Top Careers & You

LINKING UP THE WORDS (VOCAB)

LETTER A (PART – I)
ABACK (adv)
Cue : Simply peg ‘surprised’ or ‘confused’ with this word.
Mean : used as ‘taken aback’ means taken by surprise; startled and confused
Ex : (i) The nation has regularly been taken aback by the spate of scams.
(ii) The foreigner was taken aback by the extreme poverty and ignorance of the country folk.

ABACUS (n)
Cue : Can you recall from your childhood an instrument with beads, with which you started your first
math lesson in your nursery classes.
Mean : a frame with sliding beads used for counting
Ex : Some Chinese businessmen still use the abacus (n) in preference to a modern calculator.
RW : Plural → Abaci; Abacuses

ABADDON (n)
Cue : A B A D D O N → pick up ‘bad’ from the word; peg for this word.
Mean : (1) the place of the dead; nether world/ hell
(2) the destroyer / angel of hell
Ex : The residential colony looked like an abaddon (n) after the massacre.

ABAFT (adv)
Cue : A B A F T → ‘back or hind part of anything’.
Mean : (1) in the direction of the stern; astern; aft
(2) to the rear of; aft of; behind
Ex : The hotel is situated just abaft (adv) the bridge.
RW : After

ABANDON (v)
Cue : Peg it with ‘leave’ and ‘restraint’.
Mean : (1) to give up, leave or forsake a thing or person.
Ex : (i) An abandoned (adj) baby was found in a box on the hospital steps.
(ii) The match was abandoned (v) at half-time because of the poor weather
conditions.
Mean : (2) freedom from inhibitions, restraint
Ex : (i) We danced in wild abandon (n) at the New Year bash.
(ii) She abandoned (v) herself to her emotions.
Syn : Abdicate, Apostatize, Cast aside, Desert, Desist, Desolate, Dispense with, Forgo, Forsake,
Jettison, Lurch, Quitclaim, Relinquish, Renounce, Wantonness
Ant : Cherish, Élan, Exuberance, Freedom, Impetuosity, Reclaim, Unconstraint, Unrestraint

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ABASE (v)
Cue : A B A S E → a + base → ‘to base’ → ‘make lower’ i.e. degrade.
Mean : to make yourself seem to be less important or not to deserve respect
Ex : Courtiers abase (v) themselves before the emperor.
Syn : Debase, Demean, Humble
Ant : Exalt, Honor

ABASH (v)
Cue : A B A S H → peg ash with ‘ashamed’.
Mean : to be ashamed or embarrassed; make self – conscious
Ex : He was abashed (v) at his younger brother’s rudeness.
Syn : Bewilder, Chagrin, Disconcert, Embarrass
Ant : Comfort, Please

ABATE (v)
Cue : A B A T E → bate – ‘to reduce, to lessen in intensity’.
Mean : (1) to make less in amount, degree, force
Ex : Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate (v).
Mean : (2) bated: holding your breath in fear or excitement; anxiously
Ex : We watched with bated (adj) breath as the killer in the movie crept up behind the
unsuspecting heroine.
Syn : Decrease, Ebb, Lay Back, Lessen, Mellow Out, Quell, Recede, Reduce, Slacken, Slack off,
Subdue, Subside, Wane
Ant : Amplify, Enhance, Increase, Intensify, Magnify, Rise, Surge
RW : Debate; Rebate

ABATTOIR (n)
Cue : A B A T T O I R → abate – ‘lessen’ + oir/ory - forming nouns ‘a place or a thing for’ i.e.
where you reduce animals to meat.
Mean : a building where animals are butchered
Ex : Butchers buy carcasses (the dead body of an animal, often of a slaughtered animal dressed as
meat) from the abattoir (n).
Syn : Butchery, Shambles, Slaughterhouse

ABBREVIATE (v)
Cue : A B B R E V I A T E → brev/brief – ‘to shorten’
Mean : shorten
Ex : Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate (v) her speech.
Syn. : Abridge, Compress, Condense, Nutshell, Pare, Prune, Summarize, Synopsize
Ant : Broaden, Elongate, Enlarge, Expand, Increase, Inflate, Lengthen
RW : Abridge; Brief; Briefing; Brevity; Breviary (book containing daily hymns)
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ABDICATE (v)
Cue : A B D I C A T E → lies in roots: ab → ‘away from or apart’ + dict – ‘to speak, to say’
(announce) → announce renunciation (a giving up formally or voluntarily).
Mean : (1) to give up a position of authority
Ex : Parents cannot abdicate (v) their responsibilities
Mean : (2) to give up a throne
Ex : When the prince abdicated (v) his throne, he surprised the entire world.
Syn : Abandon, Abjure, Abnegate, Disclaim, Relinquish, Renounce, Repudiate, Resign
Ant : Arrogate, Assert, Assume power, Claim, Maintain, Retain, Take charge, Usurp

