Vocabulory Lists

Essential words

Exhaustive vocabulary lists along with example, contextual

meaning & mnemonics.

Ram
Jamboree Education
 BURN,HOT (effect),(opp)COLD
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Warm or slightly warm Mnemonic: te(tea) and
unenthusiastic pid(dip):you can dip your hand
(Degree) into tea only when it is
lukewarm
# Form: adj Example: The mushrooms
Tepid#(warm) develop more flavor if you use
the slower method of soaking
them in tepid water for six hours
or overnight.
Tone: neg
very hot or highly If you’re having a torrid Mnemonic: torturously arid or
changed emotion romance, that means it's hot & arid=torrid
(syn) steamy and emotionally
Form: adj charged. If you’re Example: Yet watching him,
torrid listening to a torrid band, even on such a torrid shooting
then you’re listening to a night, always leaves a lukewarm
band that has a lot of feeling.
Tone: neg energy.
Fire that destroys A conflgaration isn't just a Mnemonic: Flagration sounds
(syn) few flames; it's an especially like flare which means fire, so
large and destructive fire big fire.
Form: n that causes devastation. Example: The conflgaration
Conflagration
destroyed property worth
millions.
Tone: neg Root: The prefix Con- means
together
very cold (syn) Like the North Pole on the Mnemonic: Frigid-concentrate
coldest day of winter, frigid on fridge which is cold
Form: adj is an adjective that means Example: There was a Frigid
Frigid
extremely chilly. It applies atmosphere in the room.
Tone: neg to both temperatures and
personalities.
icy cold and Things that are glacial are Mnemonic: Ice+Glass-
Unemotional (syn super cold. A place can be Glass+ice
and effect) glacial — like the South
Glacial Form: adj Pole — but a person can be Example: the Glacial wind
glacial, too, like that whipped her skin blue.
Tone: neg unfriendly girl who gave you
a glacial stare.
injure with hot You could scald yourself if Mnemonic: Scald sounds like
liquid (effect) your bathwater is too hot. bald - he became bald because
To scald something is to his scalp got burnt in hot water.
burn it with hot liquid.
Scald Form: v However, if a recipe tells Example: Be careful not to
you to “scald the Scald yourself with the steam.
Tone: negative milk,― it means to heat it
to the moment just before it
boils.
 burn injure or harm, especially by Mnemonic: When you Skate
fire. you damage (Scathe) the ICE
beneath
Scathe Form: v.adj Example: Her sensitive skin got
Scathed because of excessive
heat.
Tone: negative
Burn (syn) To scorch is to burn Mnemonic: Think of Scorch as
something fiercely, to the Torch.Torch is used by people
point where its surface — who work in mines.And these
your face, prairie grass, a people have to face extreme
steak on the grill — chars heat and because they are in
Scorch or otherwise changes color. mine(e.g.coal mine)their face
turns black.
Form: v Example: I Scorched my dress
when I was ironing it.
Tone: neg
intense heat To sear something is to Mnemonic: Sear rhymes with
(nature or kind of quickly cook or burn its TEAR. When you BURN your
heat) surface by applying intense hand you are in tears.
Sear Form: v heat. When making beef Example: The heat of the sun
stew, the color and flavor Seared their faces.
Tone: neg are usually better if you
sear the meat first.
burn lightly (syn) burn superficially or lightly Mnemonic: Singe- remove 'n'
from the word, we will be left
with sige- like cige, a cigarette
BURNS
Singe Form: v Example: He Singed his hair as
he tried to light his cigarette.

Tone: negative or
neutral
hot and To swelter is to be hot — Mnemonic:  If you put on a
uncomfortable very, very hot, like on a SWEATER in the heat, then you
(syn and effect) humid, ninety-degree day. will get WET with SWEAT and
To swelter is to feel like will suffer from oppresive heat.
Swelter you're in an oven.
Form: v Example: Passengers
Sweltered in temperatures of
over 90°F.
Tone: neg

PREDICTION
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
predicts a bad or To augur is to predict, but Mnemonic: Augur-- aug+ur --
good outcome what's tricky about the AUGust indicates(SIGN/WARNS)
(syn) word is that it pertains to approaching of winters
Form: v,n an object or an event. A Example: Conflicts among the
Augur black cat is an augur of various groups do not Augur
bad luck––it brings bad well for the future of the peace
luck. Seeing one doesn't talks.
Tone: Neutral, augur well for your future. Root: NA
negative, positive
 Predict an A forecast is a prediction
occurrence, of what will happen. If the
especially weather weather forecast calls for
(syn) sunny skies, consider
leaving your umbrella at
Forecast home. (But, since
Form: v,n forecasts aren’t
guaranteed to be right,
don’t blame us if you
Tone: Neutral get rained on).
prediction (syn) Use the noun foresight to
describe successful planning
for the future, like on a
cloudy morning having the
foresight to bring an
Foresight Form: n umbrella in case of rain
showers later in the day.
Tone: neutral
predict (syn) to know or say what will
happen in the future,
especially by using magic
Fortell Form: v powers
Tone: neutral
Omen, bad sign or A presage is a sign that
warning (effect) something bad is about to
happen, like when you get
that queasy feeling in your
stomach because your mom
found out you skipped band
Presage practice to go to the
movies.
Form: v,n
Tone:
Neutral/negative
having knowledge To be prescient is to have
of events to take foresight or foreknowledge.
plc (syn) We can use this word to
Form: adj describe people themselves,
Prescient or what they say or do at a
given moment.
Tone: neutral
Mnemonic: While often used in
the context of weather,
Forecast can also be used for
other types of predictions such
as those related to financial or
political outcomes.
Example: The Forecast said
there would be sunny intervals
and showers.
Root: the prefix fore- means
before
Mnemonic: The word
Foresight is made of two parts:
fore, which means "before," and
sight, which means "to
perceive."
Example: She had the
Foresight to prepare herself
financially in case of an
accident.
Root: Prefix Fore- means before
Mnemonic: Fore means before
and telling about what happened
before.
Example: The witch foretold
that she would marry a prince.
Root: the prefix fore- means
before
Mnemonic: As a verb, Presage
means "making a prediction or
giving a warning of what's to
come," like a terrible end-of-
season football game's outcome
game that Presaged the
struggles the team faced the
next season.
Example: Nothing had
Presaged the dreadful fate
about to befall him.
Root: NA
Mnemonic: pre-
science—means prediction,
knowledge of events forehand
Example: She showed great
prescience in selling her shares
just before the market crashed.
Root: the prefix pre- means
before
 forecast the Prognosis concerns people Mnemonic: Prognosis =
outcome of some who are so sick they might pro+diagnosis, pro= think
situation (syn) die. What is their forward, diagnosis = cause of
prognosis? It is a word disease, it means to predict the
doctors use to talk about features of a disease before the
Prognosis the path a disease will take disease itself.
Form: n with a person. Example: The Prognosis is for
more people to work part-time
in the future.
Tone: Negative Root: NA

SIGN (WARNING)
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Warning in make a prediction about; Mnemonic: Â fore = for the
advance (syn) tell in advance future; bode = brood on
something bad. (Not so good,
but what can we do)
Forebode Form: v Example: She had a sense of
foreboding that the news
would be bad.
Tone: neutral Root: The prefix -fore means
before
Warning (syn) To foreshadow is to predict Mnemonic: Â A 'shadow' of an
something or to give a hint assasin alerts you 'before' his
of what is to come. If you arrival.
Form: v could take a stereo apart Example: His sudden death had
Foreshadow and put it back together at been Foreshadowed by earlier
age five, it can foreshadow health scares.
Tone: neutral a successful career in Root: prefix fore- refers to
electronics. before
expressing threat minatory means Mnemonic:
(syn) threatening. When you MINEatory.....mines are always
petition the school for higher threatening because lot's of
academic people can die because of
standards––i.e. harder suffocation or poisonous gases
Minatory grading from present in mines....
Form: adj teachers––you may Example: There was a silence
receive some minatory which, it seemed to her, could
looks, or even hate note, be more Minatory even than
from the kids in your school. accusation.
Tone: negative
threateningly If something looks or Mnemonic: Â "omen+ious",
inauspicious (syn) sounds ominous, be Remember the movie "omen"
careful, a threat or an the horror movie
Ominous Form: adj unpleasant event is at hand. Example: There were
If you see an ominous Ominous dark clouds gathering
frown on your boss's face, overhead.
Tone: negative you're in trouble!
 Warning (syn) portend means to show a
sign that something
calamitous is about to
happen. The tottering, pile
of fine china piled up after
Portend the dinner party portends
Form: v an imminent crash of broken
plates and dishes.
Tone: negative
Warning (syn) While you might love crows,
your father will shudder
when he sees them if he
Portent Form: n superstitiously believes
they're a portent — a sign
or warning — of death.
Tone: negative
a strong Some people claim to have
feeling…that premonitions, such as a
something dream about a friend they
unpleasant might haven't seen in years the
happen night before the friend dies.
Premonition A premonition is a warning
Form: n
that comes in advance.
Tone: negative
suggesting harm People who are left-handed
(syn) might feel unlucky having to
Form: adj use a desk designed for
right-handers, but there
Sinister
probably wasn't any
Tone: negative sinister, or evil, intent
behind the design. Or was
there?
Mnemonic: Â When we reached
the port's end (sea port) we saw
some dead bodies, which gave a
sign that something bad was
going to happen.
Example: For there are many
kinds of calms that do not
Portend coming storms.
Mnemonic: On Camping if it
pours on your tent it is a omen
trekking is going to be bad.
Example: The event proved to
be a Portent of the disaster
that was to come.
Mnemonic: pre(before hand) +
monition (remember
adMONISH, which means to
warn)...so warning which is
before hand is Premonition
Example: He had a
Premonition that he would
never see her again.
Root: the suffix -tion means
state or quality of being
Mnemonic: Sinistersounds like
Monster - evil monster
Example: There was something
cold and Sinisterabout him.

ANGRY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to make someone put into a rage; make Mnemonic: Enrage is another
angry (syn) violently angry word for RAGE (anger).
Enrage Form: v Example: She was Enraged at
his stupidity.
Tone: negative Root: the prefix En- means IN
very angry To fume is to feel or Mnemonic: In cartoons, when a
(degree) (syn) express great anger. You character is fuming, it is often
would fume if your teacher drawn with Fumes coming out
accused you of cheating of its ears.
Fume when you didn't.
Form: v Example: She sat in the car,
silently fuming at the traffic
jam.
Tone: negative
 angry and sullen If you see someone glower
look on face at you, you might consider
(effect) glowering back, but no
one likes an angry staring
Glower contest. To glower is not
Form: v only to stare, it's to stare
angrily, as if you're going
to throttle someone.
Tone: negative
make someone If your new college
angry (syn) roommate burns incense
in your tiny dorm room,
Form: v you might get incensed
Incense and storm out.
Mnemonic: Glower sounds like
Lower. when someone LOWERS
you in front of others, you tend
to stare ANGRILY at them.
Example: Bright confident
morning has been replaced by a
Glowering twilight
Mnemonic: Incense sounds
like insensible. Insensible people
infuriate(Incense) me.
Example: Incensed, Mr. John
demanded on national television
that Ms. Rihana be given a 30-
year prison sentence.

Tone: negative Root: the prefix In- means NOT

to make someone Different things infuriate Mnemonic: The word can be
angry (syn) different people: whatever related to Fury or anger.
Infuriate Form: v makes you angry, mad, or Example: Her silence
ticked off infuriates you. Infuriated him even more.
Tone: negative
very angry On the anger scale, first Mnemonic: IRATE rhymes with
comes annoyed, then cross, "eye red". When does your eye
then furious, then irate. become red? When you are
When cartoon characters ANGRY.
Form: adj are irate smoke comes out Example: When cartoon
IRATE of their ears. characters are IRATE smoke
comes out of their ears. Use this
word only when someone is so
mad that they scare you.
Tone: negative
anger Ire is another word for Mnemonic: IRE sounds like
"anger." FIRE. Anger emits fIRE like
burning emotions visible in
action and speech.
IRE Form: n Example: If you routinely steal
your neighbor's newspaper,
don't be surprised to be on the
receiving end of his IRE.
Tone: negative
furiously angry If you're livid, you're Mnemonic: Livid sounds like
(syn) furious, in a black cloud of LIVE+VIDEO: The officer was
anger. ENRAGED WITH ANGER when he
was caught taking bribe on LIVE
Livid VIDEO
Form: adj Example: Dad will be Livid
when he finds out.
Tone: negative
 Extreme anger Chances are that if the tail-
(syn) wagging dog that just
appeared on your doorstep
is also foaming at the
mouth and chewing on your
Rabid welcome mat, it's rabid
Form: adj and you should back away
slowly; no petting for this
infectious pup.
Tone: negative
extreme but If a liquid seethes, it is
unexpected anger boiling, but if it's a person
(syn) who's seething, watch out!
He or she is really angry!
Seethe
Form: v
Tone: negative
suppressed anger When a fire is barely
or hatred(lesser burning, it's smoldering.
degree) (syn) Fires can smolder for days
without anyone's knowing,
then burst into a
Smolder conflagration that gets the
Form: v
fire department sirens
wailing all over town.
Tone: negative
great anger wrath is great anger that
leading to expresses itself in a desire
revenge (effect) to punish someone: Noah
saw the flood as a sign of
the wrath of God.
Wrath
Form: n
Tone: negative
DISPLAYING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
intellectual or If you are a cerebral
brainy (syn) person, no one would ever
Form: adj call you a drama queen.
Cerebral You make decisions using
your intelligence and cold,
hard facts, instead of your
Tone: pos emotions.
Mnemonic: Rabid can be
remembered in this manner:
rabbit is extremely
zealous/enthusiastic about
carrots, and gets angry if you
try to snatch it from him.
Example: She is as Rabidly
anti-smoking as only a recently
cured addict can be.
Mnemonic:
Seethe(SITA)..when Ravan
took Sita to Lanka, Lord Ram
BOILED with anger and was
DISTURBED.
Example: He marched off,
seething with frustration.
Mnemonic: smol + der --
'smol'........small 'der'.... fear (in
hindi)... that is, while handling
small things the fear is they
might break down.
Example: He was Smoldering
with rage when he learned that
his orders were not followed.
Mnemonic: Remember rath(s)
means chariots in mahabharata.
When kings were angry and
furious, they used to come on
their rath(s) to fight.
Example: Sandy’s
)hurricane) Wrath will peak
Monday night, but chances are
the effects will be felt long after.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: sounds like
cereBRAINal
Example: The content of
philosophical works is Cerebral
in nature and requires much
thought.
 one who gives or When people are didactic,
renders moral they're teaching or
lessons and instructing. This word is
instructions(syn) often used negatively for
Didactic when someone is acting too
Form: adj
much like a teacher.
Tone: pos
showing great If you call someone
knowledge(syn) erudite, that means they
show great learning. After
you've earned your second
Ph.D., you will be truly
Erudite erudite.
Form: adj
Tone: pos
very concerned There's nothing wrong with
with academic focusing on the details, but
learning (syn) someone who is pedantic
makes a big display of
Pedantic knowing obscure facts and
Form: adj details.
Tone: pos
an expert (syn) Beware of the pundit, a
supposed expert who
Form: n imparts deep knowledge to
us more ignorant folks.
Pundit pundits are often
blowhards, mere hacks, and
Tone: pos you might well want to take
what they say with a pinch
of salt.
TEACHER,GUIDE , X STUDENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
an experienced A mentor is a person who
adviser (Teacher) trains and guides someone,
like the second-grade
English teacher who saw the
Mentor
Form: n spark of creativity in your
writing and encouraged you
Tone: pos to become a professional
author.
a strict teacher pedagogue is another
(syn) name for "teacher," but one
Pedagogue
who is strict, stiff or old-
fashioned, as in a
Mnemonic: Sounds like didi
(sister) who always acts in a
way like she is teaching
something...''didi-act'ic
Example: The poet's works
became increasingly Didactic
after his religious conversion
Mnemonic:
e+RUD(RUDE)+IT+e-now just
concentrate on RUDE IT....NOW
THINK OF rude IT
PROFESSIONAL WHO IS
BASICALLY CONSIDERED AS A
LEARNED man..or scholarly
Example: She could turn any
conversation into an Erudite
discussion.
Mnemonic: Can you smell the
word 'PANDIT'( "Scholar" in
English) from "Pedantic"?
PANDIT's are usually very strict
about the bookish stuff.
Example: A Pedantic
insistence on the correct way of
doing things
Mnemonic: A pandit is a
scholar.
Example: Political Pundits in
the United States predicted a
historic win for Barack Obama in
the 2008 US Elections.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A Mentor Mends
your ways by instructing or
teaching you about various
things.
Example: She was a friend and
Mentor to many young actors.
Mnemonic: ped is normally
used for a child.. and -agogue
means a leader.. hence
pedegogue..
 Form: n pedagogue who stands in
the front of the room and
lectures for the entire class
period, boring the students
Tone: pos to tears.
student. Guided A protégé is a person
by an older and who receives special
influential person protection and promotion
from someone more
Prote'ge' Form: n established in a field. If
your boss introduces you as
his newest protégé,
Tone: pos you're off to a good start in
your career.
FLEXIBLE,SKILFUL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
very skilled and Are you looking for another
professional (Syn word to describe a person
for skillful) who is highly skilled, very
proficient or expert at
Adept something? Try the
Form: adj
adjective adept!
Tone: pos
Skilled at using Someone who is adroit is
hands and mind clever and skillful. An
(syn for skillful) adroit leader will be able to
persuade people to go with
Adroit
Form: adj his ideas. An adroit
sculptor can turn a lump of
Tone: pos clay into an object of great
beauty.
moves quickly On water skis she was
and easily (syn for agile and made sharp turns
flexible) and long arcs cutting
Form: adj through the water, but she
Agile
was a lot less agile on the
Tone: pos snowboard, landing on her
face and hands as she
clunked down the slopes.
Natural ability An aptitude is something
you're good at. A rock star
might have an aptitude for
Aptitude energizing an audience, or
Form: adj for trashing his hotel room.
Tone: pos
Example: He was a
Pedagogue who really believed
that he could make a difference
in young lives
Root: the suffix agouge or agog
means a leader
Mnemonic: prot(protection)+
ege(ageis means
sheild)....providing sheild for
protection
Example: She is a protégé
of the great violinist Yehudi
Menuhin
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Adept is close to
adapt so an Adept batsman like
sachin adapt himself quickly on
any kind of pitch.
Example: He became Adept at
getting even the shyest students
to talk.
Mnemonic: Adroit sounds like
Androids, a mix of human and
machine, hence they are more
dexterous than humans.
Example: I want to become an
Adroit guitarist
Mnemonic: Â When we are in
good age we'll be quick
Example: He had the agility of
a man half his age.
Mnemonic: Â remember this
word from various "Aptitude
tests" which check talent or IQ
etc
Example: She showed a natural
Aptitude for the work.
 to finish If a restaurant is a
something in the consummate example of
perfect or best fine dining, you might say
manner (syn) there's nothing more to say
about fine dining that what
Consummate this restaurant represents.
Form: v,adj consummate means
complete or finished.
Tone: pos
skillful and Clever deft means "showing
(syn for skillful) cleverness and skill in
handling things." What you
Deft Form: adj want to see in football or
basketball is some deft
handling of the ball.
Tone: pos
Skilled at using If you're dexterous, you're
hands (syn) good with your hands. To
be dexterous is an
essential trait for knitters
Dexterous and sleight-of-hand
Form: adj magicians.
Tone: pos
Flexible (a body Can you dance the hula?
part) (Syn) Get into crazy yoga
positions, or touch your
Limber Form: adj toes? Then you're limber,
meaning your body is pretty
Tone: pos flexible and able to bend
well.
Supple and Have you ever seen people
graceful (Syn for who can bend so easily,
flexible) they can touch their heels
Lithe to the back of their heads?
Form: adj That person is, in a word,
lithe.
Tone: pos
quick and light in If you're nimble, you can
action (Syn for move quickly and with
flexible) ease. That spryness can be
both physical and mental,
Nimble so even if your granny isn't
very nimble on her feet,
Form: adj she can probably still whip
you in chess.
Tone: pos
able to do When someone has become
something well good at something, they
Proficient because of are Proficient. After all
training and those hours playing video
practice games, you must be very
Mnemonic: con+summit(the
highest point of something), and
now imagine a person who has
reached the highest point of
perfection,is truly a complete
man.
Example: She was a
Consummate performer.
Root: The prefix CON either
means with or together.
Mnemonic: Ravi shastri say for
Sachin's backside's delicate
touch as 'Deft touch by Sachin'
Example: He finished off the
painting with a few Deft strokes
of the brush.
Mnemonic: dexter, a cartoon
character is someone ,who is
very skillfull and uses his hands
and minds in a very skillfull
manner.
Example: Paul Frazier was
quietly Dexterous on bass
guitar.
Mnemonic: Limber- it sounds
like CLimber.. a CLimber is
FLEXIBLE
Example: The violist Limbered
her wrists before the concert
Mnemonic: Lithe Sounds like
"light" and something which is
light in weight can easily be
moved and bended.
Example: the Lithe body of a
dancer.
Mnemonic: Nimble..sounds
like nimbu(lemon)..when a
lemon falls on the floor it rolls
quickly..sure this helps you in
understanding the meaning
quickly...ie in being Nimble
Example: You need Nimble
fingers for that job.
Mnemonic: Â A Proficient
person is EFFICIENT at the job
he/she does
 Form: adj Proficient at them. Example: With practice, you
should become Proficient
within six months.
Tone: pos
skilled and expert prowess means Mnemonic: Prowess sounds
(syn) exceptional skill or ability. like POWERS
Form: n Your sailing prowess might Example: He was
Prowess save your life in a storm, complimented on his Prowess
while someone with less as an oarsman.
Tone: pos experience might make
mistakes.
bending, moving Something or someone that Mnemonic: Playing cards can
easily (syn for is supple bends and moves be SHUFFLED because they are
flexible) easily, like a contortionist at Supple
Supple Form: adj a circus sideshow. If you Example: These exercises will
can wrap your legs around help to keep you Supple.
Tone: pos your neck, you most likely
have a supple body.

