Select the word that is opposite in meaning to the word:- Belittle

The correct answer is Option (1) → Adore

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (3) → Magnify, as explained below.

To belittle means to make a person or a thing seem small, unimportant or less valuable than it really is.
Example: Do not belittle his efforts just because he came second.

Option 1: Adore — Should be Incorrect. (But this is the correct answer in the NTA Answer Key.) To adore is to love someone deeply or like something very much. It names a feeling of love, while belittle is about making something look smaller than it is. The true opposite of adore is hate or detest.
Example: The children adore their grandmother.

Option 2: Disparage — Incorrect. To disparage is to speak of someone or something as having little value. It is a synonym of belittle.
Example: He never disparages the work of his rivals.

Option 3: Magnify — Should be Correct. (Incorrect as per NTA) To magnify is to make something appear larger or more important than it is (and, in older use, to praise highly). Making something seem smaller and making it seem bigger are direct opposites, so magnify is the antonym of belittle.
Example: The media tends to magnify small quarrels between celebrities.

Option 4: Asperse — Incorrect. To asperse is to attack someone's reputation with false or damaging charges. Like belittle, it lowers a person in others' eyes.
Example: His opponents tried to asperse his honesty before the election.

Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.

 

Synonyms of belittle: disparage, downplay, deprecate, undervalue Antonyms of belittle: magnify, praise, extol, exaggerate Also asked in CUET (UG): belittle – 26-05-2025 Slot 1 disparage – 03-06-2025 Slot 2, 26-05-2025 Slot 1