Using Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots to Identify Synonyms - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

"Lifeless" means dead or deceased. "Abundant" means a lot or plentiful. "Intimidating" means causing fear or terror in a person. "Insane" means crazy or mentally ill. "Adept" means very skilled in something.

The words "abode" and "residence" are synonymous nouns referring to domiciles. The other words do not have meanings that are well aligned with that of "abode."

"Unorthodox" means unusual or strange or not traditional, so "strange" is the correct answer.

"Unorthodox" means unusual or strange or not traditional, so "strange" is the correct answer.

A "savant" is a person of extensive learning, so the best choice is the word "scholar." "Savant" is derived from the French word "savoir," which means to know.

"Apathetic" and "indifferent" mean not interested. The root word "path" means feeling, and the prefix "a-" means not.

"Autonomy" means independence, or a self-governing community. The root word "auto-" means self. The root word "nom" means law or order.

"Hyperbole" is an obvious exaggeration. The prefix "hyper-" means over or above. "Exaggeration" is thus the correct answer.

Gynophobia is the fear of women. The prefix gyno- typically suggests a relationship between the word and women. In order to solve this analogy, it is necessary to determine what heliophobia is the fear of. The prefix helio­­- means of or relating to the sun, so the correct answer is “sunlight.”

Necrophobia is the fear of death. The prefix necro- generally suggests an association with death. To solve this analogy you have to determine what philophobia is the fear of. The prefix or suffix phil- means of or relating to love, so philophobia is the fear of love.

"Amoral" means unethical or not moral.

"Antidote" is a medicine or treatment to counteract a poison. "Canal" is a man-made river. "Patron" is a person who donates to a person or cause. "Emblem" is a symbol or badge that represents something such as a country. "Collision" is a crash.

If you don't recognize a word, it is almost always a good idea to try to use roots to figure out its meaning. You can break the word ambiguous into its component parts fairly easily ("ambi" + "guous"). "Ambi-" is a pretty common prefix, so you should recognize it even if you don't know what the whole word means. It's even in one of the other answer choices: "ambidextrous." The prefix "ambi-" has to do with something that goes in two directions at once. "Ambidextrous," for instance, means able to use both hands to do tasks (e.g. to write). "Ambiguous" means unclear, or _having an unclear or undecidable meaning—_a meaning that is unclear because it is one among multiple possible meanings. The answer choices "pristine," "indubitable," and "undeniable" each have to do with either clearness or certainty, and we already know what ambidextrous means, so "unclear" is the only choice left.

When someone is “acquitted” of an action, he or she is “forgiven” or set free from any sort of charges of that action. For instance, someone “acquitted of murder” is judged to be innocent of the crime. The word “exonerate” best matches this usage. It means to remove blame officially. Literally, it is derived from the Latin meaning to lift the burden from someone. The “-onerate” portion of the word means “burden,” while (as you likely know) “ex-” means out of or away from. The word is related to “onerous,” meaning burdensome or difficult.

The word “verbose” comes from the Latin for “word.” It is related to words like “verbal” and “verb.” It means using too many words to communicate something. Although the word “wordy” is a bit informal, it means just this—that someone uses too many words.

Benevolent means kind, friendly, or charitable. The root word "bene" means good or well.

Someone who is benevolent is kindly, helpful, or friendly. The root word is "bene," Latin for "good."

Circumlocution is the act of talking around the point instead of getting directly to it; it's speaking evasively or indirectly. The roots are "circum", Latin for "around", and "locut-" Latin for "speaking;" "circumlocution" is "around-speaking."

Something that is cogent is logical, sensible, and intelligent. It comes from the Latin root "cog-" meaning "think/know", as in "cognition" (the act of thinking or knowing) and "incognito" (unknown, or under cover).