What is the most suitable antonym of the word innocuous ?
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What is the most suitable antonym of the word innocuous?
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Answer: B. Injurious
Innocuous means harmless or not causing injury. Its antonym must convey the opposite sense—something that causes harm or damage. Injurious means causing harm or injury, making it the direct opposite. Innocent refers to lack of guilt (unrelated semantic field), observant means watchful (unrelated), and intrinsic means inherent or essential (unrelated).
Step-by-step Derivation:
- Define 'innocuous': harmless; not likely to cause harm. 2. Identify the semantic opposition: the antonym should mean 'harmful' or 'causing injury'. 3. Evaluate each option: (A) Innocent—relates to guilt/responsibility, not harm potential; (B) Injurious—means causing harm or damage, directly opposing harmlessness; (C) Observant—means attentive or watchful, unrelated; (D) Intrinsic—means built-in or essential, unrelated. 4. Conclusion: 'Injurious' is the only option that semantically opposes 'innocuous'.