ABDUCT (v)
Cue : A B D U C T → ab – ‘away’ + duct – ‘lead’ → to lead away i.e. to kidnap.
Mean : to take away a person unlawfully; kidnap
Ex : (i) Kidnappers abduct (v) people and hold them to ransom.
(ii) The abductor (n) of the child was a woman who had lost her own baby.
Syn : Carry off, Kidnap, Steal
Ant : Deliver, Liberate, Rescue, Salvage, Save
RW : Conduct; Ductile (malleable); Induct; Product

ABECEDARIAN (adj/n)
Cue : When you were trying to learn English alphabet in your nursery school, you were an abecedarian
i.e. Related to ‘ABC’. From this, we can generalize its second meaning - ‘any beginner’.
Mean : (1) a person learning the alphabet; beginning student
(2) any beginner or novice
Ex : (i) He is an abecedarian (n), learning his first lessons in English in the nursery school.
(ii) An abecedarian approach (adj) to the communal problem may not prove useful.
Syn : Apprentice, Beginner, Dabbler, Dilettante, Jackleg, Neophyte, Novice
Ant : Expert, Mater, Professional, Virtuoso

ABERRATE (v)
Cue : A B E R R A T E → in the roots: ab → ‘away’ + err → ‘to wander’ i.e. → ‘deviation’
Mean : (1) differing from what is normal or accepted or considered to be right
Ex : Given the aberrant (adj) nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the
entire experiment.
Mean : (2) mental derangement or lapse
Ex : Survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations (n) of behavior
because of the trauma they have experienced.
Syn : Anomalous, Atypical, Deviant, Errant, Strange, Unconventional
Ant : Conventional, Natural, Normal, Typical, Usual

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RW : Errant (roving or wandering, esp. in search of adventure); Erring; Error; Itinerant

(traveling from place to place or on a circuit)

ABET (v)
Mean : to incite, sanction or help, esp. in wrongdoing
Ex : She was unwilling to abet (v) him in the swindle he had planned.
RW : Abettor

ABEYANCE (n)
Cue : A B E Y A N C E → relate bey with bay – ‘gap / recess’.
Mean : a state of suspension or temporary inactivity
Ex : You must leave the matter in abeyance (n) till the manager returns because he must make the
final decision.
Syn : Ceasefire, Pause, Respite
Ant : Activity, Tumult, Whirlwind

ABHOR (v)
Cue : A B H O R → ab – ‘away’ + hor – ‘horror’ i.e. to hate in its extreme form
Mean : to detest, dislike strongly
Ex : (i) We abhor (v) cruelty to animals.
(ii) A feeling of abhorrence (n) is engendered by the idea of nuclear war.
Syn : Abominate, Despise, Detest, Dislike, Execrate, Hate, Loathe, Scorn, View with horror
Ant : Admire, Adore, Approve, Cherish, Embrace, Like, Love

ABIDE (v)
Cue : A B I D E → ‘remain’
Mean : (1) to be faithful to; to keep to
Ex : She found it impossible to abide (v) by the discipline of the convent.
Mean : (2) to put up with; endure (usually used in negative sentences).
Ex : It is not realistic to expect Indian politicians to be law abiding (v).
Syn : Bear, Continue, Dwell, Live, Remain, Tarry, Withstand
RW : Abode; Bide; Biding; Bode or Bided

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ABIOSIS (n)
Cue : A B I OS I S → a – ‘without’ + bio – ‘life’ i.e. non living
Mean : of nonliving substances or environmental factors; absence of life, inanimate
Ex : Silicon is an abiotic (adj) substance.
RW : Biogenesis (the principle that living organisms originate only from other living organisms closely
similar to themselves); Bionics (the science of designing instruments or systems modeled after
living organisms; robotics); Biosatellite (a recoverable spacecraft designed for the study of the
effects of cosmic radiation, weightlessness, etc. on terrestrial forms of life in space); Biosis
(living beings or substances); Biostrome (a flat, thin limestone layer consisting predominantly of
marine fossils, as corals); Biotelemetry (the use of telemeters to monitor the physical condition
or responses of animals, human beings, etc. at great distances, as in spacecraft); Biotic

ABJECT (adj)
Cue : A B J E C T → from ject – ‘throw’ i.e. thrown down.
Mean : (1) hopelessly low, wretched; contemptible
Ex : The implementation of the proposal has turned out to be an abject failure.
Mean : (2) extremely or excessively humble, e.g. in making an apology or request
Ex : He made an abject (adj) apology for forgetting the official meeting last night.
Syn : (1) Miserable, Squalid
Ant : Comfortable, Prosperous
Syn : (2) Contemptible, Servile, Shameful
Ant : Dignified, Exalted, Noble
RW : Conjecture (inference); Inject; Reject; Subject

ABJURE (v)
Cue : A B J U R E → ab – ‘away’ + jure – ‘to swear’ i.e. to swear to give up something publicly.
Mean : (1) to give up (opinions) publicly (n – abjuration)
Ex : In that country, people were forced to abjure (v) their disbelief in God.
Mean : (2) to give up (rights, allegiance, etc) on oath; renounce
Ex : The terrorists declared in the presence of the newspersons they would abjure (v) violence.
Syn : Abdicate, Cede, Disclaim, Recant, Relinquish, Renounce, Repudiate
Ant : Arrogate, Assert, Assume Power, Claim, Usurp
RW : Adjure (urge solemnly), Conjure (to practice magic; to appeal to)

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ABLATION (n)
Cue : A B L A T I O N → ab – ‘away or remove’ → peg it with this word
Mean : (1) to remove, as by surgery
Ex : The surgeon decided to ablate (n) his leg in order to save his life.
Mean : (2) Combined processes (such as sublimation, fusion or melting,
evaporation) which remove snow or ice from the surface of a glacier
or from a snow field.

