Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word: Erudite

English Comprehension ·Previously asked in SSC CGL 2025

View the full solved paper: SSC CGL 2025 Tier I (12 Sep, Shift 3)

Question

Select the most appropriate antonym of the given word: Erudite

  1. A. Scholarly
  2. B. Uninformed (Correct answer)
  3. C. Learned
  4. D. Intellectual

Correct Answer

Option B — Uninformed

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Uninformed.

Key Points

  • Erudite means deeply learned, having wide scholarly knowledge acquired from study.
  • Its opposite is therefore uninformed — lacking knowledge.
  • Scholarly, learned and intellectual are all synonyms of erudite, not antonyms, so they can be eliminated together.
  • The word derives from Latin *eruditus*, literally "freed from roughness", i.e. polished by education.
  • Related antonyms worth knowing: ignorant, illiterate, unlettered, philistine. Read the instruction carefully — SSC alternates synonym and antonym questions in the same block, and the three-alike pattern shows which is being asked.

Additional Information

  • Root-based learning covers many SSC vocabulary items at once: *erudite* from Latin *rudis* (rough), *literate* from *littera* (letter), *cognisant* from *cognoscere* (to know).
  • Words of learning: erudite, scholarly, sagacious, astute, discerning, perspicacious; words of ignorance: ignorant, obtuse, benighted, philistine, unlettered.
  • Read the instruction line first — SSC alternates synonym and antonym questions within the same block, and the answer patterns look identical.

Topics covered: Antonyms Vocabulary