HAVING TWISTS AND TURNS

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
highly highly complex or intricate Mnemonic: Recall the
complicated (syn) and occasionally devious chemistry where we studied
Benzene which is complex in
structure.
Byzantine
Form: adj Example: This is an
organization of Byzantine
complexity
Tone: Neg
longer path, Circuitous means indirect or Mnemonic:
roundabout ( roundabout. If you're in a circ(circle)tous(tour)
kind, nature) hurry to get to the hospital circle+tour=round about path.
Circuitous where your wife is having a which isn't straight
Form: adj baby, you want to take the Example: He took us on a
straightest, fastest way, not Circuitous route to the hotel.
Tone: Neg a circuitous one!
Twisted extremely If something is convoluted, Mnemonic: Breaking into a
difficult to follow it's intricate and hard to VAULT is COMPLICATED
(syn) understand. You'll need to (Convoluted)
Form: adj read over your brother's Example: She could not follow
Convoluted
convoluted investment his Convoluted discourse.
Tone: Neg scheme a few times before
deciding whether or not to
go in on it.
rough and twisted To gnarl is to twist Mnemonic: People's bodies can
(syn) something up until it's gnarl too, especially as they get
deformed. A gnarl is older.
Gnarled something twisted up like a
Form: verb Example: The wind has Gnarled
knot. this old tree
Tone: Neg
 connect and link Things that intertwine are
(Syn) twisted or mixed together.
You have to intertwine yarn
to make a scarf.
Intertwine
Form: v
Tone: Neg
proceed aimlessly follow a winding course.
(effect)
Meander Form: v
Tone: Neg
complex, cunning You can use the adjective
(effect) serpentine to describe
things that look like a
serpent or are snakelike.
Looking down at the carved
Serpentine riverbeds in the Grand
Form: adj Canyon is like looking into a
basket of snakes: the
Tone: Neg serpentine twists curve
throughout the canyon
floor.
having curves and Sinuous means winding or
turns (Syn) curvy. If you get lost on a
sinuous mountain path,
you'll need a compass or a
Form: adj GPS to figure out which
Sinuous direction leads back to
camp.
Tone: Neg
twists and turns Tortuous means twisting or
(Syn) complicated. "James Bond
drove his custom BMW 120
Tortuous mph on the road that was
Form: adj tortuous in its twists and
turns.
Tone: Neg
spiral courses having many twists and
(nature) turns.
Winding
Form: adj
Tone: Neg
Mnemonic: Intertwine sounds
like In-Turbine. So remember it
as: In Turbine, turbine SPINs
while exerting pressure of water
flow or WIND,and converts
mechanical energy into
electrical(electricity).
Example: Their political careers
had become closely Intertwined.
Root: the Prefix Inter means -in
between.
Mnemonic: Pronounce it like
'wander'; they are synonymous.
Example: The stream Meanders
slowly down to the river.
Mnemonic: A serpent is a
snake - a snake has a twisting
and winding movement instead
of a straight one and therefore
such a movement is termed as
Serpentine .
Example: the Serpentine
course of the river
Mnemonic: Sinuous...one who
commits sins is NOT MORALLY
HONEST but is twisted by
nature.
Example: One gloriously
Sinuous run eight minutes from
the interval made three
opponents look as though they
were trying to tackle smoke.
Mnemonic: A tortoise does not
move in straight line. It keeps
twisting and turning making the
path complicated.
Example: A Tortuous road up
the mountain
Mnemonic: WindingS around
Transformers (electronics) isnt
straight, so hence its twisting
like a spiral.. hence Winding
Example: Winding roads are full
of surprises
 INCLINATION
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
natural liking or If you get along with Mnemonic: Mathematicians
sympathy (syn) someone very well, you have an Affinity for infinity.
Form: n have an affinity with them. Example: Sam was born in the
Sometimes opposites country and had a deep Affinity
Affinity
attract, so you might feel a with nature.
Tone: pos strange affinity to someone
who is seemingly very
different from you.
natural talent If you have a knack or Mnemonic: Bent-sounds like
(syn) aptitude for doing "bend it like beckham" a movie
something, you can say you where a girl is determined to
have a bent for it. Perhaps prove her natural talent of
Bent you have a bent for football
Form: n woodworking, creating Example: Do this exercise with
fabulous desserts, or writing your knees Bent
Tone: pos poetry, you are good at it.
inclined and naturally disposed toward Mnemonic: we always have
special attitude INCLINATION for having
(syn) tea/coffee/juice in DISPOSable
Disposed glass when we are outside
Form: adj Example: I'm not Disposed to
argue.
Tone: pos
syn If you're inclined to do Mnemonic: In (into) cline
something, you want to do (cling) to a habit.
Form: adj it, you like doing it, and you Example: He did not show the
may even have an inherent slightest inclination to leave.
Inclined Tone: pos talent for doing it. Root: the prefix IN means into
Alternatively, if the sidewalk
outside your house is
inclined, that means it
slopes upward.
habituated liking A penchant is a strong Mnemonic: Â p+enchant-
(syn) preference or tendency. If something that enchants you,
you have a penchant for you have a strong liking for
pizza, you either eat it daily, that.
Penchant Form: n or wish you did. Example: He quit his job as the
CEO of a leading company, to
satisfy his Penchant for
teaching.
Tone: pos
a special liking A predilection is a Mnemonic:
(syn) preference for or bias pre(before)+dialect(local
toward something. If you language); you generally
have a predilection for wool become partial when you are
clothing, you should take up taking an interview for a
Predilection knitting. candidate meet who speaks
your language/dialect.
Form: n Example: An artist with a
Predilection for bright colors.
Tone: pos Root: the prefix PRE- mens
before
 a favorable A predisposition is a Mnemonic: your position
inclination tendency to do something. (POSITION) is more towards
towards someone If you know you have a this (DIS)
(syn) predisposition toward
Predisposition Form: n getting carsick, better to Example: His health graph
plan ahead and avoid eating indicates that many cancers
before a long drive. Things may have a shared underlying
could get ugly. genetic Predisposition
Tone: pos Root: same as above.
to do something A proclivity is a natural Mnemonic: pro(forward) +
regularly or liking tendency to like something, clivity( think of cliff or high
towards such as your sister's slope, prone to slipping towards
something (syn) proclivity for restaurants it), so a strong
Proclivity that serve hot, spicy food. predispostion/inclination
towards something
Form: n Example: The government's
Proclivity for spending money.
Tone: pos
natural tendency A propensity is a natural Mnemonic: Now days people
to behave in a tendency to behave in a are inclined towards "CITY" that
particular way certain way. We all have is why they are migrating from
(syn) propensities — things we villages.
Propensity Form: n tend to do. Dogs have a Example: He showed a
propensity to bark, and Propensity for violence.
Tone: pos many people have a Root: the Prefix PRO- means for
propensity for getting or forward.
annoyed by it.

BE SLOW , WASTE TIME

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
move slowly Dally means “to waste Mnemonic:  Dally sounds like
(action) time.― When you dally, delay. lazy people delay work.
Form: v you will cause a delay Example: Despite our best
because of your dawdling. intentions of not Dallying, it's
Dally hard to pass up the chance to
check out a sunrise like this at
the end of our morning ride.
Tone: neg
slow, wastes time There are lots of words that Mnemonic: Dawdle is
(syn) mean to move slowly. The somewhat similar to idle.
Form: v point of dawdle is that one Example: Stop dawdling! We're
Dawdle is moving too slowly, is going to be late!
Tone: neg falling behind, or is not
properly focused on making
progress.
causing delay Something dilatory creates Mnemonic: Extract 'late' from
intentionally (syn) a delay. If you are a high the word Dilatory and you get....
school student, once in a delay which is generally due to
while you might have used waste of time.
Dilatory dilatory tactics if you forgot
Form: adj Example: The government has
to do your homework. been Dilatory in dealing with the
problem of unemployment.
Tone: neg
 wasting time postpone doing what one Mnemonic: Dilly and Dally
having failed to should be doing sounds like DELAY.
decide (effect)
Dilly Dally
Form: v Example: Don't dilly-dally on
the way home from school.
Tone: neg
lazy person (syn) an idle worthless person Mnemonic: If you get a
Goldbrick, you will become an
idle worthless person, you will
not have to work for the rest of
Goldbrick your life.
Form: n,v Example: Some people are
Goldbricking on the job.
Tone: neg
slow progress and Hey pokey! Yeah you, Mr. Mnemonic: concentrate on lag,
lagging behing Slow Pants. Quit your one who always lag behind the
(effect) dawdling! This is no time to others means slow and sluggish.
be a laggard, or someone
Laggard who's always lagging
Form: n Example: Laggards are the
behind. ones still using fax machines
instead of email.
Tone: neg
stay in a place for When someone lingers, he Mnemonic: Linger--- Ginger...
a longer span or she takes an the taste of ginger is still
because you unexpectedly long time to present in my tongue although
don’t want to depart, as Romeo lingers its slowly leaving
leave when bidding Juliet farewell
Linger (or as annoying
Form: v Example: Furthermore there
houseguests almost always are Lingering questions as to
tend to do). why the U.S. has focused on
chemical weapons in particular.
Tone: neg
to fake illness in When you malinger, you Mnemonic:
order to avoid pretend to be sick. If you MAL(bad)+LINGER(stay in a
duty or work ever claimed to have a place longer than
(cause) stomach ache in order to necessary)...when you linger on
Malinger stay home from school, you the ramp badly you Malinger
know what it means to
Form: v malinger. Example: She lingered for a
few minutes to talk to Nick.
Tone: neg
delay or postpone Procrastinates means Mnemonic: Pro-cras-ti-nate: In
(effect) putting off doing something Latin, Pro(forward) and Cras
until a future time. When (tomorrow). Looking forward to
people sit down to write do work tomorrow is called
term papers, they can find postpone or delay.
Procrastinate all kinds of clever ways to
Form: v Example: People were dying of
procrastinate: reorganizing starvation while governments
the paperclips, calling Procrastinated.
Tone: neg everyone they know, typing Root: The prefix Pro- means
"I am bored" fifty ti before
delay in order to The verb temporize Mnemonic: Temporize -
gain time (syn describes stalling in order to Temporarily + Sieze that is
Temporize
and effect) gain time in the hopes of temporarily postpone or put on
avoiding or preventing hold
 Form: v something. Your class might
temporize so your teacher
won't have time to give the
Tone: neg pop quiz you all think she's
going to give
HORRIFYING,SHOCKING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
pleasing The adjective aesthetic
appearance, (also spelled esthetic)
artistic beauty comes in handy when
(opposite) subject is beauty or the
Aesthetic arts. A velvet painting of
Form: n,adj
dogs playing poker might
have minimal aesthetic
Tone: pos appeal.
shocked (syn) Something that is appalling
is awful or horrible, causing
dismay or disgust. It's
Appalling definitely not appealing.
Form: adj
Tone: neg
attractive (opp) Comely means attractive or
appropriate. A comely girl is
pretty. A comely hairstyle
makes you seem prettier
maybe than you are. If your
Comely manners are comely, it
Form: adj
means you know the right
way to act to put people at
their ease.
Tone: pos
offensive (syn, Something that is egregious
manner) stands out, but not in a
good way — it means
Form: adj "really bad or offensive,"
Egregious like a tattoo on a man
misspelling his girlfriend's
name.
Tone: neg
causing horror( Something that's ghastly
syn) isn't just gross. It's
shockingly, horrifyingly
Ghastly unpleasant — so
Form: adj
gruesome and grisly that it
Tone: neg makes you want to puke.
horror (cause ans Grisly means disgusting and
syn) bloody, absolutely repulsive
and horrible. There’s a
Grisly wonderfully creepy movie
Form: adj about a man who suffers a
grisly death at the hands of
Example: The speaker
Temporized in order to delay the
vote
Root: The root TEMP - refers to
TIME
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: aes + thetic
opposite of "pathetic"..means
beauty
Example: The beautiful
sculpture was a mirror image of
the carver's aethetic values.
Mnemonic: Appalling is
something that is not at all
Appealing.
Example: The brutality of the
crime appalled the public.
Mnemonic: Comely- resembles
homely, homely girls are always
liked by everyone,as they are
attractive and also have a
pleasing appearance.
Example: The General's lady is
a hearty, Comely, discreet,
affable woman, some few years
older than himself
Mnemonic: Egregious is similer
to aggressive.Aggressive people
are very bad in manner.
Example: There are several
prime ministers in the past who
have committed far more
Egregious offenses.
Mnemonic: Ghastly sounds like
Ghostly, which is equally
horrifying.
Example: She woke up in the
middle of a Ghastly nightmare.
Mnemonic: because of too
much of GREASE on the road
my car met with a hORRIFIC
accident
Example: The jurors saw Grisly
photos of the crime scene.
 Tone: neg the grizzly bears he was
studying.
vulgar, Get ready, because gross
unattractive has a few different
(nature) meanings. When something
is gross, it's disgusting. The
Gross noun, a gross, is the
Form: adj complete amount (before
expenses), and the verb "to
gross" is to bring in money.
Tone: neg
ugly or unusually Use grotesque to describe
unattractive things that are very strange
(cause) and ugly in an unnatural
way. If something "grosses
Grotesque Form: adj you out," you can safely
refer to it as grotesque.
Tone: Neg
extremely Gothic novels, horror
unpleasant movies, and crime dramas
(cause) don't shy away from
Gruesome Form: adj showing gruesome scenes
of death, pictures that
inspire fright and repulsion.
Tone: neg
wicked (nature of A heinous crime is very evil
crime) or wicked. Of course, some
people only use the term as
an exaggeration, claiming
Heinous Form: adj that their parents'
requirement that they write
thank you notes after their
birthdays is a heinous form
Tone: neg of torture.
ugly (cause) Hideous is a word that
means extremely ugly.
Anything or anybody that is
painful — and a little scary
Hideous — to look at is hideous.
Form: adj
terribly Bad luck, an injury, a
unpleasant (syn) mistake, an unfortunate
outfit, or a crime —
Horrendous Form: adj anything can be called
horrendous if it causes such
dread or fear that you can
Tone: neg barely even think about it.
horrifying because The adjective macabre is
involved with used to describe things that
Macabre death (nature) involve the horror of death
or violence. If a story
involves lots of blood and
Mnemonic: If you're talking
about awful, sickening, vile
things such as dissecting an
animal or filthy behavior, you're
looking at the adjective Gross.
Example: “He ate it with
mustard.― “Oh,
Gross!―
Mnemonic: When I GROW
TUSK: how do i look:
UGLY:abnormal....it is only a
fantasy
Example: It's Grotesque to
expect a person of her
experience to work for so little
money.
Mnemonic: Gruesome - Sounds
like cruelsome, which is self-
explainable
Example: We spent a week in a
Gruesome apartment in Miami.
Mnemonic: Heinous sounds like
hyena (a wild animal) these
animals are very cunning &
wicked.
Example: There were Heinous
accusations made against them
for involving in child labour and
assault.
Mnemonic: write it like
hide+ous.and ous sounds
simillar to "us"...and when do
we hide ourselves? Its when we
see something ugly and
unpleasant.
Example: Their new color
scheme is Hideous!
Mnemonic: Horrendous sounds
like Horrible and Horrifying.
Example: The police officer said
the attack was the most
Horrendous he had ever seen.
Mnemonic: Macabre Sounds
like massacre..which means
"excessive killing of many
people"..and which also
represents death
 Form: adj gore, you can call it Example: The scene of crime
macabre. was a Macabre sight to behold.
Tone: neg
shocking (syn) Monstrous is an adjective Mnemonic: Something that is
that describes something like a MONSTER (huge and ugly)
gross or shocking. It can is Monstrous.
Form: adj refer to the size, shape, or Example: He is considering
Monstrous general look of something. launching new courses in New
If your face or body is York and sees Latin America as
monstrous, it's misshapen a potentially “Monstrous―
and horrifying to look at. market.
Tone: neg
interest in Morbid is a word used to Mnemonic: Morbid -MORTAL
unpleasant and describe anyone who (deadly) + BITE (like of an
disturbing spends too much time insect) - a deadly bite is
subjects (death) thinking about death or unhealthy and disease related.
Morbid (syn) disease.
Form: adj Example: He had a Morbid
fascination with blood.
Tone: Neg Root: The root word MOR/MORT
refers to DEATH
ugly (cause) Unsightly is a gentler way Mnemonic: Concentrate on
of saying ugly. Often 'sight' which means to see.
something that is described Unsightly means reluctance or
Unsightly as unsightly sticks out like a denial to see if it is ugly.
Form: adj sore thumb in an otherwise Example: The accident site was
attractive environment. unslightly.
Tone: neg
unpleasant (syn) Surely only an evil person Mnemonic: Rearrange Vile and
and (nature) could be so vile as to have you will get a synonym for it:
made you so angry. Vile is EVIL
Vile Form: adj something or someone so Example: The weather was
morally wrong or offensive really Vile most of the time.
Tone: neg as to be thoroughly
disgusting.