ABLAZE (adj)
Cue : A B L A Z E → a – ‘on’ + blaze – ‘fire’
Mean : (1) in a blaze, on fire
Ex : The house was ablaze (adj) in seconds.
Mean : (2) flashing, shining
Ex : The “Euphoria” set the rock scene ablaze (adj).
Syn : Afire, Aflame, Blazing, Conflagrant, Fiery, Refulgent
Ant : Blown out, Extinguished, Smothered
RW : Blaze Abroad (advertise); Blaze Away (shoot, fire away, discharge)

ABLUTION (n)
Cue : A B L U T I O N → .Lut/Luv/Lav – ‘wash’.
Mean : a washing of the body, esp. as a religious ceremony
Ex : After performing his ablutions (n) in the river, he went to the temple.
Syn : Purgation, Purge, Purification, Ritual, Sanctification
RW : Deluge (a great flood; a heavy rainfall; an overwhelming amount of something); Dilute;
Diluvium; Lavatory

ABNEGATION (n)
Cue : A B N E G A T I O N → negate – ‘to deny’/blacken
Mean : renunciation; self–sacrifice
Ex : Though they loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of
abnegation (n) was necessary to preserve the kingdom.
Syn : Abstinence, Continence, Denial, Eschewal, Forbearance, Giving up, Relinquishment;
Renouncement, Renunciation, Sacrifice, Self-Denial, Self - Renunciation, Stonewall
Ant : Acquiescence, Concession, Indulgence
RW : ‘Self-abnegation’ is often used instead of abnegation. Denigrate, Negative, Negro

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ABODE (n)
Cue : A B O D E → bide → ‘remain’
Look at the picture. Do you see an old fashioned house? That’s abode.
Mean : a place where one lives, home; dwelling place
Ex : (i) A vagrant is said to have no fixed abode (n).
(ii) Swiss banks are the abodes (n) of Indian black money.
Syn : Dwelling, House, Residence
Ant : Wilderness

ABOLISH (v)
Mean : to put an end to, to do away with
Ex : It is high–time for caste system to be abolished (v) in India, if social harmony is to be achieved.
Syn : Abrogate, Annihilate, Annul, Eradicate, Exterminate, Extirpate, Nullify, Obliterate, Prohibit, Purge,
Quash, Repeal, Rescind, Revoke, Squelch, Supplant, Terminate
Ant : Adopt, Authorize, Continue, Create, Establish, Ratify, Set up
RW : Abolitionist

ABOMINATE (v)
Cue : A B O M I N A T E → Peg abo with ‘abhor’? Both ‘abhor’ and ‘abominate’ mean the same.
Mean : (1) to feel hatred and disgust for; detest; dislike intensely
Ex : Civilized people abominate (v) acts of violence.
Mean : (2) causing great dislike
Ex : Rape is an abominable (adj) crime.
Syn : Abhor, Despise, Detestable, Loathe, Odious, Reprehensible, Repugnant
Ant : Admire, Appreciate, Cherish, Adore, Love

ABORIGINES (n)
Cue : A B O R I G I N E S → ‘origin’ → the first inhabitants
Mean : the original and earliest people, plants or animals of a country or area.
Ex : (i) The Maoris are the aborigines (n) of New Zealand.
(ii) The researcher has put in great efforts in her studies of the primitive
art forms of the aboriginal (adj) Indians.
Syn : Native, Primitive
Ant : Alien, Foreign, Immigrant

ABORT (v)
Cue : ab – ‘away’ + orient – ‘to arise, appear’ i.e. disappear.
Mean : (1) to cancel or stop before completion
Ex : Technical problems forced us to abort (v) the mission.
Mean : (2) unsuccessful
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Ex : Terrorists made an abortive (adj) attempt to seize power.

Syn : (1) Abandonment, Calling off, Termination
(2) Futile, Ineffectual.
Ant : Fruitful, Full term, Successful, Triumphant, Unyielding, Victorious, Viable
RW : Disorientation; Orientation

ABRACADABRA (n)
Cue : Have you ever heard what does a magician say while performing tricks? That is abracadabra.
Mean : a magic word, gibberish, a spell or conjuring word
Ex : All the children clapped when the magician shouted abracadabra (n) and turned a mouse into a
rabbit.

