Synonyms: Other Verbs - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

The prefix "out-"generally means surpassing or exceeding, so if you “outperform” someone, you perform better than they do. So, "do better than" is the correct answer. To provide further help, “overwhelm” means overpower emotionally and “underwhelm” means disappoint, and “intrinsic” means basic, natural, or inherent.

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.

“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.

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."

If people "partake" of something such as cake at a birthday party, it means they consume it or share in it ; if they partake in some activity, they participate in it or take part in it; so, "participate" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "partake": "grant" means allow when used as a verb; "convey"means transport when referring to physical objects or people and suggest when referring to ideas; and "transfer" means convey from one location to another or convey from the ownership of one person or group to the ownership of another person or group.

A "regulation" is a type of limitation or a kind of rule that is set for some activity. For instance, when someone builds a power plant, it must have certain kinds of "scrubbers" to reduce the pollution that comes out of the plant's smoke stacks. These scrubbers are required because of regulations that have been put in place by the government. When used as a verb, to "regulate" means to watch over the regulations or merely to watch over. When we "monitor" something, we watch its progress. The word "monitor" is often used as a noun to describe the person or thing which is monitoring. A "hall monitor" is someone who watches the halls in a school to make sure that nothing bad happens. A computer monitor—the screen—is what allows you to watch a digital display of the computer's processes.

To "adapt" is to "change" as circumstances change. "Advance" is to move forward; "compare" is to look at similarities; and "contrast" is to look at differences.

To "hinder" someone is to put something in his or her way to prevent him or her from completing whatever it is he or she is working on. A "hindrance" is an obstacle blocking someone from completing his or her desired task as quickly as desired. The word "retard" means to slow down. For instance, you could say either, "I hindered the development of the new apartment building," or, "I retarded the developement of the new apartment building."

The word "satisfy" is related to "satisfaction," and both words come from the Latin meaning enough. To experience "satisfaction" is to be in a state of feeling "full." This does not mean that something is "gorged," as when we eat a lot. Instead, to be satisfied is nothing other than to be fulfilled or completed in a given respect. Indeed, one can experience satisfaction in a variety of ways beyond food—intellectual satisfaction, emotional satisfaction, and so forth.

"Reimburse" means to return money to a person, usually someone who bought or intended to buy something. "Refund" is the closest word in meaning because it means to give back paid funds to a customer.

Abolish means to completely ruin or tear down. Destroy means to destruct or annhilate something. Given that abolish and destroy have such similar meanings, they are synonyms for one another. Construct is an antonym. Relish and absolute are tricks, as they sound like abolish but are not synonyms.

To "rectify" a situation is to repair it or make it right, generally when some problem has occurred. For example, if you failed to order enough pizza for the class party, you might rectify the situation by going out to get more. Of the answer choices given, "fix" is the only verb with a similar meaning. You may already know that to "compliment" another person is to say something nice about them, and the word structure of "undervalue" helps give away its meaning: to value, or appraise, an item at a lower amount than it is worth. Finally, "abdicate" means give up or renounce, and "perplex" means confuse.

To "decimate"means to completely wipe out. To "obliterate" means to destroy. Given that these two words both signify the end or annihilation of something, they are synonyms.

When you “create” something, you make or _generate_it.

To “vanquish” means to defeat or overcome something. “Recede” means to go back or to move away from; “desert” means to leave behind or to abandon when used as a verb; and “propose” means to suggest or to share an idea with someone.

To “deprive” someone of something means to not let them have that thing, to “deny” them. The word “allow” means the opposite of “deprive” and “deny.” The word “deplore” means to hate someone or something. The word “contend” means to argue something. The word “concede” means to give up, to stop trying, or to admit you are wrong.

To "curtail" something is to reduce its current degree or prevent it from expanding as much as it might have otherwise. The correct answer is thus "limit." If you associated "curtail" with "tail," you may have chosen "follow," but "curtail" does not mean the same thing as "tail," so "follow" is incorrect.

“Reign” means rule over a country as the leader of its monarchy, e.g. a king or queen. As a word it is usually used to describe the rule of kings or queens. So, "rule" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "consider" means think about as a possibility; "damage" means cause harm to or mar the quality of; "decide" means pick or choose definitively between multiple options; and "drizzle" means to rain lightly ("rain" having an entirely different meaning from "reign," despite the two words being homophones); and "command" means lead or demand someone to do something using one's authority as force.