SEPARATED , opp=CONNECTED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
lack of connection Disjointed isn’t when Mnemonic: DIS (not) +
(kind or nature) you can bend your thumb all JOINTED (connected)...so
the way backwards — Disjointed is disconnected or
that’s double-jointed. scattered.
Disjointed Form: adj Disjointed means Example: The novel suffers
"unorganized" or from a Disjointed plot and pale,
"disconnected." insignificant characters.
Tone: neg Root: The Prefix DIS- refers to
NOT
connecting more If you happen to be at the Mnemonic: Google --
than one thing nexus of something, this connected to android.. So their
(opp) noun means that you are phone name Nexus
Nexus right in the middle.
Form: n Example: The Nexus between
industry and political power
Tone: pos
 Divide (cause) To polarize is to divide.
Something that's been
polarized has been split into
two sides that are so
Polarize Form: v different, it seems as though
they're from opposite ends
Tone: neutral of the earth — like the
North Pole and the South
Pole.
Divide (syn) To separate people by race
or religion is to segregate
them. In general, the word
Segregate Form: v segregate means to
separate one type of thing
from another.
Tone: neutral
separate the good To winnow is to blow
from bad (syn) something away until you
are left with what you want,
Form: v like grain from chaff. If you
Winnow
only want your favorite
people at the party, you will
Tone: pos need to winnow down the
guest list from 300 to 30.
VERY TALENTED `CHILD`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
child having The sixth grader who's
developed already asking questions
incilnation (syn) about organic chemistry?
She is precocious —
Precocious Form: adj meaning they're way beyond
their years in skill or
knowledge.
Tone: pos
child with A prodigy is someone who is
exceptional so naturally talented at
qualities (syn) something that they become
Form: n a master of that particular
skill as a child––you can
Prodigy
Tone: pos be a musical prodigy or a
math prodigy.Mozart was
one, writing symphonies and
playing for kings when he
was only five yea
TALK FOOLISHLY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: Â Reminds of the
two poles "N-Pole", "S-Pole"
which is nothing but division of
two extreme poles.
Example: Public opinion has
Polarized on this issue.
Mnemonic: Â Aggregate is to
combine together, Segregate is
to seperate
Example: Whites and blacks
were Segregated into different
parts of town.
Mnemonic: WIN NOW (sounds
like WINNER)will separate you
from looser
Example: She stood there
Winnowing chaff all day in the
field
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â it can be
pre+conscious(conscious). i.e.
thing or person who/which is
very conscious in advance.
Example: From an early age,
she displayed a Precocious
talent for music.
Root: The Prefix PRE- refers to
BEFORE.
Mnemonic: Person with
exceptional talents is proud
ji(Prodigy)
Example: She is a chess
Prodigy
Mnemonic/Example
 continuously Babble is to talk on and on
speaking foolishly, without a particular goal, to
that cannot be bubble at the mouth, but
Babble understood (syn) not in a pretty way.
Form: n
Tone: neg
lazy and slow a slow speech pattern with
speaker (leading prolonged vowels
to boredome)
Drawl
Form: n,v
Tone: neg
senseless talk Drivel is useless, boring
(syn) information. If you drivel,
you talk stupidly or actually
Drivel Form: n drool. Your parent might
think the articles in your
Tone: neg favorite fashion magazine
are drivel.
meaningless Gibberish is nonsense
speech or write up sounds or writing. A baby's
(syn) babble is often called
Form: n gibberish. When someone is
Gibberish
speaking a foreign language
Tone: neg you don't understand, what
they're saying will sound to
you like gibberish.
talk foolishly (syn) When someone starts to
jabber, they start talking on
Form: v and on about this or that,
Jabber or that or this, in an
Tone: neg excited, sometimes
incoherent way. Jabber is a
close cousin to blabber.
senseless (syn) If something has no
intelligent meaning, you can
Form: adj describe it as nonsensical.
When you're really angry,
Nonsensical you might hear yourself
Tone: neg sputtering nonsensical
sounds and have to stop,
take a breath, and start
again.
lengthy and To prate means to talk on
foolish talk (syn) and on about something.
Form: v,n While it may be interesting
to hear about other
Prate
Tone: neg people’s vacations,
when they prate about
them until the wee hours, it
becomes intolerable.
Mnemonic: Babble - bab - ble
bla bla bla ( ble) which means to
chatter foolishly
Example: I can't listen to his
constant Babble.
Mnemonic: Those who Drawl
will crawl and hence who crawl
are kids only , therefore they
shall use prolonged vowels to
speak.
Example: He had a smooth,
Drawling voice.
Mnemonic: Drivel sounds like
trivial... a Drivel person always
says trivial stuff
Example: How can you watch
that Drivel on TV?
Mnemonic: Gibberish sounds
like rubbish.......hence nonsense
Example: You were talking
Gibberish in your sleep.
Mnemonic: Â Jabber sounds
like blabber...
Example: What is he Jabbering
about now?
Mnemonic: Nonsense talking is
Nonsensical
Example: If you ask a
Nonsensical question and you
will get a Nonsensical answer
Mnemonic: talking like a parrot
is to Prate.
Example: Stop this silly Prate
immediately!
 continuously If your little sister won't
speaking foolishly stop talking about her latest
(syn) crush and you don't want to
hear it, you might say,
Prattle
Form: v,n "Stop prattling on about
that loser!" To prattle is go
Tone: neg on and on about something
unimportant.
AVOID,DODGE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
prevent To avert is to turn away or
something from to prevent. You might avert
happening your gaze or avert a
Avert (manner) disaster — either way, you
Form: v are avoiding something.
Tone: pos
avoid to overcome To circumvent is to avoid.
problem (cause) Someone who trains
elephants but somehow
gets out of picking up after
Circumvent them has found a way to
Form: v circumvent the cleaning of
the circus tent.
Tone: pos
to deviate (cause) The verb deflect describes
blocking something or
changing its course. Hockey
Form: v goalies deflect the flying
Deflect puck with their sticks or
blockers, making it travel in
Tone: neut a different direction,
preferably to a teammate's
stick.
to move from the To divert means to shift or
main point turn from one thing to
(cause) another. A magician might
Divert Form: v attempt to divert your
attention as he shoves the
rabbit into the hat.
Tone: neut
escape in a Elude means evade, or be
cunning manner. hard to grasp. "Tom eluded
(manner) his captors by hiding under
Elude Form: v a table. Asha tried to
Tone: neg understand chemistry, but
the subject continued to
elude her."
escape or avoid When you evade
using tricks (syn) something, you escape it.
Evade
Form: v You could evade a police
chase by slipping into a
Mnemonic: Â Prattle- think of
cattle, they walk around
aimlessly, with no meaning. -
meaning less.
Example: She Prattled on about
her vacation all evening.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: sounds like
DIVERT, and that is the
meaning.
Example: He did his best to
Avert suspicion.
Mnemonic: circle + prevent -
to form a CIRCLE or a boundary
around the target so as to
OUTSMART your opponent, like
Abhimanyu did
Example: They found a way of
Circumventing the law.
Root: The prefix CIRCUM-
means AROUND
Mnemonic: Deflect sounds like
Defect. And anything Defective
is avoided and not used.
Example: All attempts to
Deflect attention from his
private life have failed.
Root: The refix DE- means
AWAY.
Mnemonic: away from the
correct path is to Divert.
Example: The war Diverted
people's attention away from
the economic situation.
Example: The two men
managed to Elude the police for
six weeks.
Mnemonic: Evade rhymes with
AVOID
Example: For two weeks they
Evaded the press.
 Tone: pos secret alley, or you could
evade your mother's
questions about the missing
cookies by slipping into
another topic.
done in a hurry Headlong describes
(opposite) something done headfirst,
rashly, or really quickly. If
you’re the star batter
Headlong on your baseball team,
Form: adj,adv
it’s expected that you'll
make a headlong dive for
the base.
avoid a question When you parry, you avoid
or blow. doing things. As the needy
friend approaches, say, "I
Parry wish I had time to catch
Form: v
up!" and hurry off. Or, hide
Tone: pos under a table.
neglect or avoid To shirk your
(syn) responsibilities is to avoid
dealing with them — like
when you watch four
Shirk consecutive hours of
Form: v
infomercials instead of
facing your homework.
Tone: neg
divert (syn) move to a less important
place or position.
Shunt
Form: v
Tone: neg
avoiding an issue avoid or try to avoid
(type of) fulfilling, answering, or
Skirt Form: v performing (duties,
Tone: neg questions, or issues)
changing The noun swerve means a
directions sudden turn off your path.
suddenly (cause) As a verb, it means to move
off your original route,
Swerve possibly to avoid a collision.
Form: v You can swerve either
toward something or away
Tone: neut from it.
Mnemonic: Sounds like
headstrong.i.e. adamant or
unthinkably daring (person who
is very strongheaded)
Example: The government is
taking care not to rush
Headlong into another
controversy.
Mnemonic: sounds like "Harry"
Potter who wards off all the
difficulties of people
Example: He parried a blow to
his head.
Mnemonic: Remember Shrek?
He used to avoid work or
responsibilities as he was fat
and was not able to do so.
Example: Discipline in the
company was strict and no one
Shirked.
Mnemonic: what happens
when current is Shunted, it
diverts (electronics term)
Example: John was Shunted
sideways to a job in sales.
Example: She Skirted the
problem.
Mnemonic: Â Swerve rhymes
with SERVE, in tennis the best
SERVE, SwerveS, i.e. abruptly
turns and puzzles the opponent.
Example: The bus suddenly
Swerved into his path.

TAKE APART
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to take apart The verb disassemble Mnemonic: Dis means NOT and
(syn) means to take something Assemble is to bring things
Disassemble
apart. It's one thing to together. So Disassemble will be
disassemble a computer; to set things apart.
 Form: v it's a whole other thing to
put it back together again.
Tone: neut
break things to To take something apart or
parts (syn) down is to dismantle it. If
you dismantle a computer
Form: v to see what it looks like
Dismantle inside, you better know how
Tone: neut to put it back together, or
you might be looking at the
inside of your room for
awhile.
AWKWARD , UNSKILLED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
ineffective, weak If a newspaper editorial
(syn) describes a politician as
feckless, you might
wonder, "What is feck, and
why doesn’t he have
Feckless any?― In fact, the
Form: v columnist is accusing the
politician of being
irresponsible and
Tone: neg incompetent.
nervous or clumsy If you're a football fan you
way of handling know all about the agony of
things (syn) the fumble — the clumsy
Fumble handling of the ball that
Form: v,n
makes you drop it or lose
Tone: neg possession.
unsophisticated Use the word gauche when
(syn) you want to call something
tacky, graceless, tactless,
Form: adj rude, boorish, or awkward
Gauche
and foolish. Have you just
pointed out someone's
Tone: neg misuse of this word? Oh
dear, how gauche!
having no A clumsy, incompetent
skills.(syn) person — or an ineffective
action — is inept. When
Inept you're inept, you don't
Form: adj
know what you're doing or
Tone: neg just can't get it done.
stupid person an awkward stupid person
(syn)
Lummox
Form: n
Tone: neg
Example: We had to completely
Disassemble the engine to find
the problem.
Mnemonic: MANTLE is a
covering and Dismantle is to
uncover or take apart.
Example: I had to Dismantle
the engine in order to repair it.
Root: The prefix DIS- means
APART/ NOT
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: The “feck― in
Feckless began as a short form
of effect. So Feckless essentially
means ineffective. Can be
remembered as Effectless
Example: She had lost the
Fecklessness of youth and
settled down.
Mnemonic: Fumble is like
tumble.
Example: He Fumbled with the
buttons on his shirt.
Mnemonic: Gauche sounds the
Hindi word Ghochu used for a
clumsy and awkward person.
Example: She was too Gauche
to leave the room when the
conversation became intimate.
Mnemonic: IN (not) + EPT (like
apt ; which means suitable) -not
suitable
Example: She was left feeling
Inept and inadequate.
Root: The Prefix IN means NOT
Mnemonic: log(people in hindi)
mocks at you, because you are
very stupid
Example: Mary considers John
to be a Lummox.
 not efficient (syn) If you are clumsy, you are
maladroit. But the word can
mean all kinds of clumsy.
Trip over your words? You
Maladroit Form: adj are verbally maladroit.
Stumble in social
situations? You're socially
Tone: neg maladroit.
awkward (syn) Ungainly is the opposite of
graceful, convenient or
easy. A clumsy dancer
boogies in an ungainly or
Ungainly awkward fashion.
Form: adj
Tone: neg
UNREAL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
ghostly (syn) If you see something you
think might be a ghost, you
can call it an apparition to
hedge your bets. Apparition
Apparition Form: n doesn't commit you in the
same way the word ghost
does—and saying that
Tone: neg you've seen one won't cause
you to be committed.
a thing which you A chimera is something
wish to hve but you’ve imagined
cant (result) that’s bits and pieces of
Form: n others things mashed
Chimera together into a new horrible
fantasy, something
impossible in real life that
Tone: neg only exists in your mind.
a very disturbed Many things can cause
mind caused delirium, including illness,
because of high stress, and your team
intoxication etc winning the World Series
Delirium (syn) after 100 years of trying.
Form: n Experiencing delirium? Then
you're out of your mind and
Tone: neg so excited you're
hallucinating.
a belief that A delusion is a belief that
something is has no evidence in fact —
there even if its a complete illusion. The
Delusion not in reality cook at the hot dog stand
(syn) who thinks he is the best
Form: n chef in the world? That
opinion is definitely a
Mnemonic: Mal means BAD and
Adroit means SKILLFUL. So a
person is not skillful at doing
anything is rather a Maladroit.
Example: Both parties are
unhappy about the Maladroit
handling of the whole affair.
Root: The prefix MAL means
BAD
Mnemonic: un(means NOT) +
GAINly...a model who LACKS
GRACE IN HER MOVEMENT OR
IF SHE WALKS IN AN AWKWARD
manner on the ramp, will NOT
GAIN popularity.
Example: He was a tall,
Ungainly boy of 18.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Apparition sounds
like 'a partition'. When a soul
'parts' from a body, you
become a "ghost"
Example: Apparitions of a
woman in white robes have
been reported.
Mnemonic: Â Chimera sounds
like camera which captures
images.
Example: You do indeed smile,
Madam, at my being obliged
seriously to combat such
Chimeras.
Mnemonic: Delirium is when
your mind is not in a state of
equilibrium (a state of
balance).
Example: He mumbled in
Delirium all night.
Mnemonic: sounds like illusion
which is nothing but false belief
Example: Love can be nothing
but a Delusion.
 Tone: neg delusion.
imagining things A fantasy is something you
which are imagine, which might
impossible (syn) involve dragons, unicorns,
Form: n or an imaginary best friend.
Fantasy If you live in a fantasy
world, you're not worrying
Tone: neg much about reality —
pleasant, maybe, but not
very practical.
to visualise perceive what is not there;
something have illusions
that’s not
present (syn)
Hallucinate
Form: v
Tone: neg
a wrong belief An illusion is something that
(syn) isn't real. It may look real,
Form: n but it's actually fake — just
a crafty construction or
Illusion
Tone: neg fantasy. Like the old rabbit-
out-of-the-hat trick
practiced by magicians
around the globe.
something that Next time you’re
seems real but is traveling in the desert,
not so (syn) make sure you carry plenty
of water. That enticing pool
Mirage of water you see far away in
the distance may be a
Form: n mirage, or an optical
illusion.
Tone: neg
a ghost (syn) Look over there, across the
room. Is that a phantom,
some weary soul come back
from the dead to haunt you?
Phantom Form: n Maybe it’s a shadow, or
maybe it’s a ghost.
Tone: neg Either way, turn on a light
and it’ll disappear.
Hopefully.
ghostly (syn) A specter means a ghostly
apparition, a ghost itself, or
Form: n simply an idea that people
find frightening. You can
Specter Tone: neg give yourself nightmares if
you listen to too many
stories about ghostly
specters appearing in dark
windows.
Mnemonic: Fantasy sounds
like FANCY both of which is a
residue of imagination.
Example: His childhood
fantasies about becoming a
famous football player
Mnemonic: split the word like
hallu(holo)+cinate.consider the
first word hallu(sounds like
holo)..something which is holo
you can imagine to fill that
place...so something not
actually present
Example: The objects of
dreamers and Hallucinated
persons are wholly without
general validity
Mnemonic: Sounds like Ill +
Vision. (Bad Vision)
Example: She's under the
Illusion that she'll get the job.
Mnemonic: MIRA..mirror ,and
when we see ouselves in
MIRROR we get to see our
image in MIRROR ,which is
nothing but UNREAL
REFLECTION.
Example: His idea of love was
a Mirage.
Mnemonic: Phantom is a ghost
and all of us know that ghosts
just exist in the imagination
and not in real
Example: Phantoms and
chimeras inhabited her brain.
Example: Was he a spectre
returning to haunt her?
Root: The Prefix SPECT- means
to SEE
 ghostly image If you have a vision of your
(syn) grandfather just before he
Form: n passes away, you have seen
Wraith a wraith or a ghostly image.
Wraith can also mean
Tone: neg something thin, wispy, or
ghost-like.
Mnemonic: those who have
faith , dont believe in Wraith
Example: The Wraith's stony
eyes stared on, but there was
silence.

BEGINNING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
the beginning of When something is at its Mnemonic: On + Set in action
something, onset, it's at the beginning,
especially just getting started, and it's
something often something that's not
unpleasant so pleasant. The onset of
ONSET Form: n hurricane season is probably Example: Diagnostic errors are
not the best time to visit the even more common in early
beach. ONSET Alzheimer's, where
patients often wait several years
for a correct diagnosis.
Tone: neg
at/from the the time at which something Mnemonic: Set out to do your
beginning of is supposed to begin work right NOW
something
OUTSET Form: n Example: I made it clear right
from the OUTSET that I
disapproved.
Tone: neutral
the act of leaving If you want to leave a place, Mnemonic: gress- to go;
a place you need a means of egress, digress-to stray; egress- to go
or a way to exit, such as a out; ingress- to go in and
door or window. It was a regress is to return to a former
X
beautiful old house, but state
EGRESS
Form: noun without enough ways of Example: doorways intended
egress, they needed outdoor for egress only
Tone: neg/ neut fire-stairs for reaching the
upper floors.