ABRADE (v)
Cue : Peg ‘scrape off’ with this word.
Mean : (1) to scrape or rub off due to friction
Ex : The waves abraded (v) the rocks.
Mean : (2) causing annoyance or dislike
(3) (Substance) a substance used for grinding, polishing, etc., as sandpaper or emery
Ex : Just as abrasive (adj) cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive (adj) remarks
can wear away a listener’s patience.
Syn : Chafe, Gall, Jarring, Scrape, Strident
Ant : Soothe

ABREAST (adv)
Mean : side by side, keeping pace with something (like daily news)
Ex : (i) She does not believe in keeping abreast (adv) with trends; she prefers to set trends.
(ii) Watching the CNN news is an excellent way of being abreast (adv) with the latest in
international affairs.
Syn : Acquainted, Up-to-date
Ant : Ignorant, Unaware, Uninformed

ABRIDGE (v)
Cue : A B R I D G E → brev/brief – ‘short’.
Mean : to condense, summarize, shorten
Ex : The abridged (adj) version of the classic ‘Odyssey’ is not half as appealing as the original.
Syn : Connect, Epitomize, Shorten
Ant : Elaborate, Elongate, Expand
RW : Abbreviation

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ABROGATE (v)
Cue : A B R O G A T E → ab – ‘away’ + rog – ‘ask, to question propose a law, request’ i.e. to
abolish
Mean : to cancel or repeal by authority; abolish
Ex : By abrogating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), the government has conceded to a
long standing demand of the Association of Exporters.
Syn : Annul, Invalidate, Quash, Repeal, Rescind, Retract, Revoke, Withdrawal
Ant : Approve, Authorize, Enact, Institute, Legalize, Ratify, Sanction, Uphold
RW : Interrogate; Prerogative (a prior or exclusive right or privilege, esp. one peculiar to a rank,
class, etc); Rogatory (pertaining to asking) (Requesting information. Used especially of a
request by one court of another, often foreign court for aid in obtaining desired information);
Surrogate (a deputy or substitute)

ABRUPT (adj)
Cue : A B R U P T → rupt → ‘rupture’
Mean : (1) without deep thought, reckless, hurried
Ex : The govt. decided abruptly (adv) to cancel the project, which resulted in great loss to the
nation.
Mean : (2) short and impolite, brusque, curt
Ex : He gave an abrupt (adj) reply
Mean : (3) very steep
Ex : The slope was so abrupt (adj), we nearly fell.
Syn : (1) Hasty, Hurried, Precipitate, Quick, Rushing, Unanticipated, Unexpected, Unforeseen
Ant : Anticipated, Expected, Gradual, Leisurely
Syn : (2) Brusque, Crude, Crusty, Curt, Direct, Discourteous, Gruff, Impetuous, Impolite
Ant : Calm, Civil, Courteous, Gracious, Kind, Polite

ABSCESS (n)
Cue : A B S C E S S → ab – ‘away’ + cede – ‘go’ - the notion is that humors ‘go from’ the body
through the pus in the swelling.
Mean : an inflamed swelling in which pus has collected
Ex : The abscess (n) on my arm was very sore until it burst.
Syn : Boil, Canker, Ulcer

ABSCOND (v)
Cue : A B S C O N D → in the roots → ab – ‘away’ + conc – ‘hide’ i.e. to hide or conceal
Mean : to go away secretly because of having done something wrong
Ex : The thief is going to abscond (v) with the money
Syn : Flee, Slip Away, Steal Off

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RW : Conceal; Ensconce (hiding in safety); Reconcile (to make friendly again or win over to a
friendly attitude); Recondite (obscure or concealed); Reconnaissance (an exploratory survey or
examination, as in seeking out information about enemy positions or installations, or as in making
a preliminary geological or engineering survey)

ABSOLVE (v)
Cue : A B S O L V E → ab – ‘from’ + solve – ‘free or to loosen’ i.e. to free from something →
‘pardon’ (an offense)
Mean : (1) to free from a debt, obligation, promise or ruling
Ex : His illness absolved (v) him from attending the meeting.
Mean : (2) to acquit as of guilt or wrong–doing; forgive
Ex : He was granted absolution (n) from his sins.
Syn : (1) Excuse, Exempt
Ant : Bind, Oblige
Syn : (2) Amnesty, Condone, Disculpate, Exculpate, Exonerate, Pardon, Vindicate
Ant : Condemn, Convict or Blame, Inculpate, Indict

ABSONANT (adj)
Cue : A B S O N A N T → ab – ‘away’ or ‘apart’ + son – ‘sound’ + ant – ‘forming adjectives’ →
something not in sound i.e. inharmonious
Mean : discordant; dissonant
Ex : Though George and Joe had absonant (adj) personalities, still they were deeply in love with each
other.
Syn : Harsh, Inharmonious, Strident, Tuneless
Ant : Consonant, Harmonious, Soft
RW : Assonance; Consonant (harmony); Dissonant (discord); Sonorous

