Learn a word's meaning, recognize its closest synonym, and check how it works in a sentence. This study list uses 365 distinct targets from our reviewed practice bank.
These are practice words selected by Test Ninjas, not an official exam word list. Learn the method below, try a short quiz without notes, then look up unfamiliar words.
By the end: choose a synonym that fits the context and explain why a related but different word is wrong.
“The delivery schedule was capricious: a promised morning arrival might shift to evening without warning.”
Reason it through: the schedule changes unexpectedly. In this context, capricious means unpredictably changeable.
Tempting wrong answer: busy. A busy schedule has many activities, but it can still follow a dependable pattern. The sentence gives evidence of unpredictability, not the number of deliveries.
Try the substitution: “The delivery schedule was unpredictably changeable” preserves the meaning. Now use the word in your own sentence before starting a quiz.
Answer one question at a time. After checking, explain the meaning without copying the explanation. Revisit missed words tomorrow and again later in the week.
Work through one question at a time. Explain your approach, check the worked answer, then move on. Use scratch paper for calculations.
0 of 12 checked · 0 correct.
Progress is saved in this browser. These original study questions do not produce an official AFQT score.
Answer: B. lessen
Abate here means decrease in force or intensity. Lessen preserves that meaning. Intensify is the opposite, resume means start again, and spread describes reaching a wider area rather than becoming weaker.
Answer: C. Relinquish authority
Abdicate means give up a throne, high office, or position of authority. Consolidating authority strengthens it, demanding recognition seeks acknowledgment, and delegating a task assigns work while allowing the person to retain authority. Relinquishing authority is the closest meaning.
Answer: B. Deviation
An aberration is a deviation from a normal or expected course. Repetition repeats something, agreement expresses accord, and improvement makes something better. A departure from the norm is not necessarily an improvement.
Answer: A. annul
Abrogate means formally abolish or annul. Ratifying approves, interpreting explains meaning, and enforcing puts a rule into effect; none abolishes it.
Answer: A. Sudden
Abrupt can mean sudden or unexpectedly quick. Gradual describes change by small stages, regular describes a consistent pattern, and distant concerns separation in space or time. Sudden is the closest meaning among these choices.
Answer: C. difficult to comprehend
Abstruse describes something difficult to understand. Pleasantness, short duration and ease of reproduction concern different qualities; none means that the content is hard to comprehend.
Answer: D. Plentiful
Abundant means present in large quantities, so plentiful is the closest synonym. Scarce means there is little available and is the opposite.
Answer: A. Agree
Accede means assent or agree, as to a request or proposal. Demand means insist on receiving something, withdraw means pull back or remove, and dispute means challenge. These do not express giving agreement.
Answer: C. Receive willingly
Accept here means receive willingly. The speaker offers the basket as a gift of thanks. Inspecting it, returning it, or purchasing it later would not express receiving the offered gift.
Answer: C. Make provision for
Here accommodate means adjust arrangements to meet a group’s needs. Revising guidelines can make provision for overnight workers. Merely collecting information about them would not express that adjustment.
Answer: A. accumulate over time
Accrue means accumulate or be added over time. The monthly account rule describes credits building up until used. Expiring removes credits, transferring changes their holder, and a fixed balance does not build up.
Answer: C. Correct
Accurate means correct or free from error. Something can be detailed, complicated, or familiar while still containing errors; those words do not establish accuracy.
Open a letter to study its words, or search for a word or meaning. Before reading a definition, try to recall it yourself.
365 words grouped by first letter.
Practice meaning: lessen
Abate here means decrease in force or intensity. Lessen preserves that meaning. Intensify is the opposite, resume means start again, and spread describes reaching a wider area rather than becoming weaker.
Practice prompt: “The audience waited for the applause to abate before the final speaker approached the microphone.” What does abate mean here?
Practice meaning: Relinquish authority
Abdicate means give up a throne, high office, or position of authority. Consolidating authority strengthens it, demanding recognition seeks acknowledgment, and delegating a task assigns work while allowing the person to retain authority. Relinquishing authority is the closest meaning.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ABDICATE?
Practice meaning: Deviation
An aberration is a deviation from a normal or expected course. Repetition repeats something, agreement expresses accord, and improvement makes something better. A departure from the norm is not necessarily an improvement.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ABERRATION?
Practice meaning: annul
Abrogate means formally abolish or annul. Ratifying approves, interpreting explains meaning, and enforcing puts a rule into effect; none abolishes it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ABROGATE?
Practice meaning: Sudden
Abrupt can mean sudden or unexpectedly quick. Gradual describes change by small stages, regular describes a consistent pattern, and distant concerns separation in space or time. Sudden is the closest meaning among these choices.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ABRUPT?
Practice meaning: difficult to comprehend
Abstruse describes something difficult to understand. Pleasantness, short duration and ease of reproduction concern different qualities; none means that the content is hard to comprehend.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ABSTRUSE?
Practice meaning: Plentiful
Abundant means present in large quantities, so plentiful is the closest synonym. Scarce means there is little available and is the opposite.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ABUNDANT?
Practice meaning: Agree
Accede means assent or agree, as to a request or proposal. Demand means insist on receiving something, withdraw means pull back or remove, and dispute means challenge. These do not express giving agreement.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ACCEDE?
Practice meaning: Receive willingly
Accept here means receive willingly. The speaker offers the basket as a gift of thanks. Inspecting it, returning it, or purchasing it later would not express receiving the offered gift.
Practice prompt: “Please accept this small basket of fruit as our thanks for helping with the move.” What does accept mean here?
Practice meaning: Make provision for
Here accommodate means adjust arrangements to meet a group’s needs. Revising guidelines can make provision for overnight workers. Merely collecting information about them would not express that adjustment.
Practice prompt: “The guidelines were revised to accommodate employees who worked overnight.” What does accommodate mean here?
Practice meaning: accumulate over time
Accrue means accumulate or be added over time. The monthly account rule describes credits building up until used. Expiring removes credits, transferring changes their holder, and a fixed balance does not build up.
Practice prompt: “Under the club’s stated rules, unused studio credits accrue in a member’s account each month until the member spends them.” What does accrue mean here?
Practice meaning: Correct
Accurate means correct or free from error. Something can be detailed, complicated, or familiar while still containing errors; those words do not establish accuracy.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ACCURATE?
Practice meaning: accept without protest
Acquiesce means accept or comply without arguing, often quietly. Competing, withdrawing and arguing for a change do not express this unprotesting agreement.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ACQUIESCE?
Practice meaning: a judgment of not guilty
An acquittal is a legal outcome clearing the accused of the charge, such as a not-guilty verdict. It is distinct from postponing a case, requesting charges or stating a penalty. The sentence contrasts it with a conviction; it does not claim that acquittal proves every historical detail of the case.
Practice prompt: “The historian's notes distinguish the acquittal after the second trial from the conviction recorded after the first.” What does acquittal mean here?
Practice meaning: bitterly antagonistic
Acrimonious describes bitter or angry feeling, language or manner. Courtesy concerns respectful behavior, uncertainty concerns doubt, and appreciation concerns gratitude; none expresses that hostile bitterness.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ACRIMONIOUS?
Practice meaning: adjust to new conditions
To adapt is to adjust or modify something to fit changed circumstances. Exact repetition, withdrawal and classification do not by themselves express adjustment to a new use or situation.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ADAPT?
Practice meaning: Sufficient
Adequate means enough for the purpose, so sufficient fits. The space holds all the equipment, but the sentence does not say there is a large amount of extra room, as spacious would suggest.
Practice prompt: “The storage space proved adequate for the equipment, with no overflow into the hallway.” What does adequate mean here?
Practice meaning: neighboring
Adjacent means next to or near, so neighboring is the closest choice. It does not mean far away, exactly the same, or in the middle. Adjacent things need not always touch.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ADJACENT?
Practice meaning: reprove
Admonish can mean express disapproval or correction, often gently or earnestly, so reprove is closest. Commending praises, imitating copies, and delegating assigns a task or responsibility.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ADMONISH?
Practice meaning: argue in favor of
Advocate here means support or argue for a proposal. Priya presents riders’ letters in support of later departures. Secrecy, personally implementing the timetable and calculating a price are different actions; speaking for a proposal does not itself put it into effect.
Practice prompt: “At the transport hearing, Priya continued to advocate later evening departures, presenting letters from riders who worked late.” What does advocate mean here?
Practice meaning: watchful
Alert describes someone watchful and ready to notice or respond. Careless and drowsy oppose that readiness, while distant concerns separation or remoteness.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ALERT?
Practice meaning: apportion
To allocate is to distribute or assign for a particular purpose, which apportion expresses. Concealing hides something, recovering gets it back, and combining joins things together rather than assigning shares.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ALLOCATE?
Practice meaning: take turns
As a verb, alternate means perform or occur by turns. Acting at once is simultaneous, staying unchanged removes the repeated change, and withdrawing entirely means leaving rather than taking a turn.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ALTERNATE?
Practice meaning: height above a reference level
Altitude here is vertical height above the stated reference, sea level. Trail distance, slope steepness, and summit width measure different features.
Practice prompt: “The summit label gave an altitude of 2,400 meters above sea level, not the length of the trail leading up to it.” What does altitude mean here?
Practice meaning: make better
Ameliorate means make a bad condition better or more tolerable. Worsening is the opposite; establishing certainty and announcing something do not mean improving the condition.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to AMELIORATE?
Practice meaning: Revised
Amended means changed or corrected. New measurements give the designer a reason to revise the drawing. Discarded would mean throwing it away rather than changing it.
Practice prompt: “After reviewing the new measurements, the designer amended the drawing.” What does amended mean here?
Practice meaning: Friendly
Amiable means pleasant and friendly. Timid describes a lack of confidence, careless describes insufficient attention, and solemn means serious. Those qualities do not mean friendliness.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to AMIABLE?
Practice meaning: More than enough
Ample means generously sufficient or more than enough. The unused shelves show that the dishes do not fill the available space. Division, accessibility, and duration of availability are different features.
Practice prompt: “The cupboard offered ample space for the dishes, with two shelves still entirely unused.” What does ample mean here?
Practice meaning: Irregularity
An anomaly is something that departs from what is usual or expected, so irregularity is the closest meaning. A prediction anticipates an event, a procedure is a method, and an agreement is an arrangement or shared position.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ANOMALY?
Practice meaning: expect
To anticipate here is to expect an event before it occurs. The admission requests give the organizer a basis for expecting more people. Dismissing, imitating and excluding an audience have different meanings.
Practice prompt: “The organizer began to anticipate a larger audience after several extra groups asked for admission.” What does anticipate mean here?
Practice meaning: Strong dislike
Antipathy is a strong dislike or aversion. Despite signals a contrast between that negative response to the style and praise for the performers. Confusion, curiosity, and admiration do not express that dislike.
Practice prompt: “Despite her antipathy toward the style of the play, the critic acknowledged the skill of its performers.” What does antipathy mean here?
Practice meaning: worried
Anxious can mean worried or uneasy about what may happen. Indifferent means unconcerned, reliable means dependable, and astonished means very surprised. None is as close to this established meaning.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ANXIOUS?
Practice meaning: Visible
Apparent here means visible or readily seen. Removing the curtain reveals the crack. The sentence does not describe an imaginary crack or establish whether it is harmless or permanent; those meanings do not express becoming visible.
Practice prompt: “Once the curtain was pulled aside, the crack in the painted backdrop became apparent to everyone in the room.” What does apparent mean here?
Practice meaning: estimate its value
To appraise an object is to judge its value, often with expert knowledge. Repairing changes its condition, locating identifies where it is, and transferring ownership changes who possesses it; none is the requested valuation.
Practice prompt: “Before naming a sale price, the owner asked a specialist to appraise the carved cabinet.” What does appraise mean here?
Practice meaning: natural ability
Aptitude here means a natural ability or capacity for learning. Salma’s ready learning in a first lesson displays ability, not disinterest, a document, or earlier instruction in the knot.
Practice prompt: “In her first weaving lesson, Salma’s aptitude showed in how readily she learned an unfamiliar knot.” What does aptitude mean here?
Practice meaning: living or growing in water
Aquatic means living or growing in water. The tank and contrast with hillside plants support that meaning. Flowering time, edible fruit, and absence of roots do not define an aquatic plant.
