21 Jan

Question 1

Brute

Answer 1

a savagely violent person or animal.

Question 2

rapture

Answer 2

Rapture describes a feeling of great joy. An opposite feeling is depression, making the word an antonym.

Question 3

candor

Answer 3

If someone is admired for her candor, it means that she is admired for her honest and unreserved expression, otherwise known as her forthrightness.

Question 4

sagacious

Answer 4

To be wise is to be marked by deep understanding and keen discernment. To be sagacious means the same, making the words synonymous.

Question 5

coagulate

Answer 5

To coagulate means “to cause to become viscous or thickened into a coherent mass.” To clot means something similar, making the word a synonym.

Question 6

dawdle

Answer 6

To dawdle means to spend time idly or move slowly, whereas hastening indicates moving quickly. Thus, the words are antonyms of each other.

Question 7

ingenuous

Answer 7

An ingenuous person shows innocent simplicity and candidness, and thus is the opposite of dishonest.

Question 8

gaffe

Answer 8

A faux pas is an embarrassing error or mistake. Gaffe has a similar meaning, making it a synonym.

Question 9

poignant

Answer 9

Something that is unaffecting does not evoke a strong emotional response; it is the opposite of poignant, which means “deeply affecting” or touching.

Question 10

reverberate

Answer 10

To reverberate means to send back a sound by the reflection of sound waves. To echo means the same, making the words synonymous.

Question 11

languid

Answer 11

Languid means sluggish or lacking bodily energy; listless has a similar meaning.

Question 12

mollify

Answer 12

To mollify means “to soothe,” making it the opposite of enrage, which means “to anger.”

Question 13

peevish/grouchy

Answer 13

To be peevish is to be marked by ill temper. Grouchy has a similar meaning, which makes it a synonym.

Question 14

trenchant

Answer 14

Trenchant means “keen” or “sharp”—the opposite of dull.

Question 15

diaphanous

Answer 15

Diaphanous means “thin and easy to see through,” as does sheer.

Question 16

gaunt/emaciated

Answer 16

Gaunt means “excessively thin.” Emaciated has a similar meaning, making the two words synonyms of each other.

Question 17

squalid

Answer 17

Squalid means “severely lacking in cleanliness.” Grimy has a similar meaning.

Question 18

jejune

Answer 18

Jejune means causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest; boring has a similar meaning, which makes it a synonym.

Question 19

frugal

Answer 19

A person who is frugal is careful in the management of money. So is a person who is economical.

Question 20

docile

Answer 20

Docile means “easily taught.” One antonym for the word is defiant, which means “showing a disposition to challenge or resist.”

Question 21

jocular

Answer 21

Jocular means “jolly”; jovial has a similar meaning.