covert
/ˈkoʊvərt/The opposite of open — done secretly, without anyone else finding out.
Example: The agency ran a covert operation for months.
C120 words · Advanced
Common Opposites vocabulary — C1
Everyday opposites vocabulary for precise pairs — covert and overt, transient and enduring — practising words like lucid, opaque and robust.
20 questions
Words in this set
20enduring
/ɛnˈdjʊrɪŋ/The opposite of brief — lasting a long time, seemingly forever.
Example:
Their friendship proved enduring, even after decades apart.
opaque
/oʊˈpeɪk/The opposite of transparent — impossible to see through, or hard to understand clearly.
Example:
Thick curtains kept the windows completely opaque.
discordant
/dɪˈskɔrdənt/The opposite of harmonious — full of conflict and disagreement.
Example:
The meeting ended on a discordant note, with nobody agreeing.
brusque
/brʌsk/The opposite of tactful — abrupt and unfriendly in a way that seems rude.
Example:
The waiter's brusque manner put us off returning.
impetuous
/ˌɪmˈpɛtʃwəs/The opposite of cautious — acting suddenly, without thinking things through.
Example:
His impetuous decision to quit cost him the promotion.
overt
/oʊˈvɜrt/The opposite of hidden — done openly, without any attempt to conceal it.
Example:
There was overt hostility between the two rival gangs.
transient
/ˈtrænʒənt/The opposite of enduring — lasting only for a short time before disappearing.
Example:
Fame in this industry can be surprisingly transient.
amicable
/ˈæmɪkəbəl/The opposite of discordant — friendly and free of serious disagreement.
Example:
The couple reached an amicable agreement about the house.
prudent
/ˈprudənt/The opposite of impetuous — careful and sensible, thinking ahead before acting.
Example:
It would be prudent to save some money before the trip.
stagnant
/ˈstæɡnənt/The opposite of flowing — not moving or developing at all.
Example:
The water was stagnant and the whole pond smelled of it.
latent
/ˈleɪtənt/The opposite of manifest — present but not yet visible or active.
Example:
The fault was latent in every unit built that year.
arcane
/ˌɑrˈkeɪn/The opposite of obvious — understood by only a very few people.
Example:
The rules of the club are gloriously arcane.
robust
/roʊˈbʌst/The opposite of fragile — strong and unlikely to break or fail.
Example:
The design is robust enough to survive a winter outdoors.
fickle
/ˈfɪkəl/The opposite of steadfast — changing your feelings very often.
Example:
Public taste is fickle and nobody plans around it.
pivotal
/ˈpɪvətəl/The opposite of peripheral — so important that everything depends on it.
Example:
The second witness proved pivotal to the whole case.
lucid
/ˈlusəd/The opposite of confusing — clear and easy to follow first time.
Example:
His explanation was lucid in a way the report never was.
tenuous
/ˈtɛnjəwəs/The opposite of robust — very weak and easily doubted.
Example:
The connection between the two events is extremely tenuous.
indolent
/ˈɪndələnt/The opposite of industrious — lazy and unwilling to make any effort.
Example:
An indolent afternoon in the shade was the whole plan.
peripheral
/pərˈɪfərəl/The opposite of central — not important to the main question.
Example:
The objection was peripheral and took an hour to answer.
