One Word Substitutes MCQs with Answers — Solved from Past Papers

A sinecure is a paid position requiring little or no work; honorary means unpaid, gratis means free of charge, ex-officio means by virtue of an office held.

To eavesdrop is to secretly listen to a private conversation; overhearing is usually accidental, not deliberate.

An epic is a long narrative poem recounting heroic deeds; an elegy laments the dead and an ode praises a subject.

Bigamy is the crime of marrying while already legally married; a bigot is a prejudiced person.

Regicide is the killing of a king; patricide is killing one's father, parricide killing a close relative.

Sacrilege is the violation of something sacred; profanity is irreverent language, slander is spoken defamation.

Abstruse means difficult to understand; obtuse means slow-witted, absurd means ridiculous.

A bigot holds obstinate and intolerant views, especially religious; a fanatic is zealous but not necessarily narrow-religious.

A bohemian lives an unconventional lifestyle outside social norms; an egoist is self-centred.

An epidemic is a disease outbreak spreading widely; academic relates to education, invincible means unbeatable.

Genocide is the deliberate destruction of a racial or ethnic group; homicide is any killing of a human, regicide of a king.

A legend is a traditional story about gods or heroes of old; a lyric is a short personal poem, an epic is longer and heroic.

Opaque materials block light entirely; obscure means unclear in meaning, not physically light-blocking.

Infectious diseases spread through air, water, or environment via pathogens; contagious specifically spreads by direct contact.

Braille is the tactile writing system for the blind; Elysium is a paradise, Epicure a food lover.

An aviary is a large enclosure for birds; columbary/dovecote is for pigeons only, volary is a smaller cage.

Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces; misogyny is hatred of women, ambidextrous means using both hands.

Contemporary means existing or occurring at the same time; concurrent means running in parallel but often refers to events.

A rhinologist specialises in diseases of the nose; philologist studies languages, endocrinologist studies hormones.

A funambulist is a tightrope walker; an acrobat performs gymnastic feats but not specifically on ropes.

Incredible literally means unbelievable; inevitable means unavoidable, irrevocable cannot be undone.

A panacea is a supposed cure-all for every disease; antiseptic only prevents infection.

A parasol is a light umbrella carried by ladies for shade from the sun; a granary stores grain.

A spinster is an unmarried woman; a bachelor is an unmarried man.

Contagious diseases spread by direct contact between people; infectious spreads via environment/air.

Both antidote and antitoxin counteract poisons — antitoxin is a specific antibody, antidote is any counteractive remedy.

An agenda is the list of items to discuss at a meeting; a bulletin is a short news report.

A delinquent person tends to break laws or social norms, especially youths; guilty presumes a conviction.

Geriatrics is the branch of medicine concerned with the elderly; pediatrics deals with children, obstetrics with childbirth.

An anarchist opposes all government; an agnostic is uncertain about God, belligerent means aggressive.

Gregarious animals live in herds or flocks; carnivorous refers only to meat-eating.

An extravagant person spends money wastefully on luxuries; stingy means unwilling to spend, luxuriant means lush growth.

Ambidextrous means equally skilled with both hands; ambivalent means having mixed feelings.

An atheist denies the existence of God; a theist believes, an agnostic is unsure.

Aborigines are the original inhabitants of a country, especially Australia; natives can include later-born residents.

Brittle materials are hard but shatter easily; flexible and supple bend without breaking.

An omnivore eats both plant and animal food indiscriminately; a carnivore eats only meat.

A draw is a game ending with no winner; a tie is similar but 'draw' is the standard cricket/football term.

Courtship is the period of romantic dating before marriage; estrangement is the opposite (separation).

Liable means legally responsible; eligible means qualified, legitimate means lawful in origin.

A windfall is unexpected good fortune, especially money; philanthropy is charitable giving.

A pediatrician treats children; a pedagogue is a teacher, a pedophile is a criminal predator.

Plutocracy is government by the wealthy; aristocracy is rule by nobility, oligarchy by a small group.

Contagious diseases spread by physical contact; infectious spreads via air, water or vectors.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound; a pun is wordplay on multiple meanings.

A murmuration is a large coordinated flock of starlings flying together; startling is an adjective meaning surprising.

A bilingual person speaks two languages fluently; a bigot is prejudiced, bigamy is illegal double marriage.

Omnipresent means present everywhere; omnipotent means all-powerful, omniscient means all-knowing.

Matricide is the killing of one's mother; patricide father, regicide king, parricide close relative.

Espionage is the practice of spying, especially in wartime; espadrille is a shoe, esplanade is a walkway.

Infallible means incapable of failing or making errors; indelible means cannot be erased, inaudible cannot be heard.

Indispensable means absolutely necessary and must be done; a soliloquy is a solo speech in a play.

A perquisite (perk) is an extra benefit above regular salary; an honorarium is a one-off token payment.

An insolvent person cannot pay their debts; a borrower merely takes a loan, a lender gives one.

An arbitrator is an independent third party who officially settles disputes; a mediator only facilitates, without binding authority.