ABSTAIN (v)
Cue : A B S T A I N → ab – ‘away from’ + tain/ten – ‘hold/keep’ - to keep away.
Mean : to hold oneself back; voluntarily do without; refrain
Ex : After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain (v) from
drinking while he trained for the race.
Syn : Avoid, Eschew, Refrain, Withhold
Ant : Indulge, Join
RW : Abstention (the act or an instance of abstaining); Tenet (a principle, doctrine, or belief held as a
truth, as by some group)

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ABSTEMIOUS (adj)
Cue : When you are not eating too much and you are on moderate diet, you are being abstemious
those days.
Mean : moderate, esp. in eating and drinking; not self-indulgent
Ex : He is on an abstemious (adj) diet these days, eating sparingly and drinking moderately.
Syn : Abstinent, Sober, Temperate
Ant : Self-indulgent

ABSTINENCE (n)
Cue : A B S T I N E N T → from ‘abstin’, you can remember ‘abstain’ i.e. doing without.
Abstinent differs from abstemious in two respects:
(1) It refers to all appetites and desires, whereas abstemious tends to refer only to food and
drink, or even more specifically to alcoholic drink alone.
(2) Abstinent suggests total self-denial; abstemious simply suggests moderation.
Mean : refraining from or doing without certain foods, drinks or pleasures; denying one’s appetite
completely
Ex : In the Roman Catholic Church, abstinence has the special sense of ‘going without certain
specific foods on days of penitence’.
Syn : Celibate, Chaste, Sobriety, Temperate, Virtuous
Ant : Indulgence, Intemperance
RW : Abstention {unlike abstinence, has no suggestion of denying the appetites: it simply refers
to refraining from something – a single act of abstaining (commonly abstaining from voting).
Ex : We have three votes against the proposal, six in favour and one in abstention (n)}.

ABSTRUSE (adj)
Cue : At times when you are not able to understand your lecture or subject, because you are finding
it abstruse.
Mean : difficult to comprehend/understand
Ex : Hopefully, the student will not find this vocabulary building exercise too abstruse (adj).
Syn : Complex, Intricate, Obscure, Perplexing, Recondite
Ant : Coherent, Lucid, Obvious, Plain, Simple

ABUT (v)
Mean : (1) to touch or join at the border or side 2) have a common boundary
Ex : (i) Where our estates abut (v), we must build a fence.
(ii) LOC acts as an abutment (n) of Kashmir between India and Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
Syn : Adjoining, Be adjacent to, Bordering, Fringe
Ant : Detached, Disconnected
RW : Note it’s different from ‘abet’ (to incite, sanction or help, esp. in wrongdoing)

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ABYSMAL (adj)
Cue : A B Y S M A L → a – ‘without’ + bys – ‘bottom’ i.e. without bottom. Abysmal frequently implies
being hopelessly beyond correction or redemption.
Mean : very deep, bottomless, immeasurably bad / Resembling an abyss (An immeasurably deep
chasm; Hell)
Ex : She was in tears by the abysmal (adj) wretchedness of the poor.
Syn : Endless, Immeasurable, Limitless
Ant : Fathomable, Finite, Limited, Measurable, Slight
RW : Abyss

ABYSS (n)
Cue : A B Y S S → a – ‘without’ + bys – ‘bottom’ i.e. without bottom
Mean : (1) a bottomless gulf or pit; chasm
Ex : The mountain trail ran along the edge of an abyss (n).
Mean : (2) something that seems to be endless or immeasurably deep
Ex : She has been in an abyss (n) of despair after the criticism of her work.
Syn : Chasm, Depths, Fissure, Gorge, Pit, Void

ACCEDE (v)
Cue : A C C E D E → in the roots: ac (prefix AD, used before c or q) – ‘to’ + cede/cess – ‘yield, to go’
Mean : (1) to agree; to assent
Ex. : (i) India, it seems, will never accede (v) to the demand of an independent Kashmir.
(ii) The princely states’ accession (n) to the Indian union was a historic step.
Mean : (2) to take up an office or position after someone has left it
Ex : He acceded (v) to the governorship last week.
Syn : Accept, Acquiesce, Comply, Yield
Ant : Rebel, Secede, Withdraw
RW : Accession (the act of coming to or attaining - a throne, power, etc); Concede; Precede;
Procedure; Recede; Secede

ACCESS (n)
Cue : A C C E S S → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + cess – ‘to go or move’
Mean : (1) a way of approaching or reaching; to obtain or retrieve
Ex : (i) This path is the only access (n) to my farmhouse.
(ii) We asked the examiner in the end whether the solutions to the test were accessible (adj)
or not.
Mean : (2) a sudden attack or outburst.
Ex : He thumped the desk in an access (n) of rage.
Syn : Admittance, Entree, Introduction, Passage, Path, Way
Ant : Egress, Outlet
RW : Accessible; Incessant (Unstoppable); Predecessor; Process; Recess; Success

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ACCESSORY (n)
Cue : Accessory is the normal spelling of the word to mean ‘something extra or additional’.
Mean : additional; extra; helping in a secondary or subordinate way
Ex : The vacuum cleaner had several accessory (n) parts.
Syn : Accomplice, Auxiliary, Confederate, Subsidiary
RW : Accessary {Accessory is the normal spelling of the word. In the legal sense, however, the
spelling accessary is sometimes found: He is suspected to be an accessary to the jail–break (he
had taken a part in it). In the USA, accessory is the spelling for both senses}.

