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THE HINDU EDITORIAL

VOCABULARY BOOSTER
AUGUST 2020

FOR ALL BANKING AND

GOVERNMENT EXAMS
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

The Hindu Newspaper is treated as the Bible by the Exam Aspirants be it Bank Exam Aspirants,
SSC Aspirants or UPSC Aspirants. Reading the Editorial section of the newspaper daily has
twofold benefits: (a) It gives the editor’s views on the latest happenings in India and the
World, (b) It helps enhance English Vocabulary. In this eBook of “The Hindu Editorial
Vocabulary Booster August 2020”, we have come up with a list of difficult words taken from
the Hindu Editorials of the August Month, with their Meanings, Synonyms, Antonyms, and
the Correct Usage of those words. Read along to understand it better.

The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster – August 2020

Sr. No. Words Meanings & Synonyms Antonyms Usage
1. Abrasive showing little concern for Kind, Gentle Her abrasive and arrogant
the feelings of others. personal style won her few
friends.
Harsh, Caustic, Acerbic,
Vitriolic
2. Absurdity The quality or state of Reasonableness, Duncan laughed at
being ridiculous or wildly Sense the absurdity of the situation.
unreasonable.

Ridiculousness
3. Accountability The fact or condition of Unaccountability Lack of accountability allows
being accountable; Vallejo police to call the shots.
responsibility.

Responsibility, Liability,
Answerability
4. Acquiescence The reluctant acceptance Refusal Reluctantly, he acquiesced to the
of something without plans.
protest.

Consent, Agreement,
Acceptance, Accession
5. Affirm State emphatically or Deny The Prime Minister affirmed the
publicly. country’s commitment to peace.

Declare, State
6. Affluent Having a great deal of Poor, We live in
money; wealthy. Impoverished an affluent neighbourhood.

Wealthy, Rich, Prosperous,

Opulent
7. Aggrandizement An increase in power or Abase, degrade, He gives a lot of money to charity,
importance. Demean, Humble, but personal aggrandizement is
Humiliate his motive.
Canonize, Deify, Dignify
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8. Aggravate Make (a problem, injury, Calm, Conciliate Military action would

or offence) worse or more only aggravate the situation.
serious.

Annoy, Irritate,
Exasperate, Anger
9. Aggrieve To give pain or trouble to. Pleased Years later, this unfairness
To inflict injury upon. still aggrieves him.

Distress
10. Akin Of similar character. Unlike, Unrelated The two languages are
closely akin.
Similar, Related, Close,
Near, Corresponding,
Comparable
11. Alacrity Brisk and cheerful Apathy She accepted the invitation
readiness. with alacrity.

Eagerness, Willingness,
Readiness, Ardour
12. Albeit Though. The evening was very
pleasant, albeit a little quiet.
13. Allegation A claim or assertion that There is no substance to
someone has done the allegation.
something illegal or wrong,
typically one made without
proof.

A declaration, Statement,
Proclamation
14. Ambit The scope, extent, or Many feel that church leaders
bounds of something. stray outside of their
proper ambit when they make
Scope, Extent, Bounds, specific political endorsements.
Confines, Limits
15. Anarchy A state of disorder due to Government, What we are witnessing is the
absence or non- Order country’s slow slide into anarchy.
recognition of authority or
other controlling systems.

Lawlessness, Nihilism,
Mobocracy
16. Animadversion Criticism or censure. Approval, His actions attracted neither
Compliment, surprise nor animadversion.
Accusation, Flak Praise
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17. Anomaly Something that deviates Conformity, The anomaly of the social security
from what is standard, Regularity, system is that you sometimes
normal, or expected. Illustration, have more money without a job.
Conformance,
Oddity, Peculiarity, Exemplification,
Abnormality, Irregularity Specimen
18. Apprehend Arrest (someone) for a Miss Rasheta said police were still
crime. working Monday
to apprehend the shooter.
Seize
19. Apprehensive Anxious or fearful that Confident I am very apprehensive about
something bad or tomorrow’s meeting.
unpleasant will happen.

Alarmed, Worried, Uneasy,

Nervous
20. Ascendancy Occupation of a position of Subordination They are in danger of losing their
dominant power or political ascendancy.
influence.

Dominance, Supremacy
21. Audacity A willingness to take bold Timidity He had the audacity to blame me
risks. for his mistake!

Boldness, Daring,
Fearlessness
22. Audit An official inspection of an Go over, Skim, The audit showed that the
organization’s accounts, Glance, Miss company had misled investors.
typically by an
independent body.

Inspect, Examine, Survey,

Look over, Go over
23. Avert Turn away (one’s eyes or Face The last-minute
thoughts). agreement averted renewed
fighting.
Prevent, Stop, Avoid
24. Battered Injured by repeated blows Undamaged She set up a sanctuary
or punishment. for battered wives.

