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CSS 2024 — Synonyms & Antonyms (Solved)

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Answer key: Synonyms 1-B · 2-B · 3-B · 4-C · 5-D · 6-B · 7-D · 8-C · 9-D · 10-C │ Antonyms 1-A · 2-C · 3-A · 4-C · 5-B · 6-B · 7-C · 8-D · 9-B · 10-C. The words are standard GRE vocabulary, but many questions had two near-correct options, so read the "why" notes.

(a) Synonyms — choose the word nearly most SIMILAR in meaning

1. UBIQUITOUS

(A) Scarce (B) Present everywhere (C) Unique (D) Limited

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Answer: (B) Present everywhere

  • Urdu: ہر جگہ موجود، عام
  • Meaning (adj.): present, appearing or found everywhere
  • Synonyms: omnipresent, pervasive, universal, widespread, everywhere, rife
  • Antonyms: scarce, rare, limited, uncommon, sparse
  • Sentences:
    1. Smartphones have become ubiquitous even in remote villages.
    2. Plastic bags are ubiquitous in our streets and drains.
  • Why not the others: scarce and limited are antonyms · unique = one of a kind.

2. PERNICIOUS

(A) Beneficial (B) Harmful (C) Lucid (D) Fervent

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Answer: (B) Harmful

  • Urdu: مہلک، نقصان دہ (آہستہ آہستہ)
  • Meaning (adj.): having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way
  • Synonyms: harmful, insidious, destructive, detrimental, damaging, deadly
  • Antonyms: beneficial, harmless, benign, wholesome, salutary
  • Sentences:
    1. Misinformation has a pernicious effect on public trust.
    2. Corruption is a pernicious disease of the state.

3. MELLIFLUOUS

(A) Grating (B) Smooth and sweet-sounding (C) Dissonant (D) Discordant

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Answer: (B) Smooth and sweet-sounding

  • Urdu: شیریں، رسیلی (آواز)، سریلا
  • Meaning (adj.): sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
  • Synonyms: melodious, dulcet, euphonious, honeyed, mellow, tuneful
  • Antonyms: grating, harsh, discordant, strident, cacophonous
  • Sentences:
    1. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's mellifluous voice filled the hall.
    2. The poet read his verses in a mellifluous tone.
  • Why not the others: grating, dissonant and discordant are all antonyms.

4. EPHEMERAL

(A) Enduring (B) Eternal (C) Short-lived (D) Persistent

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Answer: (C) Short-lived

  • Urdu: عارضی، فانی، ناپائیدار
  • Meaning (adj.): lasting for a very short time
  • Synonyms: fleeting, transient, momentary, short-lived, transitory, passing
  • Antonyms: enduring, permanent, eternal, lasting, everlasting
  • Sentences:
    1. Social-media fame is often ephemeral.
    2. The beauty of cherry blossoms is ephemeral.

5. ASTUTE

(A) Indifferent (B) Pensive (C) Stupid (D) Insightful

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Answer: (D) Insightful

  • Urdu: زیرک، ہوشیار، دانا
  • Meaning (adj.): able to assess situations accurately and turn them to one's advantage
  • Synonyms: shrewd, insightful, perceptive, sharp, canny, discerning
  • Antonyms: stupid, naive, obtuse, foolish, gullible
  • Sentences:
    1. An astute diplomat reads the room before speaking.
    2. She made an astute investment before prices rose.
  • Why not the others: pensive = thoughtful (in a sad or dreamy way), not shrewd.
  • 🔁 Also asked in 2015.

6. ENTHRALL

(A) Bore (B) Captivate (C) Fascinate (D) Disinterest

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Answer: (B) Captivate

  • Urdu: مسحور کرنا، دل موہ لینا
  • Meaning (v.): to capture someone's fascinated attention
  • Synonyms: captivate, fascinate, spellbind, enchant, mesmerise, rivet
  • Antonyms: bore, repel, weary, tire, disgust
  • Sentences:
    1. The storyteller enthralled the children for an hour.
    2. The final over enthralled the whole stadium.
  • Note: fascinate is also correct. Keys choose captivate because enthrall literally means "to hold captive".

