List of Useful Synonyms & Antonyms for IELTS Band 9 (Part 1)
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Unlock your vocabulary power with this blog! It offers an extensive list of useful synonyms and antonyms for IELTS band 9 with examples and exercises to improve writing variety, lexical resource, and accuracy for both IELTS Writing and Speaking modules.
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When preparing for the IELTS exam, mastering vocabulary beyond the basics is essential. High-level words not only help you convey your ideas more precisely but also demonstrate lexical resource, which is a key criterion in both writing and speaking tasks. However, repeating the same words might affect your score, which makes learning their synonyms and antonyms essential.
This blog presents 40 advanced words, their meanings, sample original sentences, and practice exercises to test your grasp of their usage. These words cover a variety of contexts, including emotions, behaviors, social relationships, and descriptive language, which are commonly tested in the IELTS exam.
List of Useful Synonyms & Antonyms for IELTS Band 9
Using synonyms and antonyms effectively can improve your IELTS band score, allowing you to avoid repetition and express nuanced meanings. So, let us look at the list of the powerful antonyms and synonyms for IELTS Writing and Speaking in the table below.
Word |
Synonyms |
Antonyms |
Example Sentence |
---|---|---|---|
Remote |
Distant, isolated |
Near, close |
The village is so remote that it is unreachable by public transport. |
Predict |
Forecast, anticipate |
Misjudge, doubt |
Meteorologists predict heavy rainfall this weekend. |
Banish |
Exile, expel |
Welcome, accept |
The king banished the traitor from the kingdom. |
Detest |
Abhor, loathe |
Love, admire |
She detests dishonesty in any form. |
Kin |
Relatives, clan |
Stranger, outsider |
He felt a strong bond with his kin during the festival. |
Fraud |
Deceit, swindle |
Honesty, integrity |
The company uncovered a massive fraud in its accounts. |
Gracious |
Courteous, polite |
Rude, unkind |
The host was gracious to every guest. |
Pensive |
Contemplative, reflective |
Carefree, indifferent |
She sat in a pensive mood, staring at the horizon. |
Saccharine |
Sugary, cloying |
Bitter, sincere |
The movie’s ending felt saccharine and unrealistic. |
Drag |
Haul, pull |
Push, propel |
He had to drag the heavy suitcase up the stairs. |
Simulate |
Mimic, replicate |
Original, genuine |
The pilots simulate emergency scenarios to prepare for real crises. |
Generic |
Standard, common |
Unique, specific |
This generic brand tastes exactly like the expensive one. |
Jovial |
Merry, jolly |
Morose, gloomy |
His jovial personality made him popular among colleagues. |
Charisma |
Magnetism, appeal |
Repulsiveness |
The leader’s charisma drew people to his cause. |
Qualm |
Misgiving, hesitation |
Certainty, confidence |
She had qualms about signing the contract. |
Indifferent |
Apathetic, unconcerned |
Concerned, interested |
He remained indifferent to the heated argument. |
Apportion |
Allocate, distribute |
Withhold, keep |
The manager apportioned the tasks equally among team members. |
Wary |
Cautious, alert |
Reckless, careless |
She was wary of strangers approaching her. |
Distort |
Misrepresent, warp |
Clarify, straighten |
The politician distorted the facts to gain support. |
Inscrutable |
Mysterious, enigmatic |
Transparent, clear |
His expression was inscrutable, revealing nothing of his thoughts. |
Appall |
Shock, horrify |
Comfort, please |
The conditions in the abandoned factory appalled the inspectors. |
Upright |
Honorable, ethical |
Dishonest, corrupt |
He lived an upright life and helped many. |
Reverie |
Daydream, fantasy |
Reality, wakefulness |
Lost in reverie, she forgot the time. |
Sumptuous |
Lavish, opulent |
Plain, modest |
The palace was decorated in sumptuous gold and velvet. |
Loot |
Plunder, pillage |
Return, restore |
The invaders looted the village. |
Reel |
Stagger, wobble |
Steady, stabilize |
He reeled after hearing the shocking news. |
Loquacious |
Talkative, garrulous |
Silent, reticent |
The loquacious guide kept the tourists entertained. |
Chimera |
Fantasy, dream |
Reality, fact |
Their hopes of winning were a mere chimera. |
Nabob |
Magnate, tycoon |
Pauper, commoner |
The nabob donated generously to charity. |
Pall |
Fade, diminish |
Brighten, revive |
The excitement began to pall after hours of waiting. |
Sacrosanct |
Sacred, inviolable |
Profane, ordinary |
Freedom of speech is considered sacrosanct in a democracy. |
Louche |
Shady, questionable |
Respectable, honest |
He had a louche reputation in the business world. |
Temerity |
Audacity, nerve |
Caution, humility |
She had the temerity to question her professor. |
Stentorian |
Booming, thunderous |
Soft, gentle |
The speaker’s stentorian voice filled the hall. |
Educe |
Extract, evoke |
Suppress, hide |
The teacher helped educe the student’s latent talent. |
Practice Exercises for Useful Synonyms & Antonyms for IELTS Band 9
We have put together a few exercises that you should take some time to solve to enhance your comprehension and use of the essential synonyms and antonyms for IELTS vocabulary score.
Which of these words is closest in meaning to the word provided?
