December 15, 2023
- EMINENT – of high rank or importance; famous
Example: Some eminent members of the society helped in rehabilitating the slum-dwellers in the city.
Synonyms- illustrious, distinguished, renowned
He hails from an illustrious family having political connections.
Antonyms- common, obscure, unimportant
His obscure background did not deter him from reaching the top.
- VIGILANT – carefully observant or attentive
Example: It was difficult to escape the vigilant eye of the guardsman stationed at the main gate.
Synonyms- eagle-eyed, watchful, alert
The eagle-eyed policemen nabbed the thief who was lurking behind the bushes.
Antonyms- negligent, heedless, rash
The local authorities can no longer be heedless of the necessity of tight security.
- AVID – ardently or excessively desirous
Example: She is an avid reader of literature books.
Synonyms– ardent, fervent, keen
He is an ardent supporter of the global movement to combat the deterioration of environment.
Antonyms- dispassionate, unenthusiastic
Amidst all the media hysteria surrounding Salman Khan’s arrival in Chandigarh, there was one journalist who presented a dispassionate account of the whole event.
- REPLETE– filled to satisfaction
Example: The cricket match was replete with excitement and great plays.
Synonyms- satiated, filled
The variety of cuisines at the buffet table satiated everyone’s appetites.
Antonyms- empty, malnourished
The empty seats in the theatre bespoke the unpopularity of the movie.
- RETICENT– not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
Example: The students were quite reticent about discussing their problems.
Synonyms- reserved, diffident, inhibited
He was too diffident to put up a strong defence against her verbal onslaught.
Antonyms- unrestrained, communicative, unreserved
His unrestrained candour helped him to clear the air and patch up his friend.
- IMPLORE– beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something
Example: The victim implored the tribunal to have mercy.
Synonyms- entreat, request
Her mother entreated her not to acceptthe job in New Delhi.
Antonyms- command, enforce
He commanded her to finish thepending work by the end of the week.
- ADROIT– quick or skilful
Example: He is an adroit negotiator when it comes to finalizing business deals.
Synonyms- adept, deft
The oil tycoon, Blake Carrington, is adept at winning over his business rivals.
Antonyms– clumsy, incompetent
An incompetent employee cannot retain his job for a long time.
- CONCUR– be in accord, be in agreement
Example: The policemen concurred with the mayor on the issue of prevention of crime.
Synonyms- agree, accord
His views accorded with those of his bosses.
Antonyms- dissent, oppose
Two members in the committee dissented from the majority’s decision to amend the traffic laws.
- INCONGRUOUS– lacking in harmony
Example: His joke was incongruous with the polite tenor of the conversation.
Synonyms- discordant, contradict, irreconcilable
The essence of democracy lies in the acceptance of discordant/contradictory viewpoints.
Antonyms- harmonious
Harmonious relationships between nations lead to the forging of long-lasting trade ties.
- INANE– devoid of intelligence
Example: They made inane remarks during the group discussion.
Synonyms- ludicrous, moronic
His ludicrous jokes did little to endear him to his peers.
Antonyms– intelligent, sensible
Being sensible, he decided to surrender his individual desires to the organizational goals.
- ALACRITY– liveliness and eagerness
Example: He accepted the job offer with alacrity.
Synonyms- willingness, eagerness, enthusiasm
He won the match because of his enthusiasm to put in his best efforts.
Antonyms- reluctance, disinclination
The disinclination of the students to participate in the class activity was clearly visible.
- AMIABLE– showing warmth and friendliness
Example: The amiable young lady welcomed the guests.
Synonyms- friendly, affable
His affable remarks won the hearts of everyone.
Antonyms- unfriendly, disagreeable
Those who have a disagreeable nature are very difficult to please.
- TEEMING– in abundance
Example: The backward agricultural sector is struggling to provide sufficient food for the teeming population.
Synonyms- swarming, abounding
The stadium was swarming with fans of the Indian cricket team.
Antonyms- barren, scanty, sparse
Ladakh has a sparse population because of its harsh climatic conditions.
- FASCINATING– extremely interesting
Example: My grandfather narrated some fascinating tales of his days in the army.
Synonyms– captivating, intriguing
The plot of the movie was so intriguing that I lost track of time.
Antonyms– boring, tedious
He grew impatient as the tedious lecture lingered on.
- CONCEAL– not allow to be seen; hide
Example: He will conceal the corporate secrets on the condition that he is made to sign a confidentiality contract.
Synonyms- hide, cover
An autocratic government always tries to hide the extent of its atrocities.
