Question

Select the option that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word:
His conversations are always absurd.
a. farcical
b. foolish
c. preposterous
d. rational

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘absurd’ refers to ‘wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate’.

Complete answer:
The word ‘absurd’ is derived from the Latin word ‘absurdus’ meaning ‘out of tune’. It evolved to mean ‘unreasonable’ in the mid 16th century.

The word ‘absurd’ can be used in a sentence as follows:
For example, in the sentence ‘The allegations made against me are absurd’, the given word makes it clear that the allegations are illogical and unreasonable, with the help of the adjective ‘absurd’.

Now, we know the meaning, origin, and usage of the word ‘absurd’. Let’s now look at the given options:

a. farcical - The word ‘farcical’ refers to ‘relating to or resembling farce, especially because of absurd or ridiculous aspects’. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. foolish - This word refers to ‘lacking good sense or judgement; unwise’. This is unrelated to the given word. So, this is an incorrect option.
c. preposterous - The word ‘preposterous’ refers to ‘contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous’. This has the exact same meaning to the word ‘absurd’. So, this is an incorrect option.

d. rational - This word refers to ‘based on or in accordance with reason or logic’. This has a completely opposite meaning to the required word. So, this is the correct option.

Note: Try to identify the meaning of the given word, and figure out the word that is exactly the opposite in meaning from the given options, i.e. the antonym.