Question

Select the word which means the opposite of the given word: Gingerly
a) freely
b) carelessly
c) sincerely
d) made of ginger

Answer 1

Hint: The word ‘gingerly’ refers to ‘in a careful or cautious manner’. This word is usually used as an adverb, and another antonym of the word ‘gingerly’ is ‘recklessly’.

Complete answer:
 An antonym is a word that is opposite in meaning to another word, in the same language. They convey things that are opposite in meaning. For example, the words ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ are antonyms of each other, as they convey opposite meanings.
The word ‘gingerly’ can be used in a sentence in the following way-
For example, in the sentence ‘He handled the bird very gingerly as it was hurt’, the word ‘gingerly’ is used to illustrate how the bird was handled, so it is used as an adverb. As the bird was hurt, the person took extra care to be more gentle with it.

Now, we know the meaning and usage of the word ‘gingerly’. Let’s look at our options-
a) freely - The word ‘freely’ refers to ‘not under the control of another; as one wishes'. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is not the correct option.
b) carelessly - The word ‘carelessly’ refers to ‘in a casual or reckless way; inattentively'. This has the exact opposite meaning of the given word. It is the required antonym. So, this is the correct option.
c) sincerely - The word ‘sincerely’ refers to ‘in a sincere or genuine way'. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is not the correct option.
d) made of ginger - This phrase refers to ‘an object being constructed from or consisting of the root ginger’. This has a completely different meaning to the given word. It is not the required antonym. So, this is not the correct option.

Note:
 Use the given word in a sentence. Go through the options one by one and guess the meaning of each word by using it in a sentence. Choose the option with the exact opposite
meaning to the given word.