Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Value, and Rarity - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

"Lavish" is an adjective that means "sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious," "very generous or extravagant" when used of a person, or "spent or given in profusion." So, neither "sparing" nor "cheap" can be the correct answer because each of these words are antonyms of "lavish," not synonyms. "Luxurious," however, means "extremely comfortable, elegant, or enjoyable, especially in a way that involves great expense," or "giving self-indulgent or sensuous pleasure." So, because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "lavish," "luxurious" is the correct answer.

"Singular" is an adjective that can mean "exceptionally good or great; remarkable," or "strange and eccentric in some respect." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "remarkable" or "eccentric." Neither "expected" nor "everyday" can be the correct answer, then, because each of these answer choices is an antonym of "eccentric." "Peculiar," however, is an adjective that means "strange or odd; unusual," and because it is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "singular," "peculiar" is the correct answer.

"Costly" is an adjective that means either "costing a lot; expensive" or "causing suffering, loss, or disadvantage," so we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "costing a lot" or "causing suffering." "Cheap" cannot be the correct answer, then, because "cheap" is an antonym, not a synonym, of "costly." Since "pricey" is an adjective that informally means "expensive," "pricey" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "costly," making "pricey" is the correct answer.

"Marvelous" is an adjective that means either "causing great wonder; extraordinary" or "extremely good or pleasing; splendid." So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "extraordinary" or "splendid." "Mundane," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "mundane" means "lacking interest or excitement; dull," making it an antonym, not a synonym, of "marvelous." "Phenomenal," however, is an adjective that means " very remarkable; extraordinary," and because "phenomenal" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "marvelous," "phenomenal" is the correct answer.

“Lucrative” is an adjective that means “producing profit,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “producing profit.” That means that “unprofitable” cannot be the correct answer, because “unprofitable” can mean “not yielding profit” when referring to a business or activity, making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “lucrative.” “Profitable,” however, is an adjective that means “yielding profit” when referring to a business or activity, and because “profitable” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “lucrative,” “profitable” is the correct answer.

"Expensive" means costly.

Pathetic means good for nothing, useless. To further help you, despondent means very sad and without hope; suspicious means showing doubt, acting sneaky.

"Paltry" means incredibly small and meaningless. "Meager" is the best choice because it also means worthless or not enough.

The word "lucrative" means profitable or moneymaking. The best choice is "advantageous" because it means profitable or useful.

"Magnificent" means exceptional in appearance or amazing. "Splendid" is the best choice because it also means exceptional in appearance. Considering the other choices, "austere" means strict or serious, "wander" means walk without a definite purpose, and "frank" means direct and unreserved in speech.

One of the meanings of "dandy" is excellent. The best choice is "terrific" because it is a synonym of "excellent."

"Valuable" is defined as worth a great deal of money. Since "expensive" things are highly priced, "expensive" is the best answer choice. "Worthless" is an antonym of "valuable."

“Superb” means excellent or close to perfect, so "excellent" is the correct answer. To provide further help, “mediocre” means average when higher quality was expected, and “outrageous” means disgraceful and shocking.

“Ghastly” means horrific, horrible, and abhorrent. To provide further help, “mangle” means to crush or twist out of shape; “surprising” means not expected; “iconic” means characterize by fame and admiration; “whimsical” means quirky and silly.

"Perfect" is an adjective that means as good as possible or lacking any imperfections. So, the answer choice closest in meaning to "perfect" is "ideal," an adjective that means most suitable or perfect . None of the other answers are close in meaning to "perfect": "messy" means dirty ; "restless" means unable to relax; and "functional" means existing for a specific purpose.

The prefix "extra-"means beyond or greater than, so “extraordinary” means beyond ordinary or incredible, so "incredible" is the correct answer.None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "extraordinary": “insignificant” means not significant or not important; “deplorable” means deserving of hatred; “laudable” means worthy of praise; and “susceptible” means vulnerable to something specific.

As foolish as it might seem, think of "remarkable" in a very literal sense (at least at first): Something about which remarks are made. It is "remark-able." We say that something is "remarkable" when it is out of the ordinary, when it stands out from the crowd. If something is just normal, we do not make many remarks about it. However, when something is extraordinary, we talk about it and discuss it. While it might seem that this would be synonymous with "fame," being remarkable really is about being extraordinary or amazing, and one does not necessarily need to be extraordinary or amazing to be famous. Therefore, "amazing" is the correct answer.

We all know the word "superb" because of its association with "super." Something is called "super" when it is a great specimen of that type. A "super hot room" is a room that is very hot. When something is "superb," it is excellent—very able to be praised. While it might be "good" or "acceptable," it is best to choose an answer that expresses the very good character of something that is superb. Likewise, something superb is likely to be suprising (because of how good it is). Still, to be "superb" primarily means to be "excellent" or "very good." Therefore, "excellent" is the best option.

The word "faulty" is an adjective that means—unsurprisingly—having a fault or faults. A "faulty" tire is one that does not spin correctly, and a "faulty computer" is one that does not work as it should. You might get confused looking at the options and think that perhaps "trembling" is a good good answer. A "fault line" is an imperfection in the earth's crust, leading to earthquakes at times. However, the word "faulty" mere indicates imperfection or flaws. Therefore, "flawed" is the best answer.