Beaten, Assaulted,
Thrashed, Thumped
25. Beguile Charm or enchant Repel, He beguiled the voters with his
(someone), often in a Unappealing good looks.
deceptive way.

Charm, Attract, Enchant

The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

26. Beleaguered Put in a very difficult The occupants of

situation. the beleaguered city had no
means of escape.
Hard-pressed, Troubled,
Besieged, Blockaded
27. Blinkered Having or showing a Broad-minded He is very blinkered in his outlook.
narrow or limited outlook.

Narrow-minded, Limited,
Restricted, Inward-looking,
Conventional
28. Bottom out To reach the lowest point Increase, Rise, He believes the economic slump
in a continuously changing Success, Advance. has bottomed out, and the
level that is about to start economy will turn around.
rising or increasing again.

Hard-time, Downturn
29. Brazen Bold and without shame. Timid, Shy He went about his illegal business
with a brazen assurance.
30. Breach An act of breaking or Comply (with), This is clearly a breach of the
failing to observe a law, Conform (to), treaty.
agreement, or code of Follow, Mind,
conduct. Obey, Observe

Contravention, Violation,
Breaking, Infringement
31. Bumble Move or act in an awkward Efficient, Expert There is something terrible about
or confused manner. seeing others go about life with
rational deliberateness while we
Blunder, Lurch, Stumble, continue to bumble around.
Wobble, Lumber
32. Camouflage The disguising of military Unmask The army tanks were painted
personnel, equipment, and green and brown for camouflage.
installations by painting or
covering them to make
them blend in with their
surroundings.

Disguise, Hide, Conceal,

Mask
33. Cliché A phrase or opinion that is
Fresh, New, My wedding day – and I know it is
overused and betrays a Novel, Original, a cliché – was just the happiest
lack of original thought. Unhackneyed, day of my life.
Unfamiliar,
A platitude, Commonplace, Uncommon,
Banality, Truism, Pioneering.
Hackneyed
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34. Cogent Clear, Logical, and Vague, They put

Convincing. Unconvincing, forward cogent arguments for
Muddled British membership.
Compelling, Forceful
35. Cognisance Knowledge or awareness. Inadvertence, The lawyer asked the jury to
Consciousness Neglect, take cognisance of the
Ignorance, defendant’s generosity in giving to
Inexperience, charity.
Oversight,
Connivance
36. Cohort A group of people with a Enemy, Foe, The police arrested the gang’s
shared characteristic. Opponent, leader and his cohorts.
Adversary,
Companion, Colleague, Antagonist
Band, Group
37. Complacency A feeling of smug or Dissatisfaction The figures are better, but there
uncritical satisfaction with are no grounds for complacency.
oneself or one’s
achievements.

Smugness, Self-
Approbation, Self-approval
38. Compliance The action or fact of Defiance, It is the job of the inspectors to
complying with a wish or disobedience, enforce compliance with the
command. Intractability, regulations.
Recalcitrance
39. Conciliation The action of stopping Provocation Many disputes are settled
someone being angry; through conciliation by the official
placation. body.

Appeasement, Peace-
making, Propitiation
40. Concomitantly At the same time; Unconnected, Loss of memory is a
simultaneously. Unrelated natural concomitant of old age.

Accompanying, Coexistent,
Concurrent
41. Condemn Express complete Praise, Commend Most leaders
disapproval of; censure. roundly condemned the attack.

Criticize, Castigate,
Denounce
42. Contempt The feeling that a person Respect, Pam stared at the girl with
or a thing is worthless or total contempt.
beneath consideration.
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Scorn, Disdain, Disrespect,

Disregard
43. Contention Heated disagreement.
Disagreement, Dispute,
Argument, Variance
44. Contraception The deliberate use of
artificial methods or other
techniques to prevent
pregnancy as a
consequence of sexual
intercourse.
45. Contradiction A combination of
statements, ideas, or
features which are
opposed to one another.
Agreement The issues behind the protest are
the usual bones of collective-
bargaining contention: pay
increases, vacation time, union
membership.
They offer impartial advice
on contraception.
Accord, Harmony, You say that you are good friends
Agreement and yet you do not trust him. Isn’t
that a contradiction?

Dichotomy, Incongruity,
Paradox
46. Contrast The state of being Similarity, The day began cold and blustery,
strikingly different from Resemblance in contrast to almost two weeks of
something else in uninterrupted sunshine.
juxtaposition or close
association.

The difference,
Dissimilarity, Disparity,
Dissimilitude, Distinction
47. Controversial Giving rise or likely to give Uncontroversial, The book was very controversial.
rise to controversy or Anodyne
public disagreement.

Contentious, Disputed,
Contented, Moot,
Disputable
48. Credence Belief in or acceptance of Distrust, Mistrust You people have lost
something as true. your credence with me.