ACCIDENCE (n)
Mean : (1) the elementary or first parts of a subject; rudiments
(2) the study of inflection and word order as grammatical devices.
{Inflection is (a) An alteration of the form of a word by the addition of an affix, as in English dogs
from dog, or by changing the form of a base, as in English spoke from speak, that indicates
grammatical features such as number, person, mood, or tense; (b) An affix indicating such a
grammatical feature, as the –s in the English third person singular verb form speaks}
Ex : Until and unless you know the accidence (n) of a language, you can’t even dream of mastering it.

ACCLAIM (n)
Cue : A C C L A I M → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + clam/claim – ‘cry out’ i.e. utter aloud; often with
surprise, horror or joy
Mean : (1) to greet with loud applause or approval; applaud
Ex : The sportscasters acclaimed (v) every American victory in the Olympics and decried
every American defeat.
Mean : (2) to acknowledge or declare with enthusiastic approval
Ex : He is the acclaimed (adj) authority on superconductors.
Syn : Applause, Cheer, Citation, Commendation, Encomium, Eulogy
Ant : Belittle, Billingsgate, Degrade, Disapprove, Disgrace, Disparage, Execrate, Odium, Vituperation,
Vilification
RW : Clamor (a loud outcry); Exclamation; Proclamation; Reclamation

ACCLIVITY (n)
Cue : A C C L I V I T Y → in the roots → ac – ‘up’ + cliv – ‘slope’ + ity –
‘suffix’ state, character, condition or an instance of any of these
Mean : an upward slope of the ground, sharp upslope of a hill
Ex : The car could not go up the acclivity (n) in high gear.
Syn : Ascent
Ant : Declivity
RW : Declivity (reducing); Proclivity (towards)

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ACCOLADE (n)
Cue : Look at the picture. What do you see? A certificate or an award
Mean : (1) an award or honour
Ex : The Noble Prize for Literature is the highest accolade (n) a writer can receive.
Mean : (2) much praise and approval.
Ex : His project received an accolade (n) from his client.
Syn : Approval, Badge, Distinction, Honor, Kudos, Laurels, Praise
Ant : Criticism

ACCOMPLICE (n)
Cue : A C C O M P L I C E → Pick up comp and it could be
pegged with ‘companion’.
Mean : a person who knowingly participates with another in an
unlawful act; partner in crime
Ex : Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was arrested as an accomplice
(n) in the murder.
Syn : Abettor, Aid, Ally, Cohort, Conspirator
Ant : Adversary, Enemy, Foe, Opponent

ACCOST (v)
Cue : Have you ever been approached by a stranger in a lonely, dark street asking for your money?
This means you have been accosted by him.
Mean : to approach and speak to someone, especially for an unpleasant or immoral purpose
Ex : A mugger accosted (v) me in the lonely street and asked for money.
Syn : Address, Confront, Hail, Solicit

ACCOUTREMENT (n)
Mean : (1) a soldier's equipment, other than clothing or weaponry
Ex : At these high altitudes, an oxygen cylinder is an essential part of every soldier's accoutrements
(n).
Mean : (2) an accessory item of equipment or dress
Ex : The sporting accoutrements (n) of today are no less than their war–time cousins of yesterday.
Syn : Accessories, Furnishings

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ACCRETION (n)
Cue : A C C R E T I O N → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + cret/cres – ‘grow’ + ion – ‘a suffix forming
nouns’
Mean : growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion or inclusion
Ex : (i) He scraped away the accretions (n) of paint.
(ii) The fund was increased by the accretion (n) of new shareholders.
Syn : Accession, Accumulation, Addition, Augmentation, Buildup, Growth, Increment, Raise, Rise
Ant : Dispersement, Scattering, Shrinkage
RW : Accrementition (Increase by addition to the periphery of material of the same nature as that
already present, as in the growth of crystals); Accrue; Concrete; Crescendo (gradually
increasing in loudness); Crescent; Decrease; Increase

ACCRUE (v)
Cue : A C C R U E → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + cru – ‘increase, grow’.
Mean : (1) to come as a natural growth, advantage or right (to)
Ex : Many benefits accrued (v) to the nation when women became eligible to vote.
Mean : (2) to be added periodically as an increase: said esp. of interest on money.
Ex : You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.
Syn : Accumulate, Amass, Collect, Gather
Ant : Disperse, Dissipate, Dwindle, Lessen, Scatter
RW : Accrual

ACCULTURALISE (v)
Cue : A C C U L T U R A L I S E → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + culture + ise – ‘to cause to be or
become’ i.e. to adjust to a new culture.
Mean : to adapt or adjust to the new culture
Ex : An orientation programme in an industry is meant to acculturalise (v) new immigrant enrollees to
the work culture.

