1.

Ignominy – embarrassment/shame/disgrace/disrepute/humiliation (Chiranjeevi had to face

ignominy, when a youth confronted him on jumping the queue to cast his vote)
2. Gullible – easily deceived/innocent/trusting/naïve/simple (He cheated the gullible
customers)
3. Naïve – Simple/innocent/immature/inexperienced
4. Ashen – pale/whitish (Dr. talwar went ashen after the court verdict)
5. Reticent – quiet/restrained/discreet (Rahul Gandhi is reticent and not reluctant)
6. Intriguing – interesting/exciting (He made an intriguing comment/ The Novel makes for an
intriguing reading)
7. Sobriquet – nickname (Aloo is his sobriquet)
8. Brusquely – rudely/harshly/snappily (he refused brusquely)
9. Curtly – rudely/snappily
10. Precipice – Cliff/Height/abyss/depth(Sudan stands at the precipice of a civil war)
11. Fledgling – inexperienced/new/young/untried (Sudan’s fledgling economy or AAP is a
fledgling party)
12. Parody – mockery/distortion ( Making parody of Dhoom 3)
13. Insipid – Dull/colourless (Insipid India goes down to England)
14. Inane – Silly/unintelligent/immature (Inane India goes down to Germany in hockey)(Do not
act inane)
15. Rookee – amateur/inexpert
16. Anarchist – Revolutionary/Rebel/Nihilist/Radical (Arvind Kejriwal is an anarchist)
17. Appropriately – Suitably/correctly/fittingly (I answered his query appropriately)
18. Jackass – Stupid(unwise) person
19. Literally – factually/accurately/exactly (Do not take it literally)
20. Figuratively-metaphorically
21. Metaphor-comparison/image/symbol
22. Obnoxious – hateful/horrible/intolerable/detestable (Dhoni’s captaincy is Obnoxious)
23. Discerning – discriminating/sharp/perceptive/shrewd (Honda is making cars for the
discerning customers)
24. Turncoat – Traitor/deserter ( He is a turncoat)
25. Scoffing – make fun of / jeering/mocking/ridiculing
26. Tumultuous – wild/rowdy/riotous (Bina Ramani had a tumultuous affair with Shammi
Kapoor)
27. Ambivalent – unsure/undecided/hesitant/in two minds (China has always taken an
ambivalent attitude towards Pakistan’s sponsored terrorism in India)
28. Embargo – Ban/Prohibition/restriction
29. Pugnacious – Aggressive/Belligerent/Loud mouthed/Argumentative/Quarrelsome
(Mayawati is pugnacious)
30. Canny – Shrewd/clever/astute/smart (Canny Mayawati)
31. Emboldened- Encouraged/Inspired/Bolstered/re-inforced(The rapists were emboldened by
the fact that law agencies could not catch them for previous crime committed by them)
32. Flamboyant – Showy/flashy/colourful/gaudy (the West Indians are flamboyant cricketers)
33. Ostentatious - flashy/showy/impressive/eye-catching/flamboyant (Antonym is
Modest/Meek/Shy/humble)
34. Besieged-plagued/inundated/surrounded/weighed down (I besieged Sai Nath with requests)
35. Pedigree- Pure bred/Noble/Aristocratic/High born/Upper class/rare breed
36. Frenetic – hectic/mad/wild/feverish/frenzied/furious/all-out (It was a frenetic search for
MH370 which lost touch with air traffic control 2 days ago)
37. Primordial – Pre-historic/Ancient/Primeval (Sai Nath is the Primordial Energy in human
form)
38. Unequivocal-Clear/Unambiguous/Undisputed/Unmistakable (He has the unequivocal
support of BCCI, Sai Nath is the unequivocal Master of the Universe)
39. Suffice – serve/be sufficient/be enough/suit/meet your requirement (I think this will suffice
your query)
