Question

Choose the word that is most nearly the opposite in the meaning of the given word: VIRULENT

a)Harmless
b)Malignant
c)Hostile
d)Vicious

Answer 1

Hint: Virulent refers to something that is very severe.

Complete step-by-step answer:

In the given question we need to choose the suitable opposite for the given word ‘virulent’. To choose the suitable opposite we need to first understand the meaning of the word given. Virulent refers to something that is severe or extremely harmful in its effects.
Let us take a look at meanings of the given options one by one and check which one is the most appropriate opposite for the given word.
Option ‘A’, harmless, refers to something that is not able to cause any harm.
Option ‘B’, malignant, refers to something that is evil in nature or effect.
Option ‘C’, hostile, refers to something that shows opposition or dislike.
Option ‘D’, vicious, refers to being deliberately cruel or violent.
From the above options, we can see that option ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ are incorrect as these words are similar in meaning to the meaning in the given question.
Hence, the correct answer is option ‘A’, harmless as it is an exact opposite to the given word ‘virulent’.

Note: In questions like this if you do not know the meanings of all the given words, use the elimination method, and remove the words that you think are least likely to be correct. This will assist you to reach the final answer.