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Difficulty: Very hardSynonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

In the passage below, consider the context of the political address:

The minister's unexpected parliamentary address quickly devolved into a vituperative assault on his opponents, astonishing even his closest allies with its unrelenting bitterness and hostile tone.

Which option is nearest in meaning to the underlined word as used in the sentence?

  1. scathingAnswer
  2. B
    laudatory
  3. C
    perspicuous
  4. D
    judicious

Answer

The word nearest in meaning to 'vituperative' in this context is 'scathing'.
In the given sentence, 'vituperative' describes a speech characterized by intense hostility, verbal abuse, and bitterness. The word 'scathing', which means sharply critical and devastatingly harsh, accurately captures this meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context clues in the sentence.
The clues 'devolved into', 'unrelenting bitterness', and 'hostile tone' indicate that the attack was extremely harsh, abusive, and bitter.
Contextual indicators surrounding the target word dictate its specific nuance in the passage.
2
Define the target word 'vituperative'.
Vituperative means bitter, abusive, or harshly censorial in language.
Establishing the precise definition allows for matching with the closest candidate option.
3
Evaluate the option choices against the defined contextual meaning.
'Scathing' directly aligns with bitterly harsh criticism, whereas 'laudatory' is an antonym, 'perspicuous' refers to clarity of expression, and 'judicious' implies sound judgment.
Elimination of antonyms, paronyms/confusables, and unwarranted contextual inferences isolates the correct synonym.

Key Concept

Identifying Contextual Synonyms of Advanced Lexis
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Synonyms and Words Nearest in Meaning

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