Question

Fill in the blank with the correct words.
Antonyms are the words that are _______.
a) similar in meaning
b) similar in sound
c) similar in spelling
d) opposite in meaning

Answer 1

Hint: ‘Similar’ means ‘(of words) expressing closely related meanings’. ‘Opposite’ means ‘a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other’.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the options given to us in this question-
Option (a.), 'similar in meaning', refers to words that are closely related in meaning to each other. Therefore, option (a.) is incorrect as antonyms are words that have opposing meanings.
Option (b.), ‘similar in sound', refers to homonyms. Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect as we need a description for antonyms.
Option (c.), ‘similar in spelling', refers to words that are like homographs. Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect as we need a description for antonyms and not homographs.
Option (d.), ‘opposite in meaning', refers to words whose meanings are opposing. Therefore, option (d.) is correct as it perfectly describes what antonyms are.

Note:
 In this question, it will be helpful for the students to recall the concept of synonyms as well. Synonyms are those two words that can be interchanged in a context; they are said to be synonymous relative to that context.