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The opposite of an adjective

The opposite of many adjectives is a completely different word, like these:

Good - evil

Large - small

But you can get the opposite of some adjectives by using a prefix in front of the adjective. However, this is where it gets really really tricky. Two of the common prefixes used to get the opposite form of an adjective are ‘in’ and ‘un’, but there is no one set of rules that will work for every adjective. This is where it’s best to use a dictionary. It is however a good idea to learn some of the more common opposites for everyday use:

Possible

Impossible

Fortunate

Unfortunate

Flammable

Nonflammable

Important

Unimportant

Appropriate

Inappropriate

Lucky

Unlucky

Decent

Indecent

So you can see that some use ‘im’, some use ‘un’, some use ‘non’, and some use ‘mis’.