Q. No. |
Word |
Options |
---|---|---|
1 |
Remote |
a. automatic b. distant c. savage d. mean |
2 |
Detest |
a. argue b. hate c. discover d. reveal |
3 |
Gracious |
a. pretty b. clever c. pleasant d. present |
4 |
Predict |
a. foretell b. decide c. prevent d. discover |
5 |
Kin |
a. exult b. twist c. friend d. relative |
6 |
Pensive |
a. oppressed b. caged c. thoughtful d. happy |
7 |
Banish |
a. exile b. hate c. fade d. clean |
8 |
Fraud |
a. imposter b. argument c. clown d. malcontent |
9 |
Saccharine |
a. leave b. sweet c. arid d. quit |
10 |
Drag |
a. sleepy b. crush c. proud d. pull |
11 |
Jovial |
a. incredulous b. merry c. revolting d. dizzy |
12 |
Indifferent |
a. neutral b. unkind c. precious d. mean |
13 |
Simulate |
a. excite b. imitate c. trick d. apelike |
14 |
Charisma |
a. ghost b. force c. charm d. courage |
15 |
Apportion |
a. divide b. decide c. cut d. squabble |
16 |
Generic |
a. general b. cheap c. fresh d. elderly |
17 |
Qualm |
a. distress b. impunity c. persevere d. scruple |
18 |
Wary |
a. calm b. curved c. confused d. cautious |
19 |
Distort |
a. wrong b. evil c. deform d. harm |
20 |
Sumptuous |
a. delirious b. gorgeous c. perilous d. luxurious |
21 |
Reel |
a. whirl b. fish c. hit d. mistake |
22 |
Inscrutable |
a. difficult b. mysterious c. inflexible d. wary |
23 |
Appall |
a. delirious b. covered c. dismay d. confuse |
24 |
Upright |
a. honorable b. horizontal c. humble d. supine |
25 |
Reverie |
a. palimpsest b. phantom c. daydream d. curio |
26 |
Loot |
a. destruction b. waste c. spoils d. cavort |
27 |
Loquacious |
a. talkative b. thirsty c. beautiful d. complicated |
28 |
Chimera |
a. chimney b. protest c. illusion d. panache |
29 |
Temerity |
a. audacity b. fearfulness c. shyness d. stupidity |
30 |
Educe |
a. demand b. elicit c. ideal d. unlawful |
31 |
Nabob |
a. bigwig b. doubter c. frolic d. converse |
32 |
Pall |
a. light b. satiate c. carry d. horror |
33 |
Sacrosanct |
a. prayer b. sanctuary c. pious d. sacred |
34 |
Louche |
a. gauche b. fine c. brilliant d. indecent |
35 |
Stentorian |
a. violent b. misbegotten c. loud d. stealthy |
Explore our Vocabulary for IELTS to boost your IELTS vocabulary!
Answer Keys for Practice Exercises on Useful Synonyms & Antonyms for IELTS Band 9
- b. remote means faraway, or distant
- b. to detest means to feel intense or violent dislike, or to hate
- c. gracious means to be pleasant or considerate in social interactions
- a. to predict means to declare in advance or to foretell
- d. kin means people with common ancestors, or relatives
- c. pensive means moodily or dreamily thoughtful
- a. to banish means to drive out from home or country, or to exile
- c. a fraud is someone who is not what he or she pretends to be, or an imposter
- b. saccharine means overly sweet
- d. to drag is to pull, or to cause movement in a direction with applied force
- b. jovial means good-humored or merry
- a. to be indifferent is to be marked by impartiality or to be neutral
- b. to simulate is to assume the outward appearance of, or to imitate
- c. charisma is magnetic charm or appeal
- a. to apportion is to divide and share out
- a. generic means having the characteristic of a whole group, or general
- d. a qualm is a feeling of uneasiness about a moral issue, or a scrupled. wary means to be attentive especially to danger, or to be cautious
- c. to distort means to twist out of a normal state, or to deform
- d. sumptuous means excessively costly, rich, or luxurious
- a. one meaning of reel is to move around and round or to whirl
- b. inscrutable means not easily interpreted or understood, or mysterious
- c. to appall is to overcome with shock, or to dismay
- a. upright can mean either honorable or vertical; horizontal and supine are both antonyms of upright
- c. a reverie means the state of being lost in thought or a daydream
- c. loot means goods seized in war or spoils
- a. loquacious means excessively talkative, or garrulous
- c. a chimera is a fabrication of the mind, or an illusion
- a. temerity means unreasonable contempt for danger or recklessness, or audacity
- b. to reduce means to develop something potential or latent; to elicit means to draw out something hidden or latent
- a. a nabob is a person of great wealth or importance, or a bigwig
- b. to pall can mean to deprive of pleasure in something by satiating
- d. sacrosanct means the most sacred, or holy
- d. louche means not reputable, or indecent
- c. stentorian means loud and is usually used to imply a voice of great power and range
To conclude, mastering these synonyms and antonyms of the Band 8+ words and adding them to your advanced vocabulary word list for IELTS significantly boosts your lexical range for IELTS. However, remember that only accurate usage demonstrates sophistication in both speaking and writing, helping you achieve a Band 9. So, make sure to practice them regularly through writing sentences, simulating speaking tests, and reviewing synonyms to ensure these words become part of your active vocabulary.
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