Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Looking Up Antonyms.

Looking Up Antonyms

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 16, 2023)

One of the tools that Word provides is a full thesaurus. You can use this tool to find alternate words with the same meaning (synonyms), words with the opposite meaning (antonyms), or related words. Antonyms are not available for all words, but when they are available, you can easily select them. To find an antonym, follow these steps:

Position the insertion point in the word you wish to check.
Press Shift+F7. Word displays the Research pane at the right side of your document.
If antonyms are available for the word, you will see the phrase "(Antonym)" after the word. (There may be more than one antonym shown for the word you selected.)
Position the mouse pointer over the antonym in which you are interested. Word displays a drop-down arrow at the right side of the word.
Click the drop-down arrow and then click on Insert. Word replaces the word you specified in step 1 with the antonym you pointed at in step 4.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11942) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Looking Up Antonyms.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Resetting Spelling and Grammar Checking on Multiple Documents

Things that are accomplished easily with a single document (such as resetting spelling and grammar checking settings) can ...

Discover More

Getting Audible Feedback

You can add a bit of sound to your editing tasks by turning on Word's sound capabilities. This tip shows where this ...

Discover More

Read-Only Files

Read-only documents (those that cannot be updated) are part and parcel of working with Word. There are many ways that a ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Inserting a Frame

Frames are an object you can place in your document. They go back to the earliest days of Word, before text boxes were ...

Discover More

Recording an Audio Version of a Document

Immersive Reader is a tool in Word that allows documents to be read out loud. If you want to record the audio as it is ...

Discover More

Translating Text

Word includes several different tools you can use to improve your writing. One such tool is the translation tool. Here's ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is eight minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.