Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word. Incorrigible

Correct — D. Incorrigible means not able to be corrected or reformed, as in an incorrigible liar. It is built on Latin corrigere, 'to correct', with the negative prefix in-.

The antonym must describe someone who can be reformed. One sense of reclaim is exactly that: to call a person back from wrongdoing, to reform them.

So reclaimable means able to be reformed → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Chronic — Chronic means persisting for a long time, as in a chronic liar. It stresses how long the habit has lasted, which agrees with incorrigible rather than opposing it.
• (b)
  Deep-rooted — Deep-rooted means firmly established and hard to change. A deep-rooted habit is close to an incorrigible one, so this is a near-synonym.
• (c)
  Habitual — Habitual means done constantly, as a habit, as in a habitual offender. It describes the persistence that makes someone incorrigible, so it points the same way.

An antonym item on a negative-prefix word needs the root first. Incorrigible is in- plus corrigible, 'able to be corrected', so its opposite is corrigible, or any word meaning able to be reformed.

Chronic, Deep-rooted and Habitual all describe a fault that has set hard. They are near-synonyms placed as traps.

Reclaimable is the one option on the reform side. It uses reclaim in its moral sense, not the sense of reclaiming land or luggage.

Key facts

• Incorrigible means not able to be corrected or reformed, from Latin corrigere, 'to correct'.
• Its direct antonym is corrigible, able to be corrected.
• Reclaim can mean to reform a person, as well as to take something back.
• Chronic, deep-rooted and habitual all describe a persistent fault, so they agree with incorrigible.

Common traps

• Treating chronic, deep-rooted or habitual as opposites because they sound neutral, when all three agree with incorrigible
• Rejecting reclaimable because you know reclaim only in the sense of land or luggage

No directly related past PYQ was found.