UNEXPECTED CHANGES
Words Relation to Group Meaning
changes in A vagary is an
somebody/something unexpected and
that are difficult to unpredictable change,
predict or control and the word is usually
used in the plural. You
VAGARIES Form: noun might know from
experience that the
vagaries of winter
weather make planning a
vacation in February a
risky proposition.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: vagary..break it as
vage+ary ,the vage is vague
and ary=action meaning
something that is vague and
not predictable .
Example: The VAGARIES of
the real estate market will
determine whether that swamp
property you just bought is a
gold mine or a disaster.
 Tone: neut/ neg
one of the many When you talk of the
changes and vicissitudes of life, you're
problems in a referring to the difficult
situation or in your times that we all go
VICISSITUDE life, that you have to through: sickness, job
deal with loss, and other
Form: noun unwelcome episodes. No
one can escape the
Tone: neg vicissitudes of life.
HATE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
show hatred and If you abhor something, it
disgust (action) gives you a feeling of
complete hatred. Chances
Abhor are you abhor that kid who
Form: verb used to torture the frogs in
Tone: neg biology class.
strong hate (syn) Animosity is hatred. If your
(supposed) best buddy
embarrasses you in front of
Animosity a big crowd, your friendship
Form: noun could turn into animosity.
Tone: neg
a deep feelig of An antipathy is a deep-
dislike(syn) seated dislike of something
or someone. Usually it's a
condition that is long-term,
innate, and pretty unlikely
to change — like your
Antipathy antipathy for the Red Sox.
Form: Noun
Tone: neg
strong dislike If you have an aversion to
(syn) something, you have an
Form: noun intense dislike for it.
Commonly its food, but you
Tone: neg could have an aversion to
Aversion
black and white movies,
driving with the windows
open, taking calls from
salespeople or being
barefoot outdoors.
Mnemonic: some times to face
VICISSITUDES OF LIFE one
should possess a
WISE(good)ATTITUDE
Example: the VICISSITUDEs
of family life
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Abhor - The last
part sounds like HORror people
hate horror films, they detest
them.
Example: She Abhors cats.
Mnemonic: Â pronounce
Animosity like 'Enemy'sity. so if
someone is having enemysity he
will have ill will intentions.
Example: He felt no Animosity
towards his critics.
Mnemonic: consider pathy-
sympathy, there are two words.
1. Antipathy = dislike 2. apathy
= disinterested Since "anti" is
stronger than "a".. disliking is 1
step above disinterested..
Example: His professional
judgement was coloured by his
personal antipathies.
Root: The refix anti means
against.
Mnemonic: You hate a+version
of vista..firm dislike
Example: He has a strong
Aversion for liars and cheaters.
 one who deserves Stealing the last piece of
to be hated, food from a starving child
hateful (nature) goes way beyond mean. It's
despicable — a vile and
Despicable harmful act.
Form: adj
Tone: neg
intense hate for If you detest something,
something you dislike it intensely. The
(action) word can apply to things
Form: verb and also to people. You
Detest
might detest your ex-
Tone: neg boyfriend and you might
also detest rainy Mondays
and broccoli.
extreme hate If you loathe someone or
(syn, action) something, you hate them
very much. You might not
choose to eat raw carrots if
Loath you dislike them, but if you
Form: adj loathe them, you might
have a hard time even
Tone: neg having them on your plate.
unpleasant and If something is odious it's
hateful (nature, hateful. If you become a
syn) historian of slavery, you'll
Odious Form: adj learn all the details of that
odious trade.
Tone: neg
keeping away Use the verb repel when
from an you want to turn something
unpleasant away, like drenched
situation or yourself in bug spray in an
Repel person (action) attempt to repel the
Form: verb mosquitoes that plague you
when you go camping.
Tone: neg
very hateful, cant Repugnant refers to
be accepted something you detest so
(syn,nature) thoroughly it threatens to
make you physically sick,
Repugnant like the idea of marrying
Form: adj
your sister. Or wearing last
year's jeans.
Tone: neg
a disgusting Repulsion is getting grossed
feeling (syn) out. If the thought of great
green globs of greasy grimy
gopher guts makes you
Repulsion recoil in horror, then you've
Form: Noun
experienced repulsion, or
an intense aversion to
Tone: neg something.
Mnemonic:
DE(not)+SPEAKable....a person
about whom we even don't talk
is too MEAN, WORTHLESS.
Example: I hate you! You're
Despicable.
Root: The prefix DE means
NOT.
Mnemonic: Detest-
de(dubara)+ test-i hate doing
this
Example: They Detested each
other on sight.
Mnemonic: Loathe can be
related as Low thought...So
having a low thought of
someone else implies hate or
detest
Example: He was Loath to
admit his mistake.
Mnemonic: hate people with
bad odour(Odious) and high
audio(Odious)
Example: It was one of the
most Odious crimes of recent
history.
Mnemonic: Rip the enemy to
Repel.
Example: Troops Repelled an
attempt to infiltrate the south of
the island.
Mnemonic: Â re-pug-nant -pug
which belongs to dog family and
you think that you hate dogs
Example: We found his
suggestion absolutely
Repugnant.
Root: The root PUGNA is FIGHT.
Mnemonic: one North pole has
strong hatred (distaste) towards
other N-pole therefore they
repel each other
Example: We are all aware of
the forces of attraction and
Repulsion.
 of the most contemptible Mnemonic: Scurvy is a deadly
contemptible kind. disease. So people suffering
from this vitamin c deficiency
are low in health.
Scurvy
Form: noun Example: That was a Scurvy
trick you played on me, you
dastardly cur.
Tone: neg

OLD FASHIONED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
very old fashioned Antediluvian means "before Mnemonic: ANTE== BEFORE
(syn,type) the flood" — that is, the DILUVIAN== DILUGE (FLOOD
Biblical flood with Noah's BIBLICAL)means - extremely
ark. Generally, though, the old fashioned
Antediluvian word is used — often
Form: adj Example: He has Antediluvian
humorously — to describe notions about the role of
something really, really old. women at the workplace
Tone: neg
old fashioned Something is antiquated Mnemonic: read as
(syn,type) when it is so old that it is no antique(old
longer useful. If your item)+dated(outdated)..hence
parents believe that you outdated
Antiquated Form: adj shouldn't use the Internet Example: I saw an Antiquated
when you write papers for hand-cranked rope-machine at
school, you might call their the textiles museums.
Tone: neg ideas antiquated.
very old fashioned If you use the adjective Mnemonic: Archealogy - study
(syn,type) archaic you are referring to of old things.. Archaic - The old
something outmoded, things on which we study.
Archaic Form: adj belonging to an earlier Example: The system is
period. Rotary phones and Archaic and unfair and needs
cassette players already changing.
Tone: neg seem so archaic!
old fashioned marked by features of the Mnemonic: Relate it to
(syn,type) immediate and usually outDated…because it is very
discounted past old and no one uses it
anymore.
Dated
Form: adj Example: Those TV comedies
were OK in their day but seem
incredibly Dated now.
Tone: neg
out of date(syn) Use the adjective obsolete Mnemonic: OB+SO+LETE =
for something that is out of obviously so late... Something
date. As the Rolling Stones so late is outmoded
Form: adj song "Out of Time" goes, Example: With technological
Obsolete "You're obsolete, my baby, changes many traditional skills
my poor old-fashioned have become Obsolete.
Tone: neg baby." Root: The prefix OB- means
AGAINST
 old fashioned Something that is outmoded
(syn,type) is no longer cool or in style,
like your dad's outmoded
Outmoded hairstyle that he's had since
Form: adj he was in high school.
Tone: neg
old fashioned Quaint means strange and
(syn,type) unusual in an old-fashioned
and charming way. It's a
Form: adj word you'd use to describe a
little store that sells tea
Quaint
Tone: neg cozies and antique tea
services, or your
grandmother's habit of
calling the radio the
"wireless."
Mnemonic: Outmoded or
OUTDATED - something that is
out of fashion or no longer in
use.
Example: This organizational
structure was now Outmoded.
Mnemonic: GRE bigbook
QUANT'S questions are old
fashioned(Quaint)
Example: This is a Quaint
seaside village

TIME RELATED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Trying to attach a An anachronism is Mnemonic: Â ana (out of order,
custom or event something that doesn't fit negative sense) + chron (time)..
to a period to its time period, like if you so something not placed
which it does not say you'll "dial" your correctly with respect to time.
belong smartphone.
Anachronism Form: noun Example: The monarchy is seen
by many people as an
Anachronism in the modern
world.
Tone: neg Root: The prefix CHRON -
means TIME.
A fact based To chronicle an event is to Mnemonic: think of the
documentof record it as it happens, and Chronicles of narnia.....a long
important events a chronicle is a record of story...
in the order in those events. If your
which they took grandmother took the time
Chronicle place to chronicle the details of
Form: noun her 1910 journey to Japan, Example: Her latest novel is a
you can read her chronicle Chronicle of life in a Devon
today. village.
Tone: neut Root: same as above
Sequence or order If you’re making a list of Mnemonic: Chron meand Time
of date and time all your teachers in the + Logical (say in an order).
Form: adj order you had them, from Example: The facts should be
kindergarten right up to the presented in Chronological
Chronological present, you’re listing order.
Tone: neg/ neut them in chronological order.
Chronological is the order in
which things actually
happened.
 BELONGING TO SAME AGE,ERA
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
belonging to the When two things live or Mnemonic: Â sounds similar to
same age and happen during the same co-evolve meaning EVOLVED OR
date(syn) period of time, they are BORN AT THE SAME TIME
Coeval Form: adj coeval. If you annotate an Example: The industry is
old poem, the annotations Coeval with the construction of
and the text of the poem the first railways.
Tone: neut are not coeval.
Something that Things that are Mnemonic: Â 'con' means with
occurs in the contemporary are either or together and temporary' is
present. happening at the same time something which exists only in
or happening now. the present and may not be
Contemporary art is recent there in future. So
Contemporary art. Contemporary is 'with or
belonging to the present'
Form: adj Example: We have no
Contemporary account of the
battle
Tone: neut
having the same Use the word coterminous Mnemonic: co+ term+ inous.
space, time and to describe things that are Term usually means time period
meaning like that equal in scope. If an or "meaning". Coterm - inous is
of other earthquake in Australia was something having same term(
coterminous with the meaning or time or extent )
earthquake in China, that
Coterminous means it caused the same
Form: adj Example: He seems to regard
amount of destruction. the interests of the state as
Coterminous with the interests
of the party in government.
Tone: neut Root: Co means together, or at
the same time

CAUTIOUS , CAREFUL
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
very careful about Being chary (pronounced Mnemonic: Chary sounds
doing or saying CHAIR-ee) is being wary or similar to WARY, meaning
anything (syn) cautious. Chary is the word CAUTIOUS.
Form: adj "char" with an added "y" Example: The advices that the
Chary and to char is to burn, so if Chary minister gave the king,
you're careful and don’t helped him win over the
want to get burned by a enemies.
Tone: pos person or situation, you're
chary.
careful and If you are circumspect, you Mnemonic: Circum means
doesn’t want think carefully before doing around and Spect means to
Circumspect to take risk or saying anything. A good SEE. Circumspect will be to look
quality in someone around, before arriving at a
entrusted with decision or being careful.
 Form: adj responsibility, though Example: He was very
sometimes boring in a Circumspect in his financial
friend. affairs.
Tone: Neutral Root: The refix CIRCUM means
AROUND and SPECT is to see.
a person who a reckless impetuous Mnemonic: delhi daredevils...
enjoys doing irresponsible person think how they appear to bat..
dangerous things, RECKLESS
in a way that
Daredevil X other people may
think is stupid
Form: noun Example: Don't try any
daredevil stunts.
Tone: Neutral
a lack of good Folly is a noun that means Mnemonic: Fools commit folly
judgement; the "foolish or crazy behavior," or mistakes.
fact of doing like the folly of an
something stupid unprepared student,
FollyX showing up to take the final
Form: noun Example: Giving up a secure
exam without a pencil, job seems to be the height of
paper or eyeglasses. folly.
Tone: neg
taking If you decide you are going Mnemonic: A fool and hardy
unnecessary risks to scale Mt. Everest next sailor would take the risk of
weekend without any sailing in a bad weather.
FoolhardyX Form: adj training or experience, that Example: It would be foolhardy
would be a foolhardy to sail in weather like this.
decision.
Tone: neg
showing great If something needs to be Mnemonic: be VERY CAREFUL
care or done with great care and while cutting GINGER(LY), since
carefulness (syn) caution, you should do it they are small and hard.
Form: adverb gingerly. Like gingerly Example: He opened the box
Gingerly
holding a newborn baby or Gingerly and looked inside.
Tone: Neutral gingerly creeping down the
creaky stairs when you're
trying to sneak out.
aware of and taking heed; giving close Example: Heedful of snakes,
attentive to and thoughtful attention we watched out footing while
Heedful others. (syn) walking through the tall grass
Form: adj to the lake's edge.
Tone: Neutral
careful and You can use the adjective Mnemonic: Leery-compare
suspicious leery to describe someone with jerry. Tom is always
because of real who's suspicious of a cautious and suspicious that
life experience person or situation. After jerry is around
(syn) his brother came out with
Leery
Form: adj bald spots and uneven Example: The government is
patches of buzz-cut hair, he Leery of changing the current
was leery of having the law.
Tone: Neutral same barber get near his
own head.
 acting with care Describe an action as Mnemonic: we all know ICICI
keeping in mind prudent if it is the wise Prudential insurance.. so we
the future (syn) thing to do under the can think of thoughtful decision
existing circumstances. If taken, by having a insurance
Prudent you're getting in trouble, it policy
Form: adj is probably prudent to keep Example: It might be more
your mouth closed and just Prudent to get a second opinion
listen. before going ahead.
Tone: Neutral
a lot of A rash is something that Mnemonic: Rash, think about
something; a spreads like wild fire — a the computer game road rash-
series of series of unfortunate where a series of unpleasant
unpleasant things events. It can also describe and unexpected things happens
that happen over an impulsive, wild decision. in the road.
RashX a short period of
time
Form: adj Example: Rising prices are the
result of the recent rash of
strikes in the steel industry.
Tone: neg
showing a lack of If you are reckless, you Mnemonic: Restless, careless
care about danger don't think or care about and heedless people take
and the possible the consequences of your RECKLESS decision.
results of your words or actions, like a
Reckless X actions reckless driver who speeds
Form: adj while texting, knitting and Example: He showed a
eating a sandwich. reckless disregard for his own
safety.
Tone: neg
feeling cautious Describe yourself as wary if Mnemonic: Wary and worry
about a possible you don't quite trust sound the same... you become
problem or someone or something and Wary (cautious) if you have too
danger (syn) want to proceed with many worries in life.
Wary caution. Be wary of risky
Form: adj Example: The police will need
things like wild mushrooms to keep a Wary eye on this area
and Internet deals! of the town
Tone: pos

BITTER FEELINGS , ILL-WILL

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
wishing bad or Malevolence is a nasty, Mnemonic: Malevolence (Mal is
evil for wicked, evil quality. When bad) is opposite of
others(syn) you're full of malevolence, BENEVOLENCE (Ben means
you wish harm on others. good)which means kind and
Malevolence charitable.
Form: adj Example: His dark malevolent
eyes.
Tone: neg Root: The prefix Mal means Bad

A desire to harm Malice is the intention to Mnemonic: mal+ice—sounds

Malice
others (syn) cause harm. If someone like MALpractICE
 Form: noun feels malice toward you,
look out! They've got bad
intentions.
Tone: neg
bitter and long The word rancor is best
lasting anger when you're not just talking
(syn) about anger, you're talking
about deep, twisted bitter
type of anger in your heart.
Rancor The open rancor in political
Form: noun
discussion prevents
cooperation between
political parties.
Tone: neg
Having a bad, evil Vicious is an adjective that
or immoral nature means intentionally harmful
(kind of) or nasty. If you spread
Form: adj vicious rumors about a
Vicious
person, you're telling
Tone: neg people things that will hurt
her feelings or ruin her
reputation. Cut it out!
Extremely harsh A virulent disease is one
and infectious( that's infectious, spreading
nature) and making lots of people
sick, while a virulent rant is
Virulent just a verbal attack,
Form: adj
causing sickness of the
emotional kind.
Tone: neg
Example: the ghosts are
described as if they bear actual
Malice towards humans.
Root: same as above
Mnemonic: Rancor : RANKER!
Most of the students always
hate the top RANKER of the
class, as they always defeat
them in the exams!
Example: In the end, the
debate created a degree of
Rancor among the committee
members.
Mnemonic: In hindi vish means
poison,here Vicious means evil
Example: She has a Vicious
temper.
Mnemonic: It is a virus, which
causes disease and harm. So,
something Virulent is viral and
poisonous.
Example: the newspaper
carried out a Virulent attack on
the politician

EXPLAIN TOO MUCH

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
To discuss the Belabor means to go at Mnemonic: In spite of your
same thing something with everything good involvement in a project, if
repeatedly (syn) you've got. When you say, the boss keeps saying be-
"Don't belabor or agonize laborious, he is be laboring.
Belabor Form: verb over the decision," it means, Example: I don't want to
"Move on." belabour the point, but it's vital
you understand how important
this is.
Tone: neg
an act of You make an Mnemonic: Understate is to
explaining understatement when you Underestimate (rhymes and
something less say a lot less than you means similar)
than it should be. could, "We didn't do so
Understatement (oppo) (opposite) well," when your team loses
Form: noun 56 to 0. That's quite an Example: To say we were
understatement. pleased is an understatement
Tone: neg
 BRING BACK
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
capable of being capable of being regained Mnemonic: RE means to
brought back. especially with effort. Repeat.
(syn)
Retrievable
Form: verb Example: The dog retrieved the
ball from the water.
Tone: neut
something that capable of being saved from Mnemonic: Salvageable -
can be rescued, ruin SAVEABLE
especially in parts
Salvageable (syn)
Form: noun Example: This is an exhibition
of the salvage from the wreck
Tone: neut

