Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · 8 min read
What is being tested
- A synonym is a word with almost the same meaning as another (big – large).
- An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (big – small).
Most questions give a word (sometimes inside a sentence, with the word in bold or underlined) and four options. Words rarely have exactly the same meaning; the exam wants the option that is closest in the given context.
Method
FormulaHow to answer
- Read the sentence (if there is one) and decide the meaning in context — many words have more than one sense (bank, fine, light, pen).
- Note the tone: positive (praise, generous, resolute), negative (stingy, obstinate) or neutral.
- Guess the meaning before looking at the options.
- Break the word into prefix, root and suffix if it is unknown.
- Eliminate options with the wrong tone or the wrong part of speech.
- For antonyms, watch out for a synonym trap — an option that means the same as the given word is never the answer to an antonym question.
Word building
Common prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, non- | not / opposite | unhappy, incorrect, impossible, illegal, irregular, dislike, nonsense |
| anti-, counter-, contra- | against | antidote, counteract, contradict |
| pre-, ante-, fore- | before | prehistoric, antecedent, foresee |
| post-, retro- | after / back | postpone, retrospect |
| sub-, under-, infra- | below | submarine, undergo, infrastructure |
| super-, over-, hyper-, ultra- | above / excess | superior, overwork, hyperactive, ultramodern |
| mis-, mal- | wrong / bad | misuse, malfunction, malnutrition |
| bi-, di-, tri-, multi-, poly-, mono- | number | bicycle, dilemma, triangle, multiple, polygon, monopoly |
| inter-, intra-, trans- | between / within / across | international, intramural, transport |
| auto-, bio-, geo-, hydro-, tele-, photo- | self / life / earth / water / far / light | autograph, biology, geology, hydropower, telescope, photograph |
Common roots
bene (good): benefit, benevolent · mal (bad): malice, malevolent · dict (say): dictate, predict · scrib/script (write): describe, script · spect (look): inspect, spectator · port (carry): transport, portable · vert/vers (turn): convert, reverse · cred (believe): credible, incredible · chron (time): chronology, chronic · pathy (feeling): sympathy, apathy · phobia (fear), philia (love).
Frequently tested words
The lists below give common exam words with a close synonym and an antonym. Learn them in groups, not one at a time.
Positive words
| Word | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| abundant | plentiful | scarce |
| benevolent | kind | malevolent |
| candid | frank | evasive |
| diligent | hard-working | lazy / idle |
| eloquent | fluent | inarticulate |
| frugal | thrifty | extravagant |
| generous | liberal | stingy |
| humble | modest | arrogant |
| jovial | cheerful | gloomy |
| lucid | clear | obscure |
| meticulous | careful | careless |
| optimistic | hopeful | pessimistic |
| prudent | wise | reckless |
| resilient | flexible | fragile |
| serene | calm | agitated |
| tenacious | persistent | yielding |
| valiant | brave | cowardly |
| zealous | enthusiastic | apathetic |
Negative words
| Word | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| arrogant | haughty | humble |
| callous | heartless | compassionate |
| deceitful | dishonest | honest |
| feeble | weak | strong |
| futile | useless | fruitful |
| hostile | unfriendly | friendly |
| idle | lazy | busy |
| malicious | spiteful | benevolent |
| obstinate | stubborn | flexible |
| reckless | careless | cautious |
| timid | shy | bold |
| vague | unclear | precise |
| wicked | evil | virtuous |
Neutral or general words
| Word | Synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| ancient | old | modern |
| brief | short | lengthy |
| complex | complicated | simple |
| conceal | hide | reveal |
| create | make | destroy |
| depart | leave | arrive |
| expand | enlarge | contract |
| genuine | real | fake |
| hasten | hurry | delay |
| import | bring in | export |
| inferior | lower | superior |
| major | main | minor |
| necessary | essential | unnecessary |
| permanent | lasting | temporary |
| rapid | fast | slow |
| scarce | rare | plentiful |
| transparent | clear | opaque |
| victory | triumph | defeat |
| voluntary | willing | compulsory |
Higher-level exam words
| Word | Meaning / synonym | Antonym |
|---|---|---|
| ambiguous | unclear | clear |
| ameliorate | improve | worsen |
| augment | increase | reduce |
| austere | severe / plain | luxurious |
| candour | frankness | deceit |
| coerce | force | persuade |
| corroborate | confirm | contradict |
| cursory | hasty | thorough |
| diffident | shy | confident |
| ephemeral | short-lived | permanent |
| gregarious | sociable | solitary |
| impeccable | flawless | faulty |
| innocuous | harmless | harmful |
| laconic | brief | wordy |
| mitigate | reduce | aggravate |
| obsolete | outdated | current |
| pragmatic | practical | idealistic |
| quell | suppress | encourage |
| redundant | unnecessary | essential |
| sporadic | occasional | frequent |
| ubiquitous | omnipresent | rare |
| verbose | wordy | concise |
| zenith | peak | nadir |
Near-synonyms and shades of meaning
Some words are close but not identical.
