CHAPTER20:INHIBITORS and CATALYSTS

There’re some INNOCUOUS (harmless, innocent)-looking words that appear in GRE, especially in ANTONYMS. They look so simple that we almost ignore them when we prepare for the test. 

For example, 

consider the word CONSIDER. Once it appeared among ANTONYM questions. The word TABLE was given as the answer choice. Even ‘TABLE’ looks very simple. But when we get TABLE as the opposite of CONSIDER, we get puzzled. That’s because we are not aware of the American usage of TABLE as a verb.  

TABLE, in American English, means to SHELVE, put aside. When we CONSIDER something, we take it up; when we TABLE the same thing, we put it aside. 

Hence, CONSIDER x TABLE  

Another such simple term is STALL. 

To STALL is to stop or prevent. When we stall a meeting, we prevent it from progressing. 

Here are a few terms all of which are ‘PREVENT’ in their meaning. 

They are all, in a way SYNONYMS of PREVENT. 

PROHIBIT 

FORBID 

INHIBIT 

OBSTRUCT 

HINDER 

HAMPER 

OCCLUDE 

BLOCK 

IMPEDE 

FRUSTRATE 

THWART 

FOIL 

SCOTCH 

STYMIE 

DAUNT 

DISCOURAGE 

DETER 

DISSUADE 

DISHEARTEN 

STEM 

CURB 

REIN  

For all these words FACILITATE can be an ANTONYM.  

ASSIST, 

HELP, 

ABET, 

PRECIPITATE (hasten an action),  

EXPEDITE (speed up an action) 

also can be selected as theirANTONYMS. 

We’ve below a few old ANTONYM pairs: 

IMPEDE x ASSIST 

OCCLUDED x FREE of OBSTRUCTION

INHIBIT x FACILITATE 

DISSUADE x GOAD (persuade) 

DETER x ABET 

CATALYZE x INHIBIT

EXPEDITE x FRUSTRATE 

We call an agent of prevention INHIBITOR, and an agent of facilitation (helper in an action) CATALYST. 

INHIBITOR:FRUSTRATE 

CATALYST: FACILITATE   

When we prevent things in advance, we term it PRECLUDE (pre+ occlude) or FORESTALL (fore+ stall).