Synonyms: Other Adjectives - ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning

"Inexorable" is an adjective that means "impossible to stop or prevent," or when describing a person, "impossible to persuade by request or entreaty." So, neither "preventable" nor "persuadable" can be the correct answer because each of those words is an antonym of "inexorable," not a synonym. The correct answer is "unstoppable," an adjective that like "inexorable" means "impossible to stop or prevent."

"Willful" is an adjective that means "intentional; deliberate" when describing an immoral or illegal act or omission, or "having or showing a stubborn and determined intention to do as one wants, regardless of the consequences or effects." Neither "accidental" nor "meek" can be the correct answer, because they are antonyms of the first and second definition of "willful," respectively. "Deliberate" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "willful," so it is the correct answer.

"Seditious" is an adjective that means "inciting or causing people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch." So, "patriotic" cannot be the correct answer because it means "having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one's country," so it is an antonym, not a synonym, of "seditious." "Subversive," however, is an adjective that means "seeking or intended to subvert an established system or institution," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "seditious," so it is the correct answer.

We are looking for a synonym of "deleterious," which means harmful. Both "helpful" and "beneficial" are the opposite of harmful, and "undone" is unrelated. "Baneful" means harmful.

"Languid" means slow or sluggish, so the best choice for this is lazy.

Both "miniscule" and "modicum" mean a small amount so they are not correct. "Lucid" means clear, and a "hedonist" is someone who lives for pleasure. "Gargantuan" is a synonym for huge.

"Effusive" means to pour out emotions, and "dogmatic" means firmly holding beliefs. "Heinous" means evil, making "evil" the only possible answer choice.

The word “adverse” comes from the Latin meaning to turn toward or, more directly, to the Latin for to be against. The word “adverse” most often is used to describe conditions that are disadvantageous to some undertaking. For instance, a very standard usage is “adverse weather conditions,” meaning weather conditions that are not favorable to activities—either in specific or in general. It can also mean harmful, thus being used in a sentence like, “The adverse effects of the drug were known to cause cancer and heart damage within two years of beginning treatment.” The word “adversary,” meaning opponent, is clearly related to this word.

When something is futile, it accomplishes nothing. For example, one could say, “No matter how long Thomas spent in the gym, it felt futile, for he was always unable to lift his goal amount of weights.” When something is “ineffectual,” it is “unable to have an effect.” The word is thus somewhat like “ineffective.”

When someone is affluent, one could figuratively say that such a person “flows with wealth.” The word “affluent” originally was derived form the Latin for “to flow,” which is clearly detectable in the “-fluent” portion of the word. While such a person might be cultured, overachieving, or even snobby, the best description of “affluence” is the state of having wealth.

When someone is “prosperous,” that person is said to “do well” for himself or himself. That is, he or she is accomplishing the tasks and goals that he or she has set. Often, such prosperity is indicated by an increase in material wealth. This is the sense in which the word is most often used, as in, “The banker was the most prosperous man in town, owning fifteen cars and two large houses.” In a more general sense, it can mean “flourishing,” which is related to “flowering,” here meaning “coming to full development” (like a plant coming to flower).

The word “shorn” is the past form of “to shear,” which means “to cut off.” Often, it is used to describe the cutting off (“shearing”) of wool from sheep. It can also mean “to break off.”

The word “sheer” is not the same as “shear.” The latter means “to cut” or “to shave,” often speaking of the cutting of wool from sheep. The word “sheer” means instead “complete” or “sudden.” The latter would be used to describe something like a cliff that is completely vertical—“a sheer drop.” Likewise, it can mean “complete,” “utter,” “or “absolutely” when used in an expression like, “The plan was not merely questionable; it was sheer madness to do something so insane.”

The word “dire” is often used in an expression like “dire straits,” meaning “in great distress.” The word generally means “terrible” or “extremely serious.” Among the options given, “dreadful” is the closest to this sense. The word would be used in a sentence like, “The dire situation in American education led the legislature to enact a number of new laws to remedy the terrible performance of the students.”

Do not confuse this word with the word “duel,” which means “a fight between two people.” The words are related but not the same. “Dual” merely means “being two in number.” For instance, one can say that someone seems to have “dual personalities,” when they are (for instance) happy at one moment and then nasty and slanderous at another. The word “binary” means “two” and is related to the word “combination,” which means “the bringing together of two things.”

Although we often might think of an “opulent lifestyle” as being “high class” or something of the like, strictly speaking, something that is opulent is wealthy or lavish in a showy manner. For instance, one could say, “The opulence of the theatre was amazing. With its gilded ceiling, crystal chandeliers, and silk curtains, it struck the viewer as being the very apogee of material splendor.”

When an object is "opaque," it does not allow light to pass through it. For instance, a piece of wood is opaque to sunlight, whereas a piece of clear glass is transparent. Even a “translucent” object (like cloudy glass) at least allows light through, which is not the case with an opaque object. At times, the word can be used to describe the reasoning or expressions of someone who is not being very clear in making a point. When someone is less than direct and clear in their speech, they are difficult to understand. This can also happen merely because of the complexity of the subject, which would make it difficult to “see through.”

The “pot-” portion of this word is derived from the Latin for able and also power. It is found in many English words like “impotent,” “potency,” “omnipotence,” and “potential.” Someone might say, “The speech was extremely potent in stirring the emotions of the crowd; soon, everyone was marching according to the instructions of the speaker.” Among the options provided, “forceful” best conveys this sense of “power.”

For this word, the answer is perhaps less known that the word itself. Clearly, the word “impoverished” contains a relative of the word “poverty.” The word “destitute” most properly means “lacking the means even to provide for basic needs.” It can likewise mean, more generally, “lacking,” particularly when used in conjunction with the preposition “of” as in “the students were destitute of any intellectual interest.”