Synonyms: Verbs About Emotional Changes - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

The word "placate" means calm down. The best choice is "calm" (used as a verb) because it is a part of the definition of "placate."

"Pacify" is a verb meaning "quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of," so we need to pick out a verb that means something like "calm down." While "calmness" may look like a potentially correct answer, "calmness" is a noun and "pacify" a verb, so "calmness" cannot be the correct answer. "Soothe," however, is a verb meaning "gently calm a person or their feelings," "reduce pain or discomfort in a part of the body," or "relieve or ease pain." Because "soothe" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "pacify," "soothe" is the correct answer.

"Rue" is a difficult word to figure out if you aren't familiar with it, as it's too short to be able to lend much help with roots. You may have heard the expression "rue the day," which people who speak a very formal English use when making threats. To "rue" means to lament or regret something. Don't confuse with the unrelated word "roué," which means a sexually immoral man.

"Detest" means to hate or to despise. "Abhor" means the same thing, so it is the correct answer. "Esteem" means to respect someone or something, "consent" means to agree to something, and "savor" means to enjoy something.

"Pacify" means make peaceful or quiet, so "calm" is the best match.

The word "petrify" means paralyze with fear. "Paralyze" is the best choice because it is a part of the meaning of "petrify."

To "petrify" someone or something means to severely frighten, scare or terrify him, her, or it, so "terrify" is the correct answer.

To "fret" means to worry, so "worry" is the correct answer. To help you, "permit" and "prohibit" are antonyms of one another; that means that they have opposite meanings. Also, to "permit" means to allow, and to "prohibit" means to ban.

When used as a transitive verb, to "gall" means to annoy or to make someone angry. It can also be used as a noun, in which case it means boldness or audacity. So, "annoy" is the correct answer. To help you, "debilitating" means greatly weakening, "choleric" means bad-tempered, and to "placate" means to calm or to soothe.

"Rue" means to feel regret for or to feel sorrow about a past action. To further help you, "desire" means want; "admire" means appreciate; "abhor" means hate or detest; "suspend" means pause.

"Relish," when used as a verb, means appreciate greatly, so the answer choice closest in meaning to "relish" is "enjoy," which is a verb meaning take pleasure in. Considering the other answer choices, "dislike" is a verb meaning not enjoy or not like, "burden," when used as a verb, means give someone a thing or a task that causes them undue stress and worry, and "hide" is a verb meaning go to a location in order not to be seen or noticed.

"Antagonize" is a verb that means oppose with hostility, so the answer choice closest in meaning to antagonize is "aggravate," a verb meaning make something bad worse or cause to feel annoyed or angry, often intentionally. Considering the other answer choices, none are close in meaning to "antagonize": "praise" is a verb meaning express approval; "compliment" means praise a certain feature, trait, or accomplishment of someone; and "triumph," when used as a verb, means succeed.

"Adore" is a verb meaning like very much, so the answer choice closest in meaning is "love," a verb meaning feel deep affection for when referring to a person or to people, or more informally and when not being used to refer to people, like a great deal. Considering the other answer choices, none are close in meaning to "adore": "complain" is a verb meaning express dissatisfaction about something; "annoy" is a verb meaning pester or bother; and "explain" is a verb meaning clarify in detail.

The word "rue" means feel sorrow. "Regret," which means feel sorrow over a loss or a poor decision, is the best choice. Considering the other choices, "smell" means detect the scent of, "gather" means collect, and "study" means gather information about.

"Fret" is a verb meaning to worry excessively. For example: "The vicious guard dog caused all intruders to FRET regarding their safety."

"Soothe" is a verb that describes the action of calming someone down, often an action done to someone who is "fretting." "Halt" is a verb meaning to stop an action or movement. As a verb "silence" means to make, usually someone else, be quiet.

To "abhor" something is to loathe, despise or hate it. You might "abhor" violence and refuse to watch TV shows that use violent imagery.

"Covet is an antonym to "abhor." "Instigate" is a verb meaning to cause an event or arouse an emotion that causes action. To "desire" something is to want that thing. To "enhance" something is to make that thing better.

To "agitate" something means to disturb or to unsettle. To feel "agitated" means to feel unsettled, to feel anxious. To provide further help, "condemn" means express disapproval of, denounce; "retract" means take back, as in to take back a statement; "permit" means allow.

"Pacify" is a verb meaning "quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of," so we need to pick out a verb that means something like "calm down." While "calmness" may look like a potentially correct answer, "calmness" is a noun and "pacify" a verb, so "calmness" cannot be the correct answer. "Soothe," however, is a verb meaning "gently calm a person or their feelings," "reduce pain or discomfort in a part of the body," or "relieve or ease pain." Because "soothe" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "pacify," "soothe" is the correct answer.

"Rue" is a difficult word to figure out if you aren't familiar with it, as it's too short to be able to lend much help with roots. You may have heard the expression "rue the day," which people who speak a very formal English use when making threats. To "rue" means to lament or regret something. Don't confuse with the unrelated word "roué," which means a sexually immoral man.