Opposites in French (Antonyms) • List + PDF

Welcome to our French lesson on opposites, or as we say in French, “les antonymes”! Mastering opposites is a fundamental aspect of enriching your vocabulary and enhancing your ability to express yourself in French.

In this lesson, we’ll explore a wide range of antonyms that will help you describe objects, feelings, actions, and much more, in a more dynamic and precise way.

From basic concepts like day and night (jour et nuit) to more complex pairs like superficial and deep (superficiel et profond), understanding these opposites will not only boost your language skills but also improve your comprehension and conversation abilities. Let’s dive into the fascinating world of French antonyms and discover how to use them effectively in your daily communication!

To download this list in PDF format, click here

active – actif / passif (passive)
beautiful – beau / laid (ugly)
big – grand / petit (small)
bitter – amer / doux (sweet)
bright – lumineux / obscur (dark)
buy – acheter / vendre (sell)
calm – calme / agitée (agitated)
clean – propre / sale (dirty)
clear – clair / confus (confused)
clever – intelligent / bête (stupid)
close – proche / éloigné (distant)
cold – froid / chaud (hot)
complex – compliqué / simple (simple)
complicated – compliqué / simple (simple)
cool – frais / tiède (warm) or chaud (hot)
courageous – courageux / lâche (cowardly) or peureux (fearful)
dark – sombre / clair (light)
day – jour / nuit (night)
deep – profond / superficiel (shallow, superficial)
difficult – difficile / facile (easy)
dirty – sale / propre (clean)
dry – sec / humide (wet) or mouillé (wet)
early – tôt / tard (late)
easy – facile / difficile (difficult / hard)
empty – vide / plein (full) or rempli (filled)
end – fin / début (start)
expensive – cher / bon marché (cheap)
far – loin / près (near)
fast – rapide / lent (slow)
fat – gros / maigre (skinny)
fat – gros / mince (slim / thin)
fearful – craintif / brave (brave)
friend – ami / ennemi (enemy)
full – plein / vide (empty)
good – bien / mal (bad)
happy – heureux / malheureux (unhappy)
hard – dur / mou (soft)
heavy – lourd / léger (light)
high – élevé / bas (low)
high – haut / bas (low)
hot – chaud / froid (cold)
important – important / négligeable (negligible)
inside – intérieur / extérieur (outside)
interesting – intéressant / ennuyeux (boring)
kind – gentil / méchant (mean)
large – grand / petit (small)
left – gauche / droite (right)
light – clair / sombre (dark)
light – léger / lourd (heavy)
long – long / court (short)
loud – bruyant / silencieux (silent)
modern – moderne / ancien (ancient)
narrow – étroit / large (broad / wide)
near – proche / loin (far)
new – nouveau / ancien (old)
noisy – bruyant / calme (quiet)
old – vieux / jeune (young)
open – ouvert / fermé (closed)
optimistic – optimiste / pessimiste (pessimistic)
pretty – joli / laid (ugly)
rich – riche / pauvre (poor)
right – droit / gauche (left)
rough – rugueux / lisse (smooth)
safe – sûr / dangereux (dangerous)
simple – simple / compliqué (complicated)
slow – lent / rapide (fast)
soft – doux / dur (hard)
straight – droit / courbe (curved)
strong – fort / faible (weak)
sweet – sucré / salé (salty)
tall – grand / petit (short)
up – haut / bas (down)
wet – humide / sec (dry)
young – jeune / vieux (old)

Learning these antonyms will help beginners understand basic French vocabulary and improve their language skills.