Synonyms and Antonyms

  • Verbal Ability
  • 3 worked examples
  • 5 rules to know

What it is

You cannot memorise enough words, and you do not have to. A few dozen Latin and Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes cover a large share of the words these questions use, and they let you reason about a word you have never seen.

The second technique is to put the word in a sentence you would actually say. A word that fits your sentence and a word that does not is a faster test than trying to recall a definition.

What you need to know

  1. Negating prefixes: un-, in-, im-, dis-, mis-, non-, a-. "Amoral" is without morals; "immutable" is unchangeable.
  2. Direction and degree: pre- before, post- after, sub- under, super- above, inter- between, intra- within.
  3. Common roots: bene good, mal bad, loq/loc speak, vid/vis see, cred believe, chron time, path feeling.
  4. For an antonym question, work out the sense first, then look for the opposite - not for a word that merely feels unlike it.
  5. Watch the part of speech. The answer matches the question word’s form.

Worked examples

Try each one before opening the answer. A solution you have read is not a solution you can produce under time pressure, which is the only kind that counts.

Q1 Choose the synonym of BENEVOLENT: (a) hostile (b) kind (c) wealthy (d) cautious.

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(b) kind.

"Bene" means good or well - the same root as benefit, benign and benefactor - and "volent" is wishing. Benevolent is well-wishing, so kind. "Hostile" is its antonym, which is why it is offered first.

Q2 Choose the antonym of TRANSPARENT: (a) clear (b) obvious (c) opaque (d) fragile.

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(c) opaque.

"Trans" is through and "parent" here is appearing - transparent is what light passes through. Opaque is precisely the opposite. "Clear" and "obvious" are synonyms offered to catch somebody answering the wrong question.

Q3 Choose the synonym of GARRULOUS: (a) silent (b) talkative (c) angry (d) generous.

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(b) talkative.

If the word is unfamiliar, the root helps: it shares an origin with "garrulity" and relates to chattering. It describes someone who talks too much. "Silent" is the antonym, again placed first.

Where people lose marks

  • Answering the antonym when the synonym was asked. Underline which it is.
  • Picking a word that is related but not equivalent - "wealthy" for "benevolent".
  • Ignoring the part of speech. A noun answer to an adjective question is wrong even when the sense is right.