In your antonym test’s answers, it is mentioned that existential means “still in existence”. I beg to differ, and claim that it does not. I don’t think that this word can have an antonym strictly in the sense of the word. Please give a reference which proves that the word has the above meaning. AFAIK, existential more or less refers to the philosophical concept.
Also, how is stifling the antonym of seminal?
Your mere words ” I beg to differ, claim that it does not” doesn’t hold true and wont make any difference to the meaning of the word in the English language. It is not something I am claiming as my own work that you need to voice yourdissent. The work “existential” is a common English word meaning still in existence or pertaining to that. I do not feel I need to justify, as this meaning is commonly accepted and used. Here is a common website for your reference http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/existential. Hope this helps to quell your doubts. Moreover when you are trying to choose an antonym from given choices you need to eliminate and choose the word that closely matches the opposite and hence the choice is extinct. Seminal means “creative, far-reaching.” The opposite is Stifling – confining.
From the same site which you referred to, I give the definition of “seminal” -
1. pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen. 2. Botany. of or pertaining to seed. 3. having possibilities of future development. 4. highly original and influencing the development of future events: a seminal artist; seminal ideas.
Clearly, the phrase “far-reaching” which you used here should not be be taken literally. Just paraphrasing the word and giving the opposite to the literal meaning of the phrase in this case leads to an “antonym” which is NOT the antonym of the original word. If someone did some “non-seminal” work, we would call it derivative, not stifling.
In this case, it is plain WRONG to say that.
The previous sentence is remarkably rude when used like this – i.e. between two people who aren’t acquainted. Hence the “I beg to differ, claim that it is not” – it is plain manners.
You seem to prefer I be rude. Hence I repeat the statement – “Stifling is NOT the opposite of seminal. Something like ‘Derivative’ would be the opposite of seminal. The question is incorrect as given. You ought to do some more research before giving questions – like actually reading something about the usage of the words. Blindly cramming what is given in word lists and giving grotesquely contorted perceived “antonyms” isn’t a nice way of making questions” – Sheesh…
I would have to agree – perhaps the answer choices could be slightly adjusted?
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