Practice prompt: “The exhibit placed aquatic plants in a broad tank beside a separate case containing plants from the dry hillside.” What does aquatic mean here?
Practice meaning: Strenuous
Arduous describes something difficult or requiring great effort, making strenuous the closest choice. Rewarding concerns the benefit or satisfaction gained, routine means usual or regularly performed, and avoidable means possible to escape. Those qualities do not themselves express demanding effort.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ARDUOUS?
Practice meaning: reach a destination
Arrive means reach a destination. Leaving starts a journey away from a place, waiting involves remaining still, and changing direction alters a route without necessarily reaching its endpoint.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ARRIVE?
Practice meaning: Claim without right
Arrogate means claim or take something without proper justification or right. Giving up relinquishes a claim, respectfully requesting asks rather than seizes, and assigning by agreement establishes consent rather than an unjustified claim.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to ARROGATE?
Practice meaning: fit its parts together
Assemble here means put the separate parts together to make the frame. Polishing concerns finish, measuring concerns dimensions or capacity, and packing prepares something for transport; none names the construction step.
Practice prompt: “With the rails and corner pieces laid out, Sam began to assemble the display frame before fitting its fabric panel.” What does assemble mean here?
Practice meaning: evaluate
Assess means examine and form a judgment about something. The panel is considering the proposals' effects, not merely announcing, delaying or hiding them.
Practice prompt: “After listening to both proposals, the panel paused to assess how each would affect the rehearsal schedule.” What does assess mean here?
Practice meaning: Help
Assist means help someone perform a task. The request asks for help handling the canvas. Observing is watching, replacing is taking the place of someone or something, and questioning is asking or challenging; none means providing the requested help.
Practice prompt: “Could you assist Rina with the rolled canvas while she fastens the strap around it?” What does assist mean here?
Practice meaning: soothe
To assuage is to ease distress or discomfort, or calm someone, so soothe is closest. Provoking can stir up a reaction, concealing hides something, and diagnosing identifies a condition; none necessarily eases it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ASSUAGE?
Practice meaning: achieve
To attain a result or goal is to achieve it. Predicting concerns what may happen, surrendering gives something up, and postponing delays an action. None of those means reaching the desired result.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ATTAIN?
Practice meaning: Increase
Augment means add to or increase. The volunteers add workers to the existing crew. Replace would mean taking the regular crew’s place, which the sentence does not indicate.
Practice prompt: “Several volunteers arrived early to augment the regular cleaning crew.” What does augment mean here?
Practice meaning: plain and unadorned
Austere here describes a markedly simple appearance. The unpainted boards contrast with the decorated banners. Richly ornamented reverses that contrast, while unsafe and recently repaired make claims about condition or history that the word does not supply.
Practice prompt: “Against the festival’s embroidered banners, the stage designer chose an austere backdrop of unpainted boards.” What does austere mean here?
Practice meaning: prevent
Avert can mean ward off or prevent an unwanted event. Provoking brings an event about, prolonging extends it, and overlooking fails to notice it. None means successfully preventing it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to AVERT?
Practice meaning: Keep away from
Avoid means keep away from or refrain from something. Looking closely examines it, making room accommodates it, and speaking highly praises it. Those actions do not mean keeping away from it.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to AVOID?
Practice meaning: not sleeping
Awake means not asleep. The contrast with the other people establishes that sense. A person can be awake while still, silent, or comfortable; those conditions do not define wakefulness.
Practice prompt: “Though the room was dark and everyone else had fallen asleep, Jules remained awake and listened to the rain.” What does awake mean here?
Practice meaning: unoriginal
Banal means lacking freshness or originality, so unoriginal best describes the criticism of the slogans. Ceremonial concerns formal occasions, confidential concerns restricted information, and mournful concerns sorrow; those are different qualities.
Practice prompt: “The committee praised the brochure’s photographs but found the accompanying slogans banal.” What does banal mean here?
Practice meaning: obstacle
A barrier blocks or impedes passage. The locked gate obstructs the hikers, so obstacle fits. An invitation welcomes them, a shortcut provides a shorter route, and a reward is something received for an accomplishment.
Practice prompt: “The locked gate was a barrier between the hikers and the path beyond it.” What does barrier mean here?
Practice meaning: Contradict
Belie can mean contradict or show that an impression or claim is false. Confirm means support rather than contradict. Concede means acknowledge or yield a point, while predict means state what is expected to happen. Neither expresses the contradiction carried by belie.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to BELIE?
Practice meaning: advantage
A benefit is something helpful or advantageous. An obligation is a duty, an obstacle is a difficulty, and an expense is a cost. They can accompany an activity but are not synonyms for its benefit.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to BENEFIT?
Practice meaning: unpromising
Bleak can mean offering little hope or encouragement, so unpromising is closest. Plentiful concerns quantity, ornamental concerns decoration, and temporary concerns duration.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to BLEAK?
Practice meaning: boundary
A border is an edge or boundary marking a limit. A district is an area, its center is an interior point or region, and its surface is its outer face rather than necessarily its boundary line.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to BORDER?
Practice meaning: use temporarily
Borrow means receive something for temporary use with the intention of returning it. The promised return rules out purchasing, giving away or discarding the screen.
Practice prompt: “We asked to borrow the folding screen for the weekend and promised to return it before Monday's rehearsal.” What does borrow mean here?
Practice meaning: Courageous
Brave here means courageous, including the willingness to face an unpleasant consequence. Lena admits the mistake despite expecting criticism. Carelessness lacks proper attention, effortlessness concerns ease, and popularity concerns approval; none is the meaning of brave.
Practice prompt: “It was brave of Lena to admit her mistake at the meeting even though she expected criticism.” What does brave mean here?
Practice meaning: for a short time
Briefly can mean for a short time. Care describes manner, equal intervals describe regular spacing, and absence of a limit does not express short duration.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to BRIEFLY?
Practice meaning: easily broken
Brittle describes something that cracks or breaks readily, particularly instead of bending. Stretching concerns flexibility, weaving concerns construction, and polishing concerns a surface; none expresses the tendency to break.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to BRITTLE?
Practice meaning: rural
Bucolic means relating to rural or pastoral life. Maritime concerns the sea, ceremonial concerns formal observances, and industrial concerns manufacturing rather than the countryside.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to BUCOLIC?
Practice meaning: Construct
Build means construct by putting materials together. The boards will become a platform. Measure means determine dimensions, inspect means examine, and relocate means move something already present to another place.
Practice prompt: “The crew will build a small observation platform from the boards stacked near the trail.” What does build mean here?
Practice meaning: weighty responsibility
A burden can be a load or a demanding responsibility. A pleasant reward is a benefit, a decorative pattern is an arrangement, and a casual invitation is a request to attend; none is the closest meaning of a weight someone must bear.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to BURDEN?
Practice meaning: call off
To cancel a planned event is to call it off. Moving forward continues it, setting it up arranges it, and looking into it investigates it. Those actions do not mean deciding that the event will not take place.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to CANCEL?
Practice meaning: Frank
Candid means open and honest, so frank fits the requested account. Detailed describes the amount of information and does not necessarily mean that the account is honest.
Practice prompt: “The manager asked for a candid account of why the shipment was late.” What does candid mean here?
Practice meaning: unpredictably changeable
Capricious means subject to sudden, unpredictable changes of mood or choice. Methodical behavior follows an orderly approach, busyness concerns activity, and hostility concerns antagonism rather than changeability.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to CAPRICIOUS?
Practice meaning: cautious
Careful describes attention and caution in avoiding mistakes or harm. Reckless is the opposite, boastful describes self-praise, and drowsy describes sleepiness rather than care.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CAREFUL?
Practice meaning: transport
To carry something is to move or transport it while holding or supporting it. Discard means throw away, inspect means examine, and assemble means put parts together. None of those actions by itself means moving an item from place to place.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CARRY?
Practice meaning: Careful about risk
Cautious means careful to avoid danger or risk. Testing the foothold before relying on it demonstrates that care. Certainty of success, desire for attention, and lack of awareness do not express caution.
Practice prompt: “A cautious climber, Noor tested the unfamiliar foothold before shifting her weight onto it.” What does cautious mean here?
Practice meaning: merry
Cheerful means in good spirits, so merry is closest. Stern describes a strict or severe manner, weary means tired, and timid means shy or fearful.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CHEERFUL?
Practice meaning: Select
Choose means select from possibilities. Describe means give an account of something, borrow means receive it temporarily, and arrange means put things in order. Those actions do not themselves mean making a selection.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CHOOSE?
Practice meaning: Roundabout
Circuitous means following an indirect or roundabout course. Passing through several neighborhoods to reach a nearby destination illustrates that meaning. The sentence does not say whether traffic was heavy, so congested is unsupported.
Practice prompt: “The route was circuitous, passing through three neighborhoods before reaching the nearby station.” What does circuitous mean here?
Practice meaning: draw a line around
Circumscribe here means draw an enclosing line around the area. The closed outline supports that literal sense. Making a hole changes the surface, filling colors the interior, and marking beneath does not enclose it.
Practice prompt: “On the printed plan, Inez used a red pencil to circumscribe the damaged area before adding a number beside the closed outline.” What does circumscribe mean here?
Practice meaning: Make understandable
Clarify means make something easier to understand or remove confusion about it. Permanence concerns how long it lasts, importance concerns its significance, and secrecy concerns who may know about it. Those meanings do not express clarification.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CLARIFY?
Practice meaning: Spotless
Clean can mean free of dirt, so spotless is the closest choice. Costly concerns price, fragile means easily damaged, and faded means having lost color or brightness; none of those qualities means free of dirt.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CLEAN?
Practice meaning: quick to understand
Clever here describes mental quickness or the ability to understand readily. Solving and explaining the unfamiliar puzzle supports that sense. The word does not establish resistance to listening, a desire for approval or fear of failure.
Practice prompt: “The clever child quickly understood the unfamiliar puzzle and explained its rule to the others.” What does clever mean here?
Practice meaning: Overcast
Cloudy can describe a sky covered with clouds, making overcast the closest choice. Windy concerns moving air, freezing concerns temperature, and arid means very dry. None of those conditions necessarily means cloudy.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CLOUDY?
Practice meaning: merge into a whole
Coalesce means unite or merge into a whole. Separating reverses that combination, evaporating changes liquid into vapor, and becoming fixed stops movement without necessarily joining anything.
Practice prompt: “When the tray tilted, neighboring beads of water began to coalesce near its lower rim.” What does coalesce mean here?
Practice meaning: convincing
Cogent means clear, forceful and persuasive, so convincing is closest. Lengthiness alone does not make an argument persuasive; uncertainty and lack of relevance do not express cogency.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to COGENT?
Practice meaning: Logically connected
Coherent here means logically connected and understandable as a whole. Rearrangement makes the relationships among events clear. Secrecy, brevity, and fictional content concern different features and do not establish coherence.
Practice prompt: “After the editor rearranged the scattered notes, the account became coherent, with each event clearly connected to the next.” What does coherent mean here?
Practice meaning: work together
To collaborate is to work together on a shared undertaking. The lyricist and composer will contribute to the same song. Separate performances, public arguments and secret competition do not express that cooperative work.
Practice prompt: “The lyricist and composer agreed to collaborate on a song for the final scene.” What does collaborate mean here?
Practice meaning: gather
To collect is to gather or bring things together. Scattering separates them, replacing substitutes something else, and comparing examines similarities or differences. Those actions do not have the same meaning as collecting.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to COLLECT?
Practice meaning: vividly colored
Colorful can mean having vivid or varied colors. Scent concerns smell, texture concerns surface feel, and spacing concerns arrangement rather than color.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to COLORFUL?
Practice meaning: Begin
Commence means start or begin. The sentence presents completion of the bracket work as the condition for starting testing, not evidence that testing has already happened and must be repeated.
Practice prompt: “Once the final bracket was secured, the crew could commence testing.” What does commence mean here?
Practice meaning: Examine similarities and differences
To compare is to examine things in relation to one another, including their similarities or differences. Chronological ordering concerns time, making objects identical changes them, and estimating one weight does not itself compare two things.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to COMPARE?
Practice meaning: Able to work together
Compatible means able to exist or function together without conflict. Things that look alike are not necessarily compatible. Wearing out concerns durability, and replacement cost concerns price; neither determines whether two things can work together.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to COMPATIBLE?
