Antonym – Choose the option that best expresses the opposite meaning of the highlighted word in the sentence below. Sentence: The inhabitants of the island were barbarians. Target word: barbarians (meaning: uncivilized or primitive people)

Introduction / Context:
This is an antonym question. In the sentence The inhabitants of the island were barbarians, the key word barbarians denotes people considered uncivilized or primitive (historically, outsiders to a dominant culture). We need the opposite meaning.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target word: barbarians
• Sense: culturally uncivilized (value-laden, historical term)
• Task: select the opposite trait in standard usage

Concept / Approach:
Opposites depend on the salient semantic dimension. Here, the axis is civilized vs uncivilized. Civilized is the conventional antonym, describing societies with developed laws, arts, and social organization (in the conventional, not evaluative, sense).

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Dictionary pairs: barbarian ↔ civilized person. Thesaurus oppositions confirm this mapping.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• B) cruel describes temperament/morality, not civilization level.
• C) uncivilized repeats the same meaning as barbarians, not the opposite.
• D) bad is vague and not a lexical antonym here.

Common Pitfalls:
Equating moral qualities (cruel, bad) with civilizational descriptors. Antonyms must reverse the relevant dimension.

Final Answer:
a) civilized