Solved Examples Set 3 (Antonyms)

1. MANDATORY

   1. dispassionate
   2. obligatory
   3. voluntary
   4. inveterate
   5. disconsolate

   (C. voluntary) Mandatory means obligatory, ordered. Choice A dispassionate means impartial. Choice D inveterate means deep-seated. Choice E disconsolate means cheerless, unhappy.

2. PUNGENT

   1. acrid
   2. piquant
   3. harmonious
   4. untenable
   5. insipid

   (E. insipid) Pungent means sharply affecting the organs of taste, or a strong sour or bitter taste. Choice E insipid means tasteless. Choices A and B are synonyms of pungent. Choice D untenable means implausible or unreasonable.

3. INVEIGH

   1. to lose weight
   2. to estimate
   3. to accept meekly
   4. to cherish fondly
   5. to retreat

   (C. to accept meekly) To inveigh is to protest strongly, to rail against. The opposite is choice C to accept meekly.

4. ELOQUENT

   1. lucid
   2. ministerial
   3. wise
   4. graceful
   5. inarticulate

   (E. inarticulate.) Eloquent means articulate. Choice A lucid means clear. Choice B ministerial pertains to a minister. Choice E inarticulate means not eloquent.

5. PALLID

   1. resplendent
   2. lackluster
   3. enervated
   4. impaled
   5. impervious

   (A. resplendent) Pallid means drab or colorless. Choice A resplendent means bright or brilliant. Choice B lackluster means drab or colorless. Choice C enervated means frail or feeble. Choice D impaled means pierced. Choice E impervious means impenetrable.

6. CHIVALROUS

   1. gallant
   2. discourteous
   3. civilized
   4. armored
   5. vainglorious

   (B. discourteous.) Chivalrous means positive or high-minded. Choice A gallant means brave or courageous. Choice B discourteous means not courteous. Choice E vainglorious means marked by excessive pride and vanity.

7. FERVOR

   1. an unfortified place
   2. patriotism
   3. drollery
   4. merrymaking
   5. nonchalance

   (E. nonchalance) Fervor means zeal or warmth of feeling, and choice E nonchalance is cool indifference. Choice C drollery is something amusing.

8. UBIQUITOUS

   1. obsequious
   2. cantankerous
   3. rare
   4. intermittent
   5. omnivorous

   (C. rare) Ubiquitous means omnipresent, everywhere. Choice A obsequious means excessively or sickeningly respectful. Choice B cantankerous means bad-tempered. Choice C rare means seldom found or occurring. Choice D intermittent means occurring at intervals, not continuous. Choice E omnivorous means feeding on both plants and animal flesh.

9. PROFUNDITY

   1. depth
   2. shallowness
   3. profanity
   4. perfidy
   5. complexity

   (B. shallowness) Profundity means having great depth of understanding or importance. Choice B shallowness means not deep, or an incapability of having deep feelings. Choice C profanity means coarse or irreverent speech. Choice D perfidy means treachery.

10. ABSTEMIOUS

    1. self-indulgent
    2. on the dole
    3. self-sacrificing
    4. off the mark
    5. self-satisfied

    (A. self-indulgent) Abstemious means self-denying, temperate.

11. ALTRUISTIC

    1. selfish
    2. below sea level
    3. interdisciplinary
    4. nonalcoholic
    5. self-reliant

    (A. selfish) Altruistic means benevolent, generous, or unselfishly concerned for others. Choice A is the best opposite.

12. HERETICAL

    1. skeptical
    2. orthodox
    3. unorthodox
    4. ethereal
    5. insincere

    (B. orthodox) Heretical means challenging conventional beliefs. Choice A skeptical means inclined not to believe. Choice B orthodox means to accept conventional beliefs. Choice C unorthodox means unconventional. Choice D ethereal means light and delicate or heavenly. Choice E insincere means hypocritical, not sincere.

13. CHAOTIC

    1. Immersive
    2. Orderly
    3. Hectic
    4. Nervous
    5. Embarrasing

    (B. Orderly) Chaotic is a negative word that means in a state of complete confusion or disorder. Orderly is the positive word that is the best opposite.

14. EXHUME

    1. expel
    2. exit
    3. infer
    4. refer
    5. inter

    (E. inter) Exhume means to remove from the grave. Expel means to force out, eject. Exit means to depart. Infer means to conclude or deduce. Refer means to relate. Inter means to bury a dead body.

15. EUPHORIA

    1. mandate
    2. intoxicant
    3. life
    4. euthanasia
    5. gloom

    (E. gloom.) Euphoria means a feeling of well-being or elation. Choice A mandate means an order or command. Choice B intoxicant means a mind-altering substance. Choice D euthanasia means mercy killing. Choice E gloom means sadness or depression.

16. PROCEED

    1. secede
    2. succeed
    3. impede
    4. lead
    5. recede

    (E. recede.) Proceed means move forward, go ahead as planned. Choice E recede means to move backward. Choice A secede means to withdraw or quit. Choice C impede means to slow down.

17. HUGGER-MUGGER

    1. incarcerate
    2. eat heartily
    3. dance wildly
    4. keep watch
    5. publicize

    (E. publicize) As a verb, hugger-mugger means to hush up. Choice E publicize means to announce, promote, or advertise. To incarcerate, choice A, is to imprison.

18. ENIGMATIC

    1. explicit
    2. cryptic
    3. implicit
    4. syntactic
    5. impolitic

    (A. explicit) Enigmatic means puzzling, unclear, obscure. Explicit means clear and direct. Cryptic means puzzling. Implicit means indirect. Syntactic means having to do with sentence structure. Impolitic means unwise.

19. ELEVATED

    1. Suspended
    2. Moody
    3. Subterranean
    4. Grounded
    5. Excited

    (C. Subterranean) Elevated means above the ground. "Grounded" means connected to the earth. "Subterranean" means beneath the surface.

20. IRONIC

    1. literary
    2. figurative
    3. analogous
    4. mysterious
    5. literal

    (E. literal) Ironic means using words to express the opposite of their literal meaning. Choice B figurative means metaphoric, a kind of literary comparison. Choice C analogous means a resemblance between two things that are otherwise unlike. Choice E literal means exact or verbatim.

Solved Examples Set 1
Solved Examples Set 2
Solved Examples Set 3