| Words | Difference |
|---|---|
| brave / rash | brave = courageous with judgement; rash = careless |
| thrifty / stingy | thrifty = careful with money (positive); stingy = unwilling to spend (negative) |
| confident / arrogant | confident = sure of oneself; arrogant = overbearing |
| childlike / childish | childlike = innocent (positive); childish = immature (negative) |
| famous / notorious | famous for good; notorious for bad |
| firm / stubborn | firm = resolute; stubborn = unreasonably fixed |
| curious / nosy | curious = eager to know; nosy = interfering |
| slim / skinny | slim = attractively thin; skinny = too thin |
Word forms to remember (often used in antonym options)
- Antonym through a prefix: possible → impossible, legal → illegal, regular → irregular, honest → dishonest, mortal → immortal, visible → invisible, ability → inability, agree → disagree.
- Opposite words with no shared form: victory – defeat, love – hatred, hope – despair, expand – contract, wisdom – folly, accept – reject, praise – criticise, guilty – innocent, rural – urban, vertical – horizontal.
Worked ExampleExample 1 — synonym in context
The manager gave a candid opinion about the plan. Candid means: (a) rude (b) frank (c) hesitant (d) secret
Solution. Candid = honest and open → frank (b).
Worked ExampleExample 2 — antonym
FRUGAL (a) thrifty (b) extravagant (c) careful (d) economical
Solution. (a), (c) and (d) are synonyms. The antonym is extravagant (b).
Worked ExampleExample 3 — a word with two meanings
The fine for parking here is heavy. — In this sentence fine means a penalty (noun); its antonym-like idea would be reward. In fine weather, it means good — opposite bad. Always check the part of speech and the context.
Worked ExampleExample 4 — from the prefix
IMPECCABLE — from im (not) + peccare (to sin/err). It means faultless; the antonym is faulty.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a synonym in an antonym question (or the reverse) — read the question line twice.
- Ignoring context — the word may be used in a less common meaning.
- Picking a word with the right meaning but the wrong tone (e.g., stingy for thrifty).
- Ignoring the part of speech — a noun should be matched with a noun.
- Skipping unknown words — use prefixes, roots and the sentence to guess.
How to build vocabulary
- Read editorials and note the new words with their sentences.
- Learn words in groups (all words meaning brave, lazy, increase).
- Learn synonym and antonym together — each pair is one memory.
- Revise the lists regularly; use each new word in your own sentence.
Revision SummarySummary
- Decide the meaning in context, note the tone and the part of speech.
- Use prefixes, roots and suffixes to guess unknown words.
- In an antonym question, a synonym among the options is a trap.
- Learn words in groups (positive, negative, neutral) along with both synonym and antonym.
- Watch for near-synonyms with different tones (thrifty/stingy, famous/notorious).