Lingular
Menu

Opposites in Spanish

Learn 15 useful contrasting pairs and keep adjective meanings distinct.

Step 1 of 3

Spanish opposites for everyday states

Learn each pair together: abierto / cerrado, lleno / vacío. The endings normally agree with the noun: puerta abierta, vaso vacío.

These words describe states and often follow estar. More descriptive words appear in Spanish adjectives.

  • abiertoopen · ah-BYEHR-toh
  • cerradoclosed · seh-RRAH-doh
  • llenofull · YEH-noh
  • vacíoempty · bah-SEE-oh
  • limpioclean · LEEM-pyoh
  • suciodirty · SOO-syoh
  • mojadowet · moh-HAH-doh
  • secodry · SEH-koh
  • despiertoawake · dehs-PYEHR-toh
  • dormidoasleep · dor-MEE-doh
0 / 30 learnt

Opposites in Spanish: the full list

Review the meanings and pronunciation, then use the printable worksheet to recall each Spanish answer.

Quick answer: open is abierto, closed is cerrado, full is lleno, empty is vacío, clean is limpio, dirty is sucio, wet is mojado, dry is seco, awake is despierto, and asleep is dormido.

Spanish opposites for everyday states

EnglishSpanishSay itChanges to
openabiertoah-BYEHR-toh
closedcerradoseh-RRAH-doh
fullllenoYEH-noh
emptyvacíobah-SEE-oh
cleanlimpioLEEM-pyoh
dirtysucioSOO-syoh
wetmojadomoh-HAH-doh
drysecoSEH-koh
awakedespiertodehs-PYEHR-toh
asleepdormidodor-MEE-doh

Spanish opposite adjectives for qualities

EnglishSpanishSay itChanges to
hard (texture)duroDOO-roh
soft (texture)blandoBLAHN-doh
heavypesadopeh-SAH-doh
light (weight)ligerolee-HEH-roh
wideanchoAHN-choh
narrowestrechoehs-TREH-choh
deepprofundoproh-FOON-doh
shallowsuperficialsoo-pehr-fee-SYAHL
smoothlisoLEE-soh
rough (surface)ásperoAHS-peh-roh

Spanish opposites for value and visibility

EnglishSpanishSay itChanges to
expensivecaroKAH-roh
cheapbaratobah-RAH-toh
visiblevisiblebee-SEE-bleh
invisibleinvisibleeen-bee-SEE-bleh
publicpúblicoPOO-blee-koh
privateprivadopree-BAH-doh
possibleposiblepoh-SEE-bleh
impossibleimposibleeem-poh-SEE-bleh
usefulútilOO-teel
uselessinútilee-NOO-teel
Opposites in Spanish chart with English meanings and Spanish pronunciation
Opposites in Spanish chart with English meanings and Spanish pronunciation. Download the chart · Printable worksheet · Save to Pinterest

Questions about opposites in spanish

What is the Spanish word for opposite?

Opuesto means opposite. Antónimo is the grammatical term for a word with an opposite meaning.

What is the opposite of abierto?

Cerrado means closed and is the opposite of abierto. The feminine pair is abierta and cerrada.

What is the opposite of lleno?

Vacío means empty. With a feminine noun, use llena and vacía.

Does ligero mean light in color?

Here ligero means light in weight, the opposite of pesado. Light in color is usually claro.

Do all opposite adjectives change for gender?

No. Abierto changes to abierta, but útil, visible and posible have the same masculine and feminine singular form.

Can I form every opposite with in-?

No. Invisible and imposible use a negative prefix, but pairs such as caro/barato and limpio/sucio use unrelated words.

Keep learning Spanish

Common Spanish Adjectives

72 everyday adjectives for people, feelings and things, how they change, and practice that tracks every word.

Colors in Spanish

The basic colors, how they change to match the noun, and light and dark shades, with practice that tracks every color.

Common Spanish Adverbs

55 everyday adverbs for time, frequency, place, amount and manner, with practice for every word.

Spanish Words with Ñ

Hear and practice ñ in everyday nouns, descriptions and verbs, from año to acompañar.

Spanish Quantifiers

Express how much, how many and what proportion, with agreement patterns for people and things.

Spanish Texting Abbreviations

Decode informal shorthand and everyday clippings while keeping the full Spanish meaning in view.

Spanish Filler Words

Follow the small words and conversation markers that give speakers time and organize ideas.

All Spanish word lists

Lists by level and topic, from beginner to advanced.

Updated · Pronunciation guides use Latin American Spanish.