Synonyms: Adjectives - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

The verb "to astound" means "to amaze." When something is described as being "astonishing," it is amazing. Thus, we could say, "It was astonishing how quickly John made progress at learning to play the organ. In only two years, he was more skilled than most people who had taken twenty years of lessons."

When two things are "similar," they are very much alike; however, they are not completely alike. When two things are 100% alike, they are equal or, simply, "the same." The word "similar," however, refers to things that are alike without being exactly the same. For instance, two cups could be similar in shape, though they are each a little bit different. Likewise, two shirts might have similar colors, though they are not exactly the same as each other.

Seldom means rarely or not often happening, so "rarely" is the correct answer. To help you, "impressive" means demanding notice, striking, or great.

In this question, the word "novel" is being used as an adjective, meaning new or inventive. The only word with a similar meaning is "innovative_,"_ which means original or new. "Celebrated" means renowned, while "literary"means having to do with literature or reading, and was meant to throw you off if you had only seen the stem word as a noun (meaning a book-length work of fiction) rather than as an adjective. "Puzzling" means confusing or perplexing .

"Regular" is an adjective that means occurring at even intervals, frequent, or usual. So, the answer choice closest in meaning to "regular" is "usual," an adjective that means typically occurring . None of the other answers are close in meaning to "regular": "atypical" is an antonym of "regular" and means not typical ; "regulated" means controlled; and "trite" means unoriginal.

The prefix "ultra-" means super or excessively, so “ultramodern” means extremely modern. Of the five answer choices, this is closest in meaning to “innovative,” which means original, modern, genius, offbeat. To provide further help, an “allusion” is an indirect reference to something; an “aqueduct” is a pipe that brings water from a natural source to a community; “assimilation” is the process of becoming part of a new culture after you move there; “apolitical” means not political, uninterested in politics.

“Consecutive” means occurring in order, one after the other. This is closest in meaning to “successive.” To provide further help, “incoherent” means not able to be understood; “comparable” means able to be compared, similar; “consensus” means agreement; “proclivity” means tendency of doing something.

The prefix "ir-" is a negation prefix, so “irreversible” has the opposite meaning of “reversible.” Since “reversible” means able to be reversed, able to be changed back, then “irreversible” means not able to be changed, or “permanent.” To provide further help, “temporary” is an antonym of “permanent;” “mercurial” means enigmatic, hard to predict; “enigmatic” means mysterious; “lackadaisical” means lazy or careless.

"Urgent" means pressing or immediate, so "pressing" is the correct answer. "Urgent" has a meaning different from that of "repetitive," which means tedious due to repetition,"steady," which means unvarying or consistent; and "unending," which means not having an end or lasting for a very long time.

Someone who is "sluggish" is lazy and slow, so "lazy" is the correct answer.None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "sluggish": "debilitated" means_weakened_ or hindered; "depressed" means feeling sad over a period of time or having the condition depression; and "dull" means boring or blunt.

Something "permanent" will remain a certain way for a long time. The other answer choices have meanings as follows: "partial" means _only a part of something; "_delayed" means late; and "occasional" means occurring infrequently.

Whenever we say that we "admire" someone, we mean that we have a very high opinion of that person. We respect such people for who they are and for what they do. Although such persons are sometimes famous, often they are not. We admire our grandparents, even if few people know them. This means that we respect them, and thus "respected" is the best option.

"Puny" means weak and small. To further help you, "dazed" means stunned, especially by a blow; "bemused" means confused and puzzled.

The word “vacant” means e mpty or, when referring to buildingsor rooms_, not occupied_. The word “ashamed” describes a feeling where you feel bad or guilty about something bad you have done.

“Reluctant” means not willing, so "unwilling" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "reluctant": “cantankerous” means grumpy; “enthused” means excited; “demonic” means marked by qualities of the devil or of demons; “susceptible” means vulnerable or in danger from something specific.

“Deflated” means saddened and discouraged by some experience. To provide further help, “encouraged” means supported; “disposed” means got rid of; “imposed” means forced upon; “implied” means suggested.

"Furious"is an adjective meaning extremely angry. The only answer choice with a similar meaning is "enraged," which means very angry. The other words do not have similar meanings: "gruff"can mean no-nonsense or abrupt; "superb" means excellent; and "annoyed" means only slightly angry.

When something is "becoming scarce," it is decreasing in quantity. Indeed, a "scarce" supply is one that is scanty or small in quantity. If almost all the trees in a forest are cut down, we would say, "The trees have become scarce." Therefore, the word "scarce" at times is used to mean "rare" as well. If there are few trees, it becomes rare to see them. A "rare occurrence" is one that does not happen very frequently—it "scarcely happens."

Whenever something is "enormous," it is very big. This "very" is important. Several options, like "big" and "large," do not express this "very_._" Only "huge" is a word that means very big. Therefore, it is the best option among those provided.