Synonyms & Antonyms Extended: 100 Pairs for PSC Exams

Synonyms and antonyms are among the most frequently asked questions in the Kerala PSC English section. This extended list covers 100 words beyond basic vocabulary, organized by difficulty. Memorize the tables below for quick revision.

1. Category A — Commonly Tested (High Frequency)

No.	Word	Synonym	Antonym
1	Abundant	Plentiful, Copious	Scarce, Meagre
2	Adversity	Hardship, Misfortune	Prosperity, Fortune
3	Affluent	Wealthy, Prosperous	Destitute, Impoverished
4	Ambiguous	Vague, Equivocal	Clear, Explicit
5	Amiable	Friendly, Affable	Hostile, Unfriendly
6	Arduous	Strenuous, Gruelling	Easy, Effortless
7	Audacious	Bold, Daring	Timid, Cowardly
8	Benevolent	Kind, Charitable	Malevolent, Cruel
9	Candid	Frank, Honest	Evasive, Deceitful
10	Capricious	Fickle, Erratic	Steady, Constant
11	Clandestine	Secret, Covert	Open, Overt
12	Complacent	Self-satisfied, Smug	Concerned, Dissatisfied
13	Concur	Agree, Accord	Disagree, Dissent
14	Contempt	Scorn, Disdain	Respect, Admiration
15	Credulous	Gullible, Naive	Sceptical, Incredulous
16	Curtail	Reduce, Shorten	Extend, Lengthen
17	Dearth	Scarcity, Shortage	Abundance, Surplus
18	Debilitate	Weaken, Enfeeble	Strengthen, Invigorate
19	Deference	Respect, Regard	Disrespect, Defiance
20	Deliberate	Intentional, Planned	Accidental, Unintentional

2. Category B — Moderate Difficulty

No.	Word	Synonym	Antonym
21	Diligent	Industrious, Assiduous	Lazy, Negligent
22	Dormant	Inactive, Latent	Active, Operative
23	Eccentric	Unconventional, Peculiar	Conventional, Normal
24	Eloquent	Articulate, Fluent	Inarticulate, Halting
25	Eminent	Distinguished, Renowned	Unknown, Obscure
26	Ephemeral	Short-lived, Transient	Permanent, Enduring
27	Exonerate	Acquit, Absolve	Convict, Blame
28	Fabricate	Invent, Concoct	Verify, Confirm
29	Feasible	Practicable, Viable	Impossible, Impractical
30	Flagrant	Blatant, Glaring	Subtle, Concealed
31	Frugal	Thrifty, Economical	Extravagant, Wasteful
32	Futile	Useless, Vain	Useful, Productive
33	Gregarious	Sociable, Outgoing	Reclusive, Solitary
34	Haughty	Arrogant, Proud	Humble, Modest
35	Impede	Hinder, Obstruct	Assist, Facilitate
36	Impetuous	Impulsive, Rash	Cautious, Deliberate
37	Indifferent	Apathetic, Unconcerned	Enthusiastic, Passionate
38	Inevitable	Unavoidable, Certain	Avoidable, Preventable
39	Ingenious	Clever, Inventive	Unimaginative, Dull
40	Innate	Inborn, Inherent	Acquired, Learned

3. Category C — Advanced Level

No.	Word	Synonym	Antonym
41	Jovial	Cheerful, Merry	Gloomy, Morose
42	Lament	Mourn, Grieve	Celebrate, Rejoice
43	Lucid	Clear, Intelligible	Obscure, Confusing
44	Magnanimous	Generous, Noble	Petty, Vindictive
45	Meticulous	Thorough, Painstaking	Careless, Sloppy
46	Mitigate	Alleviate, Lessen	Aggravate, Intensify
47	Mundane	Ordinary, Commonplace	Extraordinary, Exceptional
48	Negligent	Careless, Remiss	Attentive, Careful
49	Nonchalant	Casual, Indifferent	Anxious, Concerned
50	Obstinate	Stubborn, Adamant	Flexible, Yielding
51	Ominous	Threatening, Foreboding	Auspicious, Promising
52	Opulent	Luxurious, Lavish	Austere, Spartan
53	Ostentatious	Showy, Flamboyant	Modest, Understated
54	Palpable	Tangible, Obvious	Intangible, Imperceptible
55	Pernicious	Harmful, Destructive	Beneficial, Wholesome
56	Pertinent	Relevant, Applicable	Irrelevant, Unrelated
57	Placid	Calm, Serene	Agitated, Turbulent
58	Plausible	Believable, Credible	Implausible, Unlikely
59	Precarious	Unstable, Risky	Secure, Safe
60	Prevalent	Widespread, Common	Rare, Uncommon

