English practice

Antonyms Questions with Answers

Antonyms questions ask you to pick the word that means the opposite of a given word. SSC CGL, CHSL and MTS use them as a vocabulary check, and bank prelims include them in the English section, sometimes with the word inside a sentence. Success depends on knowing meanings, not guessing from sound. Tip: first recall the meaning of the given word in one phrase, then look for the option that reverses it, and ignore any option that is a synonym.

Rules to remember

An antonym reverses the meaning of the word, so first fix the meaning of the given word, then reverse it.
Antonym and given word must be the same part of speech: a noun is paired with a noun, an adjective with an adjective.
Prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, non- and mis- often reverse a meaning (legal - illegal, regular - irregular), but check: flammable and inflammable mean the same.
Choose the closest opposite by degree: the opposite of scarce is abundant, not merely 'many'.
A synonym of the given word is often placed among the options as a trap; discard it immediately.
If a sentence is given, use it to pick the right sense of a word that has more than one meaning.
Learn words in opposite pairs: frugal - lavish, hostile - friendly, expand - contract, victory - defeat.

Worked examples

Q1. Choose the word opposite in meaning to GENEROUS. (a) Kind (b) Miserly (c) Wealthy (d) Humble

Generous means willing to give freely.
Kind is close in meaning to generous, so it is a trap.
Wealthy and humble describe money and attitude, not giving.
Miserly means unwilling to spend or give, which reverses the meaning.

Answer: (b) Miserly

Q2. Choose the word opposite in meaning to EPHEMERAL. (a) Temporary (b) Lasting (c) Fragile (d) Brief

Ephemeral means lasting for a very short time.
Temporary and brief are synonyms, so they are traps.
Fragile means easily broken, which is a different idea.
Lasting means continuing for a long time, the direct opposite.

Answer: (b) Lasting

Q3. Choose the word opposite in meaning to MITIGATE. (a) Soothe (b) Aggravate (c) Reduce (d) Excuse

Mitigate means to make something less severe or serious.
Soothe and reduce are close to mitigate in meaning, so they are synonyms and are eliminated.
Excuse means to forgive or justify, which does not reverse the idea.
Aggravate means to make a problem worse, the exact opposite.

Answer: (b) Aggravate

Shortcuts that save time

Eliminate synonyms of the given word first. Two options that mean the same as the stem are almost always wrong, which can cut a four-option question to two quickly.
If you do not know the stem word, try to link it to a root or prefix you know before guessing. Skip the question if even that fails, since wrong answers cost marks in most of these exams.
Attempt a guess only after you can rule out at least two options with confidence; a blind guess has a negative expected value.

Where this appears

SSC CGL Tier-1	English Comprehension section
SSC CHSL Tier-1	English Language section
SSC MTS	English Language and Comprehension section
IBPS/SBI PO Prelims	English Language section
IBPS/SBI Clerk Prelims	English Language section

Antonyms

Practice Set

Attempted: 0Correct: 0Incorrect: 0

1 of 1 (adapting live)Medium

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the given word. Ally

English · stress-free practice · answers reveal instantly · difficulty adapts as you go