Acceptance, Belief, Faith,

Trust, Confidence
49. Cripple Cause someone to become Able-bodied Economic sanctions
unable to walk or move have crippled the country’s
properly. economy.

Disable, Paralyse,
Immobilize, Lame
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50. Dampen Make less strong or Heighten Nothing could dampen her
intense. enthusiasm.

Lessen, Decrease,
Diminish, Reduce
51. Dastardly Wicked and cruel.
Evil, Iniquitous, Heinous,
Diabolical, Villainous
52. Decimate Kill, destroy, or remove a
large proportion of.
Annihilate, Demolition,
Devastate
53. Delineate Describe or portray
(something) precisely.
Describe, Set forth,
Portray, Outline
54. Demarcate Set the boundaries or
limits of.
Separate, Divide, Delimit,
Distinguish
55. Denatured Take away or alter the
natural qualities of.
56. Detention The action of detaining
someone or the state of
being detained in official
custody.
Noble, It’s the story of a woman who
Praiseworthy plots dastardly revenge on her
unfaithful lover.
Build, Construct, This kind of moth is responsible
Erect, Put up, for decimating thousands of trees
Raise, Rear, Set in our town.
up
Misdescribe, The main characters are
Twist, Confuse, clearly delineated in the first
Misstate, Distort chapter.
Connect, Join, Carpet tiles demarcate six-foot
Combine, Attach black circles around every desk in
the open floor plan.
The combined action of heat and
acid helps some of the milk
proteins to denature and
coagulate to form a large white
mass of cheese curds.
Discharge, Concern has been expressed
Release about the death in detention of a
number of political prisoners.

Custody, Imprisonment,
Confinement,
Incarceration
57. Diatribe A forceful and bitter verbal Compliment, Our manager privately subjected a
attack against someone or Recommendation, few of us to a
something. Sanction, Tribute, lengthy diatribe about how
Praise, Ovation, terrible the company’s new policy
Tirade, Harangue Blessing. is.
58. Discordant Disagreeing or Harmonious, The singers continued
incongruous. Dulcet their discordant chanting.

Inharmonious, Unmelodic,
Unmusical, Tuneless
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020
59. Dismantle To take a machine or
something complicated
apart, usually to make it
unable to work.
Break-down, Demount,
Disassemble, Dismount
60. Dodge Avoid (someone or
something) by a sudden
quick movement.
Dart, Bolt, Expedient
61. Dubious Hesitating or doubting.
Not to be relied upon,
Suspect.
Suspicious, Suspect
62. Endure Suffer (something painful
or difficult) patiently.
Undergo, Experience,
Meet
63. Eviscerated Deprive (something) of its
essential content.
Clean, Disembowel, Draw,
Gut
64. Exacerbate Make (a problem, bad
situation, or negative
feeling) worse.
Aggravate, Worsen,
Inflame
65. Exaggerated Regarded or represented
as larger, better, or worse
than in reality.
Overstate, Overestimate,
Magnify
66. Explicit Stated clearly and in detail, Vague
leaving no room for
confusion or doubt.
Clear, Direct, Plain,
Obvious, Straightforward,
Clear-cut
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Assemble, Over the next three years, we will
Construct be gradually dismantling the
company and selling off the
profitable units.
Accede, It was just another dodge to get
Acquiesce. Assent out of working in the yard.
Trustworthy, These claims are dubious and not
Decisive, Clear, scientifically proven.
Definite
Fade, Short-lived These cities have endured over
time.
Uninjured The ancient Egyptians
would eviscerate the bodies of the
dead as part of the process of
mummifying them.
Calm, Reduce The exorbitant cost of land in
urban areas only exacerbated the
problem.
Compress, Ignore, Comic book characters are drawn
Contract with exaggerated features so you
will remember them.
I gave her very explicit directions
on how to get here.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

67. Fervour Intense and passionate Apathy The country was swept by
feeling. patriotic fervour.

Passion, Ardour, Intensity,

Zeal
68. Fettle Healthy or strong, or in “How was Jane?” “Oh, she was in
good condition. fine fettle.”

Condition, Estate, Form,

Health
69. Flagrant Conspicuously or obviously Unobtrusive, She has a flagrant disregard for
offensive. Slight other people’s rights.

Blatant, Glaring, Obvious,

Overt
70. Foreground The part of a view that is De-emphasize, Public discussion
nearest to the observer, Play down has foregrounded the issue of
especially in a picture or health care.
photograph.