Practice meaning: force
Compel means force or make necessary. The bridge’s condition makes the longer route necessary. Inviting offers a choice, teaching provides knowledge, and forbidding prohibits an action; these differ from forcing the crew to take the longer road.
Practice prompt: “The damaged bridge will compel the delivery crew to use the longer road.” What does compel mean here?
Practice meaning: strive against one another
Compete means take part in a rivalry for an objective. The bakers each seek the one award. Dividing work is collaboration, withdrawing ends participation, and announcing a result reports a decision.
Practice prompt: “Several bakers would compete for the single award, each hoping the judges would select their loaf.” What does compete mean here?
Practice meaning: capable
Competent means having the ability needed to perform a task adequately. Correct independent completion supports capable. Luck, public recognition, and unwillingness do not establish that ability.
Practice prompt: “The supervisor described Bea as competent because she could complete each required stage of the task correctly without help.” What does competent mean here?
Practice meaning: Self-satisfied
Complacent means self-satisfied, often without enough awareness of a need for improvement or a possible problem. Apprehensive means anxious, diligent means steadily careful in one’s work, and defiant means openly resistant. None expresses that uncritical satisfaction.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to COMPLACENT?
Practice meaning: add something useful to
To complement something is to complete or improve it through an additional contribution. The recordings supply recollections alongside the sketches. They are not described as praising, replacing or duplicating the drawings. Complement in this context differs from compliment, which concerns praise.
Practice prompt: “The exhibit pairs sketches with recordings that complement them by preserving the artists’ spoken recollections.” What does complement mean here?
Practice meaning: Complicated
Complex can describe something with interrelated parts that is difficult to analyze or understand, so complicated is the closest choice. Uniform means consistent throughout, independent means not dependent, and incomplete means missing part of what is needed.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to COMPLEX?
Practice meaning: hide
Conceal means keep out of sight. The curtain hides the backdrop until it is revealed. Illuminating makes it visible through light, repairing fixes damage, and enlarging changes size.
Practice prompt: “The stage curtain would conceal the painted backdrop until the first scene began.” What does conceal mean here?
Practice meaning: Acknowledge
To concede a point is to acknowledge or admit it, often after resisting it. Demand means insist on receiving something, conceal means hide it, and challenge means question or oppose it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONCEDE?
Practice meaning: Brief
Concise describes something expressed in few words, making brief the closest option. A concise statement may be accurate, but correctness is a separate quality from brevity.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONCISE?
Practice meaning: perplex
To confound a person in this context is to confuse or perplex that person. The conflicting dates create uncertainty. Reassuring removes concern, instructing teaches or directs, and recruiting brings someone into a group or task.
Practice prompt: “The mismatched dates on the two otherwise identical labels could confound even an experienced cataloger.” What does confound mean here?
Practice meaning: An unproven conclusion
A conjecture is a conclusion or proposal reached without sufficient evidence to establish it. A measurement is an observation, an established rule is already accepted, and an instruction tells someone what to do. None of those necessarily involves an unproven conclusion.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONJECTURE?
Practice meaning: general agreement
A consensus is agreement shared across a group. The members reach a common position about the lettering despite their other preferences. A command is an order, a complaint expresses dissatisfaction, and a deadline sets a time limit.
Practice prompt: “Although the members preferred different paint colors, a consensus emerged that the original lettering should remain.” What does consensus mean here?
Practice meaning: result
A consequence can be an outcome or result of an action or condition. Permission authorizes, contrast identifies a difference, and a method describes how something is done.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONSEQUENCE?
Practice meaning: use sparingly
To conserve a resource is to avoid wasting it. Using remaining corners for small sketches uses the paper sparingly. Sorting, displaying, or replacing the paper does not express the stated aim of making the supply last.
Practice prompt: “The illustrator will conserve the remaining paper by testing small sketches on unused corners.” What does conserve mean here?
Practice meaning: Unchanging
Constant can mean remaining the same, so unchanging is the closest meaning. Unexpected means not anticipated, portable means easily carried, and variable means able or likely to change.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONSTANT?
Practice meaning: restrict
To constrain is to restrict, limit or hold back. Enlarging increases size, persuading seeks agreement, and celebrating expresses approval or enjoyment. They do not have the same meaning as imposing a limit.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONSTRAIN?
Practice meaning: Restriction
A constraint is something that limits or restricts an action. Permission allows an action, a solution resolves a problem, and a prediction describes what may happen. They do not mean a limiting condition.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONSTRAINT?
Practice meaning: ask for advice
Consult here means seek someone’s advice. Omar wants the pianist’s judgment about suitable pieces. Rewarding, complaining, and announcing departure serve different purposes.
Practice prompt: “Before choosing music for the ceremony, Omar decided to consult the pianist about which pieces would suit the small room.” What does consult mean here?
Practice meaning: Use up
Here consume means use up a resource. The download draws on the available battery power. Store up means save a supply, measure out means determine an amount, and give off means release something; none describes using the available supply in this sentence.
Practice prompt: “The overnight download will consume most of the tablet’s remaining battery power.” What does consume mean here?
Practice meaning: Argue
Contend here means maintain or assert a position in an argument. The reviewer will argue for an interpretation of the chapter. Discover means find out, doubt means question the truth of something, and conceal means hide; none expresses presenting the stated position.
Practice prompt: “The reviewer will contend that the final chapter changes how the earlier scenes should be understood.” What does contend mean here?
Practice meaning: communicate
Convey can mean communicate or make an idea known. Conceal means hide, postpone means delay, and reject means refuse. Although convey also has a physical transport sense, none of the other choices expresses that meaning either.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CONVEY?
Practice meaning: Supported with confirming evidence
Corroborated means supplied support that helps confirm a statement. The second observer’s account backs up Mina’s. Simply repeating a claim without checking it does not necessarily provide corroboration.
Practice prompt: “A second observer corroborated Mina’s account of the equipment failure.” What does corroborated mean here?
Practice meaning: expensive
Costly means expensive. Using only a small amount and choosing cheaper tiles for the remainder establish the price contrast. Slipperiness, ordinariness, and placement do not state the tiles’ cost.
Practice prompt: “The handmade tiles were so costly that the designer used them only for a narrow border and chose cheaper tiles for the rest.” What does costly mean here?
Practice meaning: Believability
Credibility is the quality of being believable or inspiring belief. Popularity concerns how widely something is liked, complexity concerns its intricacy, and urgency concerns the need for prompt attention. These do not by themselves make a claim credible.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CREDIBILITY?
Practice meaning: Too ready to believe
Credulous means too willing to believe on limited or uncertain evidence. One faded photograph is the stated basis for accepting the remarkable story. Careful verification, unwillingness to listen, and competitive eagerness do not express that readiness to believe.
Practice prompt: “The credulous visitor accepted the stranger’s remarkable story on the strength of a single faded photograph.” What does credulous mean here?
Practice meaning: Develop
Cultivate here means develop or improve through attention and practice. Daily observation and sketching are intended to strengthen the apprentice’s perception. Displaying, measuring, or hiding a skill does not mean developing it.
Practice prompt: “Through daily observation and careful sketching, the apprentice hoped to cultivate a sharper eye for proportion.” What does cultivate mean here?
Practice meaning: Inquisitive
Curious can mean eager to investigate or learn, so inquisitive is the closest choice. Forgetful means tending not to remember, careless means inattentive to care or consequences, and impatient means unwilling to wait. None expresses a desire to learn.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to CURIOUS?
Practice meaning: brief and superficial
Cursory describes something treated hastily or with little depth. The thin account supports brief and superficial; it does not establish that the account is fabricated, hostile or based on detailed analysis.
Practice prompt: “The catalog’s cursory account of the expedition names its departure port and destination but gives no attention to what happened between them.” What does cursory mean here?
Practice meaning: usual practice
Custom here means an established practice. Repeating the choice at each reunion supports that sense. A possession is something owned, an accident is unplanned, and a request asks for something.
Practice prompt: “In Ivo’s family, it was a custom to let the youngest person choose the first song at each reunion.” What does custom mean here?
Practice meaning: slightly wet
Damp means slightly or moderately wet. The spray and later drying establish moisture, not weakness, color or folding.
Practice prompt: “The paper was still damp from the fine spray, so we left it flat until it dried.” What does damp mean here?
Practice meaning: proper in behavior
Decorous describes conduct that is proper and in good taste. It does not mean heavily decorated, creatively bold or unsure of its aim; the resemblance to decoration is not a definition of the word.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DECOROUS?
Practice meaning: infer from evidence
Deduce means reach a conclusion by reasoning from evidence. The wrapping and scraps supply the clues. Choosing a preference, making an unchecked announcement, and concealing information do not describe that reasoning process.
Practice prompt: “From the torn wrapping and the matching scraps beside the cupboard, Mara could deduce where the parcel had been opened.” What does deduce mean here?
Practice meaning: flaw
A defect is a flaw or imperfection that reduces quality or usefulness. A feature is any characteristic, a resource is something available for use, and a remedy is a means of correcting a problem.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEFECT?
Practice meaning: Postpone
Defer here means put off or postpone. The vote is moved to a later day so the draft can be read. Permanent cancellation would remove it altogether, counting immediately would not delay it, and publicizing it concerns disclosure rather than timing.
Practice prompt: “Because two committee members needed to read the revised draft, the chair agreed to defer the vote until Friday.” What does defer mean here?
Practice meaning: Shortfall
A deficit is an amount or condition that falls short of what is needed or expected, so shortfall is the closest choice. A forecast is a prediction, a surplus is an excess, and an inventory is a count or listing of what is held.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEFICIT?
Practice meaning: Skillful
Deft means skillful and sure in handling or action. Forceful emphasizes strength, cautious emphasizes avoiding risk, and secretive emphasizes withholding information. Someone could have any of those qualities without being deft.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEFT?
Practice meaning: postpone
Delay means put off or postpone. Hasten means make earlier or faster, complete means finish, and announce means make known; none moves an action to a later time.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DELAY?
Practice meaning: Intentional
Deliberate here means intentional. The editor removes the name for a stated purpose, so the omission is not accidental. The sentence does not describe it as temporary or unnoticed, and neither word means intentional.
Practice prompt: “The missing name was a deliberate omission: the editor had removed it to protect the writer’s privacy.” What does deliberate mean here?
Practice meaning: set out precisely
Delineate means set forth accurately or in detail. The memo specifies the scope of each responsibility. Transferring the work changes who does it, combining it removes the distinctions, and leaving it undecided does not define its scope.
Practice prompt: “Before work began, the project memo would delineate each team’s responsibilities, specifying where one assignment ended and another began.” What does delineate mean here?
Practice meaning: Show
Demonstrate here means show or make clear how something works. The guide uses the card to show the latch opening. Preventing would stop the action, guessing would estimate without showing it, and changing would alter it rather than demonstrate it.
Practice prompt: “The guide used a folded card to demonstrate how the latch opened.” What does demonstrate mean here?
Practice meaning: belittle
Denigrate means disparage or treat as of little worth. The contemptuous remarks attack the ensemble’s abilities. Consulting seeks advice, classifying assigns a group, and imitating copies something.
Practice prompt: “The columnist chose to denigrate the ensemble with sneering remarks about the musicians’ supposed lack of talent.” What does denigrate mean here?
Practice meaning: closely packed
Dense here means crowded closely together. The small gaps between many stems support that sense. Root depth, color, and planting date are separate qualities not established by the word.
Practice prompt: “The dense cluster of reeds left very little open water between its many stems.” What does dense mean here?
Practice meaning: leave
Depart means go away or leave. Remaining is staying, arriving is reaching a destination, and returning adds the idea of coming back rather than simply leaving.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEPART?
Practice meaning: reliable
Dependable means worthy of being relied on. Fashion concerns style, separation concerns relation or position, and noticeability concerns how readily something attracts attention.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEPENDABLE?
Practice meaning: Emotionally uninvolved
Detached here means emotionally uninvolved or able to consider matters objectively. The mediator examines the claims without taking on the speakers’ resentment. Hostility, distraction, and secret amusement describe other reactions and are not the meaning selected by the sentence.
Practice prompt: “As the two speakers grew angry, the mediator remained detached, considering their claims without sharing either speaker’s resentment.” What does detached mean here?
