Synonyms: Other Adjectives - SSAT Middle Level Verbal

"Feeble" is an adjective that means lacking strength. Of the answer choices, "weak" has the closest meaning.

Dismal means miserable.

Lewd means vulgar.

"Potent" means powerful; Unfortunate means unlucky; Immortal means able to live forever; Memorable means easily remembered; and Critical means important.

"Absolute" means complete; Sturdy means strong; Exiled means banned; Potential means a lot of promise; and Efficient means effective.

"Contaminated" means polluted.

"Toxic" means harmful or poisonous.

"Drowsy" means sleepy or tired.

"Prosperous" means financially successful or flourishing.

"Infectious" means contagious.

"Booming" means thriving.

"Profane" language is rude and disrespectful. For clarification, "miserly" means not generous; "vociferous" means loud and vocal.

"Elaborate" means having much detail or many parts."Complex" is the best answer, as it means having many parts or details.

"Abominable" means universally hated. If you "detest" something, you hate it. The key here is the strength of the word, an "abominable" thing is awful, not merely bad, or "questionable."

The correct answer is "harmful."

"Noxious"is an adjective that is defined as harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.

“Null” is a word that can be used as an adjective, noun, or verb, but because all of the potential answer choices are adjectives, we will need to consider “null” as an adjective. When used as an adjective, “null” means either “having no legal or binding force; invalid” or “having or associated with the value zero.” So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “cancelled” or “associated with the value zero.” That means that “valid” cannot be the correct answer, because “valid” can mean “legally binding due to having been executed in compliance with the law” or “legally or officially acceptable,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “null.” “Void,” however, when used as an adjective, means “not valid or legally binding,” and because “void” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “null,” “void” is the correct answer.

“Ingrained” is an adjective that can mean either “firmly fixed or established; difficult to change” when referring to a habit, belief, or attitude, or “deeply embedded and thus difficult to remove” when referring to dirt or a stain. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “difficult to change” or “deeply embedded.” That means that “transient” cannot be the correct answer, because “transient” means “lasting only for a short time; impermanent,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “ingrained.” “Entrenched,” however, is an adjective that is used of an attitude, habit, or belief and means “firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change; ingrained.” Because “entrenched” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “ingrained,” “entrenched” is the correct answer.

“Insidious” is an adjective that can mean either “proceeding subtly, but with harmful effects” or “treacherous and crafty,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “subtly harmful” or “treacherous.” That means that “overt” cannot be the correct answer, because “overt” means “done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “insidious.” “Pernicious,” however, is an adjective that means “having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way,” and because “pernicious” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “insidious,” “pernicious” is the correct answer.

"Estranged" means alienated. The best answer is "distant" because when you feel estranged, you feel distant from others.

Words you may not know:

• "Exacerbate" means to make worse or to irritate.