Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word. Erudite

Correct — B. Erudite means having or showing great learning, the kind that comes from long study and wide reading.

The opposite is a person without that knowledge. Uninformed means lacking the facts or understanding of a subject, and it is the lone option pointing away from erudite → option (b).

Scholarly, Learned and Intellectual all stand on the same side as erudite, so the set is three synonyms around one antonym.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Scholarly — Scholarly means showing the learning of serious study, a close synonym of erudite. A scholarly essay and an erudite essay say much the same thing.
• (c)
  Learned — Learned, said as two syllables when it is an adjective, means having much knowledge gained by study. It is a synonym of erudite, not its opposite.
• (d)
  Intellectual — Intellectual describes a person or work engaged with ideas and the mind. It leans toward erudite rather than away from it, so it cannot be the antonym.

An antonym item asks for the word at the opposite pole of the same scale. Erudite sits at the far, well-read end of the knowledge scale.

Scholarly, Learned and Intellectual stand beside it. Uninformed is the lone option at the other end.

A quick check: put each option in 'the ___ reviewer'. The scholarly or learned reviewer says what the erudite reviewer says. The uninformed reviewer says the reverse.

Key facts

• Erudite means having or showing great knowledge or learning.
• It comes from Latin eruditus, 'instructed', from erudire, 'to instruct or train'.
• Learned as an adjective is pronounced with two syllables and means having much knowledge gained by study.
• Uninformed means lacking awareness or understanding of the facts.

Common traps

• Taking Intellectual as the odd one out because it is less bookish than the others, when it still sits on the knowledge side
• Reading Learned as the past tense of learn and missing that it is an adjective meaning erudite

No directly related past PYQ was found.