Practice meaning: discover the presence of
To detect is to discover or determine that something is present or exists. Preventing a return, reshaping and denying value do not mean discovering its presence.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DETECT?
Practice meaning: invent
To devise is to form or develop an idea, method, or plan, making invent the closest synonym. Inspect means examine, repeat means do again, and abandon means give up rather than create.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DEVISE?
Practice meaning: a difficult choice
A dilemma is a problem involving a difficult choice. A favorable prediction concerns an expected outcome, a procedure gives steps, and an agreement records a shared decision. None has the same meaning as the troublesome choice itself.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DILEMMA?
Practice meaning: Hardworking
Diligent describes steady, careful effort, which matches hardworking. Talented describes natural ability; someone can have ability without applying consistent effort.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DILIGENT?
Practice meaning: dispose of
Discard means get rid of something as unwanted or no longer useful. Saving it for later, sorting it and repairing it all retain the thing rather than disposing of it.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DISCARD?
Practice meaning: reveal
Disclose means make previously withheld information known. The title is being kept back until a particular time. Shortening changes its length, disputing challenges it, and translating changes its language.
Practice prompt: “The novelist would not disclose the new book’s title until the cover was ready to display.” What does disclose mean here?
Practice meaning: Inconsistency
A discrepancy is a difference or inconsistency between things that do not agree. An obligation is a duty, a compromise is an arrangement involving concessions, and an explanation gives an account of how or why something occurs.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DISCREPANCY?
Practice meaning: careful judgment
Discretion is careful judgment, including restraint about when to discuss sensitive matters. The sentence shows a considered choice of time, not stamina, hostility or certainty about every fact.
Practice prompt: “Leah showed discretion by waiting until the crowded room was empty before raising the sensitive concern.” What does discretion mean here?
Practice meaning: Reject
Dismiss here means reject from consideration. The historian will not set the note aside solely because its author is unknown. Revise means change the wording, publish means make it publicly available, and deliver means bring it to a destination.
Practice prompt: “The historian refused to dismiss the unsigned note merely because its author was unknown.” What does dismiss mean here?
Practice meaning: fundamentally different
Disparate describes things that differ markedly in kind or character. The objects belong to notably different forms and uses. The sentence does not establish equal value, poor condition, or recent acquisition, and none of those phrases gives the meaning of disparate.
Practice prompt: “The curator needed a display plan for disparate objects: a woven mat, a brass valve, and a charcoal portrait.” What does disparate mean here?
Practice meaning: Scatter
Disperse means spread out or scatter. Arrange means put in a particular order, gather means bring together, and conceal means hide. Gathering is the opposite of dispersing rather than a synonym.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DISPERSE?
Practice meaning: disagreement
A dispute is an argument or disagreement. Permission authorizes an action, reputation concerns how someone is regarded, and a procedure sets out a way to do something. None of those nouns denotes a disagreement.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DISPUTE?
Practice meaning: Separate
Distinct can mean clearly distinguishable or separate. Interchangeable means able to replace one another, vague means unclear, and crowded means filled closely together. Those meanings do not express being distinguishable as a separate thing.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DISTINCT?
Practice meaning: tell apart
To distinguish is to recognize or mark a difference, so tell apart is closest. Blending combines, bringing closer changes distance, and copying reproduces; none means recognizing a difference.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DISTINGUISH?
Practice meaning: hand out
To distribute the programs is to give them out to people. Reading them aloud, reserving them for later and joining them together are different actions.
Practice prompt: “Before the reading began, an usher moved along the row to distribute the printed programs.” What does distribute mean here?
Practice meaning: redirect
To divert something is to turn it from one course toward another. The channel redirects the water. Measuring determines an amount, purifying removes impurities, and absorbing takes something into a material; none describes the stated change of route.
Practice prompt: “The new channel will divert rainwater away from the courtyard and toward the storage tank.” What does divert mean here?
Practice meaning: separate
To divide a stack into piles is to separate it into parts. Decorate adds ornament, fasten joins or secures, and conceal hides; none describes making the smaller groups.
Practice prompt: “Please divide the stack into three smaller piles before placing it in the boxes.” What does divide mean here?
Practice meaning: uncertainty
Doubt here is uncertainty about whether a belief is correct. Tim checks the ticket because he is unsure of the time. Anticipation looks forward to an event, approval expresses acceptance, and amazement expresses surprise; none identifies his uncertainty.
Practice prompt: “Tim’s doubt about the departure time led him to check the date and hour printed on his ticket.” What does doubt mean here?
Practice meaning: Pull along
Drag means pull something along, often with it touching a surface or moving with difficulty. Lifting raises it, pushing applies force away from the person, and tossing throws it. These actions are different from dragging.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to DRAG?
Practice meaning: Long-lasting
Durable means able to withstand use or wear for a long time. Portable concerns ease of moving an object and does not tell us whether it will last.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to DURABLE?
Practice meaning: Become smaller
Dwindle means gradually become smaller or fewer. As hikers stop, fewer remain in the moving procession. The bends describe the route, but changing direction is not the meaning of dwindle. Neither speed nor loudness is established by the sentence.
Practice prompt: “With every bend in the trail, the procession began to dwindle as more hikers stopped to rest.” What does dwindle mean here?
Practice meaning: Enthusiastic
Eager means keenly interested or enthusiastic about doing or receiving something. Reluctant means unwilling, weary means tired, and indifferent means lacking particular interest. Those choices do not express eager interest.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to EAGER?
Practice meaning: Receive through work
Earn here means receive money in return for work or services. Sima plans to provide a coat-checking service. Borrowing creates an obligation to return money, hiding concerns where it is kept, and spending uses it; none means receiving it for work.
Practice prompt: “Sima hopes to earn enough money by checking coats for guests to pay for her train ticket.” What does earn mean here?
Practice meaning: fit to eat
Edible means suitable for eating. Ease of growing or storing and a pleasant smell do not by themselves establish that something is edible.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EDIBLE?
Practice meaning: exertion
Effort here is the exertion needed to perform the action. The sentence concerns the work of lifting, not authorization, a set of tools or patience by itself.
Practice prompt: “Lifting the stubborn lid took considerable effort, even after Mara found a better grip.” What does effort mean here?
Practice meaning: Highly detailed
Elaborate describes something containing many carefully developed details. The clouds, balconies, and windows support that meaning. The sentence does not establish portability, recent completion, or poor maintenance.
Practice prompt: “The model theater had elaborate scenery, including painted clouds, carved balconies, and dozens of tiny windows.” What does elaborate mean here?
Practice meaning: Clarify
Elucidate means make something clear through explanation or analysis. Abbreviating shortens it, concealing hides it, and disputing challenges it. Only clarify expresses making the meaning easier to understand.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ELUCIDATE?
Practice meaning: Come into view
Emerge here means come out into view. The tower becomes visible when the mist clears. The sentence does not describe collapse, movement away, or a change in the tower’s color.
Practice prompt: “We watched the distant tower emerge from the mist as the wind cleared the valley.” What does emerge mean here?
Practice meaning: special stress
Emphasis is special stress, prominence or attention given to something. Equal division concerns distribution, delay concerns time, and agreement concerns assent; none expresses special prominence.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EMPHASIS?
Practice meaning: Containing nothing
Empty means containing nothing. Removing the last parcel leaves no parcels in the bin. The sentence does not say the bin has lost its usefulness, is hard to reach, or has been repaired.
Practice prompt: “After the last parcel was removed, the delivery bin was empty.” What does empty mean here?
Practice meaning: Strive to match
Emulate means imitate or strive to equal another person or example. Refusing to follow rejects an example, concealing hides something, and bargaining negotiates an exchange. Those actions do not express trying to match a model.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EMULATE?
Practice meaning: Stamina
Endurance is the ability to continue through strain or hardship, so stamina is the closest choice. Agility concerns quick, controlled movement, ambition concerns the desire to achieve, and precision concerns exactness. Each can be useful without being endurance.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ENDURANCE?
Practice meaning: Withstand
Endure can mean withstand or bear hardship without giving way. Predicting forecasts something, purchasing buys it, and displaying shows it. Those actions do not express continuing through difficulty.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ENDURE?
Practice meaning: Mystery
An enigma is something puzzling or difficult to explain. The letter’s symbols and connection to the portrait remain unexplained. The sentence does not establish that the letter warns or invites anyone, and a solution would resolve rather than constitute the mystery.
Practice prompt: “The unsigned letter remained an enigma: neither its unusual symbols nor its connection to the missing portrait had been explained.” What does enigma mean here?
Practice meaning: Balance
Equilibrium here means balance. Regaining steadiness after wobbling selects that physical sense. Strength concerns force or power, height concerns vertical distance, and momentum concerns continuing motion; none is the meaning of equilibrium in this sentence.
Practice prompt: “After a sudden wobble on the balance beam, Imani regained her equilibrium and stood steadily again.” What does equilibrium mean here?
Practice meaning: Ambiguous
Equivocal means open to differing interpretations. The delegations understand the same reply differently, making ambiguous the best choice. Detailed concerns the amount of information, binding concerns an obligation, and hostile suggests opposition rather than uncertain meaning.
Practice prompt: “The envoy’s equivocal reply pleased both delegations, though each understood it as a promise of support for its own position.” What does equivocal mean here?
Practice meaning: Support
Espouse means adopt or support a cause, belief, or principle. The editor continues to advocate the principle despite opposition. Disguise means conceal its nature, postpone means delay, and investigate means examine; examination alone does not express support.
Practice prompt: “Though several colleagues opposed the proposal, the editor continued to espouse its central principle in her essays.” What does espouse mean here?
Practice meaning: necessary
Essential means necessary or indispensable. The contrast with side lamps that may be omitted identifies a requirement, not the lamp’s portability, ornamental appearance or familiarity.
Practice prompt: “The lighting plan lists the central lamp as essential, although the side lamps may be omitted.” What does essential mean here?
Practice meaning: judge approximately
To estimate is to make an approximate judgment of an amount or extent. The steward is judging the number before a full count. Reserving, reducing and alphabetizing describe different actions, not an approximate judgment.
Practice prompt: “Before counting each person in the long queue, the steward tried to estimate how many seats would be needed.” What does estimate mean here?
Practice meaning: Uniformly
Evenly can mean uniformly, without variation in distribution or degree. Occasionally concerns infrequent timing, hastily means hurriedly, and noisily concerns sound. None expresses uniformity.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to EVENLY?
Practice meaning: Apparent
Evident means clear or readily seen, which matches apparent. Likely means probable and allows more uncertainty than something that is evident.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to EVIDENT?
Practice meaning: make worse
Exacerbate means increase the severity of an existing problem. The remark would worsen the tension. Explaining clarifies, bringing forward presents or advances, and setting aside suspends consideration.
Practice prompt: “A sarcastic remark would exacerbate the already tense disagreement, so Daria chose her next words carefully.” What does exacerbate mean here?
Practice meaning: go beyond
To exceed a limit is to go beyond it. The growing stack is larger than the reserved space can hold. Fitting within stays inside the limit, drawing attention notices something, and making room creates capacity rather than surpassing it.
Practice prompt: “The stack of finished pages began to exceed the space reserved for it on the shelf.” What does exceed mean here?
Practice meaning: Case outside a rule
An exception is a case to which a general rule does not apply. A reason explains the rule, a record preserves it, and a reminder calls it to attention. None of those identifies a case outside the rule.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EXCEPTION?
Practice meaning: Clear from blame
Exonerate means clear someone from accusation or blame. The recording supplies evidence concerning the accusation against the assistant. Assigning duties, delaying a meeting, or requesting an apology does not itself clear that accusation.
Practice prompt: “The timestamped recording helped exonerate the assistant who had been accused of removing the missing folder.” What does exonerate mean here?
Practice meaning: Make clear
Explain means make something understandable or give an account of how or why it happens. Hiding conceals information, proving false refutes it, and writing briefly concerns length rather than whether the subject becomes clear.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EXPLAIN?
Practice meaning: Clearly stated
Explicit directions state their meaning clearly and directly. Naming each valve and its order removes uncertainty. The directions concern equipment, but explicit does not mean technical.
Practice prompt: “The foreman gave explicit directions, naming each valve and the order in which to close them.” What does explicit mean here?
Practice meaning: Pull out
Extract means draw or pull something out. The tongs are used to remove the trapped cloth. Folding changes its shape, pushing it farther in reverses the intended direction, and fastening it would keep it in place.
