English Vocabulary — Antonyms Choose the word that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the highlighted word in the sentence below. Sentence: The result of the tournament gave them a sense of elation. Target word: elation

Introduction / Context:Emotional antonyms demand attention to intensity. "Elation" denotes a state of great joy or exultant happiness. The opposite should capture deep sadness or loss of hope, not merely a neutral or mild feeling.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Target word: elation (strong positive affect).
• We need the strongest natural opposite among choices.
• Context: reaction to a tournament's result.

Concept / Approach:

"Despondency" denotes low spirits and a loss of hope, the emotional inverse of elation. Words like "contentment," "relief," or "composure" are neutral/mildly positive and thus not true antonyms. "Surprise" is an orthogonal emotion without positive/negative polarity by itself.

Step-by-Step Solution:

1) Define the pole of the target: elation = intense happiness.2) Identify the counter-pole: intense sadness/hopelessness = despondency.3) Eliminate neutral or weakly positive states that fail to invert the affective valence.4) Select "despondency" as the best opposite.

Verification / Alternative check:

Sentence flip: "The result … gave them a sense of despondency" straightforwardly reverses the emotional outcome and is idiomatic.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

contentment: A calm satisfaction; not opposite to elation.surprise: Valence-neutral; not an antonym of joy.relief: Mild positive after stress; not contrary to elation.composure: Calm self-control; unrelated to joy vs sorrow.

Common Pitfalls:

Choosing a merely non-elated state (e.g., calmness) instead of a truly opposite negative state is a common error in antonym questions.

Final Answer:

despondency