Complementary antonyms are pairs of words that represent opposite concepts, where the presence of one implies the absence of the other. For example, the words alive and dead are complementary antonyms; if something is alive, it cannot be dead, and vice versa. These pairs do not allow for any middle ground or degrees, making them distinct from other types of antonyms. Another example of complementary antonyms is true and false. In this case, a statement can only be classified as either true or false, with no possibility of being both or somewhere in between. Understanding complementary antonyms helps clarify the relationships between opposing ideas in language.