs, then find the word that means it.

How to answer: the three step check

One method covers both synonyms and antonyms. Teach it, practise it, and it becomes automatic.

1. Class

What word class is the given word? Noun, verb, adjective or adverb. Cross out every option that is a different class. On a five option question this often removes three of them instantly.

2. Strength

How strong is the word, and is it positive or negative? A synonym matches the strength. An antonym is equally strong in the opposite direction. This is what decides between two options that both look nearly right.

3. Swap

Put your answer into a sentence in place of the original word. For a synonym, the meaning should stay the same. For an antonym, the meaning should flip to the opposite. If the sentence goes strange, your answer is wrong.

11 plus synonyms and antonyms worksheets

Worksheets turn a list into a skill. The important thing is using the right kind.

Make your own worksheet in two minutes

You do not need to buy anything to get started. Using the lists above:

• Cover a column. Hide the synonyms and ask your child to supply one for each word. Then swap and do it in reverse.

• Write five multiple-choice questions. Take a word, give the right answer plus three wrong ones, and make one of the wrong ones a different word class so they practise spotting it.

• Build group questions. Put three words in one bracket and three in another, with one matching pair across the two. This is the format they will meet in the exam.

• Set a timer. Ten questions in five minutes. Speed matters in verbal reasoning and untimed practice hides pace problems.

For practice in the real exam format, our free 11+ practice papers include verbal reasoning sections with these question types and are free to download for every year group. When your child is ready for full papers across all four subjects, our 11+ past papers collection is the next step up.

How to learn the list at home

A synonyms and antonyms list for 11 plus preparation does nothing while it sits on a page. Here is how to get these words into a child's head so they are still there in September.

1. Ten minutes a day, not an hour a week

Vocabulary sticks through frequency. Five or six words daily, revisited often, will beat a long Sunday session every single time. Ten minutes a day from Year 4 adds up to well over a thousand words by the exam.

2. Learn in threes

Word, synonym, antonym, together. Timid, bashful, bold. One effort, three words, and it teaches meaning as a scale rather than isolated facts.

3. Use flashcards and go back to them

Word on one side, synonym and antonym on the other. Then revisit after three days, ten days and a month. Revisiting just as a word is about to fade is what turns it into long term memory.

4. Read widely, and keep a word book

No word list beats reading for building vocabulary, because words met in context stay far better than words met in a table. Keep a small notebook for unfamiliar words, look them up together, and add a synonym and antonym for each.

5. Use the words out loud

A word your child has actually said belongs to them. A word they have only read does not, quite. Encourage using new words in conversation, even when it sounds slightly ridiculous at the dinner table.

6. Feed it into creative writing

Set a small challenge: use three words from this week's list in a piece of writing. This is where vocabulary work pays twice, because stronger word choice lifts creative writing marks directly.

Start earlier than feels necessary. Vocabulary is the slowest thing to build and the hardest to rush. A child who begins in Year 4 will be comfortable by the exam. A child who starts in the spring of Year 5 is working against the clock. If you are starting late, an 11 plus intensive summer course concentrates a great deal of ground into a short period and shows very quickly where the gaps are.

How Pass 11 Plus Grammar builds vocabulary in lessons

We have been preparing children for grammar school entrance for thirty years, from our centre in Edgbaston and online across the UK. Vocabulary is one of the areas where structured teaching makes the clearest difference, because it is slow, cumulative work that is easy to let slide at home.

1. Words taught in sets, not in isolation

Every word arrives with a synonym, an antonym and a sentence. Children learn meaning as a scale from mild to strong rather than as a list to memorise.

2. Word class taught explicitly

Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are identified quickly and confidently. This underpins synonym and antonym questions, cloze passages and grammar marks all at once.

3. Exam format practice from the start

Not matching exercises, but the real question shapes, including the one word from each group format that catches children out.

4. Regular timed practice

Verbal reasoning rewards speed as much as knowledge. We build pace deliberately so the clock stops being a factor.

5. Vocabulary carried into creative writing

New words are put to work in writing tasks in the same week they are learned, so they are used rather than merely recognised.

Our 11 plus tutors in Birmingham teach at our Edgbaston centre and online for families further afield, covering English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Creative Writing. If you would like to know where your child currently stands on vocabulary, we assess it as part of our free initial assessment.

Final thoughts

The 11 plus antonyms and synonyms list above will take a child a long way, but a list on its own is not the answer. What turns vocabulary into marks is three things: learning words in threes so meaning becomes a scale, checking word class before anything else, and practising in the real exam formats rather than simple matching exercises.

And if you would like a hand working out where your child stands, or a structured programme so this does not all fall to you at the kitchen table, we are here. Get in touch with us today.