Choose the correct antonym of the following word: ADVERSITY
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Serendipity
- Adversity means a difficult or unlucky situation; misfortune.
Example: She showed great courage in the face of adversity. - Serendipity means good luck in finding something valuable or pleasant by chance. The word was made by the English writer Horace Walpole from "Serendip", an old name for Sri Lanka. Good luck is the opposite of misfortune, so serendipity is the antonym among the options.
Example: Meeting her old friend in a foreign city was pure serendipity.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Fatality — Incorrect. A fatality is a death caused by an accident, war or disease; it is a misfortune itself, not the opposite of one.
Example: The bus accident caused one fatality.
Option 3: Catastrophe — Incorrect. A catastrophe is a sudden event that causes great damage or suffering; it is close in meaning to adversity.
Example: The earthquake was a catastrophe for the whole region.
Option 4: Contretemps — Incorrect. A contretemps (from French) is an unlucky event that causes embarrassment, or a small argument; it is also a kind of misfortune.
Example: A contretemps over the seating plan delayed the dinner.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| adversity | – | – | – | 08-06 S3 | 17-08 S2 |
| contretemps | 29-05 S2 | – | – | – | – |