Choose the word which is nearly opposite in meaning to the given word. The target word is "acrimonious", usually used to describe speech, arguments, or relationships that are bitter and full of anger.

Introduction / Context:
This antonym question focuses on the adjective acrimonious, which describes situations, especially arguments or discussions, that are bitter, angry, and full of hostility. To choose the correct opposite, you need a word that suggests peace, friendliness, or pleasant relations instead of bitterness and conflict.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The word to be contrasted is "acrimonious".
We assume the standard meaning: bitter in tone, full of resentment or harsh feelings, especially in arguments.

The correct antonym must express a positive, peaceful, or friendly relationship or atmosphere.

The options include technical or unrelated words such as legal and cursive, as well as adjectives like severe and harmonious.

Concept / Approach:
If an argument is acrimonious, it is marked by anger, harsh words, and personal attacks. The opposite type of relationship or discussion would be harmonious: peaceful, friendly, and without serious disagreement. Legal simply means related to law, severe means very harsh or strict, cursive refers to a style of writing, and harsh again is close in meaning to acrimonious. Therefore, harmonious clearly stands out as the correct opposite.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Restate acrimonious in simple terms: bitter, angry, and filled with resentment. Step 2: Look for a word that suggests the absence of bitterness and the presence of peace and cooperation. Step 3: Option D Harmonious describes friendly relations, agreement, and pleasant unity, which is the natural opposite of bitter conflict. Step 4: Option A Legal relates to law and tells us nothing about whether something is bitter or pleasant. Step 5: Option B Severe describes strictness or harshness, which is close to the negative tone of acrimonious, not its opposite. Step 6: Option C Cursive refers to a style of handwriting and is irrelevant to emotional tone. Step 7: Option E Harsh again supports the idea of severity or cruelty, similar in tone to acrimonious, and so is not an antonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare the phrases acrimonious divorce and harmonious marriage. An acrimonious divorce suggests a bitter, hostile separation with many arguments. A harmonious marriage implies peace, understanding, and friendly cooperation. These two phrases clearly sit at opposite ends of the relationship-quality spectrum. If we tried legal divorce, severe divorce, or cursive divorce, the expressions would either miss the emotional tone or sound ridiculous. This confirms that harmonious is the correct opposite of acrimonious in this context.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A Legal refers to law and could describe a legal dispute or legal contract, but it does not indicate bitterness or friendliness by itself.
Option B Severe expresses high degree of strictness or harshness, which is associated with negative tone and therefore nearer to acrimonious than to its opposite.
Option C Cursive is about writing style and has no connection to emotional tone or relationships.
Option E Harsh is clearly negative and can be almost synonymous with acrimonious when describing criticism or treatment.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to treat unfamiliar words as neutral and pick the first familiar term that appears positive or technical. However, an antonym question requires you to think specifically in terms of emotional or descriptive opposites. Once you see that acrimonious is about bitter tone and hostility, it becomes easier to recognise that a peaceful or friendly term like harmonious is the correct choice, even if other options are also adjectives.

Final Answer:
The word nearly opposite in meaning to "acrimonious" is harmonious.