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Difficulty: MediumAntonyms and Words Opposite in Meaning

Despite managing a multi-million-dollar corporation, the chairman maintained a remarkably PENURIOUS lifestyle that astonished both his colleagues and financial analysts.

Which of the following words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the capitalized word as used in the sentence?

  1. extravagantAnswer
  2. B
    parsimonious
  3. C
    impoverished
  4. D
    penitent

Answer

extravagant
In this sentence context, 'penurious' describes someone who is excessively stingy, miserly, or unwilling to spend money despite having abundant resources. The word 'extravagant' means spending money excessively, lavishly, or wastefully, which serves as the direct contextual antonym.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the target word in its sentence context
The target word 'PENURIOUS' refers to a wealthy corporation chairman living in an excessively miserly, tight-fisted, or frugal manner.
Contextual clues like 'despite managing a multi-million-dollar corporation' and 'astonished' indicate that the chairman lives far below his financial means.
2
Identify the required relation
The question asks for the word opposite in meaning (antonym).
The prompt explicitly demands a word nearly opposite in meaning.
3
Evaluate the options for the exact antonym
'extravagant' describes spending money or spending resources lavishly and excessively, making it the precise antonym of penurious.
Living extravagantly is the exact conceptual opposite of living penuriously.

Key Concept

Identifying Contextual Antonyms in Tertiary Level Lexis
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Topics

Antonyms and Words Opposite in Meaning

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