Select an appropriate antonym for the underlined word:
The impact of the speech was diminutive.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → enlarged
- Diminutive means very small or tiny. The sentence says the speech had only a very small impact.
Example: The diminutive girl could hardly reach the shelf. - Enlarged means made bigger, increased in size or extent. Something diminutive is very small; something enlarged has grown large, so the two are opposite in meaning.
Example: The photograph was enlarged to poster size.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: small — Incorrect. Small is a synonym of diminutive, not its antonym.
Example: They live in a small house near the station.
Option 2: admonitory — Incorrect. Admonitory means giving a warning or a mild scolding; it says nothing about size.
Example: The principal gave the late-comers an admonitory look.
Option 4: exhaustive — Incorrect. Exhaustive means thorough and complete, covering every detail; it is not the opposite of small.
Example: The committee made an exhaustive study of the problem.
| Synonyms (Diminutive) | Antonyms (Diminutive) |
|---|---|
| tiny | huge |
| small | enormous |
| minute | gigantic |
| little | massive |
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| diminutive | 19-05 S2 | – | 29-05 S1 | – | – |