In each of the following questions, choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
Antic
Answer: D
The opposite is sedate.
Antic means playfully absurd, and survives chiefly in antics. Sedate means calm and dignified, which is its exact reverse.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Perspicuity
Answer: D
The opposite is vagueness.
Perspicuity is clearness of expression, from the Latin for seeing through. Vagueness is its reverse. Note that perspicacity, the similar word, means keenness of insight.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Lax
Answer: B
The opposite is strict.
Lax means slack and careless in enforcing rules; strict is its reverse. The other options describe taste, sound and interest.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Animated
Answer: B
The opposite is dull.
Animated means lively and full of spirit, from the Latin anima, breath or soul. Dull is the reverse.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Amicable
Answer: C
The opposite is unfriendly.
Amicable means characterised by goodwill, from the Latin amicus, friend. Unfriendly is its reverse.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Putative
Answer: C
The opposite is undisputed.
Putative means commonly supposed to be so but not established - the putative father. What is undisputed is settled beyond question.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Ennui
Answer: B
The opposite is excitement.
Ennui is listless boredom, from the French. Excitement is the reverse state of mind.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Unseemly
Answer: B
The opposite is proper.
Unseemly means not fitting or decent. Proper is its reverse. Conducive means helping to bring about, which is unrelated.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Prophylactic
Answer: B
The opposite is causing disease.
Prophylactic means preventing disease, from the Greek for guarding beforehand. A thing that causes disease is pathogenic - its exact reverse.
Please log in or register to report this question.
Obdurate
Answer: D
The opposite is yielding.
Obdurate means stubbornly refusing to give way, from the Latin for hardened. Yielding is its exact reverse; fleeting, finite and fascinating have nothing to do with stubbornness.
Please log in or register to report this question.
