Synonyms: Other Verbs - ISEE Upper Level: Verbal Reasoning

The crucial thing to realize when approaching this problem is that "ease" can function either as a noun or as a verb. We have both nouns and verbs listed in the possible answer choices, so it's important to consider each of the word's different meanings. As a noun, "ease" means a lack of difficulty; neither "angst" nor "intuition" match that meaning. As a verb, "ease" means lessen the severity of something bad. As "mitigate" means cause to become less severe, it is the best answer choice.

Since "defer" means "to put off an action or event until a later time," we're looking for an adjective that means something like "delay." While "vex" sounds like it could potentially be correct, "vex" actually means "make someone feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, esp. with trivial matters," so it's not a synonym of "defer." "Postpone" is the best answer choice, as it means "cause or arrange for something to take place at a later time than first scheduled."

If someone succumbs, it means they yield or surrender; an example is succumbing in battle.

Something "contrived" is devised or "invented."

"Sustain" is a verb with a variety of meanings, including "strengthen or support physically or mentally," "cause to continue or be prolonged for an extended period or without interruption," "undergo or suffer something unpleasant, especially an injury," or "uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of." Neither "crumble" nor "break" can be the correct answer because each word is an antonym of the second meaning of "sustain," "cause to continue or be prolonged for an extended period or without interruption." "Suffer," however, is synonymous with the third meaning of "sustain," "undergo or suffer something unpleasant, especially an injury." Because "suffer" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "sustain," it is the correct answer.

"Provoke" means to start, and the word closest in meaning to that is incite.

"Usurp" means to take without permission. "Truncate" is incorrect because it means to reduce, "donate" means to give away, and abolish means to get rid of. "Seize" is the only possible answer choice, which means to take.

The word “abate” most directly means to become less intense. For instance, one could say, “Although Robert was quite angry at his friends, with time, this emotion abated, being replaced with a much calmer state of mind.” In its English origins, the word had a legal usage meaning to put a stop to. Since “abate” distantly has a root in the Latin for to beat, the word could be taken (in a broader sense) as indicating the beating back of something intense.

The word “eschew” is a rather strange English word meaning to avoid the use of (something) or to forgo the use of. For instance, it would be used in a sentence like, “Since Harold had allergic reactions to all kinds of strawberries, he chose to eschew them entirely, rather than risk any contact with the potentially deadly fruits.”

The word impair does not have to do with “two” things (as you might think from “pair”). Instead, it is related to the same Latin root that underlies the word “pejorative,” which means “contemptuous” or “disapproving.” A pejorative word is negative and can be hurtful. When someone is impaired, he or she is weakened or made worse. While one could speak of something like “impairing the process of making the product,” the term is most often used with reference to human abilities. For instance, consider the sentence, “The four glasses of wine impaired John’s coordination, so he thought it better to have someone else drive home.”

When one thing “necessitates” another, it requires that the latter thing happen. One event is said to “entail” another when the latter is a necessary consequence of the former. For instance, “Because it requires a good deal of mathematical thought, learning to program a computer almost always entails becoming proficient at certain types of mathematics as well.”

The word “conserve” likely is associated with the word “conservative” for you. The latter does have to deal with certain aspects of political thought concerned with “retaining the past,” but the signification of that word is not simple. The general sense conveyed by words related to “conserve” is that of “preserving” or “retaining.” A conservative person desires to retain the customs, ideas, or morals of a past age. Any other notions are added to this basic and foundational signification, which is best expressed by “safeguard.”

The word “concoct” most generally means to make by combining together a number of parts or ingredients. For instance, one could refer to a stew or a potion as a “concoction.” The word can take on the further meaning of something that has been put together untruthfully, as when someone concocts a story to cover up the truth. The word “fabricate” does literally mean to make, but it also can have the same negative sense of to come up with a false tale.

Ameliorate means to make better or improve.

Confer means to grant or bestow something.

"Abstain" means to forgo or hold back from doing something. "Abscond" means to run away or depart secretly. "Garner" means to collect or accumulate. "Incite" means to encourage or provoke. "Fathom" means to discern or understand.

"Abdicate" means to relinquish or give up power, position, or authority. "Manifest" means to make clear or obvious. "Assuage" means to soothe or relieve. "Dissemble" means to disguise or pretend. "Arbitrate" means to achieve a settlement or straighten out.

"Engender" and "induce" both mean to cause to happen or to cause an action. "Repress" means to keep back or hold in. "Juxtapose" means to place side by side. "Mitigate" means to diminish or lighten. "Pilfer" means to steal or embezzle.

The word "abate" is a verb that means to reduce in amount or intensity. The best answer is "lessen," since it shares the same meaning—to reduce. Considering the other choices, "bait" is not an appropriate answer because when used as a verb, it means either taunt or put food in a trap in order to lure animals to it. As a noun, "bait" is something used to attract. The word "trick" means to deceive and "expand" means to increase in extent.