100 Most Important Vocabulary words from “The Hindu” News Paper

1. Nudge (verb) – prompt, encourage, coax, push; prod, poke, jab.

2. Bolster (verb) – support, strengthen, boost, make stronger, reinforce.
3. Flag (verb) – draw attention to; mark out, indicate, identify, point out.
4. Legacy (noun) – footprint, achievement, feat, accomplishment; something happened
in the past/something that is coming from the past.
5. Hard nosed (adjective) – tough-minded, realistic, pragmatic, practical.
6. Conundrum (noun) – problem, difficult question, vexed question, difficulty, dilemma.
7. Profound (adjective) – great, deep, extreme, acute; complex, difficult.
8. Chaos (noun) – disorder, confusion, disarray, disorganization; disruption, confusion,
havoc, furore, turmoil.
9. Extremist (noun) – fanatic, sectarian, radical, fundamentalist, militant, partisan,
activist.
10. Fillip (noun) – stimulus, boost, encouragement, incentive, impetus, motivation; tonic,
uplift, spur, goad, prod, push, prompt.
11. Articulate (verb) – express, communicate, state, make public, announce.
12. Signatory (noun) – the one (person/party/organisation/country) which signed an
official document.
13. Scuttle (verb) – destroy, wreak, scrap, make something fail; make something to fail
intentionally.
14. Resilience (noun)- toughness, ability to bounce back, strength, flexibility; ability to
recover from tough time.
15. Innate (adjective) – inherent, intrinsic, natural, inborn; chronic, congenital.
16. Heed (verb) – pay attention to, take notice of, notice, take into account.
17. Ruling (noun) – decision, pronouncement, resolution, decree; judgement, verdict.
18. Context (noun) – circumstances, conditions, surroundings, situation, environment.
19. Aftermath (noun) – repercussions, after-effects, by-product; consequences, effects.
20. Portent (verb) – omen, sign, indication, forecast, prediction.
21. Crackdown (noun) – clampdown, getting tough, severe/stern measures, suppression,
elimination.
22. Spectrum (noun) – range, gamut, sweep, scope; ambit, compass.
23. Bound to (adjective) – certain, sure, very likely, guaranteed
24. Status quo (noun) – the present situation, the current state, the existing state of
affairs.
25. Purported (adjective) – claimed, professed, pretended; alleged, asserted.
26. Thwart (verb) – stop, impede, check, block, prevent, oppose, hinder.
27. Blunt (verb) – weaken, decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, dull.
28. Insurgency (noun) – rebellion, revolt, uprising, outbreak, rioting.
29. Resentment (noun) – bitterness, indignation, hostility, dissatisfaction, hatred,
resentfulness, hard/bad feelings.
30. Envisage (verb) – foresee, predict, forecast, anticipate, expect; imagine, contemplate,
visualize, envision.
31. Predecessor (noun) – forerunner, precursor, antecedent, former.
32. Lax (adjective) – slack, negligent, remiss, careless, inattentive; soft, liberal, non-
restrictive.
33. Relinquish (verb) – renounce, give up, give away; leave, resign from; discontinue,
stop.
34. Introspection (noun) – self-observation, brooding, self-analysis; contemplation,
thoughtfulness, thinking.
35. Empower (verb) – allow, permit, authorise, entitle; emancipate, unchain, set free.
36. Foster (verb) – encourage, promote, endorse, stimulate, support.
37. Vulnerable (adjective) – in danger, in peril, at risk, endangered; exposed to, wide open
to, susceptible to, subject to.
38. Humane (noun) – compassionate, kind-hearted, good-natured, civilised.
39. Maim (verb) – injure, wound, hurt, disable, impair, disfigure, deform.
40. Undermine (verb) – subvert, weaken, impede, diminish, hinder, damage.
41. Mobilise (verb) – arouse, generate, induce, cause, bring into play, prompt.
42. Rote (noun) – without thinking, unthinking, from memory, mechanically.
43. Defiance (noun) – resistance, opposition, confrontation; non-compliance,
disobedience, dissent, subversion.
44. Provision (noun) – facilities, services, amenities; funds, benefits.
45. Provision for (noun) – preparations, planning, prearrangement, arrangements.
46. Provisions (noun) – supplies, food and drink, stores.
47. Subsume (verb) – include, absorb, cover, encompass.
48. Redress (noun) – compensation, reparation, repayment; restitution, remedy.
49. Redress (verb) – rectify, correct, make right, deal with, resolve, settle.
50. Intimidation (noun) – frightening, menacing, terrifying; threatening, harassment,
oppression.
