Synonyms: Verbs About Communicating, Arguing, and Understanding - ISEE Upper Level: Verbal Reasoning

Since "belie" is a verb that means "give a false idea of something," "show something to be false or wrong," we need to pick out a word that means something like "misrepresent." Since "contradict" means "deny the truth of a statement, especially by asserting the opposite," it is the best answer choice and the correct answer.

If you extol someone or something, it means you praise that person or thing_._ For instance, if you extol a dancer, it means you admire or praise the dancer.

A good example of discerning something is when you discern the difference between your perceived financial situation (which may be higher in your mind) and the reality of your situation.

If something is ascertained such as a fact, it means that it is deduced or surmised.

The word obfuscate means to confuse. Thus, the best fit answer choice is perplex.

If someone vacillates between two choices, it means they waver or are indecisive.

"Spurn" is a verb that means "reject with disdain or contempt." So, "accept" cannot be the correct answer, because it is an antonym of "spurn," not a synonym. "Rebuff," a word that when used as a verb means "reject someone or something in an abrupt or ungracious manner," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "spurn," so "rebuff" is the correct answer.

"Ratify" is a verb that means "sign or give formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid." So, "reject" cannot be the correct answer because "reject" is an antonym of "ratify," not a synonym. "Approve" is a verb that means "officially agree to or accept as satisfactory" or "believe that someone or something is good or acceptable," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "ratify," it is the correct answer.

Repudiate means to reject, solace is peace, and portend means to predict. The word that is a synonym of honor is revere.

In its older usage, “abide,” meant “to live or dwell.” It generally means “to accept” (often as a rule for action). It is often used in conjunction with the word “with” as in, “He decided that it was better to abide with the judge’s decision than to contest it.” Also, negatively, it can mean that someone does not tolerate something or someone. In this case, it would be used in a sentence like, “I cannot abide the way that she rudely eats with her mouth open and think I will leave the room.”

A “cipher” is a way of encoding or scrambling a message so as to hide its meaning. This would be used, for instance, in war when people are trying to hide the contents of messages between allies. When someone “deciphers” something, he or she “takes away the code.” In other words, he or she “breaks” the code and can read the message.

The word “placate” is related distantly to “to please,” but it most properly means “to please someone in order to calm him or her.” Consider its use in an example sentence: “Although the worker had been quite angry about his low pay, the promise of a raise managed to placate his rage.” The word “appease” does not merely mean “to please,” but even more properly means “to soothe the demands of someone.”

The word “deify” literally means “to make into a God.” The “-fy” prefix is used in many places in English to mean “to make or do” as in “falsify” and “nullify.” The “dei-” portion of the word is derived from a large cluster of “god-related” words such as “deity” and “deism,” as well as “theology” and “atheist.” (The “d” and “th” are related sounds.) When someone deifies someone else, they are likely to worship that person as a god. Therefore, the best option here is “venerate,” which means “to revere someone or something.”

When someone is “defiant,” he or she stubbornly refuses to obey someone or something else to the point of open resistance. Here, do not confuse “defy” with “deify,” which means “to make into a god.” While options like “argue” and “dispute” are related to someone who is defying another person. The best option is “disobey,” which most closely captures the action of a defiant individual.

"Accost" is a verb that means "approach and address someone boldly or aggressively," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "approach and address aggressively." Of the potential answer choices, "waylay," a verb that means "stop or interrupt someone and detain them in conversation or trouble them in some other way," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "accost," so "waylay" is the correct answer.

The word “expendable” literally means “able to be used” in the sense of “able to be used and then thrown away.” It does not necessarily mean that the item is cheap (though that might be the case). For example, consider the following: “Many packages for lunches have become expendable; people throw them away after using them instead of washing and retaining them.”

The word “extol” means “to praise someone to a great degree.” For this reason, it is best to choose “adulate,” which implies such high praise. The words “praise” and “congratulate” would be options if this stronger option (adulate) was not given.

The word “fathom” has an interesting derivation. It comes from the measurement of someone’s arms being stretched outward (like “foot” was originally designated to measure the “standard foot size”). It now is used to measure the depth of water and is equal to about six feet per unit. Since it is associated with being “deep,” the verb form of “fathom” means to understand something difficult or deep; therefore, it can mean to comprehend.

We often use “malign” in the sense of harmful or evil. Likewise, we somewhat regularly use the related word “malignant” to describe harmful forms of diseases like cancer. However, none of the words here fit into the category of “harmful” or “evil.” Instead, the best option is “slander,” which means to speak falsely of someone out of malice (in order to harm his or her reputation). When “malign” is used as a verb, it can mean this, more generally meaning to speak very critically and demandingly of someone else. For example, “George was horrified at how vehemently Robin maligned her sister, not merely criticizing small faults but even condemning every choice she ever made.”