Understanding the Question: Finding the Antonym of 'Woeful'

The question asks us to find the most appropriate antonym for the underlined word 'woeful' in the sentence "His woeful eyes betrayed his feelings." An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word.

What does 'Woeful' mean?

The word 'woeful' is an adjective. It is derived from the word 'woe', which means great sorrow, distress, or misfortune.

Therefore, 'woeful' means:

• Full of or expressing woe or sadness.
• Miserable, sorrowful, or unhappy.
• Causing or involving woe; calamitous.

In the given sentence, "His woeful eyes betrayed his feelings," the word 'woeful' describes the eyes, suggesting they looked sad, miserable, or full of sorrow, revealing his inner emotions.

Analyzing the Options for the Antonym of 'Woeful'

We need to find a word among the options that means the opposite of sad, miserable, or sorrowful.

1. Bewailing: This is the present participle of 'bewail', which means to express great sorrow, grief, or regret over something. This word is similar in meaning to 'woeful', not its antonym.
2. Plangent: This word is often used to describe a sound that is loud and mournful. It suggests a sound expressing sadness or sorrow. This is also similar in meaning to 'woeful', not its antonym.
3. Cheerful: This word means noticeably happy and optimistic. Someone who is cheerful is the opposite of someone who is sad or woeful.
4. Agonised: This word describes a state of experiencing or showing great pain or suffering. While related to negative feelings like woe, it specifically refers to intense suffering, which is not the direct opposite of general sadness or sorrow implied by 'woeful' compared to happiness or cheerfulness.

Identifying the Correct Antonym

Comparing the meanings, 'cheerful' is the word that is most directly opposite to 'woeful' (meaning sad, miserable, or sorrowful). While the other options relate to negative or sad feelings, they are closer in meaning to 'woeful' than its antonym.

Summary of Word Meanings

Based on the analysis, the most appropriate antonym for 'woeful' is 'cheerful'.

Revision Table: Key Vocabulary

Additional Information: Understanding Antonyms

Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. Learning antonyms is an important part of building your vocabulary. Knowing antonyms helps you to:

• Understand the nuances of word meanings.
• Express contrasting ideas clearly.
• Improve reading comprehension.
• Perform well in vocabulary-based questions in exams.

Antonyms can sometimes be tricky because context matters. Also, a word might have multiple antonyms depending on the specific shade of meaning being used. For example, the antonym of 'hot' could be 'cold', 'cool', or 'lukewarm' depending on the scale and context.

In competitive exams, antonym questions test your understanding of word meanings and your ability to identify the word that is most directly opposite in meaning among the given options.