40. Hospice – Hospital/Clinic/Sanatorium/Nursing Home (She died in hospice care)
41. Impetuous- Impulsive/rash/hasty/sudden/reckless (The mind is fickle
(changeable/vacillating/indecisive), but do not permit it to be impetuous)
42. Transcendence – Otherworldliness/perfection/Divine existence
43. Empathy- Sympathy/compassion/responsiveness/fellow feeling (Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia is
an example of Rich man’s lack of empathy towards the poor)
44. Pseudo – wannabe/self-styled/ aspiring / hopeful (The pseudo Guru said …………………….)
45. Horrendous – awful/terrible/unbearable/horrific/Atrocious (The cramps give horrendous
feeling)
46. Tepid- lukewarm / half-hearted (the sexual harassment at workplace act had a tepid
response, It was a tepid performance by Virat Kohli)
47. Impromptu – unprepared / unrehearsed / spontaneous / spur of the moment (Ranbir &
deepika broke into an impromptu jig (dance/ skip) at an event, It was an impromptu speech
by Modi)
48. Specious – deceptively attractive / falsely attractive / baseless / hollow (The weight loss
programmes advertised carry specious promises/claims)
49. Soiree – an evening party/get-together/function generally to enjoy music or a play of art
50. Limbo- indeterminate state / midpoint (The project has remained in limbo for long)
51. Intermittently – occasionally / sporadically / irregularly
52. Itinerary – program / schedule / tour
53. Esoteric – obscure (vague/ unclear/opaque)/mysterious / secret (It is not that the processes
of other manufacturers are esoteric but there are some differences/other good practices)
54. Providence- wisdom/foresight/prudence
55. Prudent – farsightedness/ cautious / careful /wise (The obtaining of single quotation is not a
prudent commercial practice)
56. Calibration- correction / adjustment / tuning / setting (The calibration of measuring
equipment is done every six months by outside agency)
57. Forbearance – Patience / self-control / tolerance
58. Enduring – lasting / durable / stable / permanent (Antonym is short lived)
59. Crescendo – climax / peak/ pinnacle/zenith/ highpoint/ build-up/swelling (When the fight
between Hindus & Muslims reached a crescendo, the court had to intervene)- (Antonym is
nadir/rock bottom/base/foot)
60. Contention/Contentious – argument / disagreement / dispute (this topic is contentious)
61. Philanderer – womaniser / flirt / adulterer / Casanova (His philanderer friend goaded
(motivate/incite/force) him to have extra marital relations)
62. Pragmatic – practical / realistic / logical / rational / sensible (Modi should be pragmatic in
his approach to bilateral relations with China)
63. Contentious – controversial/debatable
64. Staggering – astounding/ shocking / stunning /surprising (Delhi daredevils lack of direction
is staggering / Meek (gentle/docile) PM led to UPAs staggering defeat in Lok Sabha elections)
65. Acrimonious – bitter/ nasty/unpleasant / hostile / unfriendly/ harsh (The acrimonious split
between Udhav & Raj Thackeray…….), acrimonious debate, acrimonious relationship,
acrimonious separation.
66. Voyeurism- nosiness / ghoulishness/rubbernecking/intrusiveness/pushiness (for voyeurism,
there is punishment of 3 years)
67. Recuse – excuse (The judge recused himself from the case as he was an interested party to
the same)

