Synonyms
Find the word closest in meaning to a target word.
What a synonym is
A synonym is a word that means the same, or nearly the same, as another word. "Begin" and "commence" are synonyms. So are "tired" and "weary".
Almost no two words mean exactly the same thing, so these questions are really asking: which option is closest in meaning? One answer will be clearly closer than the rest.
Why they are on the test
Verbal Reasoning is a speed test of word knowledge. There are a lot of questions and not much time, so the skill being measured is quick recognition — not careful deliberation.
How to attack this question type
- 1
Read the target word first and define it in your head *before* looking at the options. Decide the meaning first and the tempting-but-wrong options lose their pull.
- 2
Look for prefixes and suffixes. "In-", "un-" and "dis-" usually flip a meaning; "-ful" and "-less" are opposites.
- 3
Try the word in a sentence, then swap each option in. The one that leaves the meaning unchanged is your answer.
- 4
Beware options merely *related* to the word — a "doctor" is related to "hospital", but they do not mean the same thing.
- 5
If stuck, eliminate the clearly wrong and move on. A minute on one question costs you two easy ones later.
Practice · untimed
Select the word closest in meaning to abundant.
More in Verbal Reasoning
Antonyms
Find the word most nearly opposite in meaning to a target word.
Word analogies
A is to B as C is to ___ — match the relationship, not the topic.
Odd one out
Five words, four sharing a property. Find the one that does not belong.
Letter and word codes
Deduce a letter-substitution rule from an example and apply it.