Practice prompt: “Using narrow tongs, Lian tried to extract the strip of cloth caught behind the drawer.” What does extract mean here?
Practice meaning: project beyond known data
To extrapolate is to extend from known information toward a conclusion about something not directly observed. Recording observations stops at the evidence already obtained, choosing without evidence lacks the stated basis, and merely repeating a result does not extend it.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to EXTRAPOLATE?
Practice meaning: barely noticeable
Faint can describe a sight, sound or other impression that is difficult to notice because it is weak. Firm attachment, recent completion and precise measurement concern different properties and do not express low perceptibility.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to FAINT?
Practice meaning: Just
Fair here means just or impartial. Applying the same standards avoids favoring particular entries. A quick decision concerns speed, a popular one concerns approval, and a generous one gives liberally; none by itself means just.
Practice prompt: “The panel sought a fair decision by applying the same published standards to every entry.” What does fair mean here?
Practice meaning: error in reasoning
A fallacy is a flaw or error in reasoning. A chronology, a measurement record, and a stated goal are different kinds of information and need not contain any reasoning error.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to FALLACY?
Practice meaning: exacting about details
Fastidious describes someone extremely careful, particular or demanding about details. Publicity seeking, uncertainty about aims and frequent praise concern different traits; they do not express exacting attention.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to FASTIDIOUS?
Practice meaning: Practical
Feasible means capable of being carried out, so practical is the closest choice. A plan may be profitable if completed but still be impossible to carry out with the available resources.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to FEASIBLE?
Practice meaning: Adaptable
Flexible here means able to adapt to changing needs. The practice order can change to accommodate an arrival. Detailed concerns the amount of information, compulsory means required, and unfinished means incomplete; none expresses adaptability.
Practice prompt: “The rehearsal plan was flexible, allowing the scenes to be practiced in a different order when an actor arrived late.” What does flexible mean here?
Practice meaning: able to express herself readily
Fluent describes ease and competence in using a language. Telling a complicated story without searching for each word supports that sense. Avoiding conversation, knowing only a few phrases, and speaking loudly concern different abilities or behaviors.
Practice prompt: “After years of conversation with her cousins, Lea was fluent in their language and could tell a complicated story without searching for each word.” What does fluent mean here?
Practice meaning: bend one part over another
Fold means bend something so that one part lies over another. Cutting separates, stretching lengthens, and attaching joins previously separate things.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to FOLD?
Practice meaning: travel behind
Follow here means go after or behind something. The cyclists move down the lane behind the van. Racing ahead reverses their position, waiting far away does not describe their movement, and pushing aside means moving an obstruction.
Practice prompt: “From the balcony, Mira watched a line of cyclists follow the repair van down the lane.” What does follow mean here?
Practice meaning: immediately
Forthwith means without delay. Immediately preserves that timing requirement. Eventually allows a later time, secretly concerns concealment, and regularly concerns a repeated schedule rather than an immediate action.
Practice prompt: “The rehearsal note directed the ensemble to resume forthwith while the delivery crew waited in the passage.” What does forthwith mean here?
Practice meaning: easily damaged
Fragile describes something delicate and easily broken or damaged. Protecting the thin points from pressure fits that meaning; the sentence does not make fragility a matter of paint, folding or great weight.
Practice prompt: “The fragile paper ornament traveled in its own box so that nothing could press against its thin points.” What does fragile mean here?
Practice meaning: without restriction
Freely can mean without restraint or hindrance. Under pressure suggests compulsion, at intervals describes timing, and in secret describes concealment; none expresses freedom from restriction.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to FREELY?
Practice meaning: Repeated often
Frequent describes events that occur often. The narrator repeatedly has to stop. Duration, planning, and loudness are different features; an interruption may have any of those qualities without being frequent.
Practice prompt: “Frequent interruptions made it difficult for the narrator to finish even one page without stopping.” What does frequent mean here?
Practice meaning: Thrifty
Frugal means careful about spending money or using resources, like thrifty. Wealthy describes how much a person has, not how economically the person uses it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to FRUGAL?
Practice meaning: Overly talkative
Garrulous means excessively or tediously talkative, so overly talkative is the closest phrase. Being easily startled concerns surprise, habitual lateness concerns timing, and close observation concerns attention. None means talking too much.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to GARRULOUS?
Practice meaning: collect
To gather is to bring things together or collect them. Dispersing sends them apart, replacing substitutes something else, and weighing measures weight. None of those actions means bringing things together.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to GATHER?
Practice meaning: Mild
Gentle here describes a mild breeze with little force. The ribbon moves only slightly. Steady concerns consistency over time, cold concerns temperature, and damp concerns moisture; a breeze can have those qualities without being gentle.
Practice prompt: “A gentle breeze barely stirred the ribbon hanging from the porch.” What does gentle mean here?
Practice meaning: Authentic
Genuine here means authentic: the print really is what it is claimed to be. Value, completeness, and rarity are separate qualities. A reproduction could possess any of them without being genuine.
Practice prompt: “The specialist confirmed that the signed print was genuine rather than a modern reproduction.” What does genuine mean here?
Practice meaning: Incremental
Gradual means occurring by small steps or degrees. Incremental expresses that progression. Permanent concerns duration, unexpected concerns anticipation, and repeated means happening again; a change may have any of those qualities without being gradual.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to GRADUAL?
Practice meaning: stern
Grim can mean stern or forbidding. Playfulness suggests lightheartedness, delicacy suggests fineness or fragility, and hesitation suggests uncertainty; none expresses the same severe manner.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to GRIM?
Practice meaning: Protect
As a verb, guard means protect or keep watch over something. Approach means move nearer, replace means put something else in its place, and inspect means examine closely. Examination can be part of guarding, but it does not itself mean protection.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to GUARD?
Practice meaning: Severe
Harsh here describes criticism that is severe or strongly negative. The condemnation and demand to begin again support that sense. Brief concerns length, amusing concerns humor, and uncertain concerns confidence; none expresses severity.
Practice prompt: “The director’s harsh criticism described the scene as careless and demanded that it be prepared again from the beginning.” What does harsh mean here?
Practice meaning: from this time onward
Henceforth means beginning now and continuing into the future. It does not specify a long delay, occasional recurrence, or an unexpectedly early event.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to HENCEFORTH?
Practice meaning: Empty inside
Hollow here means having an open space inside. That space allows the wire to pass through the bead. A smooth exterior, bright color, or recent polishing concerns another feature and does not provide the interior space described.
Practice prompt: “The jeweler threaded a thin wire through the hollow bead.” What does hollow mean here?
Practice meaning: truthful
Honest means truthful and free from deception. Fashion, mood and wealth do not determine whether someone is honest.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to HONEST?
Practice meaning: Unfriendly
Hostile means showing opposition or unfriendliness. Unfamiliar means not known or recognized; an unfamiliar person is not necessarily hostile.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to HOSTILE?
Practice meaning: remain suspended in place
Hover here means remain suspended over or beside a place. Dropping changes height toward the ground, rolling requires surface travel, and accelerating away changes location; none expresses holding the airborne position.
Practice prompt: “The operator made the camera drone hover beside the roof while she checked the framing of the shot.” What does hover mean here?
Practice meaning: Modest
Humble here means modest rather than proud or self-important. Crediting the assistants fits that attitude. Lack of skill, wealth, and impatience describe different traits, and praise for discoveries does not make any of them the meaning of humble.
Practice prompt: “Although widely praised for his discoveries, the researcher remained humble and readily credited the work of his assistants.” What does humble mean here?
Practice meaning: Needing food
Hungry describes feeling a need or appetite for food. Feeling cold concerns temperature, lacking sleep concerns rest, and inability to move concerns movement. These conditions do not mean hunger.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to HUNGRY?
Practice meaning: move quickly
To hurry is to move or act quickly. The boarding announcement gives Lena a reason to increase her pace. Waiting, reversing direction and looking carefully describe different actions rather than haste.
Practice prompt: “Lena had to hurry across the concourse when she heard the final boarding announcement.” What does hurry mean here?
Practice meaning: Explain by example
Illustrate here means make a point clear by giving an example. The visitor’s experience demonstrates the problem with unclear instructions. Disputing challenges a claim, repeating restates it, and hiding conceals it; none describes the use of this example.
Practice prompt: “To illustrate her point about unclear instructions, the speaker described a visitor who followed a sign to the wrong doorway.” What does illustrate mean here?
Practice meaning: enormous
Immense describes very great size. The contrast between the hangar and the glider supports enormous. Ancient concerns age, unoccupied concerns whether anything is present, and temporary concerns duration.
Practice prompt: “Inside the immense hangar, the small glider occupied only one corner.” What does immense mean here?
Practice meaning: put entirely beneath the liquid
Immerse here means put into liquid so that it is covered. Pressing the remaining corner under completes that action. Holding above, withdrawing, and drying do not put the whole cloth beneath the water.
Practice prompt: “To immerse the small cloth in the basin, Nia pressed its floating corner below the water.” What does immerse mean here?
Practice meaning: Unbiased
Impartial means treating sides fairly without favoritism, so unbiased is correct. Uncertain means unsure; a fair decision maker can be confident as well as impartial.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to IMPARTIAL?
Practice meaning: Hindered
Impeded means slowed or obstructed progress, which matches hindered. Directed would mean guiding where the cart goes, while the sentence emphasizes difficulty moving through a narrow space.
Practice prompt: “The narrow aisle impeded the movement of the delivery cart.” What does impeded mean here?
Practice meaning: momentum
Impetus here refers to the cart’s continuing motion, or momentum. Capacity concerns what something can contain, alignment concerns positioning, and balance concerns equilibrium; none names the moving cart’s carried motion. This is the physical sense rather than a motive for a person’s decision.
Practice prompt: “After leaving the launcher, the small cart continued across the level track under its own impetus before gradually slowing.” What does impetus mean here?
Practice meaning: suggest indirectly
Imply means convey or suggest something without directly stating it. Exact repetition states wording, repeated asking seeks a response, and complete denial rejects a claim.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to IMPLY?
Practice meaning: Force upon
Impose here means force something upon others or require them to accept it. The leader does not allow members to choose the time. Learning obtains information, requesting asks, and keeping something from others withholds it; those actions do not express imposing a choice.
Practice prompt: “The club leader tried to impose his preferred meeting time on the group without allowing the members to choose.” What does impose mean here?
Practice meaning: a reason to act
An incentive encourages or motivates action, making a reason to act the closest choice. A record recounts events, a limit restricts access, and a sign of ownership identifies possession; those descriptions do not define an incentive.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to INCENTIVE?
Practice meaning: slant
Inclination can mean a slope or departure from the vertical or horizontal, making slant the closest option. Weight concerns heaviness, distance concerns separation, and texture concerns the character of a surface.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to INCLINATION?
Practice meaning: Out of place
Incongruous means not fitting or agreeing with its surroundings, situation, or other elements. Out of place expresses that lack of fit. Beyond repair concerns damage, within reach concerns accessibility, and free of charge concerns cost.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to INCONGRUOUS?
Practice meaning: include as a part
To incorporate something is to include or combine it as part of a larger whole. Separating or removing it runs contrary to that meaning, while describing something does not itself make it part of a whole.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to INCORPORATE?
Practice meaning: cause
Induce can mean bring about or cause. Concealing hides something, observing notices it, and preventing stops it from occurring. Those actions do not mean producing the effect.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to INDUCE?
Practice meaning: examine
To inspect is to look over or examine closely. Concealing hides an object, replacing substitutes another, and delivering brings it somewhere. Those actions do not describe examining its condition.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to INSPECT?
Practice meaning: Not enough
Insufficient means inadequate in amount or degree. The proposal needed more money than was available. Funds can be reliably recorded and still be too small to cover a project.
Practice prompt: “The committee rejected the proposal because the available funds were insufficient.” What does insufficient mean here?
Practice meaning: break the continuity of
Interrupt means cause a break in an ongoing activity. The knock would disturb the continuous recording. Accuracy, ownership, and preservation of order concern different aspects of an activity.
Practice prompt: “A knock at the studio door would interrupt the recording, so the group posted a request for quiet outside.” What does interrupt mean here?
Practice meaning: gap between events
An interval can be the time separating two events. It can also describe a space between things. A decision record, a weight measurement and a ranking do not express this intervening space or time.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to INTERVAL?
