- Meaning of “Antonym”
The word “antonym” comes from the Greek language where “anti” means opposite and “onym” means name. In English, an antonym refers to a word that has the opposite meaning of another word. For example, the antonym of “hot” is “cold”. Antonyms are useful in language for creating contrasts, expressing differences, and enriching our vocabulary and communication.
- The Hindi Equivalent
In Hindi, the word for “antonym” is “विलोम शब्द” (pronounced as “vilom shabd”). Just like in English, in Hindi too we have pairs of words that are opposites of each other. For instance, the word “उच्च” (pronounced as “uchch”) which means “high” has an antonym “निचे” (pronounced as “niche”) which means “low”. Another example could be “सुंदर” (pronounced as “sundar”) meaning “beautiful” and its antonym “कुरूप” (pronounced as “kuroop”) meaning “ugly”.
- Usage in Hindi Language
In Hindi literature, conversations, and day-to-day communication, the concept of antonyms is frequently used. When writing a poem or a story, authors might use antonyms to create a vivid contrast and make their descriptions more impactful. For example, “दिन” (pronounced as “din”) which means “day” and its antonym “रात” (pronounced as “raat”) which means “night” can be used in a sentence like “दिन की उजाला और रात की अंधेरा अलग-अलग दुनिया हैं” (which translates to “The brightness of the day and the darkness of the night are different worlds”).
In educational settings in Hindi medium schools, students learn about antonyms as part of their vocabulary building and language studies. Teachers might give exercises where students have to find the antonyms of given words to enhance their understanding of the language and its semantic range.
Overall, while the term “antonym” is an English language concept, its equivalent in Hindi “विलोम शब्द” plays a significant role in the Hindi language for expressing opposites and adding depth to communication just as it does in English.