ACEPHALOUS (adj)
Cue : A C E P H A L O U S → in the roots → a – ‘without’ + cephalous – ‘head’
Mean : headless, without a leader
Ex : With the sudden demise of their party leader, their party is rendered acephalous (adj).
RW : Cephalous (having a head)

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ACERBIC (adj)
Cue : A C E R B I C → in the roots → acer/acri/acid – ‘bitter, sour, sharp’ + ic – ‘having the
properties of’
Mean : (1) sour or bitter in taste
Ex : Acid drops are acerbic (adj).
Mean : (2) bitterness of speech and temper
Ex : The board meeting was marked with such acerbic (adj) statements that the Chairman got
disgusted and went away.
Syn : Acidic, Asperity; Astringency, Biting, Caustic, Piquant, Severe, Sour, Tart, Vinegary
Ant : Bland, Honey, Sugary, Sweet
RW : Acerbate (to make harsh or bitter; don’t link it with root bate); Acidity; Acrid; Acrimony
(bitterness or harshness of temper, manner, or speech)

ACME (n)
Cue : A C M E → Acme/acro – ‘high’.
Mean : the highest point of achievement; the highest point (of something) – peak
Ex : Being the CEO of the company is the acme (n) of his career.
Syn : Apogee, Culmination, Highest Point, Meridian, Summit, Ultimate, Vertex, Zenith
Ant : Bottom, Lowest, Nadir, Pit, Valley
RW : Acrobat; Acrophobia (an abnormal fear of being in high places); Acropolis

ACOLYTE (n)
Cue : Look at the picture. What do you see? A follower standing besides a priest;
his master. That follower is an acolyte.
Mean : someone who assists a priest in certain church services; any faithful follower
or assistant
Ex : (i) The young acolyte (n) enjoyed swinging the censer of incense during
the service.
(ii) The acolytes (n) of that religious leader would ensure his victory in the
coming elections.

ACOUSTIC (n)
Cue : A C O U S T I C → acous – ‘hearing’; peg for this word.
Mean : concerning sound or the sense of hearing; the quality of sound.
Ex : (i) The acoustics (n) in the theatre are so good that the audience can hear a pin drop.
(ii) Her performance was marred by poor acoustics (n).
RW : Acoustical (adj); Acoustician; Acoustics (science dealing with sound and sound waves)

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ACQUIESCE (v)
Cue : A C Q U I E S C E → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + quies – ‘quiet’ i.e. to become quiet
Mean : to agree or consent quietly without protest, but without enthusiasm; often with in
Ex : Although she appeared to acquiesce (v) to her employer’s suggestions, I could tell she had
reservations about the changes he wanted to make.
Syn : Complaint, Comply, Concur, Consent, Submit, Yielding
Ant : Adverse, Carp, Oppose, Rebel

ACQUISITION (n)
Cue : A C Q U I S I T IO N → acqui could be rhymed with ‘acquire’.
Mean : something acquired or gained
Ex : (i) Have you seen my latest acquisition (n) – a 64K microcomputer?
(ii) I added two new acquisitions (n) to my library.
Syn : Acquirement, Attainment, Obtainment, Procuration, Procurement
Ant : Expenditure, Loss, Penalty, Surrender
RW : Acquirement {it is used when referring to skills, qualities and abilities; acquisition is used when
referring to physical objects or people.
Ex : Ballroom dancing may not be as generally useful an acquirement today as it once was}.

ACQUIT (v)
Cue : A C Q U I T → in the roots → ac – ‘to’ + quit – ‘free, clear’ i.e to free from charge.
Mean : (1) to free of charge, to declare innocent
Ex : The Mafia leader was acquitted (v) by the court due to want of evidence.
Mean : (2) to act or behave in a certain way
Ex : You must acquit (v) yourself with dignity.
Syn : (1) Absolve, Amnesty, Clear, Exculpate, Exonerate, Vindicate
(2) Act, Bear, Comport, Conduct
Ant : Convict, To charge with
RW : Acquittal (n)

ACRID (adj)
Cue : A C R I D → acri – ‘bitter; sharp’
Mean : (1) bitter or sharp; especially smell or taste
Ex : The acrid (adj) odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.
Mean : (2) bitter or sarcastic in speech
Ex : Her acrid (adj) remarks make her many enemies.
Syn. : Acrimonious, Bitter, Caustic, Irritating, Sarcastic, Sharp, Stinging
RW : Acerbic; Acrimonious

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ACRIMONIOUS (adj)
Cue : A C R I M O N I O U S → acri – ‘bitter, sharp’
Mean : bitterness of language or manner; ill feeling
Ex : (i) She replied with acrimony (v), showing rage.
(ii) They were great friends once; now the relations are acrimonious (n).
Syn : Bitter, Caustic, Mordant, Rancorous, Sarcastic, Scathing, Scornful
Ant : Agreeable, Amicable, Harmonious

