Choose the most appropriate option that is opposite in meaning to the underlined word in the following sentence.
Their smiles looked contrived inspite of their efforts to be effusive on our arrival.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → sincere
Contrived means forced and artificial, deliberately put on rather than natural. They tried hard to seem warm (effusive) when we arrived, but their smiles looked put on. Its antonym is sincere.
Example: His contrived laughter at the boss's joke fooled no one.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) imperfect | having faults or weaknesses (it speaks of flaws, not of whether a feeling is real or put on) | The vase was sold cheap because it was imperfect. |
| (2) sincere (answer) | genuine, honest and coming from real feeling (a sincere smile is natural, the exact opposite of a contrived one) | Please accept my sincere thanks for your help. |
| (3) genitive | a grammar term for the case that shows possession, as in "the boy's book" (it has no link with the meaning of contrived) | In Latin, the genitive case shows ownership. |
| (4) concocted | made up or invented, often to deceive (it is close in meaning to contrived, not opposite to it) | He concocted a story to explain why he was late. |
| Synonyms of contrived: artificial, forced, laboured, concocted Antonyms of contrived: natural, sincere, spontaneous, genuine |