Question

Choose the word which is the closest antonym of the given word:
EXCORIATE

• A. Prevaricate
• B. Berate
• C. Regurgitate
• D. Cheer
• E. Acclaim

Hint:

Excoriate means to criticize harshly and publicly; look for an option that means to praise publicly with equal intensity.

Answer 1

Answer: (E)

Step 1: Understand the meaning of the given word.
"Excoriate" means to criticize someone severely and harshly, often in public, as in "the critic excoriated the film for its weak script." It carries a strong negative charge, close to words like denounce, censure, or flay verbally.

Step 2: Work out what the antonym should convey.
Since excoriate means to condemn harshly, its opposite must mean to praise warmly or approve enthusiastically, ideally with the same sense of a strong, public reaction.

Step 3: Eliminate the options that do not fit.
(a) Prevaricate means to speak evasively or lie, which has nothing to do with praise or blame, so it is unrelated.
(b) Berate means to scold or criticize angrily, which is actually a synonym of excoriate, not an antonym.
(c) Regurgitate means to bring up swallowed food, or loosely to repeat information without understanding it. It has no connection to praise or criticism.
(d) Cheer means to shout encouragement or applaud, which leans positive but is closer to casual encouragement than to a considered, public statement of approval.

Step 4: Confirm the best match.
(e) Acclaim means to praise enthusiastically and publicly, to greet with warm approval. It mirrors excoriate exactly in register, both being strong, public, evaluative reactions, just opposite in direction. This makes acclaim the precise antonym.

Step 5: State the answer.
The correct answer is option (e), Acclaim.