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

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_."_

"Fragile" is the best synonym of "delicate," as they both mean easily breakable, while the rest of the answers bear little relation to the word in question: "durable" means longlasting and "sturdy" has a similar meaning, while "contentious" means producing controversy or debate.

The word "ravenous" means very hungry or starving, so "starving" is the correct answer.

"Porous" means full of small holes or capable of absorbing liquids, so "holey," which also means full of holes, is the best choice here. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "porous": "passive" means not active; "utter" means absolute when used as an adjective; "elegant" means graceful or sophisticated; and "rakish" means dashing but disreputable.

"Terse" means brief or concise, so "concise" is the correct answer. "Verbose" is an antonym of "terse"; it means very long and wordy. None of the other answer choices are related in meaning to "terse": "parched" means very dry; "shallow" means not very deep; and "passionate" means having a strong feeling or conviction.

"Luminous" means bright and shining . The best choice is "bright" as it is a part of the definition of "luminous."

Something that is "ornate" is excessively showy. The best choice is "lavish," which means excessive. Considering the other options, "orblike" means like an orb, or in other words, spherical, "folksy" means purposely traditional in a affected way , and "secular" means nonreligious.

The word "mellifluous" means sweetly flowing or sounding. The best choice is "dulcet," which also means sweetly sounding. Considering the other choices, "flulike" means resembling symptoms of the flu, "melted" means having become liquid, and "enraged" means angry.

"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."