Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Appearance, Materiality, and Sensory Imagery - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

"Disheveled" means very disorderly in appearance, or in a state of disarray. For example, you might say, "Joe's room was very disheveled, as his schoolwork was all over the floor and none of his clothes were put away." So, "disorderly" is the correct answer.

"Combustible" means explosive, while "volatile" means liable to change or explode. Thus, "combustible" is closest in meaning to "volatile."

"Pithy" means brief and to the point. Therefore, "pithy" is closest in meaning to "brief."

"Coarse" means rough and can be used to describe the roughness of an object, the roughness of someone’s character, or the roughness of someone’s manners. When used to describe people, it generally means rude and uncouth. So, "rough" is the correct answer.

Someone or something that is "robust" is strong and sturdy, so "strong" is the correct answer. To help you, "timid," "shy," and "introverted" are all loose synonyms of one another. Someone who is "timid" is shy and weak, and someone who is "introverted" is shy, reserved, and quiet.

"Prepossessing" means having a beautiful appearance, so "beautiful" is the correct answer.

"Delectable" means tasty or delicious, so "tasty" is the correct answer. To help you, "circumstantial" means accidental or owed to circumstance, "outrageous" means ridiculous, "ubiquitous" means ever-present or everywhere, and "surrogate" means substitute, stand-in, or replacement.

"Awry" means twisted around, out of shape, or gone wrong. To further help you, something that is "comforting" gives you peace and comfort. For example, one might write, “Amy’s New Year’s plans went hopelessly awry, but once she got home, the affection of her three dogs proved more than comforting enough.”

"Limber" means agile or flexible, so "agile" is the correct answer. To help you, "inflexible" means not flexible and is an antonym of "limber." Finally, "timid" means shy.

"Symmetrical" is defined as regular in form or arrangement. This is similar to "balanced."

Something that is "appetizing" is something that makes one want to eat. The answer choice closest in meaning to "appetizing" is "tempting," which means enticing or appealing, even though enjoying it might be a bad idea or wrong, so "tempting" is the correct answer.

"Gaudy" means extravagant to the point of being tasteless. Therefore, “extravagant” is a synonym of "gaudy."

Something that is "durable" is long-lasting and thus, the best fit is "indestructible" which indicates something that is unable to be broken or damaged easily. "Impermanent" means lasting only for a short amount of time; "dainty" means fragile; and "flimsy" means delicate.

“Anemic” means sick-looking or weak, and as such, it is closest in meaning to “pale,” which means lacking color or looking sick. To provide further help, “haughty” means boastful and arrogant; “tanned” means darkened by the sun; “anxious” means worried; and “modest” means not haughty or humble.

"Insipid" means lacking interest or flavor, which is closest in meaning to "boring."

If something is ornate, it means that it is decorative or detailed. An example of this is there may be an ornate artistic design that an artist chooses to use in a painting.

Although there is a verb form of "lavish," this question refers to the adjectival form of the word "lavish." Thus, the word "lavish," as used in the phrase "lavish spending," is closest in meaning to the word "extravagant_."_

"Tepid" is an adjective that can mean either "showing little enthusiasm" or "only slightly warm," especially when referring to liquids. Neither "loud" nor "boisterous" can't be the correct answer because they are each opposites of "showing little enthusiasm," but "lukewarm" is used of liquids or foods that should be hot and means "only moderately warm." So, because "lukewarm" is synonymous with the second meaning of "tepid," "lukewarm" is the correct answer.

"Nimble" is an adjective meaning "quick and light in movement or action; agile" or "quick to comprehend" when describing the mind. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that is an adjective that means something like "quick and agile" or "quick to comprehend." While "deft" and "daft" look and sound quite similar, "daft" means "silly; foolish" or "infatuated with," while "deft" means "neatly skillful and quick in one's movements" or "demonstrating skill and cleverness." Because "deft" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "nimble," "deft" is the correct answer.

"Arid" is an adjective that means "having little or no rain; too dry or barren to support vegetation" when it refers to land or climate, or "lacking in interest, excitement, or meaning" in referring to other things. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like either "dry" or "boring." While "airy" may look like a potentially correct answer choice because it is similar in spelling and pronunciation to "arid," "airy" does not mean "dry" or "boring," so it cannot be the correct answer. "Dry" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "arid," so it is the correct answer.