REBELLIOUS , UNCONVENTIONAL
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
following If you are conservative, you Example: Her style of
traditions and aren’t necessarily a card- dressing was never
customs (oppo) carrying member of the conservative.
Conservative (oppo)
Form: adj Republican party (though you
Tone: pos might be); it means you
resist change.
following A convention is a meeting, Mnemonic: A group of people
traditions and usually of a particular group. who agree upon the Christian
customs (oppo) Political parties, teachers, practice of tranditional worship
plumbers, gardeners, CONVENE (gather together)
toymakers and computer every Sunday in church. They
Convention (oppo) designers all hold are adhering to a
conventions. CONVENTION.
Form: noun Example: She is a young
woman who enjoys going
against conventions.
Tone: pos
a desperate A desperado is an outlaw that Mnemonic: bad people are
person who is you'd see in an old Western always desperate to do
especially a or in the Wild West. Think hip something so "despera-do"
criminal (nature) holsters, spinning guns, and a
Desperado
Form: noun shoot-out, all with a Example: the notorious
bandanna pulled up hiding Desperados of the Wild West
Tone: neg half of the face of the
desperado.
a person who If you are a dissident, you are Mnemonic: ASSENT = agree;
goes against an a person who is rebelling DISSENT = disagree; Dissident
official policy or against a government. = a person who
authority (syn) Dissidents can do their work dissents/disagrees.
Dissident peacefully or with violence.
Form: noun Example: There were
Dissident elements within the
Catholic Church.
Tone: neg
 a belief or opinion Heresies are beliefs that do Mnemonic: divide this word
opposite to not agree with the official into her (her)+esy(sounds like
orthodox religion beliefs of a particular religion; essay)... most of the essays
(syn) heresy is the maintaining of written by her are against
such contrary beliefs. popular beliefs. Taslima
Nasrin, a Bangladeshi writer is
Heresy one such person who has
recently created a furore
because of her book
Form: noun Example: He was burned at
the stake for Heresy.
Tone: neg
a person who has Something that departs from Mnemonic: Â Heretical,
controversial normally held beliefs reminds of hierarchy which
opinions and goes (especially religious, political, means divisions of labor with
against religious or social norms) is heretical. set rules, therefore one which
belief.(syn) If your family is resistant to doesn't follow the set rules is
Heretical change, they may consider "Heretical"
Form: noun your idea of making pancakes Example: The religious people
for dinner to be completely didn't cast vote in favor of the
heretical. politician because of his
Heretical behaviour.
Tone: neg
doesn’t accept Heterodox is from the Greek Mnemonic:  opposite of
orthodox beliefs root words heteros, meaning ORTHODOX (one who follows
(syn) "the other," and doxa, the conventions or rules of
meaning "opinion." The society)
Heterodox Form: adj adjective heterodox was first Example: Her Heterodox
applied to people who held a approach to teaching science
different religious opinion initially met with some
from the standard beliefs and resistance from her peers
Tone: neg teachings.
a person who Are you always challenging Mnemonic: Â icons-ideals;
attacks cherished the establishment? Or clast is like clash... so
beliefs and provoking popular thought by Iconoclast is someone whose
institutions. (syn) attacking traditions and ideas clash with the traditional
institutions? Then you're ideals.
Iconoclast definitely an iconoclast.
Form: noun Example: Notorious as an
Iconoclast, that music critic
isn't afraid to go after sacred
cows.
Tone: neg
rising in active An insurgent is a rebel or a Mnemonic: a person (army
revolution. (syn) revolutionary, someone who man) who does not listen to
takes up arms against the the command of his sergeant
authorities. is rebellious in nature therefore
in-surgent- one who does not
Insurgent listen to his sergeant[
commander] thus is rebellious.
Form: noun Example: There was an attack
by armed Insurgents
Tone: neg Root: The prefix IN means
NOT
 The act of openly Insurrection is an uprising
going against the against a larger force that's in
government (syn) power. An insurrection can
lead to revolution, but it is
Insurrection Form: noun just as likely to be put down.
Tone: neg
a person who A maverick is a rebel,
does not accept someone who shows a lot of
orthodox beliefs. independence. A maverick on
a motorcycle might blaze his
own trail, or show a maverick
Maverick touch in a rough sport by
Form: noun wearing a helmet with the
word "Mom" inside a heart.
Tone: neg
one who refuses A nonconformist is someone
to be restricted by who doesn’t conform to
set beliefs and other people’s ideas of
customs. (syn) how things should be.
Form: noun Activists, artists, street
Non comformist
performers, your wacky uncle
Marvin — anyone who
marches to the beat of a
Tone: neg different drummer is a
nonconformist.
following Orthodox practices or beliefs
traditions and are generally accepted as true
customs (oppo) or correct. If you are an
Form: adj orthodox vegetarian, you
Orthodox (oppo) Tone: pos never, ever eat
meat––not like those
people who have chicken
once in awhile, or
even––gasp!––bacon.
Moving away or If something is considered
departing from extremist or very different
the usual from anything that has come
customs. (syn) before it, call it radical.
Radical
Form: adj
Tone: neg
opposition to any Reactionary describes people
kind of progress on the far right politically.
(syn) Reactionaries occupy a
political space past
conservative, near where
Reactionary ultra-conservative bumps
Form: noun shoulders with fascist.
Mnemonic: Insurrection:
relate surrection with
surrender thus -in surrection =
not to surrender = rebellious
Example: an armed
Insurrection against the
regime
Root: The prefix IN means
NOT
Mnemonic: Mave+"RICK"
sounds like Ricky Ponting who
is rebellious and non-
conformist as he does not
believe in umpire descisions
during India's Cricket match
Example: The Maverick
detective managed to crack
the case.
Mnemonic: Non (not)
Confirming or adusting to a
certain belief or convention.
Example: He was a
nonconformist in college but
now wears a three-piece suit
to work every day.
Example: He is very orthodox
in his views.
Mnemonic: Break it as
RADIO+KAL (past days) -In
the past the radio was used as
the fundamental mode of
entertainment.
Example: There is a need for
Radical changes in education
Mnemonic: Reactionary -
Actionary is to perfrom some
action, but Reactionary is to
restrain/suppress the
action...i.e. to recoil the
progress.
Example: Reactionary
guardians of proper English
usage invariably regard every
new coinage that comes along
as a nonword.
 Tone: neg
a person who A renegade is a person who Mnemonic: Renegade sounds
leaves and has deserted their cause or like grenade. A person who
betrays an defied convention; they're throws a grenade in his own
organization, rebels and sometimes country is a Traitor.
Renegade country or outlaws, or even traitors.
principle(syn)
Form: noun Example: He is a Renegade
priest
Tone: neg
something that A revolutionary person Mnemonic: Revolution.
results in a big fearlessly advocates radical
change (effect) change. Revolutionary people
Form: adj and ideas challenge the Example: The effects of
Revolutionary
status quo and might be technological development are
violent or willing to upset the Revolutionary.
Tone: neg natural order to achieve their
goals.
to undermine or You might want to call Mnemonic: Subversive-
not giving due someone subversive if they reversive-go against
respect to an are sneakily trying to established rule.Revert (to
established undermine something, from cause downfall) from inside.
Subversive government.( the social structure of your
syn) high school to an entire
Form: adj system of government. Example: He was a known
political Subversive.
Tone: neg
Not respecting To be unconventional is to Mnemonic: Un (Not)
conventions (syn) act, dress, speak, or Conventional.
Form: adj otherwise exist out of the Example: The magazine
Unconventional bounds of cultural norms. If describes him as having
you eat cheeseburgers for Unconventional good looks.
Tone: neg breakfast, that's somewhat
unconventional.

COMPLAIN `low degree`

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
someone who If someone tends to be Mnemonic: Â simiar to
always finds faults hypercritical and find fault CAUTIOUS...cautious people
related to petty or with everything, you can FIND FAULTS in things
small matters describe that person as
Captious (syn) captious. Try not to be
Form: adj described as a captious Example: Her mother was very
person yourself, however. Captious, and the babies fell
No one likes a carping off.
Tone: neg individual!
complain and find Carping is petty and Mnemonic: Car+p(ark)+ing;
fault continually unjustified criticism that just Many people find faults in your
specially about won’t stop. People who car-parking style and complain.
small matters find fault with you at every
Carping (syn) turn, who appreciate
Form: noun nothing and complain, Example: Critics from both
complain, complain, are sides are already Carping about
carping. Enough already! this
 Tone: neg
Grumbling and A grouse is a small game Mnemonic: Spouses Grouse a
complaining on bird. But the verb to grouse lot .... complain a lot
small issues (syn) is different. It means to
Form: noun gripe about how unhappy Example: She's been grousing
Grouse
you are. It's not to her boss about the working
recommended for most conditions.
Tone: neg people, because grousing is
unattractive.
unreasonable and Querulous means Mnemonic: One who keeps
unnecessary “having a tendency to questioning (querying)
complaining. complain― or, more everything.
(nature) directly put, “whiny.―
Querulous Sure, no one can be happy
Form: adj Example: He complained in a
all the time, but that’s Querulous voice about having
no excuse for being been woken up.
Tone: neg querulous.

DANGER
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
danger of loss, To be in jeopardy is to be in
harm and faliure danger. Eating three plates
(syn) of nachos a day may
Form: noun improve your chances of
Jeopardy
winning your office's nacho-
eating contest;
Tone: neg unfortunately, it could also
put your health in jeopardy.
a hidden source of A pitfall is a trap or
trouble or danger difficulty you didn't see. A
(syn) possible pitfall for high
Pitfall Form: noun school seniors is not
working hard after they
know they've already been
Tone: neg accepted into college.
Something that is Grab for the adjective
dangerously likely precarious when something
to fall or collapse is unstable, dangerous or
(syn) difficult and likely to get
Precarious Form: adj worse. Are you totally broke
and the people you owe
Tone: neg money to keep calling?
You're in a precarious
financial situation!
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â Jeopardy sound
like leopard. leopard is really a
danger for human.
Example: The future of the
school and 50 jobs are in
Jeopardy.
Mnemonic: THERE s a pit to
make you fall...trap
Example: Getting professional
advice will help you avoid the
most obvious Pitfalls.
Mnemonic: PRE+CARE+IOUS -
We have to take CARE while
doing something risky so that it
does not go wrong.
Example: The museum is in a
financially Precarious position.

PRAISE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Public Praise (syn) You know you've hit it big,
when you earn acclaim, or
enthusiastic approval. And
when you have achieved
"critical acclaim," even the
Acclaim grouchy critics approve of
you.
Form: verb
Tone: pos
an award or A knight being honored with
special recognition the tap of a sword-blade
(nature of ) was the earliest form of
Accolade Form: noun accolade. Today, an
accolade is more than a way
to bestow knighthood, it is a
Tone: pos form of praise or an award.
show strong To applaud is to show
approval or approval, encouragement,
praising highly or appreciation. You can
(syn, degree) applaud by clapping your
hands at a performance, or
Applaud you can applaud with just
your mouth, as when you
Form: verb tell someone "I applaud
your decision to start
exercising."
Tone: pos
Praise or approval Approbation is an official,
(syn) important-sounding, and
somewhat old-fashioned
word for approval or praise.
Approbation A princess, for example,
Form: noun might only consider
marrying a prince that is
met with her father's, the
Tone: pos King's, approbation.
deserving Praise If something's commendable
(syn) it deserves whatever praise
it receives. When you
developed a car that could
Commendable run on solar power, that was
Form: adj a commendable
accomplishment. Now, it's
time to move from Seattle.
Tone: pos
a speech or An encomium is a fancy
writing that word for a formal speech or
praises someone piece of writing that warmly
(type of) praises someone or
something.
Encomium
Form: noun
Tone: pos
Mnemonic: A+claim..imagine
you have claimed to a news
channel that you have designed
a super computer ,so every
where people are praising you
for your great invention
Example: The work was
Acclaimed as a masterpiece.
Mnemonic: Â it sounds like
chocolate.. parents Accolade if
kids do home work properly
Example: Meryl Streep has
received many Accolades for
her performances.
Mnemonic: Applaud = divide it
into 2 : app(application) +
lau(launch) and now I will
memorise it as I have launched
an application for microsoft and
they have approved it with
great praise
Example: He started to
Applaud and the others joined
in.
Mnemonic: Ap+PROBATION:
You get
CONFIRMATION/APPROVAL in
your job after your Probation
period
Example: There was
widespread Approbation of the
new president.
Mnemonic: Commendable -
come to an end able i.e he is
able to come to end of this
process thats why he is
praiseworthy
Example: She showed
Commendable loyalty to the
family firm.
Mnemonic: Â Encomium
sounds like INCOME - People of
high INCOME are formally
praised for their large
donations.
Example: This was much more
numerous; and a new speech
received still greater
Encomiums.
 a speech or At every funeral, there
writing that comes a moment when
praises someone someone who knew the
(type of) dead person speaks about
Form: noun their life. They are delivering
Eulogy what is known as a eulogy.
A eulogy is a formal speech
that praises a person who
has died.
Tone: pos
holding someone You might like your
or something in manager, but if you exalt
very high regard. her, it means you really put
(syn) her on a pedestal and treat
Exalt Form: verb her like royalty.
Tone: pos
to praise If you have a crush on a guy
enthusiastically who likes your best friend, it
(degree) can be very depressing to
Form: verb listen to him extol your
Extol
friend's virtues, while you
Tone: pos just nod and smile. If you
extol something, you praise
it very highly.
to give honor and To glorify is to praise or
praise highly honor something or
(syn) someone to an extreme
Glorify Form: verb degree.
Tone: pos
Acclaim Hail is when chunks of ice
enthusiastically fall from the sky. Also, to
(syn) hail someone is to greet
Form: verb them or say good things
Hail
about them. Or it can be a
Tone: pos way to tell people of your
homeland, as in: "I hail from
the Moon."
Praise someone in To laud someone doesn't
public.(syn) mean to give them
Form: verb knighthood, but to praise
them extravagantly —
Laud Tone: pos usually in a very public
manner. Being lauded, of
course, can have the same
tonic effect as having been
made a lord.
give a lot of public The lion is the king of
appreciation and beasts. To lionize someone
attention (nature is to see them as important
Lionize of) as a lion. Republicans
Form: verb continue to lionize Ronald
Reagan as their ultimate
Mnemonic: Eulogy - eu-'good'
+ log 'root: logue [dialogue,
talk, speech]' -Good speech
Example: Several eulogies
were given at the special
assembly marking the
retirement of the company's
longtime president.
Root: The prefix EU means
GOOD.
Mnemonic: ex(tra) + alt(itude)
-rise high = praise
Example: His son was Exalted
to a high position in the
government through family
connections.
Mnemonic: Extol - exTALL -
make somebody TALL with
praise.
Example: Doctors often Extol
the virtues of eating less fat.
Mnemonic: Glory calls for
Praise.
Example: He denies that the
movie glorifies violence.
Mnemonic: Remember the
movi "Mr. India" People say
"Hail Mogambo"
Example: The conference was
Hailed as a great success.
Mnemonic: Â O, Lord! Let me
Laud You for all your help
Example: He was Lauded for
his courage.
Mnemonic: Lion is assigned a
great social importance in
animal kingdom
Example: The tenor was
Lionized in Vienna
 Tone: pos hero.
a song of Praise A paean is a hymn of praise Mnemonic: Â it is pronounced
(syn, nature) or thanksgiving. You might exactly as P.N. remember it by
Paean sing a paean in church, 'Priase Number' -praise song.
Form: noun where many hymns extol Example: a Paean of praise
Tone: pos the greatness of God.
a public speech or A formal, high-minded Mnemonic: pane sounds like
published text in speech can be described paean means praise and gyric
praise of someone with a formal, high-minded sounds like lyric, so Panegyric
or something word — the word means expression of praise
Panegyric (kind of) panegyric, which is a very
Form: noun elaborate tribute to Example: In Greece and Rome,
someone. You could Panegyrics were often
consider most eulogies as pronounced at the grave.
Tone: pos panegyrics.
to be praised by As its sound might suggest, Mnemonic: remove 'p' u'll get
the audience plaudit is indeed related to LAUDIT. which can mean loud
(syn) "applaud" and "applause." it. Victory should always be
In fact it's really just a fancy praised by loud cheer i.e. with
Plaudit way of saying "praise" or enthusiastic approval.
Form: noun "acclamation." Example: His work won him
Plaudits from the critics.
Tone: pos

CRITICIZE , EXPRESS STRONG

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
make a violent To assail is to attack or Mnemonic: Assail sounds like
attack on assault — with throwing a sale; a customer argued with
someone (syn) stars, fists, words or, less sales person of the store using
Assail tangibly but just as force and bad words.
Form: verb violently, with troubles or Example: He was Assailed with
doubts. fierce blows to the head.
Tone: neg
dismiss someone To belittle means to put Mnemonic: be+little - be little
or something as down, or to make another in value, depreciate -In recent
unimportant (syn) person feel as though they days the value of dollar has
aren't important. Saying depreciated a lot.
Belittle mean things about another
Form: verb Example: She felt her husband
person literally makes them constantly Belittled her
feel "little." achievements.
Tone: neg
strongly scold or A strong verb for harshly Mnemonic: Â be+rate - he
criticize (syn) cutting someone down with was RATEd BElow expectations
words is berate. "He didn't and hence forth scolded.
Form: verb just correct the cashier who Example: She Berated herself
Berate
gave him the wrong change, for being a bad mother.
Tone: neg he started to berate her,
calling her names in front of
the whole store."
reprimand Use castigate when you Mnemonic: Castigate sounds
Castigate someone severly mean reprimand but in an like cast+i+hate - if you hate
especially harsh way. If you caste, you criticize it..
 Form: verb take a mean teacher's
books, even accidently, you
Tone: neg might worry that she's going
to castigate you as soon as
she finds out.
Publicly talk badly When you dye your hair pink
about someone. and orange, your mother
(syn) decries your act as a horror
and bursts into tears. She
Decry criticizes your choice of
Form: verb colors, stating that pink and
purple would have looked
better.
Tone: neg
to accuse, publicly To denounce is to tattle, rat
disapprove of out, or speak out against
someone or something. When you stand
something on your desk and tell the
Denounce class that your partner is
Form: verb
cheating, you denounce him
or her.
Tone: neg
a bitter and harsh It's totally overwhelming
argument when you ask someone a
seemingly harmful question,
like "Do you like hot dogs?"
Diatribe and they unleash a diatribe
Form: noun about the evils of eating
meat. A diatribe is an angry
speech that strongly
Tone: neg criticizes a person or thing.
a descriptive The noun epithet is a
phrase expressing descriptive nickname, such
a quality or as "Richard the
attribute regarded Lionhearted," or "Tommy
as characterestics the Terrible." When it takes
Epithet of a person a turn for the worse, it can
Form: noun also be a word or phrase
that offends.
Tone: neg
criticize severely When it comes to “telling
(syn) someone off,― excoriate
is reserved for the most
severe cases. So, before you
excoriate your little sister
Excoriate for borrowing your favorite
Form: verb jacket without permission,
consider whether she truly
deserves such harsh
Tone: neg treatment.
criticize severely Nasty word, flay. It means
or brutally (syn) to peel or beat the skin of a
Flay
(degree) person or animal, and not
necessarily a dead one,
Example: He Castigated
himself for being so stupid.
Mnemonic: deep + cry... focus
on the CRY PART ...a girl
CRYING to express her
disapproval of getting married
now.
Example: Violence on TV is
generally decried as harmful to
children
Mnemonic: Denounce - Similar
to announce. Announce is for
all kind of information but
Denounce is to criticize
Example: She publicly
Denounced the government's
handling of the crisis.
Mnemonic: dia+tribe:the
lower ranked tribe(in caste
division) always face
thunderous verbal attack from
upper caste people.
Example: He launched a bitter
Diatribe against the younger
generation.
Mnemonic: Concentrate on the
latter part of the word, Epithet
(Threat): If someone threatens
you, he's going to use abusive
words.
Example: The movie is long
and dramatic but does not quite
earn the Epithet “epic.―
Mnemonic: Â Excoriate(sounds
like ex-koriate) koreans are
chinese and they are good in
fighting and tend to rip the skin
off ( a korean ate you !)so
being very severe!
Example: The candidates have
publicly Excoriated each other
throughout the campaign.
Mnemonic: Â Flay sounds very
similar to play. His skin Flayed
when he fell down while playing
cricket.
 Form: verb either. Nowadays it more
commonly means to criticize
Tone: neg harshly someone or
something, usually in public,
leaving them raw and
wounded.
express severe Watch a bomb fulminate or
protest. explode and hope you're
under safe cover. Have your
Form: verb parents fulminate or blow up
Fulminate at you for coming home
after 10 pm.
Tone: neg
insulting with Invective is harsh, abusive
critical language language, like, "you dirty
(syn) rotten scoundrel." I'm sure
Invective Form: noun you can think of harsher and
more obscene examples, but
we won't get into them
Tone: neg here.
criticize harshly To lambaste is to reprimand
(syn) or berate someone severely.
People lambaste those who
have angered or
Lambaste disappointed them.
Form: verb
Tone: neg
complain or The verb rail means to
protest strongly criticize severely. When you
(syn) rail against increased taxes
at a town meeting, you
Rail speak openly and loudly
Form: verb about how wrong the
increase is and point out the
problems it will cause.
Tone: neg
to shout or speak A rant is an argument that is
loudly (syn) fueled by passion, not
Form: verb shaped by facts. When the
shouting starts on talk radio,
Rant or when a blog commenter
Tone: neg resorts to ALL CAPS —
you're almost certainly
encountering an instance of
ranting.
scold angrily (syn) to rebuke angrily or violently
Rate Form: verb
Tone: neg
criticize angrily If something is reviled, you
Revile and in an insulting alone don’t dislike it; a
manner (syn) whole community of like-
Example: He Flayed himself
for his lack of tact.
Mnemonic: I'm FULL I just
ATE and any more food goes in
I will explode!
Example: He was always
fulminating against interference
from the government.
Mnemonic: ENVY + ACTIVE or
Active jealousy can cause you
to ABUSE the other person.
Example: The gesture
infuriated him and he let out a
stream of Invective.
Mnemonic: Lambaste sounds
like namaste(in hindi), which is
a respectful greeting. Lambaste
is precisely opposite of that..to
CRITICIZE
Example: The coach
Lambasted the team for its
poor play.
Mnemonic: Rail sounds like
Rail or train so when you
missed your Rail, your father
scolded you for not reaching on
time
Example: Neitzsche Railed
against the ill effects of
Christianity.
Mnemonic: Â r-"Ant". When an
ant bites, you Rant.
Example: Parents should not
rate their child when it failed an
exam
Example: I was subjected to
severe rating for having
misbehaved in the class.
Mnemonic: For Revile,
concentrate on evil- doing evil
like slandering
 Form: verb minded souls has to hate its
guts. For instance, spam is
widely reviled.
Tone: neg
to irritate To rile is to stir up, like
someone water that becomes muddy
when you rile, or to bother
or disturb, especially with
little annoyances. For
Rile
example, if you bring up an
Form: verb unpleasant subject, this
might rile your friend's
Tone: neg mood, or a noisy neighbor
might rile your ner
a long angry A tirade is a speech, usually
speech of criticism consisting of a long string of
(syn) violent, emotionally charged
words. Borrow and lose your
Tirade roommate’s clothes one
Form: noun
too many times, and you
can bet you’ll be treated
Tone: neg to a heated tirade.
find fault in No, upbraid isn’t what
someone and girls get done at a salon
scold. before prom. When you
upbraid people, you scold
Upbraid them, tell them off and
Form: verb criticize them. (You could,
however, upbraid your
stylist after a bad haircut.)
Tone: neg
Bitter and abusive Use the adjective
(syn) vituperative to describe
criticism that's so sharp it
hurts. A vituperative review
of a movie would make the
director bitter for months.
Vituperative
Form: noun
Tone: neg
WARNING , SCOLDING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
not to approve To admonish is to scold. If
something and you want to show someone
hence rebuke you're not happy with his
Admonish (syn) behavior, admonish him. It
Form: verb sounds better than
"scolding," and it's less
painful than spanking.
Example: He was Reviled in
the press for his angry
outbursts.
Mnemonic: Rile(rail)...when
we travel by railways imagine
you are on a trip to kodaikanal
in a train and you find your co
passenger who is all the time
ANNOYING you
Example: Nothing ever
seemed to Rile him.
Mnemonic: sounds like tired..
your mom gets tired after a
Tirade..i.e. LONG ANGRY
DENUNCIATORY SPEECH..
Example: She launched into a
Tirade of abuse against
politicians.
Mnemonic: It has the word
raid in it , it implies when
someone raids your house and
finds black money , you will be
scolded very badly
Example: His wife Upbraided
him for his irresponsible
handling of the family finances
Mnemonic: In older days
H2SO4 was called oil of vitriol
that is severly bitter and
caustic.Vituperative appears as
'operating' vitriol on
someone.Note that vtriolic and
Vituperative have almost
similar meaning.
Example: She was unprepared
for the flood of vituperation
which descended on her from
her critics.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: to avoid A DEMON-
ish act, a mother Warns her
naughty child
Example: She was Admonished
for chewing gum in class.
 Tone: neg
blame Censure is a noun referring
to very strong criticism; the
verb means to criticize very
strongly. If you take your
dad's car without telling
Censure him, you can expect him to
Form: noun censure you severely, and
maybe even ground you as
well.
Tone: neg
rebuke (syn) Chastise is a fancy word for
telling someone something
they did that was really
bad. If you pick your nose,
Chastise your mom's gonna yell at
Form: verb
you. If you do it in front of
the Queen of England, you
Tone: neg mom will chastise you.
to scold mildly in To chide someone is to ride
order to correct or them or get on their case,
improve someone without really getting in
(syn) their face.
Chide
Form: verb
Tone: positive
to criticize If you receive a rebuke, it
severely (syn) means that you have been
reprimanded, or scolded.
Rebuke
Form: verb
Tone: neg
to reprove If you're reprimanded,
severely (syn) someone in authority
speaks to you in an angry
way because you've done
Reprimand something wrong. Or you
Form: verb might reprimand your dog if
he steals your hot dog.
Tone: neg
to express Reproach means to mildly
disapproval, or criticize. If you show poor
criticize. (syn) manners at your
Reproach grandmother's dinner table,
Form: noun
she will reproach you.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: Try to link the
meaning of this word with the
censor board which always
critisizes every inch of the film
and also disapproves of some of
the parts.
Example: The country faces
international Censure for its
alleged involvement in the
assassination.
Mnemonic: Chastise- chest ice-
The kid was punished or
crticized severly by his mother
for playing with ice on chest
Example: He Chastised the
team for their lack of
commitment.
Mnemonic: Chide can be
remembered as "hide". You hide
to avoid getting scolded for
what you have done.
Example: She Chided herself
for being so impatient with the
children.
Mnemonic: sounds like
REEBOK.....you'll SCOLD
HARSHLY and CRITICIZE
SEVERELY your servant as he
has spoiled your reebok shoes..
Example: he company was
publicly Rebuked for having
neglected safety procedures.
Mnemonic:
Rep+rimand(Remand) when
police take remand of
someone,,they Scold them
harshly (Strong rebuke)
Example: The officers were
severely Reprimanded for their
unprofessional behavior.
Mnemonic: If you see a
cockRROACH, you Reproach and
express disapproval!
Example: His voice was full of
Reproach.
 to disapprove of If you get into trouble and
something or are sent to the
someone (syn) principal’s office, be
prepared for the principal to
Reprove Form: verb reprove you for your
behavior. To reprove is to
Tone: neg scold, reprimand, or — in
plain English — “chew
out.―
Mnemonic: re+prove - Teacher
is scolding student again and
again (RE) to prove the theorem
correct.
Example: He Reproved her for
rushing away.

