CDS English · Vocabulary
Antonyms: words for size, worth and law
Words for how big or costly something is, how important or special it is, and whether a person is blamed or cleared, with the opposites CDS has asked for.
Why this matters
Many of these words have no good-or-bad charge; they have a direction instead: big or small, rich or poor, required or optional, guilty or cleared. Find the direction of the tested word, and the answer is the one option pointing the other way.
Concept 1 of 3: Size, amount and cost
Big against small, a lot against a little, fat against thin, rich against poor, dear against cheap, hard against easy. Each tested word points one way on one of these lines.
Definition
- Big or a lot: mammoth (huge), considerable, substantial, abundant, bonanza (a sudden large gain).
- Small or a little: tiny, trifling, pittance (a tiny sum of money), negligible.
- Body: emaciated (very thin) against hefty; paunchy (pot-bellied) against slim.
- Money: indigent and impecunious (very poor) against affluent; exorbitant (far too costly) against affordable.
- Effort and fit: arduous (very hard) against easy; commensurate (in proportion) against disproportionate.
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in commensurate with | in proportion to | disproportionate | equal to, matched (synonyms), unparalleled | 2017 (II)Q |
| mammoth | huge | tiny | large (synonym), negligible (about amount, not size), poor | 2017 (II)Q |
| considerable | large in amount | trifling | substantial, plentiful, abundant (synonyms) | 2023 (I)Q |
| pittance | a very small amount of money | bonanza | petty amount, miniscule amount (synonyms), instalment | 2026 (I)Q |
| emaciated | very thin from hunger or illness | hefty | thin (synonym), disillusioned, determined | 2017 (II)Q |
| paunchy | having a large belly | slim | stout, plump, fat (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| exorbitant | far too high (of a price) | affordable | high, outrageous, ridiculous (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| indigent | very poor | affluent | impecunious (synonym), ruined, pretentious | 2024 (I)Q |
| arduous | hard, needing great effort | easy and effortless | strenuous and exacting, onerous and overbearing, difficult and exacerbating (synonyms) | 2026 (I)Q |
Stay on the same line: an opposite of size is a size word, an opposite of cost is a cost word.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — English · Q73Easy
Example 1 · Vocabulary · Antonyms: Size, Worth and Law
Directions: opposite in meaning to the underlined word
The project wasted a considerable amount of time and money.
Size and amount are different lines
For 'mammoth' (huge), 'negligible' looks right because it means very little. But it describes an amount or importance, not size. 'Tiny' stays on the size line, so it is the better opposite of a mammoth gathering.
Concept 2 of 3: Importance and quality
How much something matters, how deep it goes, and whether it is special or ordinary. Important against trivial, deep against shallow, special against common, heavenly against earthly.
Definition
- Matters a lot: momentous (very important), requisite (required), vital, essential.
- Matters little: trivial, optional, inessential.
- Depth and level: profound (deep) against superficial (on the surface); rudimentary (basic) against advanced.
- Special against ordinary: distinctive and peculiar (marking something out) against common.
- Other pairs: beauty against inelegance; celestial (of heaven) against earthly.
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| momentous | very important, with great results | trivial | futile, vain, useless (about results, not importance) | 2017 (II)Q |
| requisite | required, necessary | optional | essential, obligatory, vital (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| rudimentary | basic, at an early stage | advanced | fundamental, basic, elementary (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| profound | deep in knowledge or insight | superficial | erudite, scholarly (near-synonyms), sincere | 2019 (I)Q |
| distinctive | marking something out from others | common | salient, unique (synonyms), great | 2018 (II)Q |
| distinctive | marking something out from others | common | unique, special (synonyms), unfamiliar | 2021 (I)Q |
| peculiar | special, belonging to one only | common | customary, natural, familiar | 2018 (I)Q Here peculiar means 'its own, special', so the direct opposite is common: shared by many. |
| beauty | the quality of being pleasing to look at | inelegance | allure, charm (synonyms), ideal | 2019 (II)Q |
| celestial | of the sky or heaven | earthly | transcendental (near-synonym), utopian, ritual | 2022 (I)Q |
Common was the opposite for distinctive (twice) and for peculiar.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — English · Q61Easy
Example 2 · Vocabulary · Antonyms: Size, Worth and Law
Directions: Each item in this section consists of a sentence with an underlined word followed by four words or groups of words. Select the option that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
Her experience is requisite for the job.
Useless is not the opposite of important
For 'momentous' (very important), 'futile', 'vain' and 'useless' are offered. They describe an effort that fails, not how much an event matters. The opposite of important is 'trivial'.
A synonym of the plain meaning is still a synonym
'Rudimentary' means basic. 'Fundamental', 'basic' and 'elementary' all mean basic too, even though 'fundamental' can sound grand. Strike all three and take 'advanced'.
Concept 3 of 3: Guilt, release and giving
Words from the courtroom and from rules: blamed or cleared, held or freed, rule broken or rule kept, an honour given or taken back.