Practice meaning: Difficult to resolve
Intractable describes something not easily managed, controlled, or dealt with. The conflict persists despite several attempts to address it. Being overlooked or likely to recur is a different property, and already settled contradicts the continuing conflict.
Practice prompt: “Even after the team tried several approaches, the scheduling conflict remained intractable.” What does intractable mean here?
Practice meaning: Always
Invariably means on every occasion, so always is the closest choice. The ceremony follows the same pattern regardless of location. Eventually concerns when something finally happens; quietly and unexpectedly concern manner and surprise rather than consistency.
Practice prompt: “No matter which town hosted the festival, the closing ceremony invariably ended with the same short song.” What does invariably mean here?
Practice meaning: uneven
Irregular here means lacking a consistent rhythm or pattern. The changing pauses make uneven the closest choice. Muted concerns loudness, distant concerns location, and continuous would mean unbroken rather than separated by changing pauses.
Practice prompt: “Water fell from the gutter in an irregular rhythm: two quick drops, a long pause, then a single drop.” What does irregular mean here?
Practice meaning: connect
Join means connect or bring together. The chain links the rings. Decorating changes appearance, weighing determines weight, and separating moves things apart, so none describes the requested connection.
Practice prompt: “Use the short chain to join the two rings before fastening the clasp.” What does join mean here?
Practice meaning: together
Jointly means together or through shared participation. Separately means apart, roughly concerns manner or approximation, and eventually concerns a later outcome rather than cooperation.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to JOINTLY?
Practice meaning: personal written record
Journal here means a personal record of experiences, like a diary. The evening entries about encounters and events establish that use. A notice board, price list, or recipe collection has a different purpose.
Practice prompt: “Each evening, Nola opened her journal and wrote about the people she had met and the events she wanted to remember.” What does journal mean here?
Practice meaning: Sensible
Judicious describes sound judgment, so sensible is the closest meaning. Official concerns authorization or a position of authority. Decisive concerns settling something firmly, and severe concerns harshness. A firm or official decision is not necessarily a sensible one.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to JUDICIOUS?
Practice meaning: sharp
Keen describes an edge that is sharp enough for cutting. A rounded edge lacks that quality, while looseness and staining describe attachment or appearance rather than sharpness. The context selects the physical edge sense, not eagerness.
Practice prompt: “The woodcarver checked the keen edge of the small tool before making the first fine cut.” What does keen mean here?
Practice meaning: Lasting contribution
Legacy here refers to something passed on from an earlier person or time. The patterns continue through the apprentices, so they are a lasting contribution. An unfinished assignment, temporary appointment, or private preference does not express that continuing inheritance.
Practice prompt: “The master weaver’s legacy included patterns that her former apprentices continued to teach long after her death.” What does legacy mean here?
Practice meaning: similarly
Likewise means in a similar manner or also. Secretly concerns concealment, reluctantly concerns unwillingness, and previously concerns an earlier time; none expresses the same manner or added parallel case.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to LIKEWISE?
Practice meaning: find
To locate something can mean to find where it is. Concealing hides it, combining brings things together, and transporting moves them between places. These actions do not mean determining something’s location.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to LOCATE?
Practice meaning: Faithful
Loyal means faithful in support or allegiance to a person, group, cause, or other commitment. Skill concerns ability, cheerfulness concerns mood, and power concerns capacity or influence. None of those qualities necessarily includes loyalty.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to LOYAL?
Practice meaning: Generous
Magnanimous describes a generous spirit, especially one that rises above resentment or a desire for petty revenge. Spiteful means wishing to hurt or annoy, conceited means excessively proud, and timid means lacking confidence or courage. Generous is the closest meaning.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to MAGNANIMOUS?
Practice meaning: size or extent
Magnitude here concerns the scale or extent of the collection. Seeing every room reveals how much there is to catalog. The word does not by itself identify the collection’s origin, arrangement, or price.
Practice prompt: “Only after opening every storage room did Neri understand the magnitude of the collection she had agreed to catalog.” What does magnitude mean here?
Practice meaning: Keep in good condition
Maintain here means keep something in proper condition. Replacing damaged boards and tightening fastenings are upkeep. Relocating, describing, or reserving the bridge would not express that upkeep.
Practice prompt: “The crew will maintain the wooden footbridge by replacing damaged boards and tightening loose fastenings.” What does maintain mean here?
Practice meaning: Blank border
The margin is the blank space bordering the drawing. The illustrator leaves this area so the frame does not hide the artwork. A central mark would be inside the image, a rough draft would be an earlier version, and extra payment concerns money rather than the drawing’s layout.
Practice prompt: “The illustrator left a wide margin around the drawing so the frame would not cover any of the ink.” What does margin mean here?
Practice meaning: fully grown
Mature here means having reached a developed or grown state. The contrast with young saplings supports fully grown. Moving, damage, and surrounding objects do not define the tree’s stage of development.
Practice prompt: “The mature oak was far taller and broader than the young saplings planted beside it.” What does mature mean here?
Practice meaning: Thorough
Meticulous means very careful and attentive to detail, so thorough is closest. Innovative means introducing new ideas; detailed care does not necessarily involve inventing anything new.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to METICULOUS?
Practice meaning: Very small
When minute describes a crack, it means extremely small. The noun minute names a unit of time, but that sense does not fit an adjective describing the crack’s size.
Practice prompt: “The final inspection revealed a minute crack near the corner.” What does minute mean here?
Practice meaning: Lessen
Mitigate means reduce the severity or intensity of something. The curtains lessen the glare. Ignore describes a person paying no attention and does not describe a change in the glare itself.
Practice prompt: “The thick curtains helped mitigate the afternoon glare.” What does mitigate mean here?
Practice meaning: Unboastful
Modest here describes an account that does not boast about the speaker’s achievements. Emphasizing others’ help supports that sense. The sentence does not establish uncertainty, deception, or missing necessary information, and those meanings do not express modesty.
Practice prompt: “The champion’s modest account of the race emphasized helpful advice from teammates rather than her own accomplishments.” What does modest mean here?
Practice meaning: reason for acting
A motive is a reason or desire that prompts an action. An accidental result, payment record or measurement method is not itself the reason that drives someone to act.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to MOTIVE?
Practice meaning: Not wide
Narrow describes limited width. The person must turn sideways to fit between the crates. Depth, levelness, and visibility do not describe the width of the gap.
Practice prompt: “The narrow gap between the crates was just wide enough for one person to pass sideways.” What does narrow mean here?
Practice meaning: Orderly
Neat describes the orderly arrangement of the pencils and papers. Expensive concerns cost, colorful concerns appearance, and fragile concerns how easily something breaks; none expresses the arrangement described.
Practice prompt: “Every pencil was in its holder, and the papers formed one neat stack beside the lamp.” What does neat mean here?
Practice meaning: seek agreement through discussion
Negotiate can mean discuss terms in an effort to reach agreement. Recording or announcing a decision does not seek agreement, and unquestioning obedience does not involve discussing terms.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to NEGOTIATE?
Practice meaning: despite that
Nevertheless introduces a contrast that holds despite the preceding fact. The sentence contrasts high prices with a full audience. It does not claim that price caused the sales, place them earlier in time or introduce a similar action.
Practice prompt: “The tickets were expensive; nevertheless, every seat for the final performance was sold.” What does nevertheless mean here?
Practice meaning: loud
Noisy means producing much sound. The rattling and interrupted conversation identify sound, not the cart’s weight, color or speed.
Practice prompt: “The noisy cart rattled so loudly over the paving stones that conversation stopped until it passed.” What does noisy mean here?
Practice meaning: Inform
Notify means make someone aware of something, or inform them. Persuade means change someone’s belief or decision, which goes beyond delivering information.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to NOTIFY?
Practice meaning: Original
Novel is an adjective here meaning new or original. The proposed folding method is unfamiliar to the workshop. Familiar points in the opposite direction, costly concerns expense, and temporary concerns duration. The noun meaning a long fictional book does not fit this sentence.
Practice prompt: “The designer proposed a novel way to fold the package that the workshop had never tried before.” What does novel mean here?
Practice meaning: a subtle distinction
A nuance is a small or delicate difference, such as a shade of meaning. A complete reversal is a large change, a firm agreement is a shared decision, and a clear instruction tells someone what to do.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to NUANCE?
Practice meaning: Unclear
Obscure can describe something difficult to understand or not clearly known, making unclear the closest choice. Obvious has the opposite meaning: easy to see or understand.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to OBSCURE?
Practice meaning: no longer used
Obsolete here means no longer used because it has been superseded. The old punch is displayed beside the device that replaced it. The word does not mean newly redesigned, costly or lost temporarily.
Practice prompt: “The depot kept the obsolete ticket punch in a display case beside its replacement.” What does obsolete mean here?
Practice meaning: Hindrance
An obstacle is something that blocks or hinders progress. The branch prevents the cart from passing. A shortcut is a shorter route, a destination is an intended endpoint, and a boundary is a dividing limit; none means the obstruction described.
Practice prompt: “The fallen branch was an obstacle in the narrow passage, so we moved it before bringing the cart through.” What does obstacle mean here?
Practice meaning: Get
Obtain means get or acquire. Visitors must acquire the ticket before joining the tour. Returning gives it back, examining inspects it, and announcing makes something known; none means obtaining it.
Practice prompt: “Visitors must obtain a numbered ticket at the desk before joining the tour.” What does obtain mean here?
Practice meaning: make unnecessary
Obviate means make an action unnecessary. Reusable labels remove the need for the described fresh printing; merely delaying it or making it cheaper would still leave that action to be done. Urgency concerns how soon an action should occur rather than whether it is needed.
Practice prompt: “The reusable display labels would obviate printing a fresh set of cards whenever the cases were rearranged.” What does obviate mean here?
Practice meaning: smell
An odor is a smell, whether pleasant or unpleasant. A stain is a discoloration, a flavoring is something added for taste, and a residue is material left behind. Those things may have odors, but they are not themselves the meaning of odor.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ODOR?
Practice meaning: present for acceptance
To offer is to present something for another to accept or decline. Taking without permission, withholding access and forgetting do not express presenting an opportunity or item for acceptance.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to OFFER?
Practice meaning: blocking the passage of light
Opaque describes something light does not pass through. Producing light, bending, and thermal expansion are different properties and do not define opacity.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to OPAQUE?
Practice meaning: Usual
Ordinary describes what is usual or normal. Secret means concealed, fragile means easily damaged, and necessary means required. Those qualities do not indicate how ordinary something is.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ORDINARY?
Practice meaning: beginning
An origin is a beginning or starting point. A destination is an intended endpoint, continuation carries something onward, and repetition does it again.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ORIGIN?
Practice meaning: according to its outwardly stated purpose
Ostensibly means apparently or as presented outwardly, with room for a different underlying purpose. The farewell description contrasts with the guests’ design plans. The word does not mean unplanned, fixed in time, or unanimously welcomed.
Practice prompt: “The gathering was ostensibly a farewell dinner, though several guests had brought drawings and expected to spend the evening choosing a new stage design.” What does ostensibly mean here?
Practice meaning: In a different way
Otherwise here means in a different way. Cables would provide a different method of support from the planned columns. The other choices express a reason, simultaneous timing, or promptness rather than an alternative method.
Practice prompt: “The designer asked whether the arch could be otherwise supported, using cables instead of the two planned columns.” What does otherwise mean here?
Practice meaning: An apparently contradictory statement
A paradox can be a statement that seems contradictory or contrary to common sense yet may be true. Exaggeration enlarges a claim, repetition presents it again, and a concealed identity hides who someone is. Those features do not themselves create a paradox.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PARADOX?
Practice meaning: Partially
Partly means to some degree rather than completely. Fog is one cause, with a late delivery contributing as well. Entirely would make fog the whole cause, accidentally concerns intention, and previously concerns time.
Practice prompt: “The delay was partly caused by fog; a late delivery also contributed.” What does partly mean here?
Practice meaning: willing to wait without complaint
Patient here describes calm endurance of a delay. The customer waits while the search continues. Anger, hearing ability, and a conclusion about the receipt’s destruction do not express that quality.
Practice prompt: “The patient customer waited calmly while the clerk searched a second drawer for the missing receipt.” What does patient mean here?