TO DEFEAT,XCANT BE DEFEATED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to agree to do Capitulate means to give in Mnemonic: CAPtain it's too
something that to something. "The teachers late, we will have to surrender.
you have been didn't want to have class
refusing to do for outside, but the students
Capitulate # a long time begged so hard, she TO DEFEAT, X C
Form: verb capitulated." Example: They were finally
forced to capitulate to the
terrorists' demands.
Tone: pos
hit or beat beat thoroughly and Mnemonic: when a team wins
repeatedly. conclusively in a competition it pours water from a
or fight DRUM(drub) on the loosing
team in rugby matches
Drub Form: verb Example: a crowd was drubbing
the purse snatcher when the
police arrived on the scene

Tone: neg
not affected or An impervious surface is one Mnemonic: "I am
influenced by that can't be penetrated. Pervez(pervez
something The word is often followed musharraf)"…No matter wat
Impervious by "to," as in "His steely you say, I won't be affected!!
X Form: adj personality made him Example: The material for this
impervious to jokes about coat is supposed to be
his awful haircut." impervious to rain
Tone: pos Root: Prefix IM means NOT
not willing to Something indomitable can't Mnemonic: IN-DOMITABLE -
accept defeat, be beat. People described as impossible to DOMINATE
even in a difficult having indomitable spirits
situation; very don't need pep talks or
indomitable brave and protein shakes; their
X determined strength comes from within.
Form: adj Example: An indomitable spirit
was needed to endure the rigors
of pioneer life
Tone: pos Root: Prefix IN refers NOT
too strong to be Something invincible is Mnemonic: It reminds me of
defeated or victorious over everything. the great artist Vinci and we all
Invincible X
changed Disease, death, destruction? know his arts can't be
No match for something conquered. so unconquerable.
 Form: adj truly invincible. Mere Example: The team seemed
humans who imagine invincible.
Tone: pos they're invincible, however,
will inevitably prove that
they're not.
a situation in When you think about the Mnemonic: As in during Riots
which someone is thrill of victory and the stampede take place. hence
defeated easily agony of defeat, associate a Rout happens during Riots.
and completely in rout with the agonizing
a battle or defeat. A rout is the kind of
Rout competition humiliating loss that makes
Form: noun you wish you would have Example: Only the skill of the
been injured in the first goalkeeper prevented the match
quarter so you could have from turning into a Rout.
Tone: neg avoided the outco
to defeat If you say you won't be kept Mnemonic: It just sound in
someone or down by the man, you are hindi like "SaB JUkhkege mere
something; to saying that you won't let the GATE ke aage"...mean conquer ,
gain control over man subjugate you. To bring under control
someone or subjugate is to repress
Subjugate something someone, or to make them
Form: verb subservient to you. Example: Her personal
ambitions had been Subjugated
to the needs of her family.

Tone: neg
to defeat To vanquish is to be the Mnemonic: sounds like
someone complete and total winner, vanish..by vanishing you can be
completely in a to overpower and overcome, better than anyone in a
competition, war, whether in a contest, a race, competition.
Vanquish etc. or a war. It generally
Form: verb suggests a total trouncing, Example: They were
to the point of humiliation vanquished in battle.
Tone: neg — or worse — for the
loser.

ESCAPE , RUN AWAY

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
leave quickly and Abscond is to escape into Mnemonic: abs + cond
secretly to avoid a hiding, often taking (condition) : I should have six
situation (nature something along. As a kid, pack abs is an important
of) you may have absconded condition before she can
Abscond (criminal) from your lemonade stand abscond with me.
Form: verb — with the coffee can of Example: Several prisoners
cash in hand, and your absconded from the jail.
Tone: neg bewildered sister still filling
cups for your customers.
conscious Is your team so bad you Mnemonic: de + affection - no
abandonment of have begun supporting a affection; if you have no
allegiance or duty rival team? Then you're affection then you will leave it
Defection (Political) Form: noun guilty of defection — the Example: Defection of both
act of shifting your support security forces and members of
to a new cause. the media
Tone: neg
 the abandonment the act of giving something Mnemonic: You DESERT
without consent up (leave) A deasert TO GET RID
or legal OF THE EXTREMELY HOT
justification of a CLIMATE THERE.
person, post, or
relationship and
Desertion (Military) the associated
duties and
obligations
Form: noun Example: The soldiers were
imprisoned for desertion of their
posts
Tone: neg
Run away secretly When you elope, you run Mnemonic: Â the word 'lope'
in order to get away with the person you resembles 'rope' ..in films we
married (nature ) love. Usually, you elope to see the hero tries to make the
get married without anyone heroine escape from the house
knowing in advance. with the help of a rope attached
Elope (for to the window of her bedroom
Marriage) and then he takes away and
marries her
Form: verb Example: The couple eloped in
the middle of the night.
Tone: neg

TROUBLED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to be put in a very Beleaguer means to pester Mnemonic: not able to
difficult situation or badger with persistence. withstand the HARASSMENT of
(syn) A babysitter might find the senior players the new
annoying the children who player opted to BE out of the
Beleaguered beleaguer her with requests LEAGUE
Form: verb for candy, cookies, games, Example: The lack of funds that
and piggyback rides all at beleaguers schools
Tone: neg the same time.
trouble or Beset means to attack from Mnemonic: Beset.
threaten all sides––an invading bees+attack. imagine bees
continuously.(syn) army will beset a castle, or attack on you from all
you might find yourself directions.
Beset beset by a devastating
Form: verb Example: A lack of money is
storm. the greatest problem Besetting
the city today.
Tone: neg
trouble trouble persistently Mnemonic: PLAGUE is a
epidemic..if anyone is affected,
people tend to alienate him/her
which ANNOYs or creates
TROUBLE for the affected
Plagued person.
Form: verb Example: the team was
Plagued by a lot of
mismanagement issues
Tone: neg
 MOCK , DISRESPECT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to lower in rank To abase something or Mnemonic: Abase = a + base;
and prestige (syn) someone is to humiliate without a base; Imagine you
them — no, more than just shifted to a new house whose
humiliate them. If you abase base is not very strong (without
another person you are base) and hence it may fall
bringing them low, humbling down anytime and can Abase
Abase them in a mean, base you in front of your neighbours.
manner. Not nice at all.
Form: verb Example: I certainly don't
Abase myself when I do good,
honest manual labor.
Tone: neg
a comical an artistic composition, Mnemonic: if you want to
imitation, especially literary or ridicule Barclays premier league
exaggeration or dramatic that treats than you can write Burlesque
absurdity. (syn) ordinary material with premier league.
Burlesque mockery
Form: noun Example: a writer whose
Burlesque often bordered on
cruelty
Tone: neg
to behave toward A snooty waiter might Mnemonic: It has the word
someone as condescend to serve you descend in it ,it implies
though you are dinner at a fancy restaurant, descending to a lower position
more important meaning that he'd consider
and more himself far too important to
intelligent than carry out the mundane task
Condescend they are. So of delivering your
disrespecting hamburger and fries.
Form: verb Example: While giving a talk,
be careful not to Condescend to
your audience.
Tone: neg
the feeling that a Reserve the noun contempt Mnemonic: Contempt -con
person is for an extreme lack of (with) + TEMPER
worthless and respect: a food snob has
disregard nothing but contempt for
Contempt them.(syn) mass-produced burgers and
Form: verb fries at a fast-food joint. Example: He feels that wealthy
people view him with Contempt
because he is poor.
Tone: neg
criticize someone To denigrate is to say bad Mnemonic:
unfairly (syn) things — true or false — Denigrate=DENY+GREAT.so if
about a person or thing. you deny someone is great ,it
Your reputation as a math means you BELITTLE him
Denigrate quiz might be hurt if your
Form: verb Example: No one is trying to
jealous classmate manages Denigrate the importance of a
to denigrate you, even good education. We all know
though the accusations are that it is crucial for success.
 Tone: neg unfounded.
express contempt The verb deride means to
and ridicule (syn) show a low opinion of
someone or something. The
Form: verb jerk would deride the other
Deride kids on the bus by calling
them names or pulling their
hair until the driver decided
Tone: neg to de-ride him by kicking
him off the bus.
the feeling that a If you feel that something
person is isn't worthy of your
worthless and consideration, you may
disregard disdain it (or treat it with
them.(syn) disdain).
Disdain
Form: noun
Tone: neg
to speak about If you haven't got anything
someone in nice to say, then it's time to
disrespectful disparage someone. It
manner (syn) means to belittle or degrade
a person or idea.
Disparage
Form: verb
Tone: neg
make rude and As a noun, jeer is the act of
mocking remarks scoffing, taunting, or
(syn) mocking. Think of it as an
anti-cheer. If you offer
Jeer
Form: verb cheers for the visiting team
and jeers for the home
Tone: neg team, you might not be too
popular in the stands.
Publicly criticize When you make fun of
by using sarcasm something by imitating it in
or ridicule (syn) a humorous way, you're
lampooning it. The writers
at The Onion, Saturday
Lampoon Night Live and
Form: noun
FunnyOrDie.com are all
experts in the art of the
lampoon.
Tone: neg
tease or laugh at Imitation may be the most
someone ina sincere form of flattery, but
Mock
disrespectful to mock is to make fun of or
manner (syn) mimic someone with
Root: The prefix DE meand
DOWN or AWAY
Mnemonic: de -ride -- riding a
horse upside down.. people will
make fun of you ( ridicule)
Example: My brothers Derided
our efforts, but were forced to
eat their words when we won
first place
Mnemonic: divide it like
dis(dish)+dain(rhyms like
vain..means useless)....think
you have ordered for a dish ,
but it is useless or in vain,
beacuse you can cook better
than this, so you REJECT THE
order, you Disdain the order.
Example: I have a healthy
Disdain for companies that
mistreat their workers.
Root: The prefix DIS means
NOT
Mnemonic: dispa-rage can be
read as display a rage. When
you display your RAGE on your
juniors you BELITTLE them in
front of the others.
Example: Voters don't like
political advertisements in which
opponents Disparage one
another.
Root: Prefix DIS refers to NOT
Mnemonic: in a party instead
of saying cheers,he told
JeerS.and the whole crowd
MOCKED at him
Example: The prisoner was
Jeered by an angry mob.
Mnemonic: Lampoon- if you
pour oil for a LAMP with a
SPOON people will ridicule
because for a lamp you should
pour a lot of oil.
Example: He said such
ridiculous things that he was
often the target of Lampoons in
the press.
Mnemonic: Â U give Mock
test.That is not all that serious.
opposite of serious is ridiculous
which is the meaning of Mock
 Form: verb contempt, ridicule or
derision. "Louise’s
favorite pastime was to
Tone: neg mock her brother’s
inability to sing on key."
to treat with an if someone patronizes you,
apparent kindness it's not so pleasant — they
which betrays a talk to you as if you were
feeling of inferior or not very
supiriority. intelligent.
Patronize
Form: verb
Tone: neg
Ironic remarks Sarcastic humor is biting
intended to humor; it hurts. The talent-
wound (syn) show judge who rolls his
Form: adj eyes at your dancing and
Sarcastic says things like "The
average border Radha has
more talent than you" is a
Tone: neg sarcastic person given to
sarcastic remarks.
seriously mocking If someone is being scornful
(syn) and mocking in a humorous
way, call her sardonic. If
you want to write comic
Sardonic sketches for late-night talk
shows, work on being
Form: adj sardonic.
Tone: neg
the use of humor, Satire is a way of making
irony to criticize fun of people by using silly
people's stupidity. or exaggerated language.
(syn) Politicians are easy targets
Satire for satire, especially when
Form: noun they're acting self-righteous
or hypocritical.
Tone: neg
to speak to To laugh at someone with
someone in a scorn is to scoff at them.
mocking tone. People have scoffed at many
(syn) great inventors, saying their
Scoff Form: verb products would flop because
the public wouldn't be
interested in things like the
light bulb, cars, televisions,
Tone: neg or personal computers.
to treat someone Scorn is open disrespect for
with disrespect someone or something. It
Scorn
(syn) can also be disrespect
coupled with feelings of
Example: He Mocks art only
because he doesn't understand
it.
Mnemonic: Â If you remember
Patronus--from latin it will give
you a lot of words like patriarch
(Patri+ arch: ruled by father or
eldest male) well you father is
giving you regular pat
(encouragement)
Example: He hated being
Patronized and pitied by those
who didn't believe his story.
Mnemonic: We know what
SARCASM is.
Example: I hate her Sarcastic
comments that my singing
reminded her of the time her
dog was sick
Mnemonic: Sardonic sounds
like saridon (famous medicine
for headache in India) : If
everybody around you criticise
you , then you will get
headache, take saridon
Example: The movie is a
Sardonic look at modern life.
Mnemonic: Satire is a FIRE
(attack) against human vices
brought forward through irony
or sarcasm in a novel or
play.Sarcasm+Fire
Example: His movies are
known for their use of Satire.
Mnemonic: Scoff rhymes with
cough. If someone coughs in
the class continuously we MOCK
at them.
Example: Critics Scoff as
Matolcsy says Hungary's
economy to return to growth
next year
Mnemonic: Scorn = sc (
Schedule Caste) + orn; sc
people are always criticize for
bad ornate.
 Form: noun intense dislike. Example: Her political rivals
have poured Scorn on her ideas
for improving the tax system.

