Antonyms Questions and Answers

Answer: D

The antonym of FERTILE is Barren.

Fertile land is rich and able to produce good crops; barren land produces little or nothing, so barren is the exact opposite. The alluvial Gangetic plain and a bare, rocky hillside show the contrast.

Poor land is less productive, but the word is weaker and more general. Fruitless is used mainly of efforts that bring no result, and deserted means abandoned by people, which says nothing about the soil.

Answer: B

The antonym of VOLUNTARY is Compulsory.

Voluntary retirement is retirement chosen by the employee; compulsory retirement is imposed, whether the employee wishes it or not. Choice against obligation is exactly the contrast between the two words.

Premature retirement is early retirement, which voluntary retirement often is, so it is close in sense rather than opposite. Urgent and undesirable do not contrast with choosing freely.

Answer: D

The synonym of introvert is reticent.

An introvert is a person turned inward, quiet and reserved, who does not readily share thoughts or feelings. Reticent means inclined to keep one's thoughts to oneself, reserved in speech, which matches.

Outspoken, open and frank all describe someone who says freely what they think. They describe the extrovert's manner and are closer to antonyms of introvert than synonyms.

Answer: D

The antonym of ambivalent is decisive.

To be ambivalent is to have mixed or contradictory feelings about something, and so to be unable to settle on one view. Its opposite is being clear and firm in one's choice, which is what decisive means.

Submissive means ready to obey and is unrelated to having mixed feelings. Misleading means giving a false impression. Suspect means doubtful in quality or honesty. None of these is the opposite of being torn between views.

Answer: C

The opposite of repulsive is attractive.

Something repulsive causes strong dislike or disgust and drives people away; something attractive draws people towards it.

Repugnant and revolting are synonyms of repulsive, not antonyms. Incompatible means unable to exist or work together, which is a different idea altogether.

Answer: A

The opposite of fortitude is timidity.

Fortitude is courage in facing pain, danger or adversity over a long time. Its opposite is a lack of courage, timidity, being easily frightened and shy of risk.

Laxity means looseness or carelessness, placidity means calmness, and ambition is a strong desire to achieve. None of them is the reverse of courage.

Answer: C

The antonym of hideous is Beautiful.

Hideous means extremely ugly or unpleasant to look at, as in 'a hideous mask'. Its opposite is beautiful, very pleasing to look at.

The other three are synonyms, not antonyms: ugly is the plain word for what hideous intensifies, while frightful and horrible both mean shocking or very unpleasant. A question asking for the antonym makes these the traps.

Answer: A

The antonym of tacit is Open.

Tacit means understood or implied without being stated openly, as in 'tacit approval' or 'a tacit agreement'. The opposite is something said or done openly, expressly declared.

Silent and implied are synonyms of tacit; the word comes from the Latin tacitus, 'silent'. With open available as a true antonym, 'None of these' is wrong.

Answer: C

The antonym of ponderous is Light.

Ponderous means heavy and slow because of great weight, and by extension dull and laboured in style, as in 'a ponderous speech'. It comes from the Latin pondus, 'weight'. Its opposite is light, in both the physical and the stylistic sense.

Heavy, bulky and laboured are all synonyms of ponderous, the first two for its physical sense and the third for its sense of dull, effortful writing or speech.

Answer: A

The antonym of obstinate is Amenable.

An obstinate person refuses to change his opinion or course of action despite argument or persuasion. An amenable person is open to advice and easily persuaded, the opposite disposition.

Dogged, firm and unyielding all share the core idea of obstinate: holding to a position and refusing to give way. Dogged and firm may be used approvingly, but none of them is opposed in meaning to obstinate.