A position of prominence.
Forefront, Accentuate
71. Forthcoming About to happen or
appear.
Imminent, Impending,
Coming, Approaching,
Advancing
72. Fraternity A group of people sharing
a common profession or
interests.
Friendship & mutual
support within a group.
Brotherhood, Fellowship,
Kinship
Association, Board
73. Fraudulent Obtained, done by, or
involving deception,
especially criminal
deception.
Past, Current We have just received the
information about
the forthcoming conference.
have an intense He is a firm believer in community
feeling of longing service and a dedicated member
for something, of the local fraternity of Good
typically Samaritans.
something that
one has lost or
been separated
from.
Honest, Above- A worrying trend for insurers has
board been a rise in fraudulent claims.

Dishonest, Cheating,
Swindling
74. Fraught Causing or affected by Calm The negotiations have
anxiety or stress. been fraught with problems right
from the start.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

Anxious, Worried, Upset,

Distraught
75. Furore An outbreak of public Calm, Hush, Baseball fans in a furore as the
anger or excitement. Peace, Quiet, game stretched to 11 innings.
Quietude,
Commotion, Uproar,
Outcry
76. Galvanize Shock or excite (someone) Demotivate The urgency of his
into acting. voice galvanized them into action.

Jolt, Shock, Startle, Impel

77. Grim Very serious or gloomy. Amiable, Pleasant The future looks grim.

Stern, Forbidding,
Uninviting, Bleak, Dismal
78. Ground-breaking Innovative, Pioneering
79. Hamper To prevent someone doing
something easily.
Hinder, Holdback
80. Heavy handed Clumsy, Insensitive, or
Overly forceful.
Uninteresting, His latest movie is interesting, but
Ordinary not ground-breaking.
Aid, Assist, Fierce storms have
Facilitate, Help been hampering rescue efforts
and there is now little chance of
finding more survivors.
Dexterous, The protestors accused the police
Sensitive of using heavy–handed tactics.

Awkward, Inept, Unskilful

81. Heft To lift, hold, or carry Helplessness, Does Brady have the
something heavy using Impotence, intellectual heft to run the city?
your hands. Impotency,
Powerlessness,
The influence, ability, or Weakness
importance that someone
or something has

Weight, Heaviness,
Importance. Influence
82. Hefty Large and heavy. Slight, Gaunt, Her salary will go up by
Light a hefty 13%.
Burly, Sturdy, Bulky,
Powerful, Hard
83. Herald To be a sign that Adversary, The president’s speech heralds a
something important, and Antagonist, new era in foreign policy.
often good, is starting to Opponent
happen, or to make
something publicly known,
especially by celebrating or
praising it.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020
Harbinger, Sign, Indicator
84. Hooch Alcoholic drink, especially
inferior or illicit whisky.
85. Humiliation The action of humiliating
someone or the state of
being humiliated.
Embarrassment,
Mortification, Shame,
Indignity
86. Ignominy Public shame or disgrace.
Shame, Humiliation,
Embarrassed
87. Illicit Forbidden by law, rules, or
custom.
Illegal, unlawful,
Illegitimate, Outlawed
88. Impasse A situation in which no
progress is possible,
especially because of
disagreement; a deadlock.
Stalemate
89. Imperilled Put at risk of being
harmed, injured, or
destroyed.
Endanger, Jeopardize, Risk
90. Inadvertent Not resulting from or
achieved through
deliberate planning.
Unintentional, Accidental,
Unpremeditated,
Unplanned
91. Indefinitely For an unlimited or
unspecified period of time.
Bottomless, Endless,
Horizonless
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Nonintoxicant Sometimes, however, there are
finds of illicitly brewed alcohol,
or hooch, at establishments with
higher security.
Honour They suffered the humiliation of
losing in the opening round
Honour, Esteem, She had to endure
Respect the ignominy of being forced to
resign.
Licit, Legal, The information had been
Above-board obtained illicitly.
Solution, The dispute had reached
Agreement, an impasse, as neither side would
Breakthrough compromise.
Preserve, The toxic fumes imperilled the
Conserve lives of the trapped miners.
Deliberate, An inadvertent administrative
Intentional error occurred that resulted in an
overpayment.
Bounded, The negotiations have been put
Circumscribed, off indefinitely.
Confined,
Definite, Finite,
Limited,
Restricted
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

92. Indoctrination The process of teaching a Neglect, Leave The level of indoctrination among
person or group to accept alone the nation’s youth had reached
a set of beliefs uncritically. fever pitch.

Educate, Instruct
93. Inflict Cause (something Alleviate, The suffering inflicted on these
unpleasant or painful) to Suspend, Spare children was unimaginable.
be suffered by someone or
something.

Impose, Force, Press,

Thrust
94. Innate Inborn, Natural. Acquired Cyril’s most impressive quality was
Inbred, Congenital, his innate goodness.
Inherent
95. Intimidation The action of intimidating Encourage, They were intimidated into
someone, or the state of Inspirit, Animate, accepting a pay cut by the threat
being intimidated. Reassure of losing their jobs.