7. SYCOPHANT

(A) Admirer (B) Advocate (C) Critic (D) Flatterer

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Answer: (D) Flatterer

  • Urdu: خوشامدی، چاپلوس، جی حضوری کرنے والا
  • Meaning (n.): a person who flatters powerful people to gain advantage
  • Synonyms: flatterer, toady, bootlicker, yes-man, lackey, fawner
  • Antonyms: critic, detractor, opponent, independent thinker
  • Sentences:
    1. The minister was surrounded by sycophants who never told him the truth.
    2. Sycophants praised every decision the boss made.
  • Why not the others: admirer is close, but it lacks the self-interest a sycophant has · critic is the antonym.

8. ASSUAGE

(A) Aggravate (B) Intensify (C) Soothe (D) Alleviate

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Answer: (C) Soothe

  • Urdu: تسکین دینا، کم کرنا، ٹھنڈا کرنا
  • Meaning (v.): to make an unpleasant feeling less intense
  • Synonyms: soothe, ease, relieve, allay, alleviate, mollify
  • Antonyms: aggravate, intensify, exacerbate, worsen, inflame
  • Sentences:
    1. The PM's visit did little to assuage the anger of flood victims.
    2. A glass of lassi assuaged his thirst.
  • Note: alleviate is also correct; keys choose soothe.
  • 🔁 Also asked in 2023 (Special).

9. RETICENT

(A) Talkative (B) Loquacious (C) Vocal (D) Reserved

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Answer: (D) Reserved

  • Urdu: کم گو، خاموش طبع، محتاط
  • Meaning (adj.): not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily
  • Synonyms: reserved, taciturn, quiet, uncommunicative, restrained, tight-lipped
  • Antonyms: talkative, loquacious, vocal, forthcoming, garrulous
  • Sentences:
    1. He was reticent about his plans after retirement.
    2. Victims are often reticent to speak to the police.

10. INCESSANT

(A) Sporadic (B) Intermittent (C) Persistent (D) Halted

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Answer: (C) Persistent

  • Urdu: مسلسل، لگاتار، بلا توقف
  • Meaning (adj.): continuing without pause or interruption
  • Synonyms: persistent, ceaseless, constant, unremitting, continuous, non-stop
  • Antonyms: sporadic, intermittent, occasional, periodic, halted
  • Sentences:
    1. Incessant rain flooded the low-lying areas of Karachi.
    2. The incessant noise from the factory kept residents awake.

(b) Antonyms — choose the word nearly most OPPOSITE in meaning

1. ESOTERIC

(A) Obvious (B) Understood by few (C) Extraneous (D) Common

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Answer: (A) Obvious

  • Urdu: مخصوص لوگوں کی سمجھ میں آنے والا، دقیق، باطنی
  • Meaning (adj.): intended for or understood by only a small group with special knowledge
  • Synonyms: obscure, abstruse, arcane, recondite, specialised, cryptic
  • Antonyms: obvious, well-known, accessible, simple, common
  • Sentences:
    1. The lecture drifted into esoteric debates on quantum logic.
    2. Sufi poetry has both popular and esoteric meanings.
  • Why not the others: "understood by few" is the definition, so it is a synonym · common is plausible, but obvious is keyed.

2. SQUALID

(A) Dirty (B) Wretched (C) Lavish (D) Clean

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Answer: (C) Lavish

  • Urdu: غلیظ، گندا، خستہ حال
  • Meaning (adj.): extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially through poverty or neglect
  • Synonyms: filthy, sordid, wretched, seedy, dirty, slummy
  • Antonyms: lavish, luxurious, clean, splendid, opulent
  • Sentences:
    1. Migrant workers lived in squalid camps outside the city.
    2. The report exposed squalid conditions in the jail.
  • Note: clean is defensible too; keys choose lavish because squalid implies poverty.

3. TACITURN

(A) Loquacious (B) Voluble (C) Reticent (D) Silent

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Answer: (A) Loquacious

  • Urdu: کم سخن، خاموش مزاج
  • Meaning (adj.): reserved or saying little in conversation
  • Synonyms: reticent, reserved, silent, uncommunicative, quiet, laconic
  • Antonyms: loquacious, voluble, talkative, garrulous, chatty
  • Sentences:
    1. The taciturn farmer answered in single words.
    2. Usually taciturn, he spoke at length at the farewell.
  • Note: voluble is also an antonym; keys choose loquacious.

