Out of the following options, select the word that is opposite in meaning to "parsimonious".

Introduction / Context:
This antonym question checks your understanding of words that describe attitudes towards money and spending. Parsimonious is a formal adjective that portrays a very stingy or excessively unwilling attitude toward spending money. To answer correctly, you must select the option that directly contrasts with this sense of excessive stinginess.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Target word: parsimonious. - Options: Avaricious, Chintzy, Frugal, Lavish. - Parsimonious means extremely unwilling to spend; overly economical in a negative sense. - The correct antonym must describe free or generous spending.

Concept / Approach:
Lavish is used to describe spending or giving in a very generous, sometimes extravagant way. A lavish lifestyle or lavish gifts suggest large, free expenditure of money. This is the opposite of parsimonious behaviour, which is marked by persistent reluctance to spend. The other options either share the idea of meanness or careful spending, so they are similar in tone, not opposite.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Associate parsimonious with synonyms such as miserly, stingy, or penny pinching. Step 2: Examine Lavish. It means very generous or extravagant with money, time, or effort. Step 3: Recognise that someone who is lavish in spending is the direct opposite of someone who is parsimonious. Step 4: Consider Avaricious. This describes someone greedy for wealth, often wanting to gather money, not to spend it freely, so it is close to miserliness, not the opposite. Step 5: Check Chintzy, an informal term that often means cheap or mean in spending, also close in meaning to parsimonious. Step 6: Look at Frugal, which can describe careful or economical use of resources. Although more positive and moderate, it still suggests restraint, not the free spending opposed to parsimonious. Therefore, Lavish must be the correct antonym.

Verification / Alternative check:
Think of example sentences. A parsimonious host cuts costs and offers very little, while a lavish host spends freely on food and decoration. It is clear that these two behaviours are at opposite ends of the spending spectrum. Using Avaricious, Chintzy, or Frugal in place of Lavish in such comparisons would not create a strong contrast with parsimonious and often would reinforce the stingy side instead.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Avaricious people have a strong desire for wealth and are usually unwilling to part with it, which aligns more with miserliness than generosity. Chintzy is a colloquial word for cheap or mean, again overlapping with parsimonious. Frugal indicates sensible and moderate spending; it is not extreme, but it still suggests careful use of money rather than free or extravagant expenditure. None of these words therefore provide the clear opposite of parsimonious that Lavish does.

Common Pitfalls:
Because Frugal is a more positive term, some candidates may mistakenly choose it as an antonym for parsimonious. However, antonym questions are often looking for a strong contrast, not just a difference in emotional tone. Remember that frugal and parsimonious both describe reduced spending, while lavish describes high, generous spending. Keeping this mental number line of spending behaviour helps avoid confusion.

Final Answer:
Lavish is the correct antonym of parsimonious.