Frightening, Menacing,
Terrifying, Scaring,
Alarming
96. Invariably In every case or on every Sometimes, Never Ranch meals are invariably big
occasion; always. and hearty.

Always, Every time

97. Invincibility The quality of being too Superable, The crisis has shattered the
powerful to be defeated or Surmountable, government’s
overcome. Vincible, apparent invincibility.
Vulnerable
Impregnable, Indomitable,
Insurmountable
98. Lacunae An unfilled space; a gap. Abundance, She found a lacuna in the
Adequacy, historical record.
Crunch, Dearth, Deficiency, Amplitude,
Inadequacy Opulence,
Plenitude
99. Laudable An action, idea, or aim Blameworthy, The recycling programme
deserving praise and Shameful is laudable, but does it save much
commendation money?

Praiseworthy,
Commendable, Admirable,
Meritorious, Worthy
100. Legitimate Conforming to the law or Illegal, Invalid, He claimed that the restaurant bill
to rules. Unjustifiable, was a legitimate business
Illegitimate expense.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

Legal, Lawful, Licit,

Legalized, Authorized
101. Litter An untidy accumulation of A shabby writing-desk covered
objects. with a litter of yellowish dusty
documents.
102. Lobbying The activity of trying to In her speech she stressed that
persuade someone in she is not involved in the
authority, usually an firm’s lobbying of Congress.
elected member of a
government, to support
laws or rules that give your
organization or industry an
advantage.
103. Malice The desire to harm Benevolence I bear no malice towards anybody.
someone, ill will.

Spite, Malevolence,
Animosity
104. Manifest Lack of confidence in the Hidden, Secret Their sadness was manifest in
company manifested itself their faces.
in a fall in the share price.

Cognisable,
Comprehensible
105. Marginalised Treat (a person, group, or
concept) as insignificant or
peripheral.
Demean, Disparage, Vilify
106. Mayhem Violent or extreme
disorder; chaos.
Elevate, Promote, Now that English has taken over as
Celebrate the main language, the country’s
native language has
been marginalised.
Calm. Harmony, A criminal who escaped from
Order, Peace prison and caused mayhem.

Chaos, Disorder,
Confusion, Havoc, Bedlam
107. Minutiae The small, precise, or
trivial details of something. gritty.
Details, Niceties,
Subtleties, Particulars
108. Morass A complicated or confusing
situation.
Confusion, Chaos, Muddle,
Tangle, Imbroglio
109. Multiplicity A large number or variety.
Abundance
Essentials. Nitty- The committee studied
the minutiae of the report for
hours.
The distracted driver had driven
his car off the road and into
a morass.
Handful, Hint, Shakespeare’s works seem to
Lick, Little encompass the full multiplicity of
human experience.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

110. Naively In a way that shows a lack Artfully, Cannily, I naively thought having wealth
of experience, wisdom, or Deceitfully, would bring happiness.
judgement. Deceptively,
Deviously
Guilelessly, Ingenuously,
Innocently
111. Nativism A policy of favouring native Nativism, populism, and
inhabitants as opposed to protectionism are growing
immigrants. everywhere in the West.
112. Obligation An act or course of action Repayment, You have a legal obligation to
to which a person is Discharge, ensure your child receives an
morally or legally bound, a Quittance, education.
duty or commitment. Release

Duty, Commitment,
Responsibility, Function,
Task
113. Oratorical Relating to the art or Plain-spoken, She has a
practice of public speaking. Simple, wonderful oratorical style, with a
Rhetorical, Grandiloquent, Unadorned splendid command of English.

Magniloquent, High-
sounding
114. Ostensibly As appears or is stated to Genuinely, Really, Their ostensible goal was to clean
be true, though not Truly up government corruption, but
necessarily so; apparently. their real aim was to unseat the
government.
Seemingly
115. Outrageous Shockingly bad or Acceptable, Mild, The judge criticized the
excessive. Moderate “outrageous greed” of some of
the bankers.
Disgraceful, Scandalous,
Atrocious
116. Overwhelm Have a strong emotional Underwhelm They were overwhelmed with
effect on. work.

Overcome, Move, Stir,

Affect, Touch
117. Painstaking Done with or employing Careless, It took months
great care and Negligent, of painstaking research to write
thoroughness. Slapdash the book.

Careful, Meticulous,
Thorough, Assiduous
118. Paradigm A typical example or Follower The TV network claimed that this
pattern of something; a was the beginning of “a
pattern or model.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

new paradigm for commercial

Example, Pattern television.”
119. Patronage The power of a person to Blockage, Patronage is a potent force if used
give someone an Discouragement politically.
important job or position.

Aegis, Auspice, Backing,

Sponsorship
120. Paucity The presence of something Abundance There is a paucity of information
in only small or insufficient on the ingredients of many
quantities or amounts. cosmetics.

