Select the most appropriate synonym of the word infringe to fill in t…

The correct answer is Option (4) → violate

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, more than one answer is possible here: Option (2) "contravene" and Option (4) "violate" both make a correct sentence, as explained below.

To infringe means to break a law or an agreement, or to act against someone's legal rights. In the sentence, the company was sued because it tried to act against the intellectual property rights (patents, copyrights, trademarks) of its competitors.
Example: The website was fined for infringing the copyright of a film studio.

Option 1: ignore — Incorrect. To ignore is to pay no attention to something. Paying no attention is not the same as breaking a right, and a company is not sued for merely ignoring something.
Example: He ignored the warning and went out in the storm.

Option 2: contravene — Can also be considered as correct. To contravene is to act against a law, rule or right, which is also a meaning of infringe. "Attempting to contravene the intellectual property rights" is grammatical and correct, though the word is used more often with laws and regulations than with rights.
Example: Parking here would contravene the traffic rules.

Option 3: overturn — Incorrect. To overturn is to turn something upside down or, for a court, to reverse an earlier decision. A company cannot overturn another firm's rights.
Example: The High Court overturned the lower court's verdict.

Option 4: violate — Correct (Answer as per NTA). To violate is to break or fail to respect a law, rule or right. "Violate the intellectual property rights" is the most common way of saying infringe them, so it fits the blank best.
Example: Factories that violate pollution laws will be shut down.

 

Synonyms of infringe: violate, contravene, breach, transgress Antonyms of infringe: obey, observe, comply with, respect Also asked in CUET (UG): infringe – 05-06-2023 Slot 1