Synonyms, Antonyms, and Changes in Intensity - HSPT Verbal Skills

Something that is “tepid” is lukewarm. The word can be used to describe barely warm water as well as a personality or action that is not very enthusiastic. The first part of the analogy can be read as, “As being barely hot is to something extremely hot.” The second half of the analogy is best matched by the word “freezing,” for this is a greater degree of the coolness implied in “chilled.” Thus, the whole analogy would run, “As something blazing is hotter to a greater degree than something tepid, so too is something freezing cooler to a greater degree than something chilled.”

When someone is attentive, he or she pays heed to the details of a situation, not allowing them to be overlooked or ignored. Quite to the contrary, being preoccupied means that a person is concerned with other things and is not “mentally present.” For instance, you might say, “Sam was preoccupied with his worries about losing his job and thus completely missed the fact that the light had changed from red to green.” The words “attentive” and “preoccupied” are thus relatively antonyms to each other. The word “overjoyed” is obviously an antonym of “miserable,” the only word that even remotely functions as an opposite to being joyous.

The word “gregarious” comes from the word for “a flock” in Latin. The word “congregation” literally means “a gathering together of the flock.” (It is in part for this reason, among others, that all of these varied forms of “flock” language are used by Christians). The word “gregarious” means “friendly” or sociable, as though to say, “able to get along with the flock.” Thus, the words “gregarious” and “unfriendly” are antonyms. Among the options provided for such a contrast with “ready,” only “unprepared” fits this use. All of the others are either wholly unrelated (“agreeable” and “accepting”) or synonymous (“equipped” and, perhaps, “instructued”).

To "spurn" someone is to reject that person completely. For instance, one could say, “Herbert spurned any contact with his poor relatives, for he thought them wholly worthless and unintelligent, unworthy of any time.” This is quite the opposite of “accept” and is thus an antonym to the latter. Thus, we are looking for an antonym of “hamper.” Now, you might use the word “hamper” in discussing a type of basket for storing dirty clothes; however, there is no such option among the words provided. (Even the case of “garbage” is not useful, as it is definitely not an antonym). The word “hamper” can also mean to obstruct or make difficult, as when one says, “Thomas decided to hamper the progress of the group by tying their legs together while they sleep. He did not want them to progress on the trip.” The best option among those given is thus “aid,” which is quite the opposite from obstructing or making difficult.

When something is "comprehensible," it is understandable. You likely use the word “comprehend,” which is a related form of the same root. When someone “comprehends” something, he or she “grasps” it completely. The word “apprehend” can mean to understand, though it usually means to grasp a hold of in the physical sense. They come from the same general root. We can say that “unintelligible” and “comprehensive” are antonyms, so we must look for an antonym for “jocund.” The word generally means cheerful. Among the options, do not be fooled by “angry.” A jocund person is probably not angry, but more appropriately are they said to be without humor or humorless. This is the better answer.

The word “introverted” describes someone who is shy or perhaps self-centered. The reason that the word can have this range of meanings from just being generally unsocial to the negative notion of being self-centered is because of its origins in Latin. The “-vert” portion of the word is the same as that which we find in words like “convert” and “adversary.” The root, whether with a “t” or an “s,” here means turned. An adversary is turned against their foe, and a “convert” is said to “turn” from one way of life to another. Someone who is “introverted” is “turned inward.” Thus, such a person is not outgoing—whether or not they are self-centered. The two words are antonyms. A good antonym for “sympathetic” is “indifferent.” A sympathetic person is said to suffer with the pains of other people. Someone who is indifferent pays no heed to them whatsoever.

When someone is irritated, he or she is angry or annoyed. This is a state of mind quite different from being calm, so the two words can fairly be called antonyms. The word “liberal” has many uses, but knowing that we need an antonym helps in this question. While “political” really is just a trap answer, the options “accepting,” “tolerant,” and “enlightened” all are legitimate meanings for “liberal;” however, they are also synonyms—which we do not need! Instead, there is another meaning for liberal which is similar to the others but not quite equivalent, namely, to be generous with money / goods. When someone is a miser, he or she is very cheap, trying to spend money whenever possible. This is a good antonym for “liberal.”

When someone is weary, he or she is tired and lacking energy; therefore, “weary” and “energetic” are antonyms. In looking for an antonym for “plain,” the best option is “ostentatious,” which means “showy” (often with the negative connotation that the showiness is done in order to attract attention). This is an adequate antonym for “plain.”

We often think of “aggravate” in the sense of “to make someone angry,” as when we say, “The younger sister loved to aggravate her older sibling by burning his toys in the fireplace;” however, the more general meaning for aggravate is “to make (a condition, problem, wound, etc) worse.” Thus, “relieve” is an antonym to “aggravate,” for relief makes a situation better. Among the answers, only “empty” is an adequate antonym for “fill.” All of the others are either synonyms or not related at all.

