Synonyms - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

To “improve” something means to make it better, so an “improvement” is very similar to _“_progress.” To provide further help, “detriment” means harmful thing; “facade” means a fake display or an act meant to conceal the truth; “calamity” means disaster; “proposition” means proposal.

The prefix "mal-" means bad or wrong and “function” means to work, so something that has “malfunctioned” has stopped working or has failed to work. The closest answer choice is “fail.” To provide further help, “latent” means hidden or potential; “lamentable” means sad and causing sorrow; “obvious” means apparent; “succeed” means to do well, to achieve goals.

The prefix "par-" means equal, as in “par for the course” or “on par with.” The word “parity” is similar in meaning to "equality." To provide further help, “adjunct” means addition; “extol” means praise; “pompous” means arrogant and self-important; “congenial” means friendly, affable.

The word "diminish" is related to words like "miniature" and "miniscule." The prefix "mini-" is also likely very familiar to you. A "mini-poodle" is a very small kind of dog. When something "diminishes," it becomes smaller or less intense. To make something "diminish in size," you reduce its size. To "reduce" means to lessen or decrease.

The prefix "dict-" means relating to speaking or relating to words, so the word “diction” refers to the way you speak. The best answer choice is “pronunciation.” To provide further help, “deferential” means showing respect; a “narrative” is a story; an “orator” is someone who is talented at public speaking; “diffident” means shy and insecure.

This one is tough, because there are no synonyms to eliminate in the answer list. If you remember hearing the word "generation" used to mean a group of people born and living during the same time, you may be able to figure out that "generate" means birth, make, or create. "Produce" has a similar meaning to "create," therefore that is the correct answer. "Destroy" is an antonym of "generate," "predict" means foretell or attempt to determine what will happen in the future, and "loathe" means hate.

In general, the word "levity" is related to humor or amusement. Specifically, it refers to joking or carefree happiness that interrupts a more serious mood. "Lighthearted" basically means happy in a way that lacks seriousness, so "lightheartedness" is the correct synonym here. Let's check the other three answer choices. Although it rhymes, "brevity" has nothing to do with levity; it denotes conciseness of language or (more generally) a short duration. "Solemnity" is synonymous with seriousness, so it is an antonym of our original term, and "natal" is an adjective that means associated with birth or newborn babies.

“Desist” means to stop or to make something stop. To provide further help, “forbid” means ban, not allow; “prevent” means stop something from happening before it happens; “carp” means complain.

When you "refine" something, it means that you "improve" it compared to its original condition. This differs from "glorify," which means to raise in status; "regard," which means to see or think of someone in a certain way; and "reward," which means to give compensation for a job well done.

Accelerate means to increase in speed. Quicken means to go faster. Given these definitions, accelerate and quicken are very close in meaning, and therefore synonyms of one another.

Hoard means to find and keep large amounts of certain types of objects. Collect means to form a grouping of particular items. Thus, given how similar these words are, they are synonyms for one another.

To "thrive" is to succeed or do extremely well in some aspect of life; it sometimes refers specifically to physical growth. In general, however, "prosper" is the correct synonym, since this verb also describes the act of flourishing and succeeding. To "falter" is to hesitate and to "recede" is to retreat or travel backwards (as in a balding man's "receding hairline"). Finally, to "anticipate" something is to look forward to or become excited about it before it has happened.

The word "deftly" means nimbly, dexterously, or with great skill;therefore, the word "skillfully" most closely matches the definition of "deftly." "Clumsily" is incorrect because it means with little skill or in an awkward manner, making it an opposite of "deftly." "Maliciously," which means with the intention of causing harm, and "aggressively," which means in a hostile or confrontational manner, are unrelated to the definition of "deftly."

The word "aplomb" means self-assurance, calmness, or _composure. "_Confidence" is therefore the word that mostly closely matches the definition of "aplomb." "Anxiety" is incorrect because it is, in fact, an opposite of "aplomb": it means worry or nervousness. "Impotence," which means powerlessness, "violence," which means the act of physically injuring or killing someone or cause damage to something, and "probability," which means the statistical likelihood of an event happening, are unrelated to the definition of "aplomb."

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.

Something that is monotonous repeats without varying, so another word for "monotonous" is "repetitive." Considering the other choices, "loud" means great in volume, "monochrome" means consisting of one color or different shades of one color, and "same" means alike.

The word "firm" is an adjective used to describe something that is physically solid. For example, a firm pillow is one that is somewhat hard—as opposed to a very soft pillow. Sometimes, too, this word is used to describe someone's actions. For example, to say, "He was firm about his wish to have at least eight hours of sleep," means that the person did not give up his desire for the sleep (even if others protested).

The word "compact" comes from root words meaning joined together. When we compact our garbage, we compress it into a small space. When we describe the garbage as being "compact," we are indicating that it is very densely packed together. "Dense" things do not have much air space. The same is true for compact materials.

"Suffocating"refers to the act of preventing another person from breathing, but can also be used figuratively to describe the act of overwhelming another person. Similarly, "smothering"can refer to the physical act of covering another person's airways, or be used figuratively to describe oppressing someone. Given that these words are so similar, they are synonyms. Additionally, both words can be used as either verbs or adjectives.