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Academy11+

11+ Verbal reasoning · Topic explained

Closest meaning (synonyms)

Which two words mean nearly the same?

The big idea

Find one word from each group with the closest meaning: a synonym.

Picture it

Synonyms are like twins: not exactly the same, but very alike.

Key words

synonym
a word with the same or nearly the same meaning
closest
the best match, even if it's not perfect
sentence test
swap one word for the other in a sentence: does it still make sense?

Worked examples

  1. 1Warm-up

    (happy sleep job) (slumber difficult speak)

    • Slumber means a deep sleep.
    • Answer: sleep, slumber
  2. 211+ standard

    (gape freeze hazardous) (unsafe costly secure)

    • Hazardous means dangerous.
    • Unsafe means the same: hazardous, unsafe
    • Secure is the opposite: a trap.
  3. 311+ standard

    (applaud generous soggy) (hurry selfish charitable)

    • Generous means happy to give.
    • Charitable means the same: generous, charitable
  4. 411+ standard

    (outside adore meagre) (thrilling wary scarce)

    • Meagre means very little.
    • Scarce means in short supply: meagre, scarce

The common mistake

The mistake

Pick a word that's connected to it.

Instead

Pick the word that means the same, not one that's opposite or just related.

Why: Selfish is connected to generous, but it means the opposite.

Where it comes up in the 11+

Synonyms appear in GL verbal reasoning and are a big part of CEM-style verbal tests. Reading widely builds the words you need.

The video

Video coming soon

We're making a short video that explains closest meaning (synonyms) step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.

Free printable

Closest meaning (synonyms) worksheet

Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.

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Quick quiz

Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.

  1. 1. (hungry beneath smash) (modern famished tricky)

    • hungry, famished
    • smash, tricky
    • beneath, modern
    • hungry, tricky
    Show the answer

    hungry, famished

    Famished means very hungry.

  2. 2. (unusual plentiful bring) (abundant talk stale)

    • plentiful, abundant
    • unusual, stale
    • bring, talk
    • unusual, abundant
    Show the answer

    plentiful, abundant

    Both mean there's lots of something.

  3. 3. (gentle boulder recall) (float remember forget)

    • recall, remember
    • recall, forget
    • gentle, float
    • boulder, float
    Show the answer

    recall, remember

    Recall means remember. Forget is the trap.