The “zenith” of something is its highest point. For instance, one could say, “After World War II, the United States was perhaps at the zenith of its power, having the most powerful military in the world as well as being greatly respected by all of western Europe.” The term “zenith” can mean “top” or “highest point” in a more physical sense as well. Thus, in comparison with the “zenith,” the “bottom” is an antonym. Among the options provided, mediocrity is the only antonym for excellence. When something is “mediocre,” it is only of “middling” or average quality. This is usually used to imply that it is not very good at all—“just average” in the somewhat negative sense of the expression.

The “nadir” of something is its lowest point, as when one says, “After being fired from his job, evicted from his apartment, and abandoned by all his friends, Egbert was sure he had reached the absolute nadir of his life.” This is an antonym to “summit,” which means “the highest point;” therefore, you need to look for an antonym for “victory.” Although it is a rather simple word, “defeat” works very well and is the best choice among those provided. The others are either synonyms or not related in any meaningful manner.

When something is adequate, it fulfills a given need. For instance, someone can say, “Although it was not perfect, the insulated jacket provided adequate protection from the brutal cold, ensuring the survival of its wearer.” This is quite the opposite of “insufficient,” which is used to describe things that do not fill a given role in an adequate manner. One could speak of a house having “insufficient insulation” if the insulation was too thin to provide protection from the winter weather. Thus, we are looking for an antonym. The best antonym for “ill” is “healthy.” “Sickly” and “ailing” are synonyms. The others are not related in any relevant manner.

Likely, you know the term "nocturnal," which means active or functioning at nighttime.” The “noct-” comes from the Latin for night, which can be found in the expression “vernal equinox,” which means the spring equal-night. (When spring begins, the night and day last for equal amounts of time, hence the expression). The word “diurnal” means active or functioning during the day. It is an antonym for “nocturnal.” Thus, we are looking for a word that means the opposite of “cloying.” Although the word means sweet, it is often used in a metaphorical (and a somewhat negative) sense to mean sweet as in being overly emotional or sentimental. Thus, “unsentimental” is a good antonym for this word.

Someone who is “enlightened” is said to have knowledge about some topic or set of topics. Often, the term is used to describe people or civilizations that are far more advanced than some “unenlightened” group. It is thus the opposite of “uncivilized,” which is used to describe the state of a people who are underdeveloped in culture and thought. Thus, you are looking for an antonym for “isolated.”

When something is done in a “perfunctory” manner, it is done with little thought, meaning, and / or effort. For instance, someone could say, “Please do not give me a perfunctory phone call. If you want to talk to me call me. Otherwise, don’t even bother.” In comparison with “thorough,” we could consider the meaning of “perfunctory” as being used in the sense of “doing with little effort.” This is the opposite of doing something in a thorough manner. Given the potential answers, this is best understood as an analogy that expresses a pair of antonyms. The word “hardy” is best opposed to “frail.” All of the other options are either distant synonyms or unrelated words that are only tempting if you over-think the question. Thus, we can say, “As something done in a perfunctory manner is not done in a thorough manner, so too is something that is hardy not frail.”

The word “coarse” can be used in a physical sense to describe a rough texture, as in “coarse wool” or “coarse stones.” It can also be used in a non-physical sense to describe unrefined manners. Someone is “coarse” if he or she is crude or vulgar. Thus, the words “coarse” and “refined” are antonyms, meaning that you need to look for an antonym for “voluminous.” Something is “voluminous” when it is spacious or ample. Often, you will hear the word used to describe someone who has written many books (a “voluminous author”). This meaning still has general sense of “large in scope or size.” In comparison with something “voluminous,” something “cramped” is quite the opposite. This is the best word among those provided, as it is the only antonym to “voluminous.”

The word “defensible” can be thought of as meaning something like defendable, though it specifically means able to be justified. For instance, we would speak of “a defensible thesis,” meaning thereby that some argument is coherent and able to be defended against objections. When something is “tenable,” it is able to be “held” against objections. Thus, something “untenable” cannot be upheld (and is thereby indefensible). Thus, this analogy is one of antonyms. In contrast to being “enraged,” the best opposed word would be “serene.” Someone who is “serene” is not agitated at all but instead is at peace and is calm. This is quite different from the state of being enraged.

When we console someone, we attempt to give them comfort, hoping to lessen some fear or sadness. This is the opposite of perturbing that person, which would mean to irritate, annoy, or otherwise unsettle him or her. This means that the analogy needs to have an antonym for “lucid.” The word “lucid,” while being related to light, means “being clear and / or understandable.” For instance, one could say, “The argument was completely lucid, making sense without much additional explanation at all.” (The sense of light that is implied is that the argument “lets the light of the conclusion shine without being dimmed”). The best antonym for this would be “unintelligible,” which means the exact opposite of such lucid clarity.

Clearly the words deny and affirm are opposites. When we deny an accusation, we refuse to admit that it is true at all. In contrast, an affirmation is a statement that something is indeed the case. Thus, the analogy is one of antonyms. The opposite of “accept” is “reject.” Though a rather simple answer, it is still the best option.