Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Hellish
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This antonym question focuses on the adjective celestial. The word is frequently used in literature, religion, and astronomy to describe things connected with the sky or heaven. Understanding its opposite helps you follow contrasts in descriptive writing and philosophical texts.
Given Data / Assumptions:
You must choose from heavenly, blessed, hellish, holy, and divine. Celestial usually means heavenly or relating to the sky, stars, or the spiritual realm above the earth. Therefore, an antonym should refer to the opposite realm or a strongly negative spiritual state.
Concept / Approach:
The natural contrast in many traditions is between heaven and hell. Celestial shares the same positive heavenly association as words like heavenly, holy, and divine. An antonym must reverse this by pointing to hell or infernal regions, which is exactly what hellish does. Hellish describes something extremely unpleasant or literally of hell, making it the direct opposite in this context.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that celestial refers to things connected with the sky, angels, or heaven.Step 2: Identify which options carry a similar positive spiritual meaning. Heavenly, blessed, holy, and divine all match that side.Step 3: Recognise that hellish refers to hell, torment, or extreme unpleasantness.Step 4: Note the clear heaven versus hell opposition used in religious and literary language.Step 5: Select hellish as the antonym that best contrasts with celestial.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider two phrases: celestial beauty and hellish landscape. The first suggests something heavenly and pure, while the second suggests something horrible and infernal. Replacing celestial with heavenly produces almost the same meaning, so heavenly is a synonym, not an opposite. Similar reasoning applies to blessed, holy, and divine. Only hellish truly reverses the positive spiritual association of celestial.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Heavenly is almost identical in meaning to celestial, indicating something of heaven. Blessed means favoured or made holy, again positive. Holy refers to sacred or dedicated to God. Divine pertains to God or a deity. All four words are on the same semantic side as celestial and cannot be antonyms. They reinforce rather than oppose the idea of heavenly nature.
Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates confuse antonyms with unrelated words and may avoid hellish because it seems extreme or informal. Others might think blessed is opposite because they focus only on religious versus astronomical contexts. However, exam questions usually rely on the clear heaven versus hell contrast when pairing celestial and hellish.
Final Answer:
The correct antonym of celestial is Hellish.
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