51. Vicious (adjective) – brutal, harsh, violent, ruthless, heartless.
52. Revamp (verb) – renovate, reconstruct, rebuild; modernize, update, renew;
reorganize.
53. Stem from (phrasal verb) – originate from, arise from, come from.
54. Apathy (noun) – lack of interest, indifference, unresponsiveness, dispassion,
unconcern.
55. Pertinent (adjective) – relevant, appropriate, suitable.
56. Promulgate (verb) – make known, make public, publicize, communicate.
57. Tangible (adjective) – real, actual, substantial, well defined, clear; touchable, palpable,
visible.
58. Semblance (noun) – appearance, outward appearance, approximation, apparent
form; resemblance; similarity (archaic).
59. Reiterate (verb) – repeat, say again, restate, iterate, recapitulate.
60. Explicit (adjective) – clear, direct, obvious; precise, exact, definite.
61. Cognitive (adjective) – related to the mental processes (cognition) of thinking,
understanding, learning, remembering.
62. Impinge (verb) – affect, have an effect/impact on, influence, have a bearing on.
63. Impinge (verb) – encroach on, intrude on, infringe, strike, hit, collide with.
64. Metaphor (noun) – figure of speech, figurative expression, comparison, image,
symbol.
65. Emanate (verb) – emerge, flow, ensue, come out, arise; originate from; exude, spread
out.
66. Ramifications (noun) – consequence, result, aftermath, outcome, effect;
development; outgrowth.
67. Evasive (adjective) – avoiding, dodging, escaping, eluding.
68. Impetus (noun) – motivation, stimulus, encouragement, inspiration, boost.
69. Adept (adjective) – expert, skillful, proficient, talented; brilliant, outstanding, splendid.
70. Potent (adjective) – powerful, strong, vigorous, mighty; forceful, convincing,
compelling, persuasive.
71. Persuade (verb) – convince, prompt, influence, prevail on, coax.
72. Persuade (verb) – cause, lead, move, motivate, induce.
73. Prejudice (noun) – partiality, bigotry, bias, discrimination, inequity.
74. Rebuff (verb) – reject, refuse, decline; repulse, repel, dismiss.
75. Contend (verb) – assert, acclaim, state, pronounce, insist, argue.
76. Contend for (verb) – compete, challenge; strive, struggle, fight.
77. Contend with (verb) – cope with, face, deal with, take on; resist.
78. Exploit (verb) – use, utilize, make use of, capitalize on; take advantage of.
79. Sustainable (adjective) – maintainable, dependable, defensible.
80. Cede (verb) – give up, surrender, concede, relinquish; handover, assign, grant (power
/territory).
81. Reinstate (verb) – restore, return to a former position, return to power, bring back,
reinstitute.
82. Impending (adjective) – imminent, at hand, close, nearing, approaching, looming
large,
83. Dissident (noun) – dissenter, objector, protester, disputant; rebel, revolutionary.
84. Grievance (noun) – complaint, criticism, objection, protestation, problem, charge.
85. Unfold (verb) – narrate, reveal, make known, disclose.
86. Outreach (noun) – the level/act of reaching out, activity, effort; activity, process,
involvement, influence.
87. Engulf (verb) – affect, overwhelm; inundate, overflow, flow over.
88. Restive (adjective) – tense, restless, nervous; disorderly, out of control; rebellious.
89. Inertia (noun) – inactivity, inaction, apathy, dullness, lethargy.
90. Detrimental (adjective) – harmful, damaging, dangerous, disastrous, adverse,
unhealthy, bad.
91. Behest (noun) – instruction, request, wish; command, order, direction.
92. Propriety (noun) – decorum, respectability, courtesy; etiquette, formalities, rules of
conduct, standards.
93. sheer (adjective) – utter, total, complete, thorough, absolute.
94. Continuum (noun) – a series of things with a particular quality, but differed by minute
angles.
95. Visceral (adjective) – deep inward feelings and emotions; full of strong emotions
without any logic; not intellectual, instinctive, unreasoning.
96. Lopsided (adjective) – asymmetrical, off-centre, uneven, unequal, to one side.
97. Objective (adjective) – impartial, unbiased, equitable, fair.
98. Subjective (adjective) – personal, irrational, individual, instinctive, intuitive.
99. Unequivocal (adjective) – unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable; clear, well
defined; direct, straightforward, blunt.
100. Fallout (noun) – bad effect/result, adverse effect/result.