Scarcity, Dearth, Shortage,

Rarity
121. Perfunctory An action carried out Careful, Thorough His smile was perfunctory.
without real interest,
feeling, or effort.

Cursory, Desultory, Quick,

Brief, Hasty
122. Peril Serious and immediate Safety, Security I never felt that my life was
danger. in peril.

Danger, Jeopardy, Risk,

Hazard, Insecurity
123. Pertinent Relevant or applicable to a Irrelevant, She asked me a lot of
particular matter; Inappropriate very pertinent questions.
apposite.

Apposite, Appropriate,
Suitable, Fitting
124. Portend Be a sign or warning that Contradict, It was a deeply superstitious
(something, especially Negative, country, where earthquakes were
something momentous or Preclude, commonly believed
calamitous) is likely to Forefend to portend the end of dynasties.
happen.

Presage, Augur,
Foreshadow, Foretell,
Prophesy
125. Pragmatic Dealing with things Impractical, In business,
sensibly and realistically in Unrealistic, the pragmatic approach to
a way that is based on Idealistic problems is often more successful
practical rather than than an idealistic one.
theoretical considerations.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

Practical, Matter of fact,

Realistic, Sensible
126. Predominance The state or condition of Inferiority, The tribe fought to maintain
being greater in number or subjection, its predominance.
amount. Minority, Paucity

Prevalence, Dominance,
Supremacy, Mastery,
Power
127. Preposterous Contrary to reason or Reasonable, It was a preposterous idea, and no
common sense; utterly Sensible one took it seriously.
absurd or ridiculous.

Absurd, Ridiculous,
Foolish, Stupid, Ludicrous
128. Presumptive Of the nature of a Definitive In that climate of fear, an
presumption, presumed in accusation alone
the absence of further was presumptive evidence of
information. guilt.

Conjectural, Speculative,
Tentative, Notional
129. Proficient Competent or skilled in Inept, Inexpert, I was proficient at my job.
doing or using something. Incompetent

Skilled, Expert,
Accomplished,
Experienced
130. Prognosis The likely course of a Calculation, Right now, doctors say
medical condition. Measurement his prognosis is good.

A forecast of the likely

outcome of a situation.

Forecast, Prediction,
Projection,
Prognostication, Prophecy
131. Prominence The state of being Obscurity The company rose
important, famous, or to prominence in the 1990s.
noticeable.

Fame, Eminence,
Importance
132. Prominence The state of being Obscurity The company rose
important, famous, or to prominence in the 1990s.
noticeable.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

Fame, Eminence,
Importance
133. Prosecute Institute or conduct legal Shoplifters will be prosecuted.
proceedings against (a
person or organization).

Execute, Follow, Pursue,

Investigate
134. Provocation Action or speech that Discouragement, He can turn violent at the
makes someone angry, Suppression least provocation.
especially deliberately.

Goading, Prodding,
Incitement
135. Prowess Skill or expertise in a Inability, He is always boasting about his
particular activity or field. Ineptitude sexual prowess.

Skill, Expertise,
Effectiveness, Mastery,
Facility
136. Pulverise Defeat utterly. Build, Construct, Our team aims to pulverise the
Annihilate, Crush, Rout Erect, Put up, competition
Raise, Rear, Set
up
137. Purportedly As appears or is stated to Implausibly, The study purportedly found that
be true, though not Impossibly, men married to smart women live
necessarily so. Improbably, longer.
Incredibly.
Allegedly, Ostensibly
138. Quibble A slight objection or Discuss There is no point quibbling over a
criticism about a trivial couple of dollars.
matter.

Protest, Grumble, Grouse

139. Quirk A peculiar aspect of a Familiarity There is a quirk in the rules that
person’s character or allows you to invest money
behaviour. without paying tax.

Idiosyncrasy, Peculiarity,
Oddity
140. Raging Continuing with great Calm, Placid The rain had turned the stream
force or intensity. into a raging torrent.

Stormy, Angry, Enraged,

Incensed, Infuriated
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

141. Ramification A complex or unwelcome Determinant, Have you considered all

consequence of an action Factor, Base, the ramifications of your
or event. Beginning, suggestion?
Foundation
Consequence, Result,
Aftermath, Outcome,
Effect
142. Ratification The action of signing or Ban, Enjoin, Ratification of the treaty raised
giving formal consent to a Forbid, Illegalize, problems in several member
treaty, contract, or Interdict, Prohibit, states
agreement, making it Proscribe
officially valid.

Accredit, Approbate,
Approve, Authorize, Clear
143. Rebellion An act of armed resistance Obedience The authorities have put down
to an established a rebellion by landless colonials.
government or leader.

An action or process of
resisting authority, control
& convention.

