Question

Choose the word that is opposite in meaning to the given word:
ASTUTE

a)cowardly
b)foolish
c)wicked
d)impolite

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘astute’ refers to ‘having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage'. It is usually used as an adjective.

Complete answer:

The word ‘astute’ can be used in a sentence in the following way:
For example, in the sentence ‘She is an astute businesswoman’, the word ‘astute’ is used as an adjective. It refers to the fact that the subject is able to make good decisions, is well-informed, and is good at business.

Now, we know the meaning and usage of the given word. Let’s look at our given options:

a)cowardly - The word ‘cowardly’ refers to ‘lacking courage'. It has a very different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is an incorrect option.
b)foolish - The word ‘foolish’ refers to ‘lacking good sense or judgment; unwise'. This has the exact opposite meaning of the given word. It is the required antonym. So, this is the correct option.
c)wicked - The word ‘wicked’ refers to ‘evil or morally wrong'. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is an incorrect option.
d)impolite - The word ‘impolite’ refers to ‘not having or showing good manners; rude'. This has an unrelated meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Use the method of elimination to arrive at the option that is most likely to be the antonym of the given word. Make sure that the option has the exact opposite meaning to the word.