Antonyms- expose, reveal
He tried to commit suicide when the reporter threatened to expose his corrupt deeds.
- AUDACIOUS– showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
Example: The audacious soldier aired his views with little regard for his commanding officer’s disapproval.
Synonyms- daring, bold
She is daringenough to attempt scaling the mountain without much training.
Antonyms- cautious, careful
You need to be very cautious while administering this injection.
- RESOLUTE– admirably purposeful
Example: They were resolute in their fight to win their fundamental rights.
Synonyms- determined
He was successful because he was determined to achieve his goals.
Antonyms- doubtful, irresolute
An irresolute leader always spells doom for his followers.
- ACKNOWLEDGE– declare to be true or admit the existence or reality of something or someone
Example: They sent me a postcard acknowledging my request.
Synonyms- admit, concede
She had to concede that she overreacted.
Antonyms- reject, deny
They denied that he had contributed in the formulation of the theory.
- DEROGATORY– showing a critical or disrespectful attitude
Example: The reporter made derogatory remarks about the Chief Minister when he refused to answer certain questions.
Synonyms- disparaging
He was fired after he commented in a disparaging manner about the board of directors.
Antonyms- complimentary
The senior manager is very complimentary about the efforts of his subordinates.
- CORROBORATE– confirm or give support to (a statement, theory or finding)
Example: Recent research corroborates the theory that evolutionary throwback is possible.
Synonyms- verify
His friend verified his account of what ensued between him and the landlord.
Antonyms- contradict
Tesla and Edison had a verbal sparring when the former contradicted the latter’s claim.
- CULMINATE– end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
Example: The meeting culminated without any consensus.
Synonyms- climax
The day climaxed with a music concert.
Antonyms- begin, commence
The annual function commenced with a welcome song for the chief guest.
- PROMINENT– having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
Example: The prominent cause of air pollution is emission of greenhouse gases by vehicles.
Synonyms- eminent, foremost
One of the eminent musicians of his day, Mozart’s symphonies are still popular today.
Antonyms- inconspicuous
He lives in that inconspicuous red building at the end of the lane.
- GARRULOUS– excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters
Example: The garrulous cab driver jarred on the nerves of the old woman.
Synonyms- loquacious, voluble
The loquacious politician made exaggerated claims about his achievements.
Antonyms- reserved, silent
Her reserved demeanor belied her devious thoughts.
- PRUDENT– careful and sensible
Example: He is taking a prudent and cautious approach to start his business.
Synonyms- wise, judicious
The judicious management of scarce resources is necessary in both developed and developing economies.
Antonyms- unwise, imprudent
Her imprudent business strategies caused her to incur huge losses.
- MALEVOLENT– appearing to wish ill or evil to others
Example: Her malevolent stare sent chills of fear down my spine.
Synonyms- malicious, spiteful
His malicious remarks about his boss were the reason why he was dismissed from the company.
Antonyms- Benevolent, kind
The benevolent man distributed all the surplus money that he had among the poor people.
- PROFUSE– produced or growing in extreme abundance
Example: The plant produces profuse bright blue flowers.
Synonyms- copious, ample, abundant
He took copious notes during the lecture.
Antonyms- meagre, deficient
The diet of malnourished children is usually deficient in essentials nutrients.
- PENURY– a state of extreme poverty or destitution
Example: Suddenly left penniless after his business failed, he had live in penury.
Synonyms- destitution, impoverishment
The government has kick-started many poverty alleviation programs to combat rampant destitution across the country.
Antonyms- wealthy, affluence
The rise in expenditure of the household sector in recent years is a sign of our growing affluence.
- TENACIOUS– stubbornly unyielding
Example: He is regarded as a persistent and tenacious interviewer.
Synonyms- persistent
He was persistent in his efforts to win over the committee members in favour of his proposals.
Antonyms- irresolute
Since she was irresolute about taking the posting, her superior gave it to her colleague.
- INNOCUOUS– not harmful or offensive
Example: He overreacted unnecessarily to her innocuous comments.
Synonyms- harmless
He might have an imposing personality but he is quite harmless.
Antonyms- obnoxious, harmful
He behaved so obnoxiously in front of the principal that he was suspended for a week from the school.
- AUGMENT– make something greater by adding it
Example: He augmented his income by working overtime.
Synonyms- intensify, amplify
The new housing reforms have done more harm than good as they have intensified the accommodation problems of the weaker sections of the society.
Antonyms- decrease, diminish
With the improvement in healthcare facilities, infant mortality rate has diminished.
