One Word Substitution MCQs with Answers & Explanations (Page 52)

Maudlin means self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness. Mawkish means sentimental in a feeble or sickly way. Nostalgic means feeling a sentimental longing for the past. Melodramatic means characteristic of melodrama, especially in being exaggerated or overemotional.

A tyro is a beginner or novice. All four options refer to beginners, but tyro, neophyte, and novice are very close synonyms. Amateur refers to someone who does something for pleasure rather than for a living.

Polygyny is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or female mate at one time. Polygamy is the general term for having more than one spouse. Bigamy is the crime of marrying while still married to another. Monogamy is having only one spouse.

To borrow is to take and use something belonging to someone else with the intention of returning it. To lend is to grant to someone the use of something on the understanding that it will be returned. To lease is to grant property for a specified time in return for payment. To pawn is to deposit something as security for a loan.

Infamous means well known for some bad quality or deed. Notorious is a very close synonym. Unpopular means not liked by many people. Disreputable means not considered to be respectable in character or appearance.

Convalescence is the time spent recovering from an illness or medical treatment. Recuperation is a synonym. Rehabilitation is the action of restoring someone to health or normal life through training and therapy. Recovery is the general return to a normal state.

A maverick is an independent-minded person who does not conform to the ideas or behavior of a group. A rebel resists authority. An iconoclast attacks cherished beliefs. A nonconformist does not follow established customs.

A cabal is a secret political clique or faction. A conspiracy is a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful. Collusion is secret or illegal cooperation. A faction is a small organized dissenting group within a larger one.

A zealot is a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their ideals. A partisan is a strong supporter. A devotee is a person who is very interested in and enthusiastic about someone or something. An adherent is someone who supports a particular party or set of ideas.

To obliterate is to destroy utterly; to wipe out. To eradicate is to destroy completely; to put an end to. To annihilate is to destroy utterly. To expunge is to erase or remove completely. Obliterate often implies removing all traces.

Garrulous means excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters. Loquacious means tending to talk a great deal. Verbose means using more words than are needed. Voluble means speaking or spoken incessantly and fluently. Garrulous best fits the "trivial matters" aspect.

A Utopia is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. Paradise, Elysium, and Eden are specific names for such places, often with religious connotations, while Utopia is the general term.

A fastidious person is very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail, and is often very difficult to please. The other words describe being careful (meticulous), moral (scrupulous), or attentive to correct behavior (punctilious).

A fable is a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, usually with human characters. An allegory is a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. A tale is a narrative.

A polymath is a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning. Versatile is an adjective meaning able to adapt to many different functions or activities. A genius is a person with exceptional intellectual ability. An expert is a person with comprehensive knowledge in a particular area.

To relinquish is to voluntarily cease to keep or claim; to give up. To renounce is to formally declare one's abandonment of a claim or belief. To abdicate is to renounce a throne. To waive is to refrain from insisting on a right or claim.

Debonair means confident, stylish, and charming (typically used of a man). Suave means charming, confident, and elegant. Urbane means suave, courteous, and refined in manner. Sophisticated means having a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.

A querulous person is one who complains in a petulant or whining manner. Cantankerous means bad-tempered and argumentative. Grumpy means bad-tempered and sulky. Petulant means childishly sulky.

A maniac is a person exhibiting extreme symptoms of wild behavior, especially when violent and dangerous, or showing an obsessive enthusiasm. A zealot or fanatic is a person filled with excessive zeal for a cause. An enthusiast is a person who is highly interested in a particular activity.

A screed is a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious. A harangue is a lengthy and aggressive speech. A diatribe is a forceful and bitter verbal attack. A tirade is a long, angry speech of criticism.