Question:
She said I was the best boss they’d ever had. It was obvious she was praising me sincerely.
She said I was the best boss they’d ever had. It was obvious she was praising me sincerely.
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Opposites of sincerity often involve deception — words like "befool" indicate deliberate misleading rather than simple absence of praise.
Updated On: Aug 12, 2025
- not appreciating me
- befooling me
- buttering me up
- disliking me
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The underlined phrase "praising me sincerely" means giving genuine compliments or admiration.
The opposite should mean being dishonest in praise, i.e., pretending with hidden intentions.
Option (b) "befooling me" means deceiving or tricking someone, which fits perfectly as the opposite of sincere praise.
Option (a) "not appreciating me" simply means lack of praise, not necessarily dishonesty.
Option (c) "buttering me up" means flattering someone to gain favor, which still involves praise, though insincere — but it’s not exactly opposite, more like manipulative praise.
Option (d) "disliking me" is unrelated to whether praise was genuine or fake.
Thus, "befooling me" best captures the sense of opposite here because it changes the tone from genuine to deceitful.
Example: "He pretended to support me, but in reality, he was just befooling me."
The opposite should mean being dishonest in praise, i.e., pretending with hidden intentions.
Option (b) "befooling me" means deceiving or tricking someone, which fits perfectly as the opposite of sincere praise.
Option (a) "not appreciating me" simply means lack of praise, not necessarily dishonesty.
Option (c) "buttering me up" means flattering someone to gain favor, which still involves praise, though insincere — but it’s not exactly opposite, more like manipulative praise.
Option (d) "disliking me" is unrelated to whether praise was genuine or fake.
Thus, "befooling me" best captures the sense of opposite here because it changes the tone from genuine to deceitful.
Example: "He pretended to support me, but in reality, he was just befooling me."
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