SSAT Middle Level Verbal › Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Appearance, Materiality, and Sensory Imagery
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DRAB
Dull
Tiny
Vigorous
Corrugated
Minuscule
"Drab" means dreary, dull, and/or uninteresting. "Tiny" and "minuscule" both mean very small. "Corrugated" describes a ridged or grooved material. "Vigorous" means strong and energetic.
Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters
TORRID
Stifling
Dispute
Mediocre
Frigid
Whimsical
"Torrid" means scorching hot or extremely challenging. In this instance the best synonym for one of those meanings is “stifling” which means uncomfortably hot. For clarification, a dispute is an argument or disagreement; mediocre describes something that is average in a negative way; whimsical means silly and quirky; frigid means very cold, and is an antonym of stifling and torrid.
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
VORACIOUS
Ravenous
Enticing
Delicious
Alluring
Tempestuous
“Voracious” means extremely hungry or desiring or consuming great quantities. The only answer which means extremely hungry is “ravenous”; the words are linked by their suffix "-ous" which means characterized by. To help you, “tedious” means tiring or boring due to repetition, and “tempestuous” means stormy. “Alluring” and “enticing” both mean tempting.
Synonyms: Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
EMACIATED
Gaunt
Destroyed
Sad
Sensitive
Fibrous
If someone or something is “emaciated” they are very thin and bony. For example, one could write, "After the famine, the farm animals were “emaciated.” “Gaunt” means thin and bony and usually pale. If you say, "His face looked gaunt," you mean it was thin, pale, and bony. To further help you ,“fibrous” means stringy or made of fibres, so chewy meat is “fibrous.” “Sensitive” means easily offended or sympathetic to other people’s feelings.
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
INTACT
Complete
Broken
Spoiled
Social
Accurate
"Intact" means complete. "Broken" is an antonym of "intact" and means smashed or shattered. "Spoiled" means coddled. "Social" can mean having to do with society. "Accurate" means correct or precise.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SOUR
Tart
Swarthy
Husky
Sweet
Quizzical
"Sour" and "tart" both describe a mouth-puckering taste. "Swarthy" means dark-skinned, "husky" means strong and robust, and "quizzical" means puzzled. "Sweet" and "sour" are generally considered antonyms.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OVERT
Apparent
Disguised
Askew
Tilted
Pudgy
"Overt" means "apparent" or undisguised.
"Pudgy" means fat, overweight or chubby.
"Tilted" means leaned or slanted.
"Askew" means crooked or not straight.
"Disguised" means hidden by a false appearance or unrecognizable.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FRIGID
Chilly
Damp
Moist
Wet
Humid
"Frigid" and "chilly" are synonyms adjectives describing the state of being cold. The other answer choices are synonymous with each other, and all refer to the state of being wet, but only "chilly" means the same thing as "frigid." Someone might be "frigid" because their clothes are "damp," but these adjectives are not in and of themselves synonymous.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
HORRID
Dreadful
Inappropriate
Horticultural
Honest
Homely
The words "horrid" and "dreadful" are synonymous. They refer to something that inspires fear. The other answer choices do not have this meaning. Words like "homely," "honest," and "horticultural" may seem to have similar prefixes, but they have completely unrelated meanings.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
STRIKING
Astonishing
Unremarkable
Unimportant
Unimpressive
Stalwart
"Striking" and "astonishing" are synonyms which can be used to praise someone or something's appearance. The other answer choices do not share this meaning.