Defiance, Disobedience,
Insubordination
144. Reconnaissance Preliminary surveying or Survey, Aerial reconnaissance of the
research. Exploration, enemy position showed they were
Observation, ready to attack.
Military observation of a Investigation
region to locate an enemy
or ascertain strategic
features
145. Refurbish Renovate and redecorate The developers refurbished the
(something, especially a house inside and out.
building).

Renovate, Recondition,
Rehabilitate
146. Regressive Returning to a former or Progressive The movement will defeat the
less developed state; autocratic and regressive regime.
characterized by
regression.

Backward, Retrograde
147. Repercussion An unintended Any decrease in tourism could
consequence of an event have serious repercussions for the
local economy.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

or action, especially an
unwelcome one.

Consequence, Result,
Effect, Reverberation
148. Reprieve cancel or postpone the Charge, Punish Under the new regime, prisoners
punishment of someone, under sentence of death
especially someone were reprieved.
condemned to death.

Pardon, Spare, Acquit

149. Retaliatory An action characterized by Forgiving He urged people not to resort
a desire for revenge. to retaliatory violence.

Avenge, Redress, Requite,

Revenge
150. Retrenchment The reduction of costs or Enlargement, Experts see a
spending in response to Expansion, major retrenchment coming from
economic difficulty. Extension consumers.

Reduction, Curtailment
151. Revamp Give new and improved Fix, Freeze, Set, We revamped the management
form, structure, or Stabilize system, but the business is doing
appearance to. no better than it was before.

Renovate, redecorate,
Refurbish
152. Scourge Cause great suffering Blessing Pop-up ads have been described
as the scourge of the Internet.
Afflict, Plague, Torment,
Torture
153. Scrutinise Examine or inspect closely Glance at Customers were warned
and thoroughly. to scrutinise the small print.

Inspect, Survey, Scan,

Study, Look over
154. Scrutiny Critical observation or Glance Will the candidates stand up
examination. under all that scrutiny?

Inspection, Survey, Scan,

Study, Perusal
155. Scurrilous Making or spreading Moral, Discreet, This is a very funny collection of
scandalous claims about Civil, Unoffending, bawdy and scurrilous writings.
someone with the Polite, Decent
intention of damaging
their reputation.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020
Abusive, Vituperative,
Derogatory, Disparaging
156. Sectarian Denoting or concerning a
sect or sects.
Separatist, Dissenter,
Dissident
157. Self–evident Not needing to be
demonstrated or
explained; obvious.
Obvious, Clear, Plain,
Apparent
158. Smattering A slight superficial
knowledge of a language
or subject.
Bit, Little, Modicum,
Touch, Soupcon
159. Snuff Extinguish (a candle or
flame).
Put out, Douse, Smother,
Choke
160. Sobering Making you feel serious or
think about serious
matters.
Tending to make one
thoughtful or sober
161. Sovereignty The authority of a state to
govern itself or another
state.
Autonomy, Independence,
Self-government
162. Spur Give an incentive or
encouragement to
someone.
Stimulate, Encourage,
Prompt
163. Staggered Walk or move unsteadily,
as if about to fall.
Free vocabulary e-book
Broad-minded, The country was split
Cosmopolitan, along sectarian lines.
Liberal, Open,
Open-minded,
Receptive,
Tolerant
Unclear Solutions which seem self–
evident to humans are often
beyond the grasp of computers.
Army, Crowd, There is only a smattering of
Flock, Gazillion, people who oppose the proposal.
Horde
Light, Ignite Very few people
take snuff nowadays.
Alcoholic, Surviving a car accident is
Bibulous, a sobering experience.
Crapulous,
Dipsomaniacal
Hegemony, Talks are being held about who
Colonialism should have sovereignty over the
island.
Counterincentive, Relax throughout July, when
Disincentive a spur-of-the-moment decision
might cost you more than money.
I was staggered at the prices.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

Astonish or deeply
shocked
164. Stagnation The state of not flowing or Flow Despite more than 10 years of
moving. economic stagnation, the
unemployment rate remains low.
165. Stark Severe or bare in Fuzzy, Indistinct, The stark reality is that we are
appearance or outline. Pleasant, operating at a huge loss.
Comfortable,
Sharp, Crisp, Utter, Ornate
Absolute
166. Stereotype A widely held but fixed and Unconventional, The city is too
oversimplified image or Original, Fresh easily stereotyped as an industrial
idea of a particular type of wasteland.
person or thing.

Cliché, Typecast,
Pigeonhole,
Conventionalize
167. Strident Loud and harsh; grating. Soft, Dulcet His voice had become
increasingly strident.
Harsh, Raucous, Rough,
Grating, Rasping
168. Superfluous Unnecessary, especially Necessary, The purchaser should avoid asking
through being more than Essential for superfluous information.
enough.