4. Category D — Higher Difficulty

No.	Word	Synonym	Antonym
61	Profound	Deep, Intense	Superficial, Shallow
62	Prolific	Productive, Fruitful	Unproductive, Barren
63	Prudent	Wise, Judicious	Reckless, Imprudent
64	Rampant	Widespread, Unchecked	Controlled, Contained
65	Recluse	Hermit, Loner	Socialite, Extrovert
66	Relinquish	Surrender, Abandon	Retain, Keep
67	Replenish	Refill, Restore	Deplete, Exhaust
68	Resilient	Tough, Adaptable	Fragile, Vulnerable
69	Reticent	Reserved, Taciturn	Talkative, Forthcoming
70	Robust	Strong, Sturdy	Weak, Frail
71	Sagacious	Wise, Shrewd	Foolish, Unwise
72	Scanty	Insufficient, Meagre	Ample, Plentiful
73	Serene	Peaceful, Tranquil	Disturbed, Agitated
74	Spurious	Fake, Counterfeit	Genuine, Authentic
75	Stagnant	Static, Motionless	Flowing, Dynamic
76	Stringent	Strict, Rigorous	Lenient, Lax
77	Succinct	Brief, Concise	Verbose, Lengthy
78	Superfluous	Excessive, Redundant	Necessary, Essential
79	Tacit	Implied, Unspoken	Explicit, Expressed
80	Tenacious	Persistent, Resolute	Irresolute, Yielding

5. Category E — Exam Bonus Level

No.	Word	Synonym	Antonym
81	Tranquil	Peaceful, Calm	Turbulent, Chaotic
82	Trivial	Insignificant, Petty	Significant, Important
83	Ubiquitous	Omnipresent, Pervasive	Rare, Scarce
84	Unanimity	Agreement, Consensus	Discord, Disagreement
85	Unprecedented	Unparalleled, Novel	Common, Usual
86	Urbane	Refined, Polished	Crude, Uncouth
87	Venerate	Revere, Respect	Despise, Scorn
88	Verbose	Wordy, Long-winded	Concise, Terse
89	Viable	Feasible, Workable	Unworkable, Impractical
90	Vindictive	Vengeful, Spiteful	Forgiving, Merciful
91	Volatile	Unstable, Unpredictable	Stable, Steady
92	Voracious	Insatiable, Ravenous	Satisfied, Moderate
93	Wary	Cautious, Vigilant	Careless, Reckless
94	Zealous	Enthusiastic, Fervent	Apathetic, Indifferent
95	Abate	Decrease, Diminish	Increase, Intensify
96	Alleviate	Ease, Relieve	Worsen, Exacerbate
97	Antipathy	Aversion, Hostility	Affinity, Fondness
98	Coerce	Compel, Force	Persuade, Convince
99	Exacerbate	Worsen, Aggravate	Improve, Ameliorate
100	Reconcile	Harmonise, Settle	Estrange, Alienate

6. Confusing Pairs — Do Not Mix Up

Word 1	Meaning	Word 2	Meaning
Eminent	Famous, distinguished	Imminent	About to happen
Ingenious	Clever, inventive	Ingenuous	Innocent, frank
Credible	Believable	Credulous	Too ready to believe
Judicial	Relating to courts	Judicious	Showing good judgement
Compliment	Praise	Complement	Something that completes
Principal	Chief/head/main	Principle	Rule or belief
Stationary	Not moving	Stationery	Writing materials
Discreet	Careful, prudent	Discrete	Separate, distinct

7. Previous Year Question Patterns

• “Synonym of ‘Arduous’?” — Strenuous
• “Antonym of ‘Benevolent’?” — Malevolent
• “Synonym of ‘Clandestine’?” — Secret
• “Antonym of ‘Ephemeral’?” — Permanent
• “Synonym of ‘Prudent’?” — Wise / Judicious
• “Antonym of ‘Verbose’?” — Concise
• “‘Eminent’ and ‘Imminent’ — what is the difference?” — Eminent = famous; Imminent = about to happen