SSAT Upper Level Verbal › Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
INCISIVELY
Cuttingly
Chronically
Frivolously
Vigilantly
Vacantly
"Incisive" (usually used to describe people or thought processes) means acute, sharp, or cutting. "Chronically" means persistently. "Vacant" means empty. "Vigilant" means alert and watchful. "Frivolous" means carefree, flighty, and flippant.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TANTAMOUNT
Equivalent
Indifferent
Divergent
Vile
Distinguished
"Tantamount" is an adjective that means "equal in seriousness to; virtually the same as," so we need to pick out another word that means "equal." While "indifferent" may look like a good answer choice because it looks like "in-" ("not") and "different," "indifferent" actually doesn't mean "not different," but instead means "having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned," or "neither good nor bad; mediocre," so it's not the word we're looking for. "Equivalent," however, means "equal in value, amount, function, or meaning," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "tantamount," it is the correct answer.
Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
NEFARIOUS.
Wicked
Honest
Unscrupulous
Hard-working
Discerning
“Nefarious” means wicked, infamous or evil. For clarification, "unscrupulous" means not restrained by moral or ethical principles; "discerning" means selective and showing good judgment.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CREPUSCULAR
Twilight
Rotund
Burnished
Ordinary
Dulcet
"Crepuscular" describes the "twilight" or dusk. "Dulcet" means sweet-sounding or mellifluous. "Ordinary" means average or normal. "Burnished" means polished or shined by careful rubbing, and "rotund" is a synonym for "plump."
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EXORBITANTLY
Excessively
Garrulously
Gregariously
Largely
Gorgeously
"Exorbitant" means excessive or prohibitively high. "Gorgeous" means very beautiful, and "largely" means mostly or mainly. "Gregarious" describes someone who is outgoing, while "garrulous" describes someone who is talkative.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ECUMENICAL
catholic
Tyrannical
Exuberant
Irrelevant
Germane
"Ecumenical" and "catholic" both mean all-encompassing, universal. (Don't confuse catholic with "Catholic," a specific religious denomination.) "Germane" is an antonym for "irrelevant." "Exuberant" means overjoyed, while "tyrannical" means authoritarian and cruel.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CENSORIOUS
Hypercritical
Facile
Fatuous
Dulcet
Academic
"Censorious" means overly critical. "Academic" describes institutionalized study, usually at a university. "Dulcet" means mellifluous or sweet sounding. "Fatuous" is another word for "silly," and "facile" is a synonym for "simplistic" or superficial.
Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
ACUTE.
Sharp
Inane
Worthy
Possible
Dignified
"Acute" means sharp, or focused. For clarification, inane means absurd or pointless; dignified means composed or noble.
Choose the best synonym for the word in capital letters.
magnanimous
generous
heartfelt
childish
explosive
futuristic
"Magnanimous"means generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or subordinate.
Choose the best synonym for the word in capital letters.
VEHEMENTLY
passionately
calmly
reluctantly
rapidly
truthfully
"Vehemently"means with strong feeling or passion.