Antonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The antonym of 'profuse' is 'sparse'. Profuse means given or growing in large amounts. A landscape described as bleak, in the sentence given, suggests thin growth, so the word that is opposite to profuse and fits the sentence is sparse, meaning thinly scattered. 'Bountiful', 'ample' and 'liberal' all mean plentiful or generous, so they are synonyms of profuse, not opposites, and they would not suit a bleak landscape.

Answer: A

The antonym of 'elated' is 'depressed'. Elated means very happy and excited. After a mother's death a person becomes severely depressed, meaning deeply sad, which is the opposite of elated and fits the sentence. 'Delighted' and 'ecstatic' mean happy or overjoyed, so they are close in meaning to elated rather than opposite. 'Proud' is a different feeling again and does not suit a bereavement.

Answer: D

The antonym of 'convenient' that completes the sentence is 'inconvenient'. A shortcut that looks convenient may prove to be inconvenient in the long run, which is the sense of the sentence. 'Appropriate', 'suited' and 'timely' are all positive words that stand close to 'convenient', so they are synonyms and not the opposite. The question is printed with the word whose antonym is wanted left out, and the key treats 'inconvenient' as the answer.

Answer: A

The antonym that fits is 'rarely'. The sentence says that he often visits me, so the contrast 'but I rarely go to his house' makes sense. 'Frequently', 'continually' and 'regularly' all mean often, so they repeat the idea of the first clause and do not give the contrast that the word 'but' needs.

Answer: D

The antonym of inert is lively. Inert means without energy or movement, and the sentence contrasts life that technology made inert with a life that man should make more lively.

Quaint (old-fashioned and charming), uninterested (without interest) and hazardous (dangerous) are not the opposites of inert, and ‘hazardous’ does not fit the sentence's meaning.

Inert is used here of life made passive by technology, and the contrast the sentence draws is with a life that is active and full of energy. ‘Lively’ has this sense of energy, while ‘hazardous’ means dangerous and ‘quaint’ means old-fashioned in an attractive way.

Answer: A

The antonym of frugal here is extravagant. Frugal means careful with money, and the sentence says he claims to be frugal but his spending is rather extravagant, which means lavish.

‘Miserly’ and ‘inexpensive’ are close to frugal, not opposite, and ‘loud’ has nothing to do with spending.

The word ‘but’ in the sentence signals a contrast between the claim and the fact. A claim of a frugal lifestyle is contradicted by spending that is extravagant, which is lavish or wasteful. A word like ‘miserly’ would repeat the claim and not contradict it.

Answer: D

Confident is the antonym of timid. The sentence contrasts a timid, bashful brother with a sister who is poised, so the blank needs the opposite of timid, which is confident. Submissive and weary describe passivity or tiredness, and grumpy describes mood; none of these is the opposite of timid. Timid means shy and lacking courage, and the sentence contrasts it with poised, so the antonym that makes the contrast is confident, which means self-assured.

Answer: A

Adoration means deep love and respect, almost worship. Its opposite is opprobrium, which means harsh criticism or the disgrace that comes from shameful conduct. Approbation means approval and is close in sense to adoration, deference means respectful submission, which also points the same way, and prejudice is a preconceived opinion, which is not the opposite. The answer is Opprobrium, option (A).

Answer: C

The antonym of 'indistinct' that fills the blank is 'clear'. Indistinct means not clear to the eye or ear, and the sentence says her handwriting was so clear that every word stood out, which is the opposite of indistinct.

'Soft' and 'large' describe other qualities and would not make every word stand out in the sense given. 'Forward' is not an antonym of indistinct at all. So the third option is the answer.

Answer: C

The antonym of feeble is strong.

The sentence says Mrs. Raghava Nandan was remarkably strong and energetic, and 'strong' is the opposite of 'feeble'.

'Weird', 'dedicated' and 'fancy' are not opposites of feeble.

The blank is given with 'feeble' in brackets, and the antonym is asked. The sentence says she was 'remarkably ___ and energetic', so the word is the opposite of feeble. 'Strong' is the antonym of feeble. 'Weird' means strange, and 'fancy' means decorative.