Choose the word closest in meaning to the underlined word.
Why did you make that flippant remark about her choice of clothes?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → disrespectful
Flippant means not showing a serious or respectful attitude. A flippant remark treats a person or a matter too lightly. A careless joke about someone's choice of clothes is a flippant remark. Its synonym is disrespectful.
Example: The minister's flippant reply to the flood victims angered everyone.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) sarcastic | saying the opposite of what one means in order to mock (a flippant remark is light and careless, and it need not be ironic or mocking) | "Great job," he said in a sarcastic tone when I dropped the plate. |
| (2) disrespectful (answer) | showing a lack of respect for someone (a flippant remark about her clothes shows no respect for her choice) | It is disrespectful to talk while the teacher is speaking. |
| (3) somber | serious, dark and gloomy (nearly the opposite of flippant) | The mood at the funeral was somber. |
| (4) indifferent | not interested, not caring (a person who makes a remark about someone's clothes has taken notice, and the remark is careless, not uninterested) | He was indifferent to the result of the match. |
Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 3 read "casual". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "somber".
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 flippant: disrespectful, frivolous, glib, irreverent Antonyms of flippant: somber, serious, solemn, respectful Also asked in CUET (UG): flippant – 21-05-2026 Slot 2, 11-05-2026 Slot 1, 03-06-2025 Slot 2 somber – 13-05-2026 Slot 1 |