Tone: neg
smile or speak in If your smile is contorted
a mocking with contempt or your upper
manner (syn) lip curled with distaste and
disdain, you're probably
Sneer Form: verb sneering. And you should
stop, because it isn't nice.
Tone: neg
to give a half- A snicker is a disrespectful
supressed laugh snort of half-suppressed
to mock at laughter, often expressing
Snicker someone (syn) superiority. We snicker at
Form: verb beauty queens talking about
world peace, for example.
Tone: neg
derogatory or Snide means insulting or
mocking in an contemptuous in an indirect
indirect way (syn) way. If your friend is
Form: adj wearing too much purple
Snide eye shadow and your other
friend whispers to you,
Tone: neg “What? Was she in a car
wreck?― that’s a
snide comment.
to reject with If you reject your mother's
anger and scorn offer to buy you a pair of
(syn) fastrack sunglasses with a
Form: verb snort and eye roll, you are
Spurn spurning her generosity. To
spurn means to reject with
disdain.
Tone: neg
provoke or A short list of people not to
challenge with taunt: your big brother,
insulting remarks cops, nightclub bouncers,
(syn) dragons. Taunts are
insulting comments, and,
Taunt unless you are a really,
Form: noun really fast runner, keep
them to yourself.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: Sneer sounds like
STARE aggressively when the
other driver speaks to you in a
derisive manner.
Example: In high school the in
crowd would invariably Sneer
every time they passed the
hapless nerds
Mnemonic: The students gave
a Snicker when the professor
came to the class in a sneaker.
Example: He Snickered at the
puzzled look on her face
Mnemonic: If you don’t
abide by a rule you are
supposed to be called a Snide.
Example: A Snide trick to get
the old woman to sell her
antiques for practically nothing
Mnemonic: Spurn rhymes with
burn, so when your cloth is on
fire, you are Spurning it.
Example: Fiercely independent,
the elderly couple Spurned all
offers of financial help
Mnemonic: Taunt and Flaunt
are rhyming words but have
totally different meanings. The
rich are always Taunting the
poor by flaunting (making a
show of) their money at them.
Example: They Taunted the
newly arrived immigrants about
their broken English

REDUCE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 to reduce To deplete is to use up or Mnemonic: If you de(remove)
something by a consume a limited resource. + from plate.. you will reduce its
large amount so Visiting relatives might contents.
that there is not deplete your refrigerator of
DEPLETE enough left food, or a pestering friend
Form: verb might deplete your Example: Food supplies were
patience. severely DEPLETEd.
Tone: neg Root: Prefix DE means NOT
to become less Something depreciates Mnemonic: Â appreciate -value
valuable over a when it loses value. If you increases. DEPRECIATE -value
period of time bought shares of a company decreases
DEPRECIATE Form: verb for $10 each a year ago and Example: New cars start to
now they’re worth $1 DEPRECIATE as soon as they
each, guess what: they are on the road.
Tone: neg have depreciated.
to collect Amass means bring Mnemonic: amass - add
something, together or assemble. It can masses and hence to collect
especially in large be a real shock to enter a things.
quantities room and see your amassed
X AMASS Form: verb friends shouting "Surprise!" Example: They amassed a
truckload of donations in the
course of their canned food
drive
Tone: pos
a reserve supply a storage pile accumulated Mnemonic: Piling up stock (lot
of something for future use of things piled up together)
essential
accumulated
within a country
X for use during a
STOCKPILE shortage
Form: noun Example: An emergency
stockpile of potable water and
canned goods in the cellar
Tone: pos

EQUALITY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Equal work (syn) The word commensurate
has to do with things that
are similar in size and
therefore appropriate. Many
Commensurate people think the death
Form: adj penalty is a commensurate
punishment for murder. In
other words, the penalty fits
Tone: neutral the crime.
not similar (oppo) The trunk of some people's
cars may contain items as
Disparate disparate as old clothes,
(opp) rotting food, and possibly a
Form: adj
missing relative. Disparate
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: SPLIT AS COMMON
- ENSURED -RATE. WHICH
MEANS, OUR RATE WILL BE
EQUAL TO THE CHEAPEST
PRODUCT!
Example: Salary will be
Commensurate with experience.
Mnemonic: Â Disparate can be
broken as: "This" "sEparate" so
read as "this is separate
Example: They are a disparate
group of individuals.
 Tone: negative, things are very different
neutral depending from each other.
on the context

Equal (syn) Parity refers to equality of Mnemonic: Parity.......divide it

an amount or value, and it's like pari(pair)...pairs always
used most often to refer to exhibit equality in their choices.
Parity Form: n finance. Example: Prison officers are
demanding pay Parity with the
police force.
Tone: neutral
Equal(syn) A peer is someone at your Mnemonic: peer rhymes with
own level. If you are a 10th near and dear -people of equal
grader, other high school status(Peers) are usually near
students are your peers. and dear to each other.
Peers
Form: n Example: Children are worried
about failing in front of their
Peers.
Tone: neutral
equality When something is Mnemonic: Tantamount and
tantamount to another thing Paramount are similar in sound
it is essentially its but have different meanings.
equivalent. For some animal While Tantamount means,
activists, wearing fur is equivalent, paramount means
Tantamount tantamount to murder. chief in importance.
Form: adj Example: If he resigned it
would be Tantamount to
admitting that he was guilty.
Tone: neutral

AGREEMENT , HARMONY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
a very big A chasm is a deep Mnemonic: Chasm sounds like
difference between divide, either literal chashma.. if it has a crack, it is
two people or or figurative, such as difficult to see
groups a giant chasm in an
# CHASM Form: noun ice cap or the Example: the yawning chasm of the
growing chasm generation gap
Tone: neg between two friends
who haven't spoken
in a long time.
a separation or a large difference Mnemonic: we say gulf of Mexico,
lack of agreement between two people gulf means water body , so a deep
or groups opening
Form: noun Example: The great gulf of time and
# GULF space that separates us from the first
inhabitants of North America

Tone: neg
 a serious Rift sounds like rip, Mnemonic: Â rhymes with drift(a
disagreement and it's helpful to sound force which drives something
between people think of it that way. along)..a drifted water caused many
When there is a rift breaks in the wall.
# RIFT in a political party
Form: noun over how much taxes Example: Efforts to heal the rift
to pay, it is like a rip between the two countries have failed.
or tear in the fabric
Tone: neg of the group.
strong The sound of the Mnemonic: Sounds like prism which
disagreement word schism reminds splits light into colors.
within an some people of the
organization sound of a piece of
Form: noun paper being torn in Example: There is a schism between
# SCHISM two; which makes leading members of the party
sense –– when a
Tone: neg group has a big fight
and the group is torn
in two, that's a
schism.
agreement If you clean your Mnemonic: Agreement between
room of your own father and son that he will buy Accord
accord, you parents (Honda Accord, car name)for his son if
will be pleased—it he tops in his exams.
means you did it
Accord Form: n without having to be Example: The two sides signed a
asked. They might peace Accord last July.
even accord you an
Tone: pos extra privilege.
Warring nations
make peace accords.
blend or A concord is an Mnemonic: Â If you are a keyboard
agreement agreement. If you player you must be knowing about
want to watch a chords..chords are used for
romantic comedy harmony...Concord = con + chord
and your date wants
Concord to watch a horror
Form: adj film, you might Example: Living in Concord with
compromise and people of different races and religions
come to a concord by
Tone: pos agreeing to watch an
action comedy.
agreement (young If all your friends Mnemonic: Conform it - Means agree
people are always wear jeans to school to it
in conformity) and you wear
Form: n checkered slacks, Example: The corporate culture
Conformity you could say you demands a certain Conformity of
reject conformity — appearance.
Tone: pos doing the same thing Root: The prefix CON means
as everyone else. TOGETHER
in agreement, at suitable or Mnemonic: congruent triangles are
Congruous par. appropriate together matching triangles...so matching in
kind or character
 Form: adj Example: When performing his
official duties, the president must be
dressed in clothes that are Congruous
with his high position

Tone: pos
agreement, Use consonance to Mnemonic: Double Consonance gives
together, blend describe a state of the effect of being a near rhyme.
agreement or
Form: n harmony of parts, Example: At present, the living room
Consonance and is often refers to lacks Consonance because all of the
a pleasing furniture is on one side
combination of
Tone: pos musical sounds.
arguing or Discord is the strife Mnemonic:
disagreement and tension that DIS(not)+ACCORD(agreement).accord
(oppo) arises when two means agreement...hence Discord
sides disagree on means disagreement.
Discord something, like the
Form: n high pitched Example: The city has long been
screaming of two known as a scene of racial intolerance
kids fighting over the and Discord.
Tone: neg front seat of the car. Root: The prefix DIS is NOT
not in agreement, Disagreeable sounds Mnemonic: Â dis-sonance::DIS
not together can be called RESONANCE--not resonant....so not in
(oppo) dissonance. You harmony
Form: n know it's dissonance Example: The Dissonance between
Dissonance if you have the what we are told and what we see
strong desire to with our own eyes
cover your ears with
Tone: neg your hands.
opposition or Fractions are smaller Mnemonic: Faction-fraction means
disagreement on parts of whole fraction of a large party
something.(oppo) numbers: one-
Form: n quarter, one-tenth, Example: The committee soon split
one-half, and a into Factions.
Tone: neg faction is a smaller
portion of a larger
Faction
group that breaks
away from it. A
faction might take a
fraction of the people
from a large group
and start a new
group.
in agreement, at Things that are Mnemonic: A harmonium (musical
par. harmonious go instrument) if played well and in
together nicely, like angreement to the reeds produces
notes in music or Harmonious and melodious music.
Harmonious people that work well
Form: adj as a team. Example: The living room was
decorated in Harmonious colors.

Tone: pos
 not compatible or Use the adjective Mnemonic: IN (not)+ compatible.
not incompatible to
harmonious.(oppo) describe things or
people that are too
Form: adj different to get Example: This printer is Incompatible
Incompatible along. When paired with some PCs.
Tone: neg with someone you Root: Prefix IN means NOT
can't work with,
don't criticize or get
mad. Just say, "We
are incompatible."
.

AGGRESSIVE , ARGUMENTATIVE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
someone who is If you walk into a high Mnemonic: belli+cose - cose
ready to fight and school where you know no sounds like cause, a small fight
argue.(syn) one, find the toughest can become a cause of warlike
looking girl in the halls and situation
Bellicose Form: adj tell her she's ugly, them's Example: Bellicose hockey
fighting words. Or bellicose players who always seem to
ones. Bellicose means eager spend more time fighting than
for war. playing
Tone: NEG Root: same as above
unfriendly and If someone is belligerent, Mnemonic: Belligerent sounds
aggressive (syn) they're eager to fight. It's a like billi (TOM) and Jerry always
good idea to avoid hardcore quarrel in TOM and JERRY
hockey fans after their team cartoon.
Belligerent Form: adj loses — they tend to be Example: The coach became
belligerent. quite Belligerent and spit at an
umpire after being thrown out of
the game
Tone: NEG Root: Prefix BELLI- means WAR
controversial A contentious issue is one Mnemonic: Contentious-
(syn) that people are likely to (Contender+Serious) One who
argue about, and a takes competition too serious
contentious person is always fights and quarrels.
Contentious Form: adj someone who likes to argue Example: After a Contentious
or fight. debate, members of the
committee finally voted to
approve the funding.
Tone: NEG
a discussion about a contentious speech act; a Mnemonic: Disputation sounds
something that dispute where there is like Disputes and so it is.
people do not strong disagreement
agree on (syn)

Disputatious Form: adj Example: A heated disputation

over the true authorship of the
poem popularly known as
“The Night Before
Christmas―
Tone: NEG
 bad tempered or If you're prone to picking
who gets easily fights, making snarky
upset with small comments, and being
Fractious things(syn) frustratingly stubborn,
Form: adj you're fractious. And odds
are you're not invited to too
Tone: NEG many parties.
unfriendly and Hostility is the state of ill
aggressive (syn) will and bad feeling. If a
teacher embarrasses you in
Form: n front of the whole class, you
Hostility will probably regard him or
her with hostility for the
remainder of the school
Tone: NEG year.
too ready to take If the haunted house staff
disagreements to treats you with extra care
court. (syn) and don't subject you to the
worst frights, it might not
Litigous
Form: adj be because they like you,
but because they know
Tone: NEG you're litigious: you tend to
sue people.
very unfriendly, The adjective polemical
ready to argue describes something related
and fight.(syn) to an argument or
controversy. To keep the
Form: adj peace, avoid discussing
Polemical
politics at Thanksgiving,
which usually deteriorates
into a polemical argument
Tone: NEG with Uncle Bob. Better stick
to football or apple versus
having a desire to Pugnacious means ready for
fight and argue a fight. If you're a first year
with somebody teacher, you probably don't
(syn) know how to deal with the
Pugnacious Form: adj pugnacious kids in every
class. Learn some discipline
or they'll end up fighting
you, or each other.
Tone: NEG
bad tempered If you are quick to argue,
(syn) always looking for a fight,
and hard to please, you are
Truculent Form: adj truculent. You can also
write a truculent essay, and
fans upset by a loss can
Tone: NEG become truculent.
ARGUE , FIGHT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: Those who get their
limbs fractured -gets annoyed or
bad tempered by taking bed rest
for long
Example: The Fractious crowd
grew violent.
Mnemonic: Hostility: opposite
being not a good HOST implies
unfriendly
Example: They were both glad
to have gotten through the
divorce proceedings without any
visible signs of Hostility.
Mnemonic: people would fight
to eat a "litti" (a North Indian
delicacy) so you get contentious
Example: There is this very
litigious group of people
Mnemonic: refer pol to politics,
as you know modern day politics
is full of CONTROVERSIES
Example: an unnecessarily
Polemical look at the supposed
incompatibility between science
and religion
Mnemonic: Â a pug is an
aggressive breed of dog. So a
Pugnacious pug..
Example: There's one
Pugnacious member on the
committee who won't agree to
anything.
Root: Prefix PUG is a DOG.
Mnemonic: Truculent sounds
like turbulent which is very
aggressive.
Example: Die-hard fans who
became Truculent and violent
after their team's loss
Mnemonic/Example
 a noisy argument Altercation is a nicer
word for "quarrel," which
is a nicer word for "fight."
Altercation
Form: n
Tone: NEG
to argue about When you bicker, you
unimportant argue in a petty way, like
things like two kids squabbling in
children do. the backseat on a long
car trip, or politicians
Bicker taking cheap shots at
Form: v
each other but avoiding
discussion of important
issues.
Tone: NEG
a noisy argument, A bar fight is a brawl. A
involving many fight in the cafeteria
people,especially which turns into a free-
Brawl in public place for-all can also be called
Form: n,v a brawl. A brawl is a
noisy fight in a crowd.
Tone: NEG
fighting in war Combat is fighting
time. between two groups of
armed forces. When you
engage in combat,
Combat typically this means you
Form: n engage in fighting that
involves weapons.
Tone: NEG
struggle in a fight struggle in opposition
Contend
Form: v
Tone: NEG
a noisy argument, If your marching band
involving many gets into a fight with
people. another school's pep
Form: n squad, your principal
Fracas
might say the fracas was
uncalled for and
Tone: NEG undignified. A fracas is a
noisy quarrel.
Mnemonic: Â altered - alter
(means to change); When things
are altered without telling the
elders, then there may arise a
noisy quarrel.
Example: Judging from all the
slamming and banging, I'd say
there was some sort of Altercation
going on next door
Mnemonic: Bicker sounds like
Biker. The biker crashed into the
car and he had a big quarrel with
the owner of the car.
Example: After a prolonged
Bicker, they finally managed to find
a movie that both of them were
interested in seeing.
Mnemonic: Brawl can be
pronounced as bawaal....in hindi
bawaal is noisy drunken fight
Example: Fans were Brawling in
the streets after the game.
Mnemonic: concentrate on the
last part of the word bat. It will
remind you that a fight in cricket
(usage of bat) is for winning.
Example: Some of these soldiers
have never seen Combat.
Mnemonic: You have less content
to support your point means you
are highly unlikely to
Contend(COMPETE)
Example: to Contend with the
enemy for control of the port
Mnemonic: Fracas-(fraud +
cause), a fraud will generally cause
a quarrel or brawl.
Example: Police preparing for any
Fracas that might follow the soccer
game
 a situation in A melee is a noisy free-
which a crowd of for-all or rowdy fight —
people rush or a no holds barred, battle
push each other royal, if you will. It's
in a confused what pro wrestlers
way. engage in every night,
Melee and shoppers endure at
Form: n
the toy store every
holiday season.
Mnemonic: Melee sounds like
Bruce Lee...famous for his fights.
ME and Bruce LEE in a fight, who
would win? ME VS LEE
Example: A verbal disagreement
at the football game soon turned
into a general Melee involving
scores of spectators

Tone: NEG
to complain and A quibble is a small Mnemonic: Query + babble
argue about small argument or fight. As a (minor objection/murmuring).
matters. verb, it means to pick a
Form: n,v mini-fight over something Example: He spent the entire
Quibble that doesn't really evening quibbling about the
matter. "Let's not quibble historical inaccuracies in the
over price," people will television series on World War II
say, usually when they
Tone: NEG plan to gouge you.
quarell and Row means a noisy Mnemonic: When you sit in a Row
dispute. argument, but when you with your enimies you argue and
use it this way, it rhymes quarrel
Row Form: n with cow, rather than Example: He was engaged in a
toe. Row with his classmates, and made
friends with seniors.
Tone: NEG
to argue noisily A squabble is a fight but Mnemonic: While playing
about very not necessarily a serious scrabble, children fight with each
unimportant one. When we squabble, other on minor
details we have a little issues...Squabble=Quarrel+scribble
Squabble argument, probably
Form: n,v about something not too Example: Frightened by noise of
important. the Squabble, the cat hid under the
couch
Tone: NEG
quarell a quarrel about petty Mnemonic: ti(ny)f(fight): fight
points about tiny things
Form: n Example: Like any couple, they
Tiff occasionally Tiff, but it's never
anything serious
Tone: NEG
an agreement When two warring sides Mnemonic: Truce rhymes with
between enemies decide to call it quits, it's juice...so you give a juice to people
or opponents to called a truce — an who are fighting so that it stops for
stop fighting for a agreement to end the sometime and they can discuss
Truce period of time fighting. over it
(oppo) Form: n Example: There's been an uneasy
truce between her and her parents
for the past several months.

