Synonyms: Verbs About Communicating, Arguing, and Understanding - ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning

A good example of discerning something is when you discern the difference between your perceived financial situation (which may be higher in your mind) and the reality of your situation.

If something is ascertained such as a fact, it means that it is deduced or surmised.

The word obfuscate means to confuse. Thus, the best fit answer choice is perplex.

If someone vacillates between two choices, it means they waver or are indecisive.

"Accolade" and "promote" both mean to support. "Condemn" means to blame or convict. "Undermine" means to weaken or cripple. "Glean" means to pick out or collect. "Nulllify" means to cancel or revoke.

"Cadge" and "scrounge" both mean to beg. "Antagonize" means to cause a problem or oppose. "Bungle" means to blunder or mess up. "Confound" means to confuse or astonish. "Incite" means to encourage or provoke.

"Propitiate" and "conciliate" both mean to appease or satisfy. "Provoke" means to make angry. "Pulverize" means to destroy or smash. "Recant" means to take back something said. "Summon" means to call to a place.

"Expostulate" and "remonstrate" both mean to reason with or argue. "Enervate" means to tire or wear out. "Expunge" means to destroy or obliterate. "Impinge" means to trespass or encroach. "Obfuscate" means to confuse or baffle.

To "ruminate" means to think carefully and deliberately about (something). So the best possible answer choice is "ponder" which has the same meaning. To provide further help, "abscond" means run away with; "meander" means to move in a winding manner, like a river.

To "hoodwink" someone means to deceive or trick him or her. To provide further help, "cajole" means encourage; "extol" means praise; "tantalize" means tease.

"Insinuate" means to suggest. To provide further help, "comprehend" means understand; "abhor" means detest, hate; "deplore" means speak badly of, to disparage; "explicate" means to free from.

Since "belie" is a verb that means "give a false idea of something," "show something to be false or wrong," we need to pick out a word that means something like "misrepresent." Since "contradict" means "deny the truth of a statement, especially by asserting the opposite," it is the best answer choice and the correct answer.

Since "imitate" means to take or follow as a model, the answer choice that is its closest synonym is "mimic," which means to imitate, typically to entertain or ridicule.

"Spurn" is a verb that means "reject with disdain or contempt." So, "accept" cannot be the correct answer, because it is an antonym of "spurn," not a synonym. "Rebuff," a word that when used as a verb means "reject someone or something in an abrupt or ungracious manner," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "spurn," so "rebuff" is the correct answer.

"Ratify" is a verb that means "sign or give formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid." So, "reject" cannot be the correct answer because "reject" is an antonym of "ratify," not a synonym. "Approve" is a verb that means "officially agree to or accept as satisfactory" or "believe that someone or something is good or acceptable," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "ratify," it is the correct answer.

Repudiate means to reject, solace is peace, and portend means to predict. The word that is a synonym of honor is revere.

In its older usage, “abide,” meant “to live or dwell.” It generally means “to accept” (often as a rule for action). It is often used in conjunction with the word “with” as in, “He decided that it was better to abide with the judge’s decision than to contest it.” Also, negatively, it can mean that someone does not tolerate something or someone. In this case, it would be used in a sentence like, “I cannot abide the way that she rudely eats with her mouth open and think I will leave the room.”

A “cipher” is a way of encoding or scrambling a message so as to hide its meaning. This would be used, for instance, in war when people are trying to hide the contents of messages between allies. When someone “deciphers” something, he or she “takes away the code.” In other words, he or she “breaks” the code and can read the message.

The word “placate” is related distantly to “to please,” but it most properly means “to please someone in order to calm him or her.” Consider its use in an example sentence: “Although the worker had been quite angry about his low pay, the promise of a raise managed to placate his rage.” The word “appease” does not merely mean “to please,” but even more properly means “to soothe the demands of someone.”