The GRE includes 9 antonym questions in the Verbal section of the test. Each question will include a word or phrase in capital letters, followed by five lettered words or phrases. You must choose the lettered word or phrase that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to the word in capital letters.
Antonyms are probably the hardest type of question to improve on, as they depend on the inherent strength of your vocabulary. Other than trying to memorize a dictionary (which we do NOT recommend), there aren't many short-term ways to quickly learn hundreds or thousands of new words. A large vocabulary is built over time, usually by voracious reading.
This does not mean that it is hopeless, however. This site includes a list of the 180 most common words featured on the GRE. We define each word and use it in context. We also include a list of helpful prefixes, roots and suffixes. We consider these lists valuable preparation for both the antonym and analogy test questions. Study them each day during the weeks just before taking the GRE and learn as many new words as possible.
We suggest the following plan of attack for antonym questions:
- Define the stem word. If you don't know the precise definition of the word in capital letters, an approximate definition will probably be sufficient. Most words are built or derived from other words with which you may be more familiar:
Examples:
a) tempestuous Related Words temperb) perturbation Related Word: perturbedc) severance Related Word: sever
- Put the word in context. When we speak, we use words in phrases in sentences, rather than in isolation. Yet words that we understand fully in sentences may appear unfamiliar when we view them in isolation. When you see a word on the GRE, put it in context to better understand its meaning.
Examples:a) savant "idiot savant" means geniusb) gratuitous "gratuitous violence" means unnecessaryc) requiem "requiem for a heavyweight" means a rest
- Test the word for positive or negative connotations.
a) Any word that starts with "de-", "dis-" or "anti-" is usually negative. This includes degradation, discrepancy, debase, antipathyb) Words that include the concept of going up are usually positive, while those that include the concept of going down are usually negative.Positive examples: elevate, ascend, adulation, illustriousNegative examples: decline, suborn, derision, consecrate
- Watch out for words that look similar, but have different meanings.
Examples: ambulance/ambulatory, suffer/suffrage, friend/fiend, platitude/gratitude,inspired/insipid, vicious/viscous, noble/ignoble
- Don't overlook rare meanings of words, as they are commonly used on the GRE. The parts of speech in an antonym problem will be consistent throughout the problem. If the given word is a verb, all of the answer choices will also be verbs. This helps you to quickly determine if the word is being used in a secondary sense, as common words have different meanings if they are used as verbs, nouns or adjectives.
Words that are commonly used as both nouns and verbs:curb document table harborrent steep flower boltchampion air bustle
- Define its opposite and predict an answer. Whenever possible, you should have an idea of what you're looking for before you check the answer choices. Consciously predicting an answer will reduce the chances that you'll select a choice that's a synonym of the stem word, rather than an antonym.
- Find the answer choice that best matches your prediction. Check all the choices for the best fit. If necessary, consider alternative definitions for the stem word.
- Use guessing strategies, if necessary.
a) Eliminate answer choices that have no clear opposite.b) If two (or more) choices have the same meaning, eliminate both.c) Use the "sense" of a word to eliminate probable wrong answers: if the stem is positive, the correct answer will be negative, and vice versa.
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