Synonyms: Other Adjectives - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

"Facile" means easy.

“Elementary” is an adjective that can mean “of or relating to the most rudimentary aspects of a subject,” “easily dealt with; straightforward and uncomplicated,” or “not decomposable into elements or other primary constituents.” We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “simple.” That means that “advanced” cannot be the correct answer, because “advanced” means “far on or ahead in development,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “elementary.” “Fundamental,” however, is an adjective that can mean “forming a necessary base or core; of central importance” or “so basic as to be hard to alter, resolve, or overcome,” and because “fundamental” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “elementary,” “fundamental” is the correct answer.

"Formidable" means scary, intimidating, or powerful. The root word, "formido," means to fear.

To be “exigent” means to be demanding or to require immediate action from somebody. For clarification suppressing means to keep an ideology or individual from achieving growth or independence; nomadic refers to a type of living characterized by frequent movement and lack of material comfort; energetic means full of energy.

"Pernicious" means fatal or causing harm. The Latin root word "pernicies" means ruin.

"Arduous" means "difficult" or requiring a lot of energy.

"Feral" means wild or not domesticated.

“Torpid” means sluggish or lacking energy, so it is a synonym for “lethargic,” which means physically or mentally exhausted. For clarification, "winsome" means charming and innocent.

“Fatuous” means unintelligent, pointless and a waste of time, which is a synonym for “asinine.” Both words are generally used to describe pointless activities or foolish ideas. For clarification, "irreverent" means disrespectful, not reverent; "unfounded" means baseless, not based on evidence.

"Irrepressible"means unable to be repressed or controlled, or unquenchable.

"Autarkic" means economically independent and is usually used to refer to a country, state, or society.

“Impervious” means not allowing something to pass through, or impenetrable. It can also mean being unmoved by other people’s opinions when used to describe a person. For clarification, cantankerous means very angry and grumpy; gregarious means outgoing and sociable; voluptuous means sensual or indulgent; susceptible means vulnerable to something or easily affected by something.

“Commendable” means praiseworthy. For clarification, "ambivalent" means unsure or confused; "harangue" means berate, or to criticize somebody forcefully.

“Innocuous” means harmless or unlikely to cause offense. For clarification, "porous" means easily permeable or breachable and is an antonym of “impenetrable.”

“Affluent” means wealthy, or having an overabundance of possessions. For clarification, corpulent means fat; impoverished means very poor and is an antonym of “affluent”; unjust means not just, or not fair; noteworthy means significant, worth noting.

"Acute" means sharp, or focused. For clarification, inane means absurd or pointless; dignified means composed or noble.

"Pithy" means brief and full of meaning.

"Macabre" means gruesome or ghastly. It also means pertaining to death.

"Mutable" means changeable; inclement means stormy or bad; arrogant means pretentious; remiss means negligent or uncareful; and healthy means to be in good health.