68. Abhorrent- objectionable / repulsive / hateful (Sai Baba would occasionally

undertake the ritual of Goat slaughter so abhorrent to Hindus) (As I looked around the
filthy apartment, I had to wonder who could live in such abhorrent conditions). (Jack’s
abhorrent behavior caused him to get kicked out of the restaurant).(Because I find violence
abhorrent, I rarely watch action movies).

69. Frugal – Thrifty/ economical/Sparing/pennywise (Sai was frugal in his speech, he answered
only when questioned) – Antonym is spendthrift/extravagant/wasteful/reckless
70. Tyrant – Dictator / oppressor / Autocrat/Bully (Modi is a tyrant like Hitler said actor
Chiranjeevi)
71. Spartan- frugal/basic/meagre/austere/simple (Modi prefers Spartan/austere
settings/living)
72. Serendipity – chance /fate /destiny /karma/luck/kismet (Kismet & Karma are English words
now) – (by sheer serendipity, the new project became a cardboard design. (My diagnosis of
cancer at this time was pure serendipity).
73. Sojourn – stay / halt /stopover /rest (Shirdi Sai baba performed many miracles during his
sojourn at Shirdi)
74. Alas – Sadly / regrettably / Unfortunately (Kuku Mathur Ki jhand ho gayi, alas, is not of the
same comic potential as Fukrey or Vicky Donor)
75. Antipathy – Opposition / Aversion / Hatred / Dislike (There was violent antipathy between
the Hindus & Sikhs during the time when Indira Gandhi was killed)
76. Ghettos – an impoverished/poor/neglected residential area of a city where usually a
section of minority group lives or a Slum area ( After the Gujarat riots, the Muslims have
been living in ghettos)
77. Sheer – pure / total / complete /utter (It is a sheer waste of time/ It was a sheer
coincidence that I & Shah Rukh Khan were on the same flight)
78. Misogyny – hatred or dislike of women (Rapes will continue so long misogyny continues)
79. Lest – so as not to (Be careful lest you will fall)
80. Conundrum – challenge /mystery /problem (India face pace conundrum in England)
81. Beacons-inspiration/encouragement
82. Audacious – daring /bold/brave / overconfident (Militants killed after audacious attack on
Kabul Airport)
83. Commensurate – appropriate / adequate
 84. Couture – dressmaking/ tailoring / sewing
85. Ode – Rhyme/song/couplet/respect (Going to FIFA World Cup was an ode to my father)
86. Surreal- strange/weird/dreamlike/odd
87. Profound – deep / intense (It will have a profound effect, He has profound understanding of
the subject)
88. Tirade – a long angry speech/lecture about some disapproval (thank you for your tirade –
dialogue from the movie “Intern” or After Andre Russel’s tirade in the media………..)
89. Rhetorical – something said verbally or written, for which an answer is not expected
90. Hysterical – feverish/mad/hilarious/laughable (This is hysterical)
91. Plethora – overabundance/excess/surplus (There are a plethora of issues to be dealt with)
92. Sedition – troublemaking/rabble-rousing/Agitation (Devang Patel booked for sedition)
93. Hoodwinked- duped/deceived (He was able to hoodwink her)
94. Outlandish- peculiar/bizarre/strange/weird/unusual
95. Brigand – thief/dacoit/robber (He is a brigand)
96. Expansive – Extensive / Vast / Wide (He has an expansive experience of 22 years in ……)
97. Dexterously – cleverly / sharply / Quick wittedly (He dexterously implemented the ……)
98. Tribute – Respect / Honour / Praise/Ode/Accolade
99. Ode – Tribute / Poem / Rhyme
100. Mercenary – one who works only for money / greedy / moneygrubbing / a trained soldier
hired to fight for a foreign army
101. Surreptitiously – Secretly
102. Serendipity – fate/luck/chance
103. Hawkish – Aggressive/belligerent
104. Fringe – Peripheral/Border
105. Unserviceable- unworkable, out of order
106. Astute – cleverness, mental sharpness, quick witted (He is an astute businessman)
107. Vociferous – Loud & Forceful (Vociferous appeal against the batsmen)
108. Sublime – excellent/thing of a beauty (It was sublime batting by Kohli)
109. Rancour – bitter feeling / resentment (The employees had no rancour against the
Company Jet Airways),
110. Vulnerable – at risk, endangered, unsafe (Females are vulnerable travelling alone at
night)
111. Dubious – doubtful / unreliable / unsure (He is a dubious character)
112. Benign – gentle & kind, warm hearted, not harmful
113. Busted – Break, split (The bat got busted), raid/search (The hotel was busted)
114. Ominous – threatening / doomy / inauspicious / unfavourable (the signs are
ominous)
115. Mull – think about, contemplate (Govt is mulling about last mile connectivity on all
Metro routes, US is mulling 15% cap on H1B Visa for indians)
116. Reverberate – repeated several times as an echo, resound
117. Deft – demonstrating skills & cleverness
118. Period written after completion of a sentence (i.e after full stop) – “That is all there
to say (No more discussion or arguments)” or “end of story”
119. In all sorts – all kinds of people or things (England in all sorts of problem)
120. Perspiring – sweating (the Australians are perspiring profusely)
121. Dovish – unaggressive / anti-war / mild / quiet (Opposite of Hawkish – means
aggressive)
122. Opulent – luxurious / splendid / grand