Practice meaning: recurring design
Pattern here means an arrangement or design whose elements recur. The square and circles form that design. Thickness is a physical dimension, a stain is an unintended mark, and an unfinished edge describes incomplete work rather than the repeated arrangement.
Practice prompt: “A blue square followed by two white circles formed the pattern repeated along the border of the cloth.” What does pattern mean here?
Practice meaning: repeatedly
Perennially means repeatedly or continually over time. Briefly describes short duration, accidentally describes lack of intention, and privately describes limited exposure; none expresses recurrent or enduring occurrence.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PERENNIALLY?
Practice meaning: Done with little attention
Perfunctory describes an action performed superficially or with little interest. Ivo is already leaving and offers only a glance. The sentence does not suggest open hostility, careful analysis, or genuine curiosity about the proposal.
Practice prompt: “While already turning toward the door, Ivo gave the long proposal a perfunctory glance and murmured his approval.” What does perfunctory mean here?
Practice meaning: written authorization
As a noun, a permit is a document granting permission. An estimate predicts an amount, a complaint states dissatisfaction, and a receipt records a transaction rather than necessarily granting authorization.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PERMIT?
Practice meaning: Tenacious
Persistent describes continuing firmly rather than giving up, so tenacious is the closest meaning. Hesitant suggests uncertainty about proceeding, momentary means lasting only briefly, and distracted means having attention drawn elsewhere.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PERSISTENT?
Practice meaning: small pouch in clothing
Pocket here means a small pouch in a garment for holding things. The note is placed inside it. A fastening closes something, an edge band decorates or finishes it, and a shoulder covering is not a storage pouch.
Practice prompt: “Ravi slipped the folded note into the pocket sewn inside his jacket.” What does pocket mean here?
Practice meaning: Courteous
Polite means showing courtesy or consideration in social behavior. The visitor declines with thanks. Hesitant suggests uncertainty, lengthy concerns duration, and secretive suggests withholding information; none means courteous.
Practice prompt: “The visitor gave a polite reply, thanking the host even while declining the invitation.” What does polite mean here?
Practice meaning: permeable
Porous means having small openings that allow passage through, so permeable is closest. Brittleness concerns breaking, flexibility concerns bending, and adhesiveness concerns sticking.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to POROUS?
Practice meaning: Section
A portion is a part or share of a whole, making section the closest choice. A container holds something, a mixture combines things, and a total includes the whole amount rather than only a portion.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PORTION?
Practice meaning: cause liquid to flow out
To pour is to cause something such as liquid to flow in a stream, often from a container. Freezing changes its state, mixing stirs it, and sealing keeps it inside; none describes the flow of pouring.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to POUR?
Practice meaning: earlier example used as a guide
A precedent is an earlier occurrence or action that can guide a later similar case. A prediction looks forward, a chairperson is an individual, and a penalty is a consequence; none names that earlier guiding example.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PRECEDENT?
Practice meaning: Exact
Precise here means exact or clearly specified. The address identifies a particular entrance and apartment rather than leaving their location uncertain. Familiar concerns recognition, recent concerns time, and unusual concerns how common something is; none expresses exactness.
Practice prompt: “The address on the parcel was precise, identifying the entrance and apartment as well as the building.” What does precise mean here?
Practice meaning: Difficult situation
A predicament is a difficult or troublesome situation. Amir must return a camera that is inaccessible in the closed studio. The word does not name an agreement, a plan for solving the problem, or a promising opportunity.
Practice prompt: “With the borrowed camera locked in a closed studio and its owner waiting outside, Amir faced a predicament.” What does predicament mean here?
Practice meaning: Protect
Preserve means keep safe from harm, loss, or destruction. Display means show, exchange means trade, and examine means inspect. Any of those actions may occur without preserving the thing involved.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PRESERVE?
Practice meaning: Widely held
A prevailing belief is the one commonly accepted or dominant at the time. Widespread acceptance does not show that a belief has been carefully tested, so that tempting option adds a different idea.
Practice prompt: “The editorial challenged the prevailing belief that larger buses would solve every delay.” What does prevailing mean here?
Practice meaning: matter needing early attention
A priority is something given attention ahead of competing concerns. The change in the opening schedule makes replacement a leading concern. The word does not mean a finished task, a worthless decoration or an excuse for being absent.
Practice prompt: “Replacing the torn backdrop became a priority when the director moved opening night forward.” What does priority mean here?
Practice meaning: forbid
Prohibit means forbid or bar an action. Recording documents something, requesting asks for it, and permitting allows it. None expresses prohibition.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PROHIBIT?
Practice meaning: conspicuous
Prominent can mean readily noticeable or standing out, so conspicuous is the closest synonym. Secluded means apart or sheltered, subtle suggests something less obvious, and ordinary means usual or unremarkable.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PROMINENT?
Practice meaning: possibility
Prospect here means the possibility of something in the future. The second voyage is something Mira looks forward to, not a cost, a memory of a completed event or something blocking her way.
Practice prompt: “The prospect of a second voyage kept Mira studying the charts long after the first journey ended.” What does prospect mean here?
Practice meaning: Sensible
Prudent means exercising good judgment and care about consequences. Sensible is the best match. Fearful emphasizes anxiety, which is different from a reasoned, careful decision.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to PRUDENT?
Practice meaning: on time
Punctual means occurring or arriving at the appointed time. Doubt concerns uncertainty, distance concerns location, and disorder concerns arrangement or functioning; none means timely arrival.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PUNCTUAL?
Practice meaning: intended aim
A purpose is an intended aim or the end an action is meant to serve. An accidental result is not necessarily intended, a location says where something is, and an owner identifies who possesses it. None supplies the intended aim.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PURPOSE?
Practice meaning: move by pressing
Push means exert pressure to move something away or onward. Pulling draws it toward the source of force, hanging suspends it, and fastening holds it in place.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to PUSH?
Practice meaning: charmingly old-fashioned
Quaint here describes an appealing quality associated with an older style. The signs and drawers delight visitors through their contrast with modern displays. The word does not mean careless, concerned only with usefulness, or newly created.
Practice prompt: “The shop’s quaint hand-lettered signs and little drawers delighted visitors accustomed to bright digital displays.” What does quaint mean here?
Practice meaning: Quick
Rapid means quick or fast. The sentence describes the speed of the footsteps, not whether their rhythm is uneven, their sound is absent, or their impact is heavy.
Practice prompt: “The messenger’s rapid footsteps faded down the hall before we could call her back.” What does rapid mean here?
Practice meaning: seldom
Rarely means not often, or seldom. Often and always indicate greater frequency, while promptly describes how soon an action occurs.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RARELY?
Practice meaning: Careless about consequences
Reckless means lacking proper caution about consequences. Sending the cart down without checking the path disregards a potential risk. Planning, difficulty of arranging an action, and reversibility describe different qualities.
Practice prompt: “It was reckless to roll the loaded cart down the slope without checking whether the path below was clear.” What does reckless mean here?
Practice meaning: Find a way for the accounts to agree
In this sentence, reconcile means make apparently conflicting information consistent. The biographer must explain how the claim and the photograph could fit together. Selecting entertainment, deleting both records, or merely repeating them does not resolve their apparent disagreement.
Practice prompt: “The biographer tried to reconcile the traveler’s claim of arriving alone with a dated photograph showing three companions beside her.” What does reconcile mean here?
Practice meaning: Obscure
Recondite describes something little known or difficult to understand, so obscure is the closest choice. Commonplace means ordinary, concise means brief, and recent concerns time. Neither brevity nor newness makes something recondite.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RECONDITE?
Practice meaning: regain
Recover can mean get back or regain. Misplacing loses track of something, inspecting examines it, and exchanging trades one thing for another; none by itself means getting something back.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RECOVER?
Practice meaning: Correct
To rectify an error is to put it right or correct it. Describing the error might help explain the problem, but does not mean fixing it.
Practice prompt: “Before installing new shelves, the team had to rectify an error in the measurements.” What does rectify mean here?
Practice meaning: decline
As a verb, refuse means decline or reject something offered or requested. Request means ask for, deliver means bring or hand over, and permit means allow. The alternatives are verbs, so the noun meaning of refuse as waste is not being tested.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to REFUSE?
Practice meaning: Surrender
Relinquish means give up possession, control, or a claim, making surrender the closest synonym. Retrieve means get something back, which points in the opposite direction.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RELINQUISH?
Practice meaning: Unwilling
Reluctant describes hesitation or unwillingness to act. The wet paint gives the caretaker a reason not to want to move the bench; it does not show that moving it is physically impossible, as unable suggests.
Practice prompt: “Because the paint was still wet, the caretaker was reluctant to move the bench.” What does reluctant mean here?
Practice meaning: solution
A remedy corrects or counteracts a problem. The pad solves the wobble, so solution fits. A warning signals a possible problem, a measurement states a quantity, and an imitation copies something without necessarily fixing it.
Practice prompt: “A thin pad beneath the short leg proved an effective remedy for the table’s wobble.” What does remedy mean here?
Practice meaning: Distant
Remote can describe something far away, so distant is the closest choice. Familiar means well known, crowded means filled with people or things, and temporary means lasting for a limited time.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to REMOTE?
Practice meaning: Mend
Repair means restore something damaged or broken to a sound condition, so mend is the closest choice. Inspecting examines it, discarding throws it away, and exchanging trades it for something else. Those actions do not themselves repair the original item.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to REPAIR?
Practice meaning: temporary relief
Reprieve here means a temporary release from a burden. The schedule provides a pause before work resumes. A complaint expresses dissatisfaction, dismissal ends a role, and recognition acknowledges someone publicly.
Practice prompt: “A cancellation in the schedule gave the weary stage manager a brief reprieve before the next rehearsal began.” What does reprieve mean here?
Practice meaning: disavow
Repudiate here means reject an asserted association or refuse to accept something as authorized. Len disavows the manifesto after the unauthorized use of his name. Circulating spreads it, summarizing shortens its contents, and translating changes its language; none necessarily rejects it.
Practice prompt: “After discovering that his name had been added without permission, Len wrote to repudiate the manifesto.” What does repudiate mean here?
Practice meaning: Save from danger
Rescue means save from danger or distress. The stranded dog and rising water provide that setting. Training, following, and hiding do not express bringing someone or something out of danger.
Practice prompt: “The volunteer climbed down the bank to rescue the dog stranded on a ledge above the rising water.” What does rescue mean here?
Practice meaning: Quick to recover
Resilient describes the ability to recover after stress or difficulty. Something merely slow to respond might resist an initial change, but that does not establish that it recovers well afterward.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to RESILIENT?
Practice meaning: Settle
Resolve here means settle or successfully deal with a disagreement. Describing it explains its features, prolonging it makes it last longer, and concealing it hides it. Those actions do not necessarily bring it to a settlement.
Practice prompt: “The two neighbors met to resolve their disagreement about where the shared gate should stand.” What does resolve mean here?
Practice meaning: Return to an earlier condition
Restore here means bring something back to a previous condition. The photograph guides the return to the sign’s former appearance. Writing a description, changing its location, or substituting a new design would not express that action.
Practice prompt: “The conservator used an early photograph to restore the faded sign to its former appearance.” What does restore mean here?
Practice meaning: self-control
Restraint here is control over the expression of emotion. Omar feels anger but limits his response. Confusion is uncertainty, enthusiasm is eagerness, and indifference is a lack of concern rather than a controlled expression of an existing feeling.
Practice prompt: “Though angry at the interruption, Omar showed restraint and answered the complaint without raising his voice.” What does restraint mean here?
Practice meaning: reserved
Reticent commonly describes someone reserved or unwilling to speak freely. Resentful concerns bitterness, repetitive concerns saying or doing things again, and receptive concerns readiness to accept ideas. Those are different from restraint in speaking.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RETICENT?
Practice meaning: prize
A reward is something given in recognition of an action or achievement, making prize the closest choice. An obstacle impedes action, a request asks for it, and a delay postpones it.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to REWARD?
Practice meaning: Inflexible
Rigid means stiff or inflexible. Hollow describes an empty interior, fragile describes something easily broken, and uneven describes an irregular surface or distribution. An object can be rigid without having any of those other properties.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to RIGID?
Practice meaning: turn around an axis
Rotate here means turn about an axis or center. The central support and changing sides establish that motion. Straight movement is translation, increasing size is enlargement, and dividing creates separate parts.
