From the given options, select the word that is opposite in meaning to the highlighted word in the given sentence:-
Her affable charm helped her to navigate the tense meeting with a warm smile and easy humor, disarming even her harshest critics.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → surly
Affable (adjective) means friendly, pleasant and easy to talk to. Her affable charm, with a warm smile and easy humour, won over even her harshest critics. Its antonym is surly.
Example: The affable shopkeeper chatted with every customer.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) gullible | easily tricked into believing something (about trust, not about friendliness) | The gullible tourist paid double the price. |
| (2) surly (answer) | bad-tempered, rude and unfriendly (friendly and unfriendly are opposites) | The surly guard refused to answer our questions. |
| (3) tactless | saying things that upset people without meaning to (a tactless person can still be friendly, so it is not the opposite of affable) | It was tactless of him to mention her failure in front of everyone. |
| (4) gracious | kind, polite and pleasant (close to affable in meaning) | She was gracious in defeat and congratulated the winner. |
| Synonyms of affable: friendly, amiable, cordial, gracious Antonyms of affable: surly, unfriendly, rude, hostile Also asked in CUET (UG): affable – 31-05-2026 Slot 2, 20-05-2026 Slot 2, 28-05-2025 Slot 1 gullible – 03-06-2025 Slot 2, 19-05-2025 Slot 1, 25-05-2023 Slot 1, 23-05-2023 Slot 2, 21-05-2023 Slot 1 |