Surplus, Redundant,
Unneeded, Excess, Extra
169. Susceptible Likely or liable to be Insusceptible, Patients with liver disease may
influenced or harmed by a Invulnerable, be susceptible to infection.
particular thing. Unexposed,
Unsusceptible
Endangered, Exposed,
Liable, Open, Sensitive,
Vulnerable
170. Tepid Showing little enthusiasm. Enthusiastic, He gave a tepid performance.
Passionate
Unenthusiastic, Apathetic,
Half-hearted, Indifferent
171. Tinker Attempt to repair or Break, Destroy He is always tinkering with his car.
improve something in a
casual or desultory way.

Repair, Adjust, Fiddle,

Experiment
172. Tranquillity The quality or state of Commotion, I love the tranquillity of the
being tranquil; calm. Busyness countryside.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020
Peace, Calm, Quietness
173. Transparency The condition of being
transparent.
Lucidity, Clarity, Limpidity,
174. Triumphalism Excessive exultation over
one’s success or
achievements (used
especially in a political
context).
Boastfulness, Bombast,
Bravado
175. Truce An agreement between
enemies or opponents to
stop fighting or arguing for
a certain time.
Ceasefire, Armistice
176. Tumultuous Very loud, or full of
confusion, change or
uncertainty.
Loud, Deafening,
Thunderous, Ear-
shattering
177. Turmoil A state of great
disturbance, confusion, or
uncertainty.
Turbulence, Disorder,
Commotion
178. Unenviable Difficult, undesirable, or
unpleasant.
Disagreeable, Unpleasant,
Undesirable, Difficult
179. Unequivocally In a way that leaves no
doubt.
Clear, Unambiguous
180. Unexceptionable Not open to objection, but
not particularly new or
exciting.
Unimpeachable,
Acceptable, Satisfactory
Free vocabulary e-book
Cloudiness, The old-fashioned type of plastic
Opacity, lacked transparency.
Opaqueness,
Turbidity,
Bashfulness, There was not a hint of
demureness, triumphalism in her acceptance
Shyness speech at the awards ceremony.
Fighting, Following last month’s riots, two
Hostilities of the city’s biggest gangs have
finally declared a truce, ending
years of bloodshed.
Soft The former president appeared
to tumultuous applause and a
standing ovation.
Calm, Peace The country is in a state of
political turmoil.
Enviable, I had the unenviable task of
Desirable cleaning up after the party.
Ambiguous, Her answer was
Clouded, Cryptic, an unequivocal yes.
Dark, Enigmatic
Insufficient, This seems unexceptionable and
Unacceptable useless-but then it is not how it is
used.
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

181. Unnerve Make (someone) lose Encourage, The journey over the bridge
courage or confidence. Hearten had unnerved me.

Demoralize, Discourage,
Dishearten
182. Unnotified Not notified; of which no Notified Please do not involve me
notice or declaration has anymore unnotified in any
been made, especially to incident that anyway I am not
the appropriate belonging to.
authorities.
183. Unsubstantiated Not supported or proven Well-founded, Companies can be punished for
by evidence. Undeniable making unsubstantiated claims
about their products.
Unconfirmed,
Unsupported,
Uncorroborated
184. Unwarranted Not justified or authorized. Justified, I am sure your fears
Permitted, Legal are unwarranted.
Unjustified, Indefensible,
Inexcusable, Unforgivable
185. Unwavering Not wavering; steady or Wavering, she fixed him with
resolute. Unsteady an unwavering stare.

Steady, Fixed, Resolute,

Firm
186. Validation The action of checking or Disproof I am afraid we cannot act on your
proving the validity or claim without validation.
accuracy of something.

Attestation, Confirmation,
Corroboration,
Documentation, Evidence,
Proof
187. Vanquish Defeat thoroughly. Succumb, Yield, They were vanquished in battle.
Faint, Fail
Conquer, Trounce,
Annihilate
188. Wane Decrease in vigour or Increase, Grow The scandal caused her popularity
extent; become weaker. to wane.

Diminish, Dwindle, Shrink,

Contract
189. Wilting To become weaker, tired, Resuscitation, After only an hour’s hiking, they
or less confident. Revival were beginning to wilt in the heat.

Drooping, Sagging
The Hindu Vocabulary Booster August 2020 Free vocabulary e-book

190. Wrack Ruin, Destructed. Doctor, Fix, He showed the obvious and the
Mend, Patch, hidden of urban life: the workers,
A remnant of something Recondition, unemployed, architecture and
destroyed Repair ghettos, growth, and
human wracks.
191. Yearn Have an intense feeling of Despise Despite his great commercial
longing for something, success, he still yearns for critical
typically something that approval.
one has lost or been
separated from.

Long, Pine, Crave, Desire

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