Synonyms: Verbs About Emotional Changes - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

The word "urge" has a similar meaning to word "coax." Both words mean encourage someone to do something.

"Astonish" means to surprise, so "surprise" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "astonish": "demand" means to ask for something forcefully; "susceptible" means in danger; "manage" means direct a group or endure; and "punish" means discipline for breaking rules or behaving badly.

To "aggravate" a person means to irritate or _to annoy_him or her. To aggravate a problem means to make it worse. So, the correct answer is "irritate." None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "aggravate": "object," when used as a verb, means interrupt to disagree, and is used this way in courts of law; "differ" means to be different from; "argue" means to talk about a disagreement heatedly; and "convey" means transport when referring to a physical object, or impart when referring to an idea.

"Admire" means respect, look up to, or view as a role model, so "respect" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "admire": "demand" means forcefully order someone to give you something; "divide" means split into two groups or parts, "despise" means greatly dislike or hate, and "encourage" means motivate or hearten.

"Assuage" means to calm someone or something down, so "calm," which when used as a verb means make calm, is the correct answer. To help you, "depict" means to show, "embolden" means to make brave, "demand" means _forcefully ask for something, and "zoom" means to travel at a very fast speed.

To "sedate" something means to use medicine to make it sleep, to calm it, or settle it down. So, "settle down" is the correct answer. To help you, "scold" means reprimand, and "deny" means refuse to accept something.

The answer is "despise.""Despise" and "loathe" are verbs that mean dislike strongly, such as in the sentence, "He despises people who bully others."

The answer is "fear." "Fear" and "dread" are verbs that mean anticipate with horror, such as in the sentence, "He had a great fear of heights, so he could never climb a ladder."

"Succumb" means to yield to overpowering strength, force, appeal, or desire. If you “succumb” to something, you give in to it, or you yield to it. A common expression is to “succumb to temptation.”

"Surprise" means amaze or "astonish," so "astonish" is the correct answer.

To “grimace” is to express sadness or anger or pain with your face, and as such, it is closest in meaning to “scowl,” which means frown to convey great sadness or anger. To provide further help, to “chuckle” is to laugh quietly; to "grin" is to smile broadly, to "whisper" is to speak in a low, quiet voice so as not to be heard, and to “demand” is to tell someone they have to do something as if they don't have a choice.

"Exult" means celebrate because of having succeeded at something. A soccer team might exult in their victory over a rival team, for example. "Celebrate" is thus the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "exult."

"Horrify" means scare greatly and make very afraid. "Petrify" can mean turn something to stone over a long period of time (like "petrified wood") or scare greatly to the point where someone cannot move, so "petrify" is the correct answer.

“Fathom” means understand or know how something works. To provide further help, “intend” means mean to do something; “wonder” means think about something you'd like to know more about; “consider” means think about or think about another option; and “deplore” means hate.

To be "enraged" means to be very angry. You can see the base word, "rage" within it. You could say, "It enraged my mother when I failed to clean my room." "Saddened" means t_o be made sad_. "Excited" means to be interested or made animated.

To "acknowledge" most closely means to admit or recognize something. "Knowledge" is a root word; however it should not be confused with educate or other words dealing with the acquisition of knowledge. "Deny" is an antonym to "acknowledge"

"Grow" and "become" are synonyms. They can both be used to refer to emotional changes and other conditions; for example, "They grow tired." "They become annoyed." The other words do not share this meaning or function.

The problem presents several verbs. The verb closest in meaning to "sulk" is "mope." To "sulk" or "mope" means to behave in a way that clearly displays sadness: "After his dog disappeared, he would mope around the house, sulking." "Giggle" and "laugh" are antonyms of "sulk," while "sling" means to throw something.