A misologist hates knowledge and learning; a bibliophile loves books, a philologist studies language.

Ignorant means lacking knowledge; credulous means too willing to believe things.

Coercion is compelling someone via force or threats; conviction is a firm belief or a legal verdict.

Genocide is the killing of a large ethnic or national group; homicide is any killing of one human, fratricide of a brother.

A boulevard is a wide street lined with trees; an avenue is often tree-lined too but narrower and originally led to a house.

A manuscript is a document written by hand; a proof is a printer's trial copy.

An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor specialising in eye diseases; an orthodontist treats teeth alignment.

Acrophobia is fear of heights; heliophobia is fear of sunlight, 'highphobia' and 'altophobia' are not standard terms.

A gourmet is a connoisseur of fine food; a curator manages a museum, a parasite lives off others.

Fratricide is the killing of one's brother; regicide is killing a king, suicide oneself.

An apostate is a person who renounces their religious faith; an agnostic is undecided about God's existence.

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation forming a whole word or part of one; a letter is a single character.

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land masses; a peninsula projects into water on three sides.

Transparent materials allow light to pass through so objects behind can be seen; opaque blocks light entirely.

A hamlet is a small settlement smaller than a village; an aviary houses birds, an apiary houses bees.

Internment is the detention or confinement of people without trial; interrogation is questioning.

An idiosyncrasy is a characteristic peculiar to an individual; a hyperbole is exaggerated speech.

Ambiguous means having more than one possible meaning; ambivalent refers to mixed feelings, not double meaning.

Hypocrisy is pretending to have virtues or feelings one does not; treachery is betrayal of trust.

A soliloquy is a dramatic speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud alone on stage; a sinecure is an easy job.

A spinster is an older unmarried woman past typical marrying age; a misanthrope hates people generally.

Fastidious means very hard to please and attentive to detail; feminist advocates for women's rights.

An ascetic renounces worldly pleasures and practises severe self-discipline for spiritual salvation; a sceptic doubts.

An itinerant travels from place to place, especially for work; a mendicant is a beggar, a tramp is a homeless wanderer.

An oligarchy is rule by a small powerful group; a monarchy is rule by one hereditary ruler, anarchy is no rule.

Insolvent, bankrupt and foreclosed all denote inability to pay debts, so 'All of the above' fits; insolvent is the general legal term.

A volunteer offers services freely without payment; a mercenary works only for money.

A zealot holds fanatical, dogmatic views; nomadic refers to a wandering lifestyle, elite means privileged.

Remuneration is payment for work or service; rent is payment for property use, bunting is decorative flags.

To elope is to run away secretly to marry a lover; to escape is generic flight.

A numismatist collects and studies coins; a philatelist collects stamps, an ornithologist studies birds.

A charlatan falsely claims skill or knowledge to deceive others; a renegade is a traitor to a cause.

An altruist selflessly cares for the welfare of others; a cosmopolitan is worldly, an aristocrat is nobility.

Plagiarism is passing off another's work or ideas as one's own; despotism is tyrannical rule.

An accomplice helps another person commit a crime; an amateur is unskilled, a cuckold is a betrayed husband.

A bibliophile loves and collects books; a pluviophile loves rain, a cosmopolitan is worldly.

A pen is a small enclosure for livestock like cattle, sheep or poultry; a sty is specifically for pigs, a lair is a wild animal's den.

A resort is a place people visit for holiday or recreation; a casino is for gambling, a museum for exhibits.

A hamlet is a small cluster of houses smaller than a village; a fleet is a group of ships, a constellation a group of stars.

A hypochondriac constantly imagines they are ill; a misogynist hates women, a misanthrope hates people.

Meritocracy is rule by those of highest ability or merit; oligarchy is rule by a few, theocracy by religious authority.

Introspection is examining one's own thoughts and feelings; retrospection looks back at past events, reflection is broader thinking.

An apostle is a leading pioneer or advocate of a reform movement; an apothecary is a pharmacist, apotheosis is glorification.

A fatalist believes events are predetermined by fate; an optimist expects the best, a pessimist the worst.

A somniloquist talks in their sleep; a ventriloquist throws their voice while awake, an insomniac cannot sleep.

An elegy is a mournful poem lamenting the dead; an ode praises, an epic recounts heroic deeds.

Blackmail is extortion by threatening to reveal damaging secrets; despotism is tyrannical rule.

Infallible means incapable of making mistakes or errors; the closest option is 'mistakes & failures'.

To abdicate is to formally renounce sovereign power, as a king does; resign applies to ordinary offices.

A postscript (P.S.) is added after a letter is signed; a corrigendum lists corrections, a manuscript is any handwritten document.

A colt is a young male horse; a piglet is a young pig, a calf a young cow.

Coercion is the use of force or threats to obtain compliance; conviction is a firm belief or a court verdict.

Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse; bigamy is being married to two, monogamy just one.

A dirge is a mournful song, especially for the dead; a ditty is a short light song, a knell is a bell tolled for death.