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Question

A sentence with an underlined word is given below. Select the most appropriate antonym for the underlined word.

The seminar which Ravi organised proved to be a momentousevent.

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2017 General Knowledge Previous Year Paper (05-Feb-2017)
The correct answer is

Trivial

Finding the Antonym of Momentous

The question asks us to find the most appropriate antonym for the underlined word "momentous" in the sentence: "The seminar which Ravi organised proved to be a momentous event."

First, let's understand the meaning of the word "momentous".

  • Momentous: This word describes something of great importance or significance, especially in its relation to future events. A momentous event is one that is very important and likely to affect the future.

Now, let's look at the given options and their meanings:

  • Trivial: This means of little value or importance. Something trivial is not significant or serious.
  • Futile: This means incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. Something futile is useless or ineffective.
  • Vain: This word has a couple of meanings. One is having an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth (related to vanity). Another meaning is producing no result; useless or pointless.
  • Useless: This means not serving any purpose or having any function; effectively at an end. Something useless is not useful or effective.

Comparing Options to Find the Antonym

We are looking for the word that is opposite in meaning to "momentous" (of great importance).

  • "Trivial" means of little importance. This is the direct opposite of "momentous".
  • "Futile", "Vain" (in the sense of useless), and "Useless" relate to the lack of effectiveness or purpose. While an important event might also be effective, and an unimportant event might be ineffective, the primary opposition is between "great importance" and "little importance".

Therefore, the most appropriate antonym for "momentous" is "trivial".

The seminar being a momentous event means it was very important. The opposite would be that the seminar was an event of little importance, i.e., a trivial event.

Let's summarise the comparison:

Word Meaning Relationship to "Momentous"
Momentous Of great importance or significance Base word
Trivial Of little value or importance Opposite (Antonym)
Futile Incapable of producing results; useless Related to effectiveness, not direct opposite of importance
Vain Useless or pointless (or conceited) Related to effectiveness/purpose, not direct opposite of importance
Useless Not serving any purpose or function Related to effectiveness/purpose, not direct opposite of importance

Based on the meanings, "trivial" is the clear antonym for "momentous".

Revision Table: Antonyms for Important Words

Word Meaning Antonym
Momentous Very important or significant Trivial, Unimportant, Insignificant
Trivial Of little importance or value Important, Significant, Momentous
Futile Pointless, useless, ineffective Effective, Productive, Useful
Vain Useless, ineffective, pointless (or conceited) Productive, Useful, Modest (for conceited meaning)
Useless Not useful; ineffective Useful, Effective, Functional

Additional Information: Understanding Antonyms

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Understanding antonyms is crucial for building vocabulary and improving language skills.

  • Knowing antonyms helps you express contrast effectively.
  • Many words can have multiple antonyms depending on the specific context in which they are used.
  • Identifying the core meaning of a word in its sentence context is key to finding the best antonym.
  • In this case, the core meaning of "momentous" as applied to an event is its "importance" or "significance". Therefore, we seek a word meaning "lack of importance" or "insignificance".
  • Words like "futile", "vain", and "useless" often describe the outcome or function, rather than the inherent importance or significance of an event itself, making them less precise antonyms for "momentous" compared to "trivial".

Practicing with antonym pairs helps solidify understanding of word meanings and relationships.

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