evasive
/ɪˈveɪzɪv/The opposite of candid — deliberately vague, avoiding a direct answer.
Example: The minister gave evasive answers to every question.
C222 words · Proficient
Common Opposites vocabulary — C2
Everyday opposites vocabulary for the most precise pairs — cosmopolitan and provincial, forthcoming and evasive — practising words like laconic, vivid and intractable.
22 questions
Words in this set
22laconic
/lɑˈkɑnɪk/The opposite of verbose — using very few words to say something.
Example:
He gave a laconic nod and walked off.
circumspect
/ˈsɜrkəmˌspɛkt/The opposite of impetuous — cautious, weighing outcomes before acting.
Example:
She's always circumspect before signing anything.
cosmopolitan
/ˌkɑzməˈpɑlətən/The opposite of insular — familiar and comfortable with many countries and cultures.
Example:
Singapore has a cosmopolitan mix of cuisines and languages.
provincial
/prəˈvɪnʃəl/The opposite of cosmopolitan — narrow in outlook, as if unfamiliar with the wider world.
Example:
Some critics found his views a bit provincial.
reckless
/ˈrɛkləs/The opposite of circumspect — acting without thinking carefully about the danger or consequences.
Example:
Driving that fast in the rain was reckless.
forthcoming
/ˈfɔrθˈkʌmɪŋ/The opposite of evasive — willing to give a direct, honest answer.
Example:
He wasn't very forthcoming about where he'd been.
innate
/ˌɪˈneɪt/Another word for inborn — a quality or ability you were born with, not learned.
Example:
She has an innate talent for music.
fabricated
/ˈfæbrɪˌkeɪtəd/The opposite of genuine — invented or made up in order to deceive people.
Example:
The whole story turned out to be completely fabricated.
flamboyant
/flæmˈbɔɪənt/The opposite of reserved — confident, colourful and eager to attract attention.
Example:
He arrived at the party in a flamboyant purple suit.
nebulous
/ˈnɛbjələs/The opposite of concrete — unclear and without any definite form.
Example:
The plan remained nebulous right up to the launch.
intransigent
/ˌɪnˈtrænsədʒənt/The opposite of accommodating — refusing to change your position at all.
Example:
Both sides were intransigent and the talks collapsed.
perfunctory
/pərˈfʌŋktəri/The opposite of thorough — done quickly and without any care.
Example:
The inspection was perfunctory and missed everything.
manifest
/ˈmænəˌfɛst/The opposite of latent — clear and obvious to everybody.
Example:
The failure was manifest long before anyone wrote it down.
trifling
/ˈtraɪflɪŋ/The opposite of weighty — too small to be worth any attention.
Example:
The sum involved was trifling and the row enormous.
vivid
/ˈvɪvəd/The opposite of dull — producing very clear, strong pictures in the mind.
Example:
Her account of the fire is still vivid forty years later.
innocuous
/ˌɪˈnɑkjuəs/The opposite of harmful — causing no damage or offence at all.
Example:
An innocuous remark started the whole argument.
dull
/dʌl/The opposite of vivid — not bright, sharp or interesting.
Example:
The paint has gone dull where the sun reaches it.
germane
/dʒərˈmeɪn/The opposite of irrelevant — directly connected to what is being discussed.
Example:
Only two of the six points were germane to the decision.
recondite
/ˈrɛkənˌdaɪt/The opposite of commonplace — known to very few people indeed.
Example:
His interests were recondite even by academic standards.
salient
/ˈseɪliənt/The opposite of trivial — the most noticeable and important point.
Example:
The salient fact was buried on the eleventh page.
intractable
/ˌɪnˈtræktəbəl/The opposite of tractable — very difficult to deal with or to solve.
Example:
Housing remains the most intractable item on the agenda.
