Question

Select the word which means the opposite of the given word:
CAPTIVATE
A) Allure
B) Bewitch
C) Charm
D) Repel

Answer 1

Hint: Opposite words are also called antonyms. Antonyms are pairs of words which have extremely contrasting meanings; for e.g. good and bad. Antonyms can further be of three types; complementary, relational and graded. ‘Good’ and ‘bad’ is an example of graded antonyms.

Complete answer:
The word ‘captivate’ means, ‘to attract, hold interest, influence and dominate by charm or traits. For e.g. The audience was captivated by her beautiful voice.

Let us look into the given options:
Option (A) Allure – It is ‘the quality of being powerfully or mysteriously fascinating’. For e.g. The allure of the ocean keeps me at the beach all day long. ‘Allure’ has a very similar meaning to ‘captivate’ and hence, it is not an antonym of ‘captivate’. The option is incorrect.
Option (B) Bewitch – It means ‘to fill someone with delight or to enchant’. For e.g. We were bewitched by the beauty of Venice. Both ‘captivate’ and ‘bewitch’ have the same meaning of attracting or enchanting. Hence, they are not antonyms. This option is also incorrect.
Option (C) Charm – It is also ‘the quality of attracting, fascinating or delighting others’. For e.g. It is because of her charm that has captivated everyone. The word ‘charm’ means the same as ‘bewitch’ and ‘captivate’. Hence, they can be called synonyms, but not antonyms. This option is wrong.
Option (D) Repel – It means ‘to drive away, be repulsive or distasteful’. For e.g. Objects that are electrically charged, tend to repel each other. This word ‘repel’ does not mean the same as ‘Allure’, ‘bewitch’ or ‘charm’. Hence, we can say that ‘repel’ is the antonym of ‘captivate’. This option is the correct answer.

Options (A), (B) and (C) are incorrect options because they all have a similar meaning to ‘captivate’, i.e. ‘to attract, or fascinate’. The question is asking us for its antonym, which is option (D) repel.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) Repel.

Note:
- Some other synonyms of the word ‘captivate’ are; enthrall, fascinate, beguile, dazzle, delight, enrapture, lure, ensnare, hypnotize, mesmerise etc.
- Some other antonyms of the word ‘captivate’ are; bore, repulse, etc.
- The word ‘captivate’ is derived from the Latin word ‘captivus’ meaning ‘to enslave or to take captive’.