Synonyms

Venerable means something that is respected because of age, wisdom, or character - like traditional institutions. "Respectable" is the closest synonym. Amiable and pleasant refer to friendliness, while deleterious means harmful (opposite meaning).

Vengeance means punishment or revenge inflicted in return for a wrong. While "punish" is a verb (vengeance is a noun), it captures the semantic meaning best - the mood was one of wanting to punish the attackers. Sorrow is grief, not revenge; grim and attack don't fit.

Scathing means severely critical or expressing harsh condemnation. When someone is scathing about a report, they're condemning it strongly. "Condemn" is the correct synonym. Shun means to avoid; excited is opposite; rude is too mild.

Torpid means mentally or physically inactive, sluggish, or lethargic. At high altitudes with oxygen deprivation, people become drowsy and inactive before losing consciousness. "Inactive" is the correct synonym. Grim (serious), grin (smile), and gape (stare with mouth open) are unrelated.

Opulence means wealth or riches and it is close in meaning to luxury.

Dilate means to make wider or larger; cause to expand.

All the other words have negative connotations. Nagging means irksome and quarrel means argue. Pestering is a synonym of nagging.

The correct answer is 'braggart' because it means a boastful person, which is completely unrelated to 'kibosh'. Kibosh means to put an end to or stop something, making 'stop', 'thwart', and 'halt' all valid synonyms.

The correct answer is 'cryptic' because it means mysterious or obscure, unrelated to 'kaleidoscopic'. Kaleidoscopic refers to complex, colorful patterns. 'Polychromatic', 'psychedelic', and 'variegated' all relate to having multiple colors or complex visual patterns.

The correct answer is 'nail' because it is unrelated to the verb 'keel', which means to capsize or overturn (especially a boat). 'Swoon', 'founder', and 'capsize' all relate to falling, collapsing, or overturning.

The correct answer is 'akin' because it means similar or related by blood, which is not a synonym of 'keen'. Keen means eager, enthusiastic, or zealous. 'Zealous', 'anxious' (in the sense of eager), and 'eager' all describe eagerness or enthusiasm.

The correct answer is 'correction' because it means fixing or improvement, unrelated to 'ken'. Ken means range of knowledge, understanding, or perception. 'Grasp', 'comprehension', and 'perception' all relate to understanding or cognitive awareness.

The correct answer is 'notorious child' because it's completely unrelated to 'kaput'. Kaput means broken, non-functional, or finished. 'Broken', 'inoperative', and 'malfunctioning' all describe things that don't work.

The correct answer is 'peg' because it's unrelated to 'keg'. A keg is a small barrel for storing liquids. 'Firkin' (a small barrel), 'butt' (a large barrel), and 'vat' (a large container) are all liquid storage containers.

The correct answer is 'ransack' because it means to search thoroughly or plunder, unrelated to 'knapsack'. A knapsack is a backpack. 'Backpack', 'rucksack', and 'haversack' are all types of bags carried on the back.