Introduction
Synonyms and antonyms usually give five to eight questions in an NTRCA preliminary paper. You cannot cram vocabulary the night before, but you can learn it in an organised way. This lesson gives you a high-frequency word list, strategies to guess unfamiliar words, a table of confusing word pairs, and practice.
How to learn words efficiently
- Use prefixes for antonyms. un- (happy, unhappy), in-/im-/il-/ir- (possible, impossible), dis- (agree, disagree), mis-, non-.
- Use roots to guess meaning. bene means good (benefit, benevolent). mal means bad (malice, malevolent). phobia means fear. cide means killing.
- Use context clues. Words such as but, although and however usually signal a contrast.
- Learn word families. Study noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms together: benevolent, benevolence, benevolently.
High-frequency word list
| Word | Synonyms | Antonyms |
|---|---|---|
| Abandon | desert, forsake, leave | keep, retain |
| Abolish | eradicate, annul, cancel | establish, retain |
| Abhor | detest, loathe, hate | admire, love |
| Adamant | inflexible, firm, stubborn | flexible, yielding |
| Adversity | misfortune, hardship | prosperity, fortune |
| Affluent | wealthy, rich, prosperous | poor, needy |
| Alleviate | relieve, ease, mitigate | aggravate, worsen |
| Ambiguous | vague, unclear, equivocal | clear, explicit |
| Amiable | friendly, agreeable, genial | hostile, unfriendly |
| Arrogant | haughty, proud, conceited | humble, modest |
| Audacious | bold, daring, fearless | timid, cautious |
| Austere | strict, severe, stern | lenient, luxurious |
| Benevolent | kind, charitable, generous | malevolent, cruel |
| Bizarre | strange, odd, weird | normal, ordinary |
| Candid | frank, open, honest | deceitful, evasive |
| Catastrophe | disaster, calamity | blessing, triumph |
| Commence | begin, start, initiate | conclude, cease |
| Compassion | sympathy, pity, mercy | cruelty, ruthlessness |
| Conceal | hide, cover, veil | reveal, expose |
| Copious | abundant, plentiful | scanty, meagre |
| Cunning | crafty, sly, wily | honest, naive |
| Deceive | cheat, betray, mislead | enlighten, guide |
| Diligent | hardworking, industrious | lazy, idle |
| Eminent | renowned, distinguished, famous | unknown, obscure |
| Enormous | huge, immense, vast | tiny, minute |
| Fatal | deadly, lethal, mortal | harmless, safe |
| Feeble | weak, frail, infirm | strong, robust |
| Frugal | thrifty, economical, sparing | extravagant, wasteful |
| Genuine | authentic, real, sincere | fake, counterfeit |
| Gloomy | dismal, dark, sad | cheerful, bright |
| Hostile | unfriendly, antagonistic | friendly, amiable |
| Humble | modest, meek, unassuming | proud, arrogant |
| Idle | lazy, indolent, inactive | busy, active |
| Indigent | poor, needy, destitute | rich, wealthy |
| Keen | eager, enthusiastic, sharp | indifferent, dull |
| Lucid | clear, transparent, comprehensible | obscure, vague |
| Malice | spite, ill will, hatred | goodwill, kindness |
| Meagre | scanty, poor, inadequate | ample, abundant |
| Mitigate | alleviate, lessen, soothe | aggravate, intensify |
| Obstinate | stubborn, headstrong, adamant | flexible, docile |
| Pious | devout, religious, holy | irreligious, impious |
| Prudent | wise, cautious, discreet | imprudent, careless |
| Rebuke | scold, reprimand, reproach | praise, commend |
| Scarce | rare, insufficient, scanty | plentiful, abundant |
| Tranquil | calm, peaceful, serene | turbulent, agitated |
| Vital | essential, crucial, necessary | trivial, unimportant |
| Wrath | anger, fury, rage | calmness, pleasure |
| Zenith | peak, summit, top | nadir, bottom |
More antonym pairs
| Word | Antonym |
|---|---|
| Ascend | Descend |
| Accept | Reject |
| Ancient | Modern |
| Artificial | Natural |
| Barren | Fertile |
| Brave | Cowardly |
| Complex | Simple |
| Expand | Contract |
| Fragile | Sturdy |
| Generous | Stingy / Miserly |
| Guilty | Innocent |
| Import | Export |
| Optimist | Pessimist |
| Praise | Censure |
| Prodigal | Thrifty |
| Rigid | Flexible |
| Rural | Urban |
| Temporary | Permanent |
| Transparent | Opaque |
| Vice | Virtue |
| Victory | Defeat |
| Voluntary | Compulsory |
| Wisdom | Folly |
| Zenith | Nadir |
| Abundant | Scarce |
| Optimum | Minimum / Worst |
| Amateur | Professional |
| Assemble | Disperse |
| Blunt | Sharp |
| Boon | Bane |
| Concord | Discord |
| Deficit | Surplus |
| Exterior | Interior |
| Flourish | Decay |
| Hasty | Cautious |
| Inferior | Superior |
Confusing word pairs
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| affect / effect | affect is a verb (to influence); effect is a noun (a result) |
| principal / principle | principal means head or main; principle means a rule |
| stationary / stationery | stationary means not moving; stationery means paper and pens |
| council / counsel | council is a body of people; counsel is advice |
| complement / compliment | complement completes something; compliment is praise |
| accept / except | accept means to receive; except means apart from |
| advice / advise | advice is a noun; advise is a verb |
| elicit / illicit | elicit means to draw out; illicit means illegal |
| beside / besides | beside means next to; besides means in addition to |
| lose / loose | lose means to fail to keep; loose means not tight |
| site / sight / cite | site is a place; sight is vision; cite means to quote |
| formally / formerly | formally means officially; formerly means in the past |
| emigrate / immigrate | emigrate means to leave a country; immigrate means to enter one |
| economic / economical | economic relates to the economy; economical means thrifty |
| sensible / sensitive | sensible means practical; sensitive means easily affected |
| historic / historical | historic means important in history; historical means related to history |
Prefixes that build antonyms
| Prefix | Examples |
|---|---|
| un- | kind, unkind; happy, unhappy; known, unknown |
| in- | complete, incomplete; direct, indirect; sane, insane |
| im- | possible, impossible; polite, impolite; mature, immature |
| il- | legal, illegal; logical, illogical; literate, illiterate |
| ir- | regular, irregular; responsible, irresponsible; relevant, irrelevant |
| dis- | honest, dishonest; agree, disagree; appear, disappear |
| mis- | understand, misunderstand; use, misuse |
Common exam traps
- A word can have several meanings. Fair, right, light and bank need context.