4. CONSTRICT

(A) Tighten (B) Contract (C) Expand (D) Release

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Answer: (C) Expand

  • Urdu: سکیڑنا، تنگ کرنا، دبانا
  • Meaning (v.): to make narrower, especially by squeezing
  • Synonyms: tighten, contract, narrow, compress, squeeze, restrict
  • Antonyms: expand, dilate, widen, enlarge, loosen
  • Sentences:
    1. Cold weather constricts the blood vessels.
    2. Censorship constricts free debate.

5. LOQUACIOUS

(A) Talkative (B) Silent (C) Reticent (D) Reserved

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Answer: (B) Silent

  • Urdu: باتونی، زیادہ بولنے والا
  • Meaning (adj.): tending to talk a great deal
  • Synonyms: talkative, garrulous, voluble, chatty, verbose, gossipy
  • Antonyms: silent, reticent, taciturn, reserved, quiet
  • Sentences:
    1. Our loquacious guide never stopped talking.
    2. After two cups of tea he became quite loquacious.
  • 🔁 Asked in 2014, 2016 and 2024. Learn it.

6. INDOLENT

(A) Lazy (B) Active (C) Lethargic (D) Energetic

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Answer: (B) Active

  • Urdu: سست، کاہل
  • Meaning (adj.): wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy
  • Synonyms: lazy, slothful, lethargic, idle, sluggish, inactive
  • Antonyms: active, industrious, energetic, diligent, hard-working
  • Sentences:
    1. Indolent officials let the files gather dust.
    2. The hot afternoon made everyone indolent.
  • Note: energetic is also an antonym; keys choose active.

7. COALESCE

(A) Merge (B) Combine (C) Disperse (D) Separate

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Answer: (C) Disperse

  • Urdu: یکجا ہونا، مل کر ایک ہو جانا
  • Meaning (v.): to come together to form one mass or whole
  • Synonyms: merge, unite, combine, fuse, amalgamate, blend
  • Antonyms: disperse, separate, split, divide, scatter
  • Sentences:
    1. Opposition parties coalesced into a single alliance.
    2. Small droplets coalesce to form raindrops.

8. RANCOR

(A) Animosity (B) Bitterness (C) Hostility (D) Amicability

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Answer: (D) Amicability

  • Urdu: کینہ، بغض، دیرینہ دشمنی
  • Meaning (n.): bitterness or resentment, especially when long-lasting
  • Synonyms: animosity, bitterness, hostility, spite, malice, resentment
  • Antonyms: amicability, goodwill, friendship, harmony, affection
  • Sentences:
    1. The talks ended without rancor on either side.
    2. Years of rancor divided the two families.
  • 🔁 Also asked in 2023 (Special).

9. ACQUIESCE

(A) Comply (B) Resist (C) Agree (D) Deny

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Answer: (B) Resist

  • Urdu: خاموشی سے مان لینا، رضامند ہونا
  • Meaning (v.): to accept something reluctantly but without protest
  • Synonyms: comply, consent, submit, agree, yield, concede
  • Antonyms: resist, oppose, defy, refuse, protest
  • Sentences:
    1. The board acquiesced to the regulator's demands.
    2. She would not acquiesce in the unfair decision.

10. DEBILITATE

(A) Fortify (B) Weaken (C) Strengthen (D) Enervate

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Answer: (C) Strengthen

  • Urdu: کمزور کرنا، ناتواں بنانا
  • Meaning (v.): to make someone or something very weak and infirm
  • Synonyms: weaken, enervate, sap, exhaust, cripple, enfeeble
  • Antonyms: strengthen, fortify, invigorate, energise, revitalise
  • Sentences:
    1. Years of conflict debilitated the region's economy.
    2. Dengue can debilitate a patient for weeks.
  • Note: fortify is equally correct; most keys choose strengthen.

Source: Legalversity 2024 solution