Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Sorrow
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This antonym question asks you to find the word that is opposite in meaning to triumph. Triumph is commonly used in everyday English as both noun and verb to describe a major victory or a great feeling of joy due to success. To find the antonym, you must identify a word that expresses the emotional or situational opposite of victory and exultation.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Target word: Triumph.
- Options: Establish, Sorrow, Disdain, Elation.
- We are dealing here with the emotional result of success versus its opposite.
Concept / Approach:
Triumph, as a noun, typically refers to a great victory or success, and by extension, to the intense joy and pride that come with such success. The opposite of triumph, in emotional terms, would be sadness or grief, especially following failure or loss. Among the options, sorrow directly expresses sadness and emotional pain, making it a natural antonym. The other words describe establishing something, looking down on something or feeling joy, none of which are the true opposite of triumph.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Restate the meaning of triumph: a big victory and the joy associated with that success.
Step 2: Examine Sorrow. Sorrow means deep sadness or grief, often in response to loss or failure, which stands in direct contrast to joy and victory.
Step 3: Examine Establish. Establish means to set up, create or prove something, and does not relate directly to winning or losing.
Step 4: Examine Disdain. Disdain means a feeling of contempt or scorn toward someone or something and is not the opposite of success or joy.
Step 5: Examine Elation. Elation means great happiness, which is actually very close in meaning to the emotional side of triumph.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider simple examples. After the team won the championship, the stadium was full of triumph and joy. The opposite scene, after a crushing defeat, would be one of sorrow and disappointment, not of disdain or establishment. Elation clearly belongs on the same positive side as triumph. In exam style questions, you should always try to imagine such simple scenarios and ask which option gives the emotional mirror image of the original word.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Establish is wrong because it refers to setting something up or proving something, a neutral verb unrelated to emotional responses to victory or defeat.
Disdain is wrong because it expresses contempt, which is a different kind of negative feeling and not the opposite of success itself.
Elation is wrong because it describes a strong positive feeling of happiness and is therefore close to, not opposite to, triumph.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes choose words that simply feel negative rather than truly opposite. For example, disdain may attract some test takers because it is a negative feeling, but it does not match the specific victory versus loss axis on which triumph lies. A useful method is to think of what you would feel if you did not triumph. In most cases, especially in sports or competitive exams, the opposite feeling is sadness, disappointment or sorrow. Linking triumph with joy and sorrow with sadness makes the antonym pair easy to remember.
Final Answer:
The word that is opposite in meaning to Triumph is Sorrow.
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