Antonyms can be defined as words which are opposite in meaning. They can be classified into three major groups.
（1）Contradictory terms: They are so opposed to each other that they are mutually exclusive and admit no possibility between them，such as “true – false”
（2）Contrary terms: Antonyms of this type are best viewed in terms of a scale running between two poles or extremes. Antonyms such as “big – small” represent two points at both ends of the pole and can accommodate a middle ground belonging neither to one pole nor to the other. We can have medium-sized between the big and the small.
（3） Relative terms: This type consists of relational opposites such as “husband – wife”. Such pairs of words indicate such a reciprocal social relationship that one of them cannot be used without suggesting the other. If A is the husband of B, then B is the wife, who marries A.
反义词可以定义为意义相反的词。它们可以分为三大类。
（1）矛盾反义词：它们彼此对立，相互排斥，彼此之间不承认任何可能性，如“真-假”。
（2）对立反义词：这种反义词最好从两极或极端之间的刻度来观察。反义词如“大-小”代表两端的两点极点，可以容纳既不属于一个极点也不属于另一个极点的中间立场。可以在大的和小的中间有中型的。
（3）关系反义词：这类词语由“丈夫-妻子”等关系反义词组成。这样的一对词表明了一种相互的社会关系，一个词不能在没有暗示另一个词的情况下使用。如果A是B的丈夫，那么B就是A的妻子，B是和A结婚的人。