Definition
- Blamed: accused, indicted (formally charged), convicted (found guilty), incriminated, arraigned.
- Cleared: exonerated, vindicated, absolved, pardoned.
- Held against freed: detained, confined against released.
- Rules: infraction, breach, transgression (breaking a rule) against observance (keeping it). Expunged (struck off the record) against accepted.
- Honours: bestowed and conferred (given) against withdrawn.
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vindicates | clears of blame | indicts | reprieves, absolves (synonyms), summons | 2017 (II)Q |
| exonerated | cleared of blame | convicted | pardoned (synonym), honoured, felicitated | 2021 (I)Q |
| accused | blamed, charged with a wrong | vindicated | incriminated, indicted, arraigned (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| detained | held back, kept in custody | released | impeded, confined, held (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| expunged | struck off the record, erased | accepted | got rid of (synonym), rejected, part of | 2020 (II)Q |
| infraction | the breaking of a rule | observance | transgression, breach (synonyms), acceptance | 2023 (II)Q |
| bestowed | given as an honour | withdrawn | conferred, imparted (synonyms), imbibed | 2020 (I)Q |
Vindicate works both ways: it was once the word tested and once the answer.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — English · Q68Moderate
Example 3 · Vocabulary · Antonyms: Size, Worth and Law
Directions: opposite in meaning to the underlined word
He has been exonerated as he tendered an apology.
Pardoned is on the same side as cleared
A word that means 'cleared of blame' has 'pardoned', 'absolved' or 'reprieved' as synonyms, all on the cleared side. The answer is on the blamed side: convicted, indicted.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Size, amount and cost9 rows
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in commensurate with | in proportion to | disproportionate | equal to, matched (synonyms), unparalleled | 2017 (II)Q |
| mammoth | huge | tiny | large (synonym), negligible (about amount, not size), poor | 2017 (II)Q |
| considerable | large in amount | trifling | substantial, plentiful, abundant (synonyms) | 2023 (I)Q |
| pittance | a very small amount of money | bonanza | petty amount, miniscule amount (synonyms), instalment | 2026 (I)Q |
| emaciated | very thin from hunger or illness | hefty | thin (synonym), disillusioned, determined | 2017 (II)Q |
| paunchy | having a large belly | slim | stout, plump, fat (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| exorbitant | far too high (of a price) | affordable | high, outrageous, ridiculous (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| indigent | very poor | affluent | impecunious (synonym), ruined, pretentious | 2024 (I)Q |
| arduous | hard, needing great effort | easy and effortless | strenuous and exacting, onerous and overbearing, difficult and exacerbating (synonyms) | 2026 (I)Q |
Stay on the same line: an opposite of size is a size word, an opposite of cost is a cost word.
Importance and quality9 rows
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| momentous | very important, with great results | trivial | futile, vain, useless (about results, not importance) | 2017 (II)Q |
| requisite | required, necessary | optional | essential, obligatory, vital (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| rudimentary | basic, at an early stage | advanced | fundamental, basic, elementary (synonyms) | 2026 (II)Q |
| profound | deep in knowledge or insight | superficial | erudite, scholarly (near-synonyms), sincere | 2019 (I)Q |
| distinctive | marking something out from others | common | salient, unique (synonyms), great | 2018 (II)Q |
| distinctive | marking something out from others | common | unique, special (synonyms), unfamiliar | 2021 (I)Q |
| peculiar | special, belonging to one only | common | customary, natural, familiar | 2018 (I)Q Here peculiar means 'its own, special', so the direct opposite is common: shared by many. |
| beauty | the quality of being pleasing to look at | inelegance | allure, charm (synonyms), ideal | 2019 (II)Q |
| celestial | of the sky or heaven | earthly | transcendental (near-synonym), utopian, ritual | 2022 (I)Q |
Common was the opposite for distinctive (twice) and for peculiar.
Guilt, release and giving7 rows
| Word | Meaning | Opposite | Other options | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vindicates | clears of blame | indicts | reprieves, absolves (synonyms), summons | 2017 (II)Q |
| exonerated | cleared of blame | convicted | pardoned (synonym), honoured, felicitated | 2021 (I)Q |
| accused | blamed, charged with a wrong | vindicated | incriminated, indicted, arraigned (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| detained | held back, kept in custody | released | impeded, confined, held (synonyms) | 2021 (II)Q |
| expunged | struck off the record, erased | accepted | got rid of (synonym), rejected, part of | 2020 (II)Q |
| infraction | the breaking of a rule | observance | transgression, breach (synonyms), acceptance | 2023 (II)Q |
| bestowed | given as an honour | withdrawn | conferred, imparted (synonyms), imbibed | 2020 (I)Q |
Vindicate works both ways: it was once the word tested and once the answer.
Watch out for (4)
- Size and amount are different lines→ Size, amount and cost
- Useless is not the opposite of important→ Importance and quality
- A synonym of the plain meaning is still a synonym→ Importance and quality
- Pardoned is on the same side as cleared→ Guilt, release and giving
Test yourself on Vocabulary
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