Finding the Opposite Meaning of Virtuous

The question asks us to find the word that is opposite in meaning to the given word, "Virtuous". To answer this, we first need to understand the meaning of "Virtuous" and then examine the meanings of the given options to see which one represents the opposite idea.

Meaning of Virtuous:

The word 'Virtuous' describes someone who has or shows high moral standards. It means being morally good, righteous, and upright in character and conduct. A virtuous person is one who acts according to moral principles and avoids wrongdoing.

Now let's look at the given options:

• sinful: This word describes something or someone wicked or involving sin. Sin refers to an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law or moral principle.
• disagreeable: This means unpleasant or not to one's liking. It refers to something that causes discomfort or displeasure, but it is not necessarily related to moral character.
• equivocal: This means open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous. It often relates to language or statements that are unclear or misleading, not directly related to moral opposition to virtue.
• incredible: This means impossible to believe or extraordinary. It relates to believability or impressiveness, not moral standing.

We are looking for the word opposite in meaning to 'Virtuous', which means having high moral standards. The most direct opposite would be something that represents the absence of high moral standards, or something morally wrong.

Comparing the meanings:

• 'Virtuous' means morally good.
• 'Sinful' means morally wrong or wicked.

Clearly, 'sinful' is the word that represents the direct opposite of being virtuous. While 'disagreeable', 'equivocal', and 'incredible' are antonyms for other words, they do not serve as antonyms for 'Virtuous'.

Therefore, the word opposite in meaning to 'Virtuous' is 'sinful'.

Revision Table: Understanding Virtuous and its Antonym

Additional Information: Exploring Antonyms and Vocabulary

Understanding antonyms is a key part of building a strong vocabulary for competitive exams and general language proficiency. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Identifying antonyms requires a good grasp of the nuances of word meanings.

For instance, while 'sinful' is the most direct opposite of 'virtuous', other words like 'wicked', 'immoral', 'corrupt', or 'depraved' could also be considered synonyms of 'sinful' and thus potential antonyms for 'virtuous' depending on the context and options provided.

Let's briefly define the other options in more detail to reinforce why they are not antonyms for 'Virtuous':

• Disagreeable: Often used for people's attitudes (a disagreeable person), tastes (a disagreeable smell), or situations (a disagreeable task). It expresses dislike or unpleasantness, not moral character.
• Equivocal: Typically used for statements, responses, or situations where the meaning is unclear or potentially misleading. For example, "an equivocal answer" or "the future looks equivocal". It relates to truthfulness or clarity rather than virtue or sin.
• Incredible: Used to describe things that are hard to believe (an incredible story) or remarkably good/impressive (an incredible performance). It relates to credibility or amazement.

By systematically analyzing the meaning of the target word and each option, we can confidently determine the correct antonym.