Antonyms
Find the word most nearly opposite in meaning to a target word.
What an antonym is
An antonym means the opposite of another word. "Hot" and "cold". "Generous" and "stingy".
The trap in every antonym question
These questions almost always include a synonym of the target word among the options. Read quickly and it feels familiar and right — and it is exactly backwards.
Before choosing, say to yourself: am I looking for the same, or the opposite? That one habit prevents most of the marks lost on this question type.
How to attack this question type
- 1
Say the word "OPPOSITE" to yourself before reading the options. The common error here is answering the wrong question, not not knowing the word.
- 2
Expect a synonym among the distractors. Spotting it early is useful — it can be eliminated immediately.
- 3
Prefixes are a shortcut: "possible" / "impossible". If the word has a negating prefix, the answer may be the word without it.
- 4
Some words have no true opposite. If the target is a concrete noun like "chair", re-read — you may have misread the question.
Practice · untimed
Select the word most nearly opposite in meaning to reluctant.
More in Verbal Reasoning
Synonyms
Find the word closest in meaning to a target word.
Word analogies
A is to B as C is to ___ — match the relationship, not the topic.
Odd one out
Five words, four sharing a property. Find the one that does not belong.
Letter and word codes
Deduce a letter-substitution rule from an example and apply it.