In each of the following questions, choose the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
Perfunctory
Answer: B
The opposite is thorough.
Perfunctory means done carelessly and as a mere form, from the Latin for getting through a duty. Thorough is done with full care.
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Rubble
Answer: B
The opposite is unbroken stone.
Rubble is broken fragments of stone or brick; unbroken stone is whole.
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Languor
Answer: A
The opposite is vitality.
Languor is listlessness and want of energy, from the Latin languere. Vitality is its reverse.
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Alleviate
Answer: B
The opposite is worsen.
To alleviate is to make a trouble less severe, from the Latin levis, light. To worsen is to make it greater.
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Pugnacious
Answer: A
The opposite is pacific.
Pugnacious means eager to fight, from the Latin pugnus, a fist. Pacific means peace-making, from pax.
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Anonymous
Answer: B
The opposite is signed.
Anonymous means without a name attached, from the Greek an-onoma. A signed piece carries its author's name.
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Benign
Answer: D
The opposite is malignant.
Benign and malignant are exact opposites in both senses - kindly against ill-natured, and harmless against dangerous in medicine.
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Admonition
Answer: B
The opposite is commendation.
An admonition is a warning or mild rebuke; commendation is praise. A premonition is a forewarning of a coming event, which is a different word from a different root.
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Adulation
Answer: D
The opposite is criticism.
Adulation is excessive flattery, from the Latin adulari, to fawn. Criticism finds fault.
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Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word to fill in the blank.
PROFUSE
The landscape was bleak with ______ vegetation.
DSSSB - 2023,
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.
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