abundant
/əˈbʌndənt/The formal word for a lot, used about a large and generous supply.
Example: The region has abundant natural resources.
B216 words · Upper-intermediate
Common Opposites vocabulary — B2
Everyday opposites vocabulary for more precise pairs — genuine and fake, compulsory and voluntary — practising words like abundant, meagre and murky.
16 questions
Words in this set
16compulsory
/kəmˈpʌlsəri/The opposite of optional — a rule that everyone must follow.
Example:
Wearing a seatbelt is compulsory in most countries.
genuine
/ˈdʒɛnjəwən/Another word for real — not fake or copied.
Example:
She gave a genuine apology, not just empty words.
reject
/rɪˈdʒɛkt/The opposite of accept — to refuse to take or agree to something.
Example:
The committee decided to reject the proposal.
identical
/aɪˈdɛntɪkəl/Another word for the same — when two things match exactly, with no difference at all.
Example:
The twins wore identical outfits to the party.
artificial
/ˌɑrtəˈfɪʃəl/The opposite of natural — made by people, not occurring naturally.
Example:
The cake was full of artificial flavouring.
voluntary
/ˈvɑləntɛri/The opposite of compulsory — done because you choose to, not because you must.
Example:
Attendance at the meeting is voluntary.
plentiful
/ˈplɛntəfəl/Another word for abundant — used in everyday writing about supplies or resources.
Example:
Fresh fruit was plentiful at the summer market.
distinct
/dɪˈstɪŋkt/The opposite of identical — clearly different or separate from something else.
Example:
The two proposals are distinct, even though they sound similar.
fake
/feɪk/The opposite of genuine — made to look real, but not actually true or original.
Example:
She was wearing a fake designer handbag.
meagre
The opposite of generous — much too small an amount to be enough.
Example:
The pension was meagre even by the standards of the time.
obscure
/əbˈskjʊr/The opposite of famous — known or understood by very few people.
Example:
He quoted an obscure poet nobody in the room recognised.
crude
/krud/The opposite of refined — simple and roughly made, without any care.
Example:
The map was crude but it got everyone to the right field.
lenient
/ˈliniənt/The opposite of strict — not punishing someone as much as expected.
Example:
The magistrate was unusually lenient given the record.
dense
/dɛns/The opposite of sparse — packed very closely together with no gaps.
Example:
The fog was so dense that the ferry did not sail.
murky
/ˈmɜrki/The opposite of transparent — dark and impossible to see through.
Example:
The water was too murky to see the bottom at all.
