Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Appearance, Materiality, and Sensory Imagery - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

"Pulchritude" means beauty, so "beauty" is the correct answer. None of the other answers are close in meaning to "pulchritude": "exit" means departure; "conception" means start; "nightmare" means bad dream; and "removal" means elimination.

"Ethereal" means almost as light as air or delicate, so "delicate" is the correct answer. None of the other answers are close in meaning to "ethereal": "outraged" means very angry;"refrigerated" means chilled; "subordinate" means lower in rank; and"tense" means stressed.

"Diaphanous" is an adjective that often is used to describe fabrics, and means delicate and not completely opaque. So, the answer choices closest in meaning to "diaphanous" are "gauzy" and "frangible." While "frangible" means easily breakable, "gauzy" means thin and not completely opaque. Since "gauzy" is the closest synonym of "diaphanous" amongst the possible answer choices, it is the correct answer.

"Kitschy" and "gaudy" are both words to describe something that is cheap and tacky.

“Macabre” means gruesome, horrifying, or pertaining to death, so "gruesome" is the correct answer. None of the other answers are close in meaning to “macabre”. “Understated” means modest or simple. “Protective” means defensive or shielding. “Panicked” means frightened. “Methodical” means systematic.

"Opaque" is an adjective meaning "not able to be seen through; not transparent," or when referring to language, "hard or impossible to understand; unfathomable." "Cloudy" and "not transparent" may each seem like a potentially correct answer. While something that is cloudy may also be opaque, "nontransparent" is the correct answer because its meaning is the closest of the potential answer choices to that of "opaque."

Corpulent literally means fat, or having a large body. The only one of the answer choices that means fat is "portly."

You may have seen the root "corp" and thought of words like corporation or corporal, but the root of each of those words actually has to do with the Latin word "corpus," which literally means body.

"Impervious" means not letting things pass through, or unaffected by something. One might write, "While everyone else got sick, Michael seemed impervious to germs."

Tangible means real, perceptible by touch, or physical.

"Radiant" means luminous, or "beaming."

"Motley"means varied in appearance or character.

"Slender" means gracefully thin, or slim.

Incandescent means emitting light because of heat, or burning.

A place that is commodious is open, roomy, or spacious.

"Diaphanous" is a word used to describe something that is filmy, transparent, light, or airy; so, the synonym is "sheer," in the sense of a cloth that is sheer, meaning you can see through it.

“Derelict” is an adjective used to describe something that is deserted, neglected or broken down. Synonyms include rundown, dilapidated, ruined, abandoned etc.

Tepid means lukewarm.

Arid means dry.

Arid means extremely dry.