Question

Choose the word that gives the antonym of the word italicised.
Under conditions of anxiety, the blood vessels dilate.
a. squeeze
b. swell
c. constrict
d. shorten

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘dilate’ refers to ‘to make or become wider, larger, or more open’.

Complete answer:
An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another word, in the same language. They convey things that are opposite in meaning.
For example, the words ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ are antonyms of each other, as they convey opposite meanings.
The word ‘dilate’ can be used in a sentence as follows:
For example, in the sentence ‘Drugs cause blood vessels to dilate’, it means that due to the effect that drugs have on our body, our blood vessels swell up or become bigger.
Now, we know the meaning and usage of the word ‘dilate’. Let’s look at our options:
squeeze - The word ‘squeeze’ refers to ‘to firmly press something’. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is not the correct option.
swell - The word ‘swell’ means ‘become larger or rounder in size’. This has the exact same meaning as the word ‘dilate’. Hence, these two words are synonyms. It is not the required antonym. So, this is an incorrect option.

constrict - The word ‘constrict’ means ‘to make narrower, especially by encircling pressure’. This has the exact opposite meaning of the given word. This is the required antonym. So, this is the correct option.

shorten - The word ‘shorten’ means ‘to make or become shorter’. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Go through the options one by one and guess the meaning of each one. Choose the option with the exact opposite meaning to the given word.