Question

Choose the word that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

HATE

a. Admire
b. Abhor
c. Concern
d. Loathe

Answer 1

Hint: Antonyms are opposite words. In this case, we must find a word whose meaning is completely different than that of ‘hate’.

Complete answer:
 As we have seen before, antonyms are also known as opposite words. Anything that is opposite differs in its meaning completely from the given word. If the word is ancient, its opposite would be a word that means belonging to the present rather than to the past i.e., modern. Similarly, if the word is best, its opposite would be a word that means to be of the poorest quality i.e. worst.
In the given question, the word is ‘hate’. Hate is a verb that is derived from the Dutch word ‘haten’. If you hate someone, you dislike them intensely. Typically, hatred implies a strong aversion toward something. Now, that we know what the word means, we must find a word whose meaning is the opposite of ‘hate’. Logically, this means that we have to find a word whose meaning is to like someone. Out of all the given options, the word admire, which means, to regard something with respect, is the correct match of this opposite meaning. Hence, the option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Note: Let us consider the problematic areas of this question. If students mistake a synonym for an antonym, they may end up choosing option ‘b’ or option ‘d’ which are close in meaning to hatred. Hence, students must be careful to understand what the given direction is really asking for.