Synonyms: Using Prefixes to Identify Synonyms - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

The prefix "under-" means beneath or below, so the word “underage” means below age, immature. To provide further help, a “novice” is a beginner and an “expert” is someone who has been doing something for a long time and is very good at it; a “vendor” is someone who sells things; a “genius” is someone who is very smart.

The prefix "a-" means not, so “atypical” has the opposite meaning of “typical.” Something that is “typical” is predictable, boring, or common, so “atypical” is closest in meaning to “uncommon.” The prefix "un_-" functions here in the same way as the prefix "a-_" does in "atypical"; it negates the meaning of the word. As for the other answer choices, “zealous” means passionate; “derogatory” means disrespectful, rude, or offensive; “wary” means cautious, anxious, or careful; and "traitorous" means treacherous or betraying the trust of someone or a group.

The prefix "ex_-_" means out or away, so to “exhale” means to breathe out, just like to “inhale” means to breathe in. That makes "breathe" the closest synonym to "exhale" amongst the answer choices. As for the other answer choices, "whine" means moan or complain about something.

The prefix "an-" means toward, to join, or to add onto. The word “annex,” when used as a verb, means add or join, and it is most commonly used when talking about adding territory to an existing defined area of land , as in “In the twentieth Century the United States annexed the islands of Hawaii.” The best answer, therefore, is “add.” None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "annex": “accommodate” is verb that means provide someone with a house or help by making changes to the way in which one regularly does something; "sing" means audibly perform a song; and "sort" means categorize or physically arrange into categories.

The prefix "dis_-_" means apart or away, so the word “distant” means located far away or _difficult to read the emotions of_and "faraway" is the correct answer. To provide further help, “nearby” is an antonym of "far-away” and means located close by; “erroneous” means incorrect or made-up; “discomfiting” means causing you to feel uncomfortable; and “abhorrent” means disgusting or disgraceful.

The word "inconsiderate" is formed from the negative prefix "in-," which here means not, and the word "considerate," which means polite or thinking of other's feelings. So, the word "inconsiderate" means not considerate, or impolite due to not thinking of other's feelings. The answer choice closest in meaning to "inconsiderate" is thus "rude," which means ill-mannered, impolite, or discourteous. As for the other answer choices, "solid" means tangible and not able to be passed through; "fortunate" means lucky; "disheveled" means messy in appearance; and "limber" means able to bend easily.

The prefix "re_-_" means again or in additional to. A “recourse” is a different option, or an alternative, so "alternative" is the correct answer. To provide further help, an “introduction” is something that begins something and a “conclusion” is something that ends something, "normality” means ordinariness, and "text" is written words or a collection of written words such as a poem or book.

The root "fer" means to bring or to carry, as in how “ferries” move passengers from one side of a body of water or river to another. Similarly, the word “referral” means the bringing of a source that offers help or information. It is closest in meaning to the word “recommendation.” To provide further help, “gratis” means free; “criterion” means the principle or decisive factor for picking or evaluating something; a “dictator” is a leader who rules through absolute power and control; and a “representative” is someone elected to represent the peoples’ interests.

The prefix "ex_-_" means out of or away from and the word “change” means to make or become different, so when you “exchange” something, you give away one thing and get something different in return for it. This is most similar in meaning to “trade.” To provide further help, “study” means to review and practice material to learn it; and “wander” means to walk around without a destination.

The prefix "anti_-" means not or against, so someone who is “antisocial” is not social or not friendly, or “unfriendly.” To provide further help, “hearty” means strong or vigorous; “frequent” means often; “talkative” means chatty; and “disobedient” means not obedient and badly behaved. Notice how the prefixes "un-," "dis-,"and "anti-_" all function to make words mean the opposite of their original meaning.

The prefix "in_-_" means not, so someone who is “intolerant” is not tolerant. “Tolerant” means patient with and understanding of other people, so someone who is “intolerant” is not patient with or understanding of others. A "narrow-minded" person does not consider or have patience for ideas unlike their own, so "narrow-minded" is the correct answer. To provide further help, “youthful” means young; “forgiving” means not blaming or feeling angry at someone for something that person did wrong; “domineering” means bossy; and “suspicious” means having a hunch that someone did something wrong based on little evidence.

The prefix "inter_-_" means between and the word “intermediate” means the middle level of something, often difficulty. To provide further help, “mediocre” means average when higher quality was expected; “ultimate” means best or supreme; “insane” means crazy; and “numerous” means plentiful or existing or gathered in large numbers.

The prefix "simu_-_" means similar to or like something, and the word “simulate” means to copy something so that it looks or feels like something else. To provide further help, “erase” means get rid of or delete; “scatter” means spread around or spread out; and “simmer” means to burn or boil at a low temperature.

The prefix "mis_-_" means not, wrong, or bad, and the word “mistake” means something done wrong, oran "error." To provide further help, a “solution” is an idea about how to fix a problem; a "detraction" is something that takes away from a positive state of something else; a "mystery" is a situation in which something is unknown or a book, movie, or play involving the solving of a crime that is difficult to understand; and a "detail" is a specific aspect of something.

“Defunct” means no longer working or in existence. As such, it is most similar to the word “unusable," which means not able to be used. In this word, the negative prefix "un-" means not and makes "unusable" mean the opposite of "usable." To provide further help, “penniless” means completely poor and without possessions; “tiresome” means boring; “passive” means not fighting, peaceful, or not aggressive; and “brief" means lasting for a short time or concise.

"Dishonest" means not honest or untrustworthy.

"Subterranean" means underground: It contains the prefix ­"sub_-_," which means under or below, and the root "terra," which comes from the Latin word for earth. So, "underground" is the best answer, because it is closest in meaning to "subterranean."

"Extraterrestrial" means alien when used as an adjective, and an "extraterrestrial" is is an alien. So, "alien" is the correct answer. To help you understand the formation of words, consider that "terrestrial" means from the earth and in this context, the prefix "extra-" means something other than. So an extraterrestrial is something from somewhere other than the earth. To help you further, "extraordinary" means something other than ordinary, "ordinary" means normal, a "foreigner" is someone from another country, and a "citizen" is a member of a nation.

The prefix "im-" means not, as in the words "impossible," "impolite," and "improbable." So, "impermanent" means temporary or not permanent, and "temporary" is the correct answer.