An original name - Antonyms, II

Exploring vocabulary - Muschla Gary R. 2012

An original name
Antonyms, II

An antonym is a word that has the opposite, or nearly opposite, meaning of another word.

1. humorous (adj): funny; amusing; comical

Antonyms: serious; grave; stern

We laughed through much of the humorous movie.

2. courageous (adj): brave; fearless

Antonyms: cowardly; fearful; timid

The courageous knight saved the princess.

3. interesting (adj): being able to hold one’s attention; engaging

Antonyms: boring; dull; uninteresting

I could not stop reading because the book was so interesting.

4. delightful (adj): enjoyable; pleasant; pleasing

Antonyms: unpleasant; distasteful

We had a delightful trip to the city and cannot wait to return.

5. destroy (v): to ruin; to wreck; to tear down

Antonyms: create; make; build

The incoming tide will destroy the sand castle.

6. gather (v): to bring together; to collect

Antonyms: separate; scatter

We had to gather materials for our project.

7. polite (adj): courteous; having good manners

Antonyms: rude; discourteous; fresh

Everyone at the meeting was friendly and polite.

8. agree (v): to consent; to accept

Antonyms: reject; deny; refuse; disagree

Jonathan and Thomas agree on a name for their puppy.

9. loyalty (n): devotion; faithfulness

Antonyms: disloyalty; treachery

The soldiers showed great loyalty to their commander.

10. nonsense (n): foolishness; silliness; something that does not make sense

Antonyms: sense; basics; logic

Uncle Bill believes that stories of beings from other planets are nonsense.

Vocabulary tip

Understanding the antonyms of words expands your vocabulary.

4.1 An original name

The Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan named the Pacific Ocean in 1520. What was the original meaning of the Pacific Ocean’s name?

To answer the question, complete each sentence with the correct word. Choose your answers from the words after each sentence. Write the letter of each answer in the space above its sentence number at the end of the exercise. You will need to divide the letters into words. One letter is provided.

1. The program about volcanoes was _____ and held everyone’s attention.

E. nonsense

I. polite

U. interesting

2. The new student was very _____ and showed good manners all day.

E. polite

S. courageous

M. rude

3. The _____ firefighters saved the woman from the burning building.

T. humorous

C. courageous

R. delightful

4. The tornado will _____ anything in its path.

A. destroy

E. avoid

S. gather

5. The audience applauded the students’ _____ performance at the winter concert.

D. disappointing

T. nonsense

F. delightful

6. Grandfather always told _____ stories that made us laugh.

N. chilling

S. humorous

P. courageous

7. Mrs. Taylor told her students to _____ their belongings before leaving for home.

E. gather

U. separate

I. accept

8. Mr. Green does not believe in dragons and says stories about them are _____.

T. serious

P. nonsense

S. real

9. The students of each group must _____ on a topic for their project.

H. collect

L. agree

M. discuss

10. George Washington’s _____ to the new country was clear to everyone.

A. loyalty

Y. nonsense

O. courageous

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