- Read the question stem carefully. Some ask for the opposite and some for the similar meaning.
- Do not pick an antonym when the question asks for a synonym. Options often include both.
- Zenith is opposite to nadir, not optimum.
- Affect and effect: look at the sentence. If a noun is needed, use effect.
Memory tips
- bene means good, mal means bad: benevolent and malevolent, benefactor and malefactor.
- Ten words a day: with sentence practice, this gives about 600 words in two months.
- Flashcards: the word on one side, synonym and antonym on the other. Revise weekly.
- Eliminate first. When two options are near-opposites, one of them is probably the answer for an antonym question.
Solved examples
Example 1. Synonym of candid. Options: cunning, frank, secret, loud. Answer: frank. A candid person says things openly.
Example 2. Synonym of meagre. Options: abundant, scanty, ample, huge. Answer: scanty. Meagre means too little.
Example 3. Antonym of prodigal. Options: wasteful, thrifty, rich, poor. Answer: thrifty. A prodigal person spends recklessly.
Example 4. Antonym of zenith. Answer: nadir. The zenith is the highest point and the nadir is the lowest.
Example 5. He gave a ____ answer, clear and direct. Options: ambiguous, lucid, vague, obscure. Answer: lucid. The clue is clear and direct.
Practice problems
- Synonym of abhor: (a) love (b) detest (c) admire (d) ignore
- Synonym of eminent: (a) unknown (b) distinguished (c) weak (d) foolish
- Antonym of benevolent: (a) kind (b) malevolent (c) generous (d) mild
- Antonym of transparent: (a) clear (b) opaque (c) bright (d) thin
- Synonym of tranquil: (a) noisy (b) calm (c) angry (d) busy
- Antonym of voluntary: (a) free (b) compulsory (c) willing (d) optional
Answers: 1. (b). 2. (b). 3. (b). 4. (b). 5. (b). 6. (b).
Practice MCQs with solutions
Note: these are practice questions written in the style of past NTRCA/BCS preliminary papers. Please cross-check with the official question bank.
Question 1. Synonym of abandon:
- (a) keep
- (b) desert
- (c) retain
- (d) adopt
Correct answer: (b) desert
Explanation: To abandon is to leave completely, which matches desert.
Question 2. Synonym of frugal:
- (a) wasteful
- (b) thrifty
- (c) rich
- (d) selfish
Correct answer: (b) thrifty
Explanation: Frugal and thrifty both describe careful spending.
Question 3. Synonym of obstinate:
- (a) flexible
- (b) stubborn
- (c) gentle
- (d) polite
Correct answer: (b) stubborn
Explanation: Obstinate means refusing to change one's mind.
Question 4. Synonym of alleviate:
- (a) aggravate
- (b) relieve
- (c) worsen
- (d) increase
Correct answer: (b) relieve
Explanation: To alleviate pain is to relieve it.
Question 5. Antonym of arrogant:
- (a) proud
- (b) humble
- (c) haughty
- (d) vain
Correct answer: (b) humble
Explanation: The opposite of arrogant is humble.
Question 6. Antonym of ancient:
- (a) old
- (b) modern
- (c) historic
- (d) antique
Correct answer: (b) modern
Explanation: Ancient and modern are opposites in time.
Question 7. Choose the right word: The medicine had no ____ on him.
- (a) affect
- (b) effect
- (c) affects
- (d) effects on
Correct answer: (b) effect
Explanation: A noun is needed after no, so effect.
Question 8. Choose the right word: The ____ of the college addressed the students.
- (a) principle
- (b) principal
- (c) principals
- (d) principled
Correct answer: (b) principal
Explanation: A head of an institution is a principal.
Key takeaways
- Learn words in pairs and families, not in isolation.
- Use prefixes and roots to guess unfamiliar words.
- Always check whether the question asks for a synonym or an antonym.
- Study confusing pairs by their part of speech.