ACROBAT (n)
Cue : A C R O B A T → in the roots: acro – ‘high, top’ + bat – ‘walk, go’ i.e. going on tip- toe,
climbing up high
Mean : a performer skilled in feats of agility and balance
Ex : The acrobat (n) in the circus performed cartwheels on the high wire.
Syn : Gymnast
RW : Acromegaly; Acronym {a word formed from the first (or first few) letters of a series of words, as
radar, from radio detecting and ranging}; Acrophobia (an abnormal fear of being in high places);
Acropolis (the fortified upper part of an ancient Greek city that of Athens, on which the
Parthenon was built)

ACRONYM (n)
Cue : A C R O N Y M → in the roots → acro – ‘tip, end’ + nym – ‘name’ i.e. name formed from the tip
of words.
Mean : an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in a phrase, pronounced as a word
(used as an abbreviation)
Ex : (i) AIDS is an acronym (n) for 'Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome'.
(ii) NATO is the acronym (n) for ‘North Atlantic Treaty organization’.

ACTUARY (n)
Cue : Have you ever wondered on what calculations does an insurance company compensate for
your looses in accident or fire and who does it? That’s the job of an actuary.
Mean : a person who calculates the probability of accidents, such as fire, flood or loss of property and
informs insurance companies how much they should charge their customers.
Ex : (i) The company’s premium are based on the calculations of their actuary (n).
(ii) Most insurance companies make use of the same actuarial (adj) tables for their policies.

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ACTUATE (v)
Cue : A C T U A T E → Pick up ‘act’ and peg it with word
Mean : to set in motion or put into mechanical action; to inspire or motivate
Ex : (i) The writings of Karl Marx actuated (v) the October revolution in Russia.
(ii) She was actuated (v) by good intentions.
Syn : Drive, Goad, Impel, Incite, Instigate
Ant : Deter, Hinder, Restrain

ACTUS DEI
Cue : A C T U S D E I → act + deis – ‘God’.
Mean : act of God, or more literally, a ‘driving’ or ‘moving forward’ of God
Ex : Actus Dei is used in legal terminology to refer to such phenomena as whirlwinds, earthquakes
and floods for which man cannot be directly held responsible.
RW : Deity; Deitic

ACUMEN (n)
Cue : A C U M E N → in the roots → acu – ‘needle’ i.e. sharp + men – ‘mind’ i.e. sharpness of mind
Mean : sharpness of mind; shrewdness; the ability to judge well
Ex : Though Dhirubhai Ambani didn’t have high sounding degrees, we could never question his
business acumen (n).
Syn : Astuteness, Brilliance, Insight, Mental Keenness, Perception, Sharpness
Ant : Obtuseness, Shallowness, Stupidity
RW : Accurate; Acuity (keenness of perception; the ability to hear, see or think accurately
and clearly); Acupuncture (treatment of disorders by inserting needles into the skin in
specific parts of the body); Acute

ACUMINATE (adj)
Cue : A C U M I N A T E → in the roots → acu – ‘needle’
Mean : pointed; tapering to a point
Ex : (i) This plant has acuminate (adj) leaves.
(ii) The pyramid has an acuminating (v) top.
Syn : Edged, Peaked, Sharpened, Spiked, Tapering
Ant : Blunt, Dull

ADAGE (n)
Cue : an old saying that has been popularly accepted as a truth; proverb
Ex : ‘A friend in need is a friend in deed’ is an old adage (n).
Syn : Aphorism, Apothegm, Dictum, Maxim, Proverb, Saying

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ADDENDUM (n)
Cue : A D D E N D U M → pick up ‘add’ and peg it with the word.
Mean : a thing to be added: supplement to the main book
Ex : Students are expected to refer to page four of the addendum (n).
Syn : Addition, Adjunct, Amendment, Appendix, Codicil, Postscript, Rider, Supplement

ADDITAMENT (n)
Cue : A D D I T A M E N T → pick up ‘add’ and peg it with the word.
Mean : something added; an addition
Ex : The figure along with the geometry question is an additament (n).
Syn : Same as in ‘Addendum’.

ADDLE (v)
Cue : ‘Addle’ could be rhymed with ‘muddled’ and that’s the meaning of the word (Usage: Mainly
humorous)
Mean : (1) muddled; confused
Ex : All this studying is going to addle (v) my brain.
Mean : (2) to make or become rotten
Ex : Throw away these eggs as they are addled (v).
Syn : Amaze, Astound, Baffle, Befuddle, Bewilder, Confound, Disconcert, Dumbfound, Fluster,
Perturb
Ant : Clear Up, Enlighten, Explain

ADDUCE (v)
Cue : A D D U C E → ad – ‘to’ + duc – ‘lead’ – to give a lead i.e. to explain your point with an
example
Mean : to give as a reason or proof; cite as an example
Ex : To stay ahead in GDs, you need to adduce (v) your point with current facts.
Syn : Cite, Proffer, Propose, Put forward
Ant : Disprove, Refute
RW : Duct; Induce; Seduce

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