Practice prompt: “Mara could rotate the display stand on its central support to show the vase from each side.” What does rotate mean here?
Practice meaning: uneven
Rough can describe a surface that is uneven or coarse. Polished suggests a smooth finish, transparent concerns seeing through something, and flexible concerns bending; none is the closest synonym here.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to ROUGH?
Practice meaning: Secure
Safe means secure or protected from danger. Crowded concerns the number of people or things present, secret means concealed from knowledge, and distant means far away. None of those properties by itself means safe.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SAFE?
Practice meaning: tasting of salt
Salty can mean having the taste of salt. Sugar gives sweetness, trapped air concerns internal structure, and softness concerns texture rather than salt flavor.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to SALTY?
Practice meaning: Confidently hopeful
Sanguine here means confidently hopeful or optimistic. Veda expects that further discussion may succeed despite the initial rejection. Resentment, indifference, and growing doubt do not express that positive expectation.
Practice prompt: “Although the first proposal was rejected, Veda remained sanguine about reaching an agreement after further discussion.” What does sanguine mean here?
Practice meaning: not plentiful
Scarce means limited in supply or not plentiful. It does not describe fragility, a close relationship or readiness.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to SCARCE?
Practice meaning: Conscientious
Scrupulous means attentive to what is right or proper, or painstakingly careful, making conscientious the closest choice. Ambitious means eager to succeed, indecisive means having difficulty choosing, and inventive means creative. Those traits do not themselves indicate scrupulous care.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SCRUPULOUS?
Practice meaning: Ordered series
Sequence here means an ordered series of movements. The sentence emphasizes which turn follows which step. A pause interrupts movement, a pose is one position, and a rehearsal is a practice session rather than the order of its individual movements.
Practice prompt: “The dancer practiced the sequence until each turn followed the intended step without hesitation.” What does sequence mean here?
Practice meaning: Peaceful
Serene describes calmness or tranquility, making peaceful the closest choice. Dreary means gloomy, remote means distant, and impressive means producing admiration or a strong effect. None of those necessarily involves serenity.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SERENE?
Practice meaning: Not deep
Shallow means having little depth. The thin water layer supports that sense. Width, evenness of the surface, and transparency do not describe how deep the tray is.
Practice prompt: “The shallow tray held only a thin layer of water, leaving most of each stone above the surface.” What does shallow mean here?
Practice meaning: insufficient supply
A shortage is a supply that falls below what is needed. Guests lack enough seats, and the additional bench addresses that lack. Design, excess quantity and the timing of deliveries do not name the condition described.
Practice prompt: “A shortage of chairs left several guests standing until the host brought another bench.” What does shortage mean here?
Practice meaning: Soundless
Silent can mean making no sound, so soundless is the closest choice. Motionless means not moving, lightweight concerns weight, and colorless concerns color. An object can have any of those qualities without being silent.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SILENT?
Practice meaning: at the same time
Simultaneously means at the same time. A quick sequence still puts events one after another, intervals separate occurrences, and an uninterrupted action continues without necessarily coinciding with another event.
Practice prompt: “At the director’s cue, the bell rang and the lantern lit simultaneously, marking a single instant in the scene.” What does simultaneously mean here?
Practice meaning: Heartfelt
Sincere describes an honest feeling rather than pretense, making heartfelt the closest choice. The sentence expressly connects the thanks with real appreciation. Formal concerns convention, brief concerns length, and public concerns who can hear or see it; none guarantees sincerity.
Practice prompt: “His sincere thanks reflected real appreciation for the help, not merely a wish to sound polite.” What does sincere mean here?
Practice meaning: even
Smooth here describes a surface without roughness or irregularities, so even is closest. Stickiness concerns adhesion, warmth concerns temperature, and brittleness concerns how readily something breaks.
Practice prompt: “Lena ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the tile and felt no ridges.” What does smooth mean here?
Practice meaning: serious
Solemn commonly describes a serious attitude, occasion or expression. Playful gives the opposite tone; ordinary concerns how usual something is, and temporary concerns its duration. Neither familiarity nor duration conveys solemnity.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SOLEMN?
Practice meaning: Thinly distributed
Sparse describes relatively few things spread over an area, so thinly distributed is the closest meaning. Densely packed expresses the opposite idea. Neatly arranged concerns order, while highly valued concerns worth.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to SPARSE?
Practice meaning: unchanging
Stable here means remaining steady rather than fluctuating. It describes the schedule after an adjustment. Flexible means able to change, preliminary means not yet final, and crowded means containing many closely packed entries; those do not express continued steadiness.
Practice prompt: “After the initial adjustment, the projected schedule was stable throughout the remaining week.” What does stable mean here?
Practice meaning: Specified as a condition
Stipulated means explicitly required or specified as part of an agreement. The word must confirms a condition. A suggestion would leave the return date optional.
Practice prompt: “The agreement stipulated that all borrowed tools must be returned by Friday.” What does stipulated mean here?
Practice meaning: plan of action
A strategy is a plan or approach for reaching a goal. A report describes results, supplies provide materials, and a distance measurement gives a quantity. Those may support an activity, but none is its plan of action.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to STRATEGY?
Practice meaning: Strong
Sturdy describes something solidly built or physically strong. Delicate suggests that something needs gentle handling. Hollow describes an empty interior, and polished describes a smooth surface; neither establishes strength.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to STURDY?
Practice meaning: not obvious
Subtle here means difficult to perceive or not obvious. Most visitors miss the change, while different lighting helps Mina notice it. The word does not establish how the change happened, how others judged it or when it occurred.
Practice prompt: “The subtle change in the vase’s blue glaze escaped most visitors, but Mina noticed it under the second lamp.” What does subtle mean here?
Practice meaning: keep going
Sustain means keep something going or support its continuation. Breaking apart disrupts it, setting aside puts it out of current use or consideration, and bringing back restores something rather than maintaining it.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to SUSTAIN?
Practice meaning: sugary in taste
Sweet describes the sugary taste of the honey-flavored bite. Texture, temperature, and color name different qualities and do not supply the intended taste meaning.
Practice prompt: “The plain yogurt tasted sharp to Ben, but a spoonful of honey made the next bite sweet.” What does sweet mean here?
Practice meaning: rapid
Swift means quick or fast, making rapid the closest synonym. Steady concerns consistency, noisy concerns sound, and cautious concerns avoiding risk or error; none necessarily indicates speed.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to SWIFT?
Practice meaning: usually disinclined to talk
Taciturn describes someone who is habitually sparing with speech. A long story is therefore surprising from this guide. The adjective does not itself mean easily offended, eager to entertain, or forgetful; those traits would require separate evidence.
Practice prompt: “Taciturn by temperament, the guide surprised his companions with a long story at supper.” What does taciturn mean here?
Practice meaning: Persistence
Tenacity is the quality of continuing firmly despite difficulty or opposition. Persistence expresses that idea. Curiosity is a desire to know, confidence is a sense of assurance, and precision is exactness. None requires continuing when progress is difficult.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to TENACITY?
Practice meaning: usual inclination
Tendency here means a proneness or usual inclination to behave in a certain way. The cart characteristically drifts left; the word does not name a destination, an improvement or an instruction. This behavioral sense differs from the spatial slant sense of inclination.
Practice prompt: “The small cart had a tendency to drift toward the left curb, even when its handle pointed straight ahead.” What does tendency mean here?
Practice meaning: Not yet final
A tentative date is provisional and may change. The inspection still has to occur before the date becomes firm. Nothing in the sentence says the date has already passed or is confidential.
Practice prompt: “The opening date is tentative until the inspection is complete.” What does tentative mean here?
Practice meaning: afterward
Thereafter means after that time or event, so afterward fits. Beforehand reverses the timing, elsewhere refers to another place, and otherwise refers to another way or condition.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to THEREAFTER?
Practice meaning: triggering level
Threshold here is the level at which a condition begins to apply. The reading must pass it to trigger the red warning. An average summarizes readings, an interval measures time, and a location identifies a place; none supplies that trigger point.
Practice prompt: “On this display, the warning turns red only when a reading passes the chosen threshold.” What does threshold mean here?
Practice meaning: Allow
Tolerate here means allow or put up with something without stopping it. The preference for silence shows that allowing conversation does not mean encouraging it. Imitating copies an action, and announcing makes something known; neither means tolerating it.
Practice prompt: “The librarian will tolerate quiet conversation in the work area, although she would prefer complete silence.” What does tolerate mean here?
Practice meaning: Move
Transfer means move or pass from one place, person, or position to another. Measure means determine size or amount, repair means fix, and divide means separate into parts. None of those actions necessarily involves a transfer.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to TRANSFER?
Practice meaning: Temporary
Transient means lasting only a short time, so temporary is correct. Transparent means able to be seen through; the shared beginning of the words does not make their meanings the same.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to TRANSIENT?
Practice meaning: Change between stages
A transition is a passage or change from one state, stage, or subject to another. The scene connects departure with the journey. An unexplained delay, a return to the start, and a description of a person do not express that connecting change.
Practice prompt: “A brief scene showing the empty platform marks the transition from the crowded departure to the quiet journey.” What does transition mean here?
Practice meaning: Insignificant
Trivial means of little importance, which matches insignificant. Temporary describes duration, not importance; a brief problem could still be serious.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to TRIVIAL?
Practice meaning: Eventually
Ultimately means in the end or eventually. The original room is selected after consideration of other venues. Initially refers to the beginning, regularly describes repeated occurrence, and accidentally means without intention; none expresses the final outcome in this sentence.
Practice prompt: “The group considered several new venues but ultimately chose to meet in its original room.” What does ultimately mean here?
Practice meaning: unambiguously
Unequivocally means in a way that leaves the meaning clear. It describes how definite the refusal is, not whether the curator dislikes refusing, acts quickly or communicates in private. Those other adverbs do not express the absence of ambiguity.
Practice prompt: “In her signed reply, the curator unequivocally declined the proposed loan, although the donor had expected support.” What does unequivocally mean here?
Practice meaning: to a higher floor
Upstairs is used as an adverb meaning toward or on a higher floor. The bedroom above the kitchen fixes that direction. Going outside, below, or horizontally from front to back does not express it.
Practice prompt: “Edda carried the folded blankets upstairs and left them in the bedroom above the kitchen.” What does upstairs mean here?
Practice meaning: Unoccupied
Vacant here means unoccupied or available because no guest occupies the room. Whether the door is locked, furniture is present, or lights are on is not what the word identifies in this hotel context.
Practice prompt: “The hotel clerk offered us the vacant room after the previous guests had checked out.” What does vacant mean here?
Practice meaning: indecisive
Vacillating describes wavering between alternatives rather than settling firmly on a choice. Commanding concerns authority, uninformed concerns a lack of knowledge, and evasive concerns avoiding a direct response. Each differs from indecision itself.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to VACILLATING?
Practice meaning: change in form
Variation means a difference or modification in form. The altered ending supplies that difference. The passage does not say the music becomes silent, faster, or incorrectly counted.
Practice prompt: “The second performance introduced a variation in the melody’s ending while keeping its opening unchanged.” What does variation mean here?
Practice meaning: Watchful
Vigilant means alert to possible problems or danger, which matches watchful. Restless means unable to relax or stay still; a restless person is not necessarily observant.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to VIGILANT?
Practice meaning: Almost
Virtually here means almost or nearly. One crate remains, so the warehouse is not completely empty. Briefly concerns duration, and usually concerns how often a condition occurs; neither describes the degree of emptiness.
Practice prompt: “The warehouse was virtually empty, with just one crate remaining in a far corner.” What does virtually mean here?
Practice meaning: tired
Weary means tired or depleted in energy. Eager describes readiness or enthusiasm, rigid describes stiffness, and clumsy describes awkward movement rather than tiredness.
Practice prompt: Which word is closest in meaning to WEARY?
Practice meaning: measure how heavy something is
To weigh something is to measure its heaviness. Determining color, counting parts and measuring length examine other properties rather than weight.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to WEIGH?
Practice meaning: Widely distributed
Widespread describes something found or distributed over a large area or among many people. Being guarded concerns protection, being recently discovered concerns time, and being measured concerns examination. Those phrases do not describe extent of distribution.
Practice prompt: Which phrase is closest in meaning to WIDESPREAD?
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