Tone: POS
 a short fight in disorderly fighting Mnemonic: Tussle can be
order to get remembered in relation to a hassle.
something.
Tussle Form: n,v Example: The suspect was
arrested after a Tussle with a
security guard.
Tone: NEG

MAKE ISOLATE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
to make When you alienate people,
unfriendly you make them stop liking
or caring about you. Show
up at a conference of cat
ALIENATE Form: v lovers with a sign around
your neck that says, "I
hate kittens," and you'll
Tone: neg learn firsthand what that
means.
to act in oposition To antagonize is to
provoke someone to react
Form: v angrily. If your mother tells
ANTAGONIZE you to stop antagonizing
Tone: neg your brother, she's asking
you to stop making him
mad.
Divide, isolate To estrange people may
sound like adding wobbly
antennae and an extra
Form: n eyeball to their faces.
Estrange Really, estrange means to
push apart people who
were once close to each
Tone: NEG other and cause them to
be like strangers.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Alien+ate. treating
someone like an alien is like
being unfriendly or getting
separated.
Example: He ALIENATEd most
of his colleagues with his bad
temper.
Mnemonic: go anti to someone
that is ANTAGONIZE for you
Example: Her comments
ANTAGONIZEd many people.
Root: Prefix ANTI means
AGAINST.
Mnemonic: To behave like a
stranger with a friend will mean
estranging.
Example: she Estranged
several of her coworkers when
she let her promotion go to her
head

INCLUDING EVERYTHING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
covering When you want to describe Mnemonic: we always hear
completely something that includes all "COMPREHENSIVE win" from
or most details, you can use cricket commentators.. it
the adjective means the side wins making
comprehensive. If you get enough runs or with enough
the comprehensive wickets.. so its covering and
COMPREHENSIVE treatment at a spa, it might winning in all aspects over the
include massage, manicure opposition..
Form: adj and a facial. Example: A COMPREHENSIVE
overview of European history
since the French Revolution
Tone: neut
 to include a large Encompass means to Mnemonic: We use compass to
number or range contain. When you see the draw circle, which sorrounds or
of things. word, picture a campus includes the area within it.
Encompass Form: v which encompasses lecture Example: The district
halls, a football field, a Encompasses most of the
medical center, a dining hall downtown area.
Tone: NEUT and some parking lots.
including Call something inclusive Mnemonic: Everything is IN
everything when it's designed or the CLOSET.
Form: adj inclined to include. An Example: A butterfly expert
Inclusive exclusive club might let you with an Inclusive knowledge of
in, but an inclusive one will his subject
Tone: NEUT ask you to join, no strings
attached.
existing in all When something is Mnemonic: Pervasive  sounds
parts and pervasive, it's everywhere. like persuasive, if you are
spreading Common things are persuasive youre ideas will be
gradually to affect pervasive — like greed and Pervasive
all parts of a cheap perfume.
Pervasive place.
Form: adj Example: Television's
Pervasive influence on our
culture
Tone: NEUT

PRESENT EVERYWHERE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Present Omnipresent describes Mnemonic: Omni means ALL
everywhere. (syn) something that's and Present. So present in all
everywhere at once, like a places or everywhere is being
deity or a bad smell. Omnipresent.
Omnipresent Form: adj Example: Seeking some much-
needed relief from the
Omnipresent noise of the big
city
Tone: NEUT Root: Omni means ALL.
seeming to be It's everywhere! It's Mnemonic: Remember UB
everywhere or in everywhere! When Group belonging to Vijaya
several places at something seems like it's Malliya. It is present everywhere
the same time. present in all places at the in India.
Form: adj same time, reach for the Example: By that time cell
Ubiquitous adjective ubiquitous. phones had become Ubiquitous,
and people had long ceased to
be impressed by the sight of one

Tone: NEUT

NARROW MINDED , REGIONAL

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 only interested in Insular means "having a
your country, narrow view of the world,"
ideas etc, or not like insular people who
in those from never leave their small
Insular outside. town, which enables them
Form: adj to believe that every place
in the world is the same
Tone: NEG and the people are all just
like them.
narrow minded lacking tolerance or
understanding
Form: N
Myopic
Tone: NEG
only concerned If an issue or a matter is
with small issues parochial, it is trivial or only
that happen in concerns a local area.
you local areas. Likewise, a person with a
Parochial parochial mentality is
Form: adj
narrow-minded, or not
open to new ideas.
Tone: NEG
narrow-minded. A provincial person comes
from the backwaters.
Someone from a small
province outside of
Provence, France, might
seem a little more
Provincial provincial and less worldly
than someone from, say,
Form: adj Paris.
Tone: NEG
Mnemonic:
IN(not)+SECULAR.a country
which is not secular is Insular
Example: The British are often
accused of being Insular.
Root: In means INTO or
WITHIN.
Mnemonic: With My Opaque
lenses I will be short sighted
Example: Dogma and Myopic
politics always falls short in
explanation
Mnemonic: Having PARTIAL
vision or outlook is being
Parochial.
Example: They need to be
better informed and less
Parochial in their thinking.
Mnemonic: Provincial sounds
like "PROVINCE". Imagine a
person belonging to rural
province then he don't have
much exposure to outer
world...so he is unsophisticated
and limited in outlook
Example: In spite of his
education and travels, he has
remained very Provincial.

BIASED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
having tendency When a skirt is cut at an Mnemonic: The Prefix 'bi'
to show favor angle, with one side higher means two, however its just the
towards or than the other, it has a bias opposite for Bias, where it
against a group of cut. Being biased is kind of means One, rather One-sided.
people. Making lopsided too: a biased
Biased unfair person favors one side or
judgements. issue over another.
Form: adj Example: Employers must
consider all candidates
impartially and without bias.
Tone: neg
 a person who has A bigot is someone who Mnemonic: bi(by)+got(god)--
very strong doesn't tolerate people of think of a person who is
,unreasonable different races or religions. excessively devoted to god and
beliefs or opinions If you have an uncle who is hence very much
about race, a bigot and tells racist jokes hypocritical.this person will not
religion etc and at Thanksgiving, you may tolerate any opinion about god
Bigot doesn’t accept need to talk to him and tell differing from his own.
others opinion. him it's not okay.
Form: n,adj Example: He was labeled a
Bigot after making some
offensive comments.
Tone: neg
unfair, treating characterized by or showing Mnemonic: Difference or
someone or one prejudicial treatment discrmination.
group of people
worse than
others.
Discriminatory
Form: adj Example: This is a company
that was fined for its
Discriminatory practices in the
hiring of women
Tone: neg
Impartial Dispassionate describes Mnemonic: dis-passionate,
someone who is not getting without any passion usually
carried away by—or maybe people without passions are
not even having—feelings. calm
Dispassionate(oppo) It's something you'd want to
Form: adj Example: He spoke in a
see in a surgeon, who keeps dispassionate tone about the
cool under pressure, but not accident.
Tone: pos in a romantic partner.
hold the belief An egalitarian is a person Mnemonic: for EAGLES, it does
that everyone is who believes in the equality not matter which person's meat
equal and should of all people, and an is that, ultimately they have to
have the same egalitarian society gives fill their stomach being
rights and everyone equal rights. scavengers. EAGLES are
Egalitarian(oppo) opportunities. EGALitarians.
Form: adj Example: He described himself
as ‘an egalitarian’ and
vouches on Equality of rights
Tone: pos
treating everyone If you work on a group Mnemonic: Â Mom made a
in an equal way. project in class, you want an cake and distributed it EQUALLY
equitable share of the credit, to everyone sitting at the
you want as much credit as TABLE, being impartial and fair.
Equitable(oppo) you deserve for your work.
Form: adj Equitable distribution means Example: They reached an
each party gets the share of equitable settlement of their
something that they dispute.
Tone: pos deserve. Root: Equi means TWO
completely Fair, Evenhanded means fair to Mnemonic: EVEN + HANDED -
especially when all sides. If your essay is Even (that which is equal or
Evenhanded(oppo) dealing with evenhanded, it should look proper) + Handed (handled)... a
different groups of at both sides of an situation that has been fairly or
people. argument, without showing properly handled or judged.
 Form: adj preference for one side or Example: I thought it was an
the other. evenhanded assessment of her
performance.
Tone: pos
Form: adj If you're in a contest you'd Mnemonic: Â There are two
better hope the judges are PARTS. You don't favor either
Impartial X impartial, that is, that they PART. You are imPARTIAL.
Tone: pos aren't biased toward one Root: Prefix IN means NOT
competitor over another.
Unbiased Objectivity is a noun that Mnemonic: Objective(goal
means a lack of bias, oriented)-hence IMPARTIAL
Form: adj judgment, or prejudice. Example: We need someone
Objectivity(oppo) Maintaining one's objectivity outside the company to give us
is the most important job of an objective analysis.
Tone: pos a judge.
one-sided (syn) If something is prejudicial Mnemonic: parti(think of a
towards a particular point of political party)+san(son).so a
view, you can call it father who is favouring his son's
partisan. You'll often hear of political party, instead of a good
Partisan the partisan politics in the party.
Form: adj US — since politicians Example: Most newspapers are
seem to be so devoted to politically Partisan.
Tone: neg either the Republican or
Democratic parties.
having being biased or having a Mnemonic: prejudice reminds
unreasonable belief or attitude formed of pre-judgement... which leads
dislike of or beforehand to partiality
preference for
someone or
something, based
Prejudiced on religion, sex
etc.
Form: adj Example: Their decision was
based on ignorance and
prejudice.
Tone: neg
expressing a If you are writing a report Mnemonic: Â Rearrange the
strong opinion on climate change, and words to make - Tend or
that people are ignore evidence that the Tendency + ious or bias. So,
likely to disagree earth is warming, the paper Tendentious is a TENDENcy
with. might be called tendentious. towards one viewpoint over
Tendentious Tendentious means another.
Form: adj promoting a specific, and Example: He made some
controversial, point of view. extremely Tendentious remarks.

Tone: neg

NOT SERIOUS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 showing that you When a parent scolds a Mnemonic: focus on flip;
do not take teenager for missing a during exam time if you flip
certain things as curfew or blowing off a test through the pages of the book
seriously as you and the teen snaps back, rather than reading them with
are expected to "Whatever," you could say concentration, then you LACK
Flippant take. the teen is being flippant. PROPER SERIOUSNESS.
Form: adj His reply was casual to the Example: He made a Flippant
point of sarcasm and response to a serious question.
disrespect.
Tone: neg
silly or not serious Frivolous things are silly or Mnemonic: Frivolous things
especially when it unnecessary. If something is are silly or unnecessary. If
is not suitable. frivolous, then you don't something is Fri-vo-lous -Free -
need it. If something is free, you don't
take it seriously, you think 'oh
they are giving it for free
Frivolous because its not an important
stuff, or not the stuff in
demand, or not the stuff
usually taken
Form: adj Example: She thinks window
shopping is a Frivolous activity.
Tone: neg
serious If you have a grave Mnemonic: Don't laugh near
personality, you are solemn the graves,be serious.
Form: adj and dignified and don't joke Example: My father would turn
Grave (oppo) around very much. in his grave if he knew what I
have done.
Tone: pos
the state of not Only people with no real Mnemonic: Insouciant: sounds
being worried troubles can afford to be like In-soup-ant or in-sauce-
about anything. insouciant during times like ant. Suppose the waiter serves
these. Runway models are you a soup with an ant in it and
great at looking insouciant, he is not even concerned about
strolling the catwalk removing it, he is Insouciant.
Insouciant apparently without a care in
Form: adj the world. Example: She wandered into
the meeting with complete
insouciance to the fact that she
was late
Tone: neg
behavior that Joking that your dead Mnemonic: Levity Sounds like
shows lack of grandmother "never looked lev(leave)+it+y(.yaar).you
respect for better" could inject some casually leave things without
something serious levity, or frivolity, into her any seriousness
and that treats it funeral, but your relatives
in an amusing might find your joke
Levity way. inappropriate to the
Form: n occasion. Example: The teachers
disapprove of any displays of
Levity during school assemblies

Tone: neg

DOMINATING
 Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
having unlimited Use absolute as a noun or Mnemonic: "solute" sounds
power or control, an adjective when you're so like salute and we use to salute
esp when despotic sure of something that you people having complete power.
know it will never change.
Absolute Form: adj,n For example, a devout Example: The country is ruled
person's belief in life after by an Absolute dictator.
Tone: neg death is an absolute; that Root: Prefix AB means AWAY
person has absolute faith in FROM.
the afterlife.
showing that you Speak with an authoritative Mnemonic: Someone having
expect people to tone, or no one will listen to Authority will be Authoritative.
obey and respect you. Why would they, if you
you. sound like you don't even
Authoritative believe in yourself?
Form: adj Example: The book is an
Authoritative means sure or Authoritative guide to the city's
definitive. restaurants.
Tone: neg
a person who An autocrat is another name Mnemonic: Autocracy (Auto
expects to be for a dictator, someone who means indeendent) is just the
obeyed by other wields absolute power and opposite word for Democracy.
people and does uses it in a cruel and
not care about despotic manner.
their opinions or
Autocrat feelings.
Form: n Example: European Autocrats
once commonly believed that
they had received the right to
rule directly from God.
Tone: neg
a ruler with great A despot, is a cruel, all- Mnemonic: Cruel dictators kill
power, especially controlling ruler. For thousands of people on de (the)
one who uses it in example, a despot does not spot (Despot)
a cruel way allow people to speak out
Despot Form: n against the leadership, nor Example: He was a successful
really want them to have basketball coach, but many
much freedom at all. people regarded him as a petty
Despot.
Tone: neg
you are certain Someone who is dogmatic Mnemonic: Â If you try to read
that your beliefs has arrogant attitudes based "Dogmatic" from back to front,
and rights are on unproved theories. If you you will get "i am god". the
correct and that dogmatically assert that the person who think that he is a
others should moon is made of green god is arrogant and stubborn
Dogmatic accept them. cheese, you'll just get
Form: adj laughed at. Example: She's become so
Dogmatic lately that arguing
with her is pointless.
Tone: neg
control by one Hegemony is political or Mnemonic: Hegemony:he's
country, cultural dominance or got money,so he's domineering
organization, etc. authority over others. The in the society and he control
Hegemony
over other hegemony of the popular others.
countries, within a kids over the other students
particular group. means that they determine
 Form: n what is and is not cool. Example: They discussed the
national government's
Hegemony over their tribal
community.
Tone: neg
expecting people Someone who is imperious Mnemonic: remember
to obey you and gives orders in a way that Imperious curse in harry
treating them as if shows they feel superior or potter!!it is used to command
they are not as more important than other others to do something
important as you. people. You might want the
Imperious
Form: adj smartest kid in the class as Example: She is an Imperious
your lab partner, but not if movie star who thinks she's
they have an imperious some sort of goddess
Tone: neg attitude and boss you
around.
a very strict Use the noun martinet to Mnemonic: Martinet's spelling
person who describe someone is a is very similar to martial - so a
demands that stickler when it comes to Martinet is a strict martial.
other people obey following rules, such as the
Martinet orders or rules teacher who won't accept
completely homework if it is written in a
Form: n color other than blue. Example: The prison's warden
was a cruel Martinet.
Tone: neg
in which there is You can decipher the Mnemonic: Totalitarian sounds
only one political meaning of totalitarian by like TOTAL power
party that has the first part: "total." It
complete power refers to a government with
and control over total power, one that
Totalitariian the people. exercises complete, even
Form: adj,n oppressive control over the Example: We were asked to
people and their activities. oppose dictatorship and
totalitarianism and embrace
Democracy.
Tone: neg
a person who has If you accuse your parents Mnemonic: Remember mike
complete power in of being tyrants, you are tyson .. He was cruel dictator in
a country and saying they abuse their the ring
uses it in a cruel control of you––they are
Tyrant and unfair way. cruel, overly restrictive of
Form: n your freedoms, and unfair. A Example: The country was
tyrant is a ruler who is cruel ruled by a succession of
and unjust. Tyrants.
Tone: neg

SURPRISE , CONFUSE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to surprise or Astound means to amaze. Mnemonic: Astound sounds like
shock someone Savants, or those with A- STUNT which is really a
very much. extreme brain wonder.
Astound abnormalities, can astound
Form: v Example: The magician will
people by their ability to Astound you with his latest
play Beethoven sonatas on tricks.
 Tone: neg/ neut the piano after having heard
them only once.
to confuse To baffle is to confuse. If Mnemonic: Baffle sounds like
someone you are completely puzzled be + fool. Everybody knows that
completely. as to what baffle means, a fool is always confused and
you might say that this word frusturated while trying to
baffles you. understand / do something new.
Baffle
Form: v Example: I was Baffled by
many of the scientific terms
used in the article.
Tone: neg/ neut
to confuse To bamboozle is to Mnemonic: sounds like Puzzle,
someone hoodwink, lead by the nose, using trick
especially by or pull the wool over
tricking them. someone's eyes — you're
Bamboozle tricking or fooling them.
Form: v Example: Bamboozled by con
men into buying worthless land
in the desert
Tone: neg/ neut
confused and To befuddle is to confuse. A Mnemonic: Befuddle sounds
unable to think sticky exam question can like bepuzzled.
normally. befuddle you, or an
Form: v awkward question about Example: Most of the
Befuddle your whereabouts the night applicants were Befuddled by
before (how can you the wording of one of the
remember? You were questions on the driving test
Tone: neg/ neut befuddled, after all.)
showing that you To bemuse means to Mnemonic: BEwilder + confUSE
are confused and confuse or puzzle. You = Bemuse
unable to think might be bemused opening
clearly. a box of candy from a
Bemuse Form: adj "secret admirer." Your Example: The stage mishap
teacher might give you a momentarily Bemused the
bemused smile if you write actress
Tone: neg/ neut your essay as a series of
haikus.
to confuse To bewilder is to amaze, Mnemonic: Some times people
someone baffle, dumbfound, behave like wild animals that
flummox, perplex, or Bewilders me, because they lack
stupefy. When you bewilder humanity.
Bewilder people, you confuse them.
Form: v Example: The change in policy
seems to have Bewildered many
of our customers
Tone: neut
to be slow to do startle with amazement or Mnemonic: Find it similar with
or accept fear Google, as Google gives us
something regular amazement.
because you are
Boggle surprised.
Form: v Example: She Boggled her first
effort to make Christmas
cookies
Tone: neut
to confuse and If you have an identical Mnemonic: CONfusion FOUND -
Confound
surprise someone. twin, you've probably tried Confound
 Form: v dressing alike so that people Example: The school's team
confound you with, or Confounded all predictions and
mistake you for, one won the game.
Tone: neg/ neut another. You've also
probably learned that,
unfortunately, this trick
doesn’t work on your
mom.
extremely When you see your mom Mnemonic: The extra flab in his
surprised and come back from the salon body aghasted him, for he was
shocked. with bright green spiky hair confused whether to go for the
and your jaw drops to the audition or not
Flabbergasted Form: adj floor in total shock, Example: It flabbergasts me to
you’re flabbergasted. see how many people still
You are really, really support them.
Tone: neg/ neut shocked — pretty much
speechless.
confounded or be confusing or perplexing Mnemonic: A Fox is cunning
confused. to; cause to be unable to and have the capability of
think clearly confusing you with its tricks
Fox
Form: adj Example: I must admit I'm
completely Foxed.
Tone: neg/ neut
so shocked that If a conversation with Mnemonic: plussed-puzzled.
you fail to speak someone leaves you
or do something scratching your head and
Non plussed Form: adj wondering what point they Example: I was nonplussed by
were trying to make, you his openly expressed admiration
are nonplussed: bewildered, of me.
Tone: neg/ neut puzzled, often speechless.
to make Some people are experts at Mnemonic: ob (ab---now)
something less obfuscating the truth by FUSCATE -fuss + create To
clear and more being evasive, unclear, or deliberately create a fuss about
difficult to obscure in the telling of the an issue to make it hard to
Obfuscate understand facts. The people who are understand.
Form: v good at obfuscating would Example: Their explanations
include defense lawyers and only serve to Obfuscate and
teenagers asked about their confuse.
Tone: neg/ neut plans for Saturday night.
confused and To perplex someone is to Mnemonic: Perplex = complex
worried because amaze, baffle, bewilder, (full of confusion)
you did not dumbfound, flummox,
understand it. mystify, or puzzle them.
Perplex Perplexing things are hard
Form: v Example: Questions about the
to understand. meaning of life have always
Perplexed humankind.
Tone: neut
to surprise or Don't be embarrassed if the Mnemonic: Think of tourists
shock someone magician's tricks stupefy visiting New York City for the
and hence cant you. It means you're first time. They stare up at the
think clearly amazed. Who doesn't want skyscrapers, lost in wonder.
Stupefy to be stopped in his tracks They are stupified.
Form: v sometimes? Example: He was stupefied by
the amount they had spent.
Tone: neg/ neut
 PAMPERING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to treat someone While it is okay for parents Mnemonic: Coddle - sounds
with too much to coddle, spoil, or pamper like cuddle - cuddling is
care and a young child, it’s a pampering kids, showing
attention. little unnerving when excessive love, indulge in excess
parents coddle, or pamper of cuddling that is mollyCoddle,
Coddle adult children. And which will spoil kids.
downright weird when adult
Form: v children wear Pampers. Example: The judges were
accused of coddling criminals.
Tone: pos
the state of your Humor is a word for the Example: She Humored her
feelings or mind quality of being funny — grandfather by listening to his
at a particular or for appreciating comedy, war stories for the hundredth
Humor time. as in "sense of humor." time.
Form: n,v
Tone: neut
to satisfy a Indulge is a verb that Example: It's my birthday. I'm
particular desire means "to give in to going to Indulge myself and eat
and interest. something," like when you whatever I want to eat.
Indulge
Form: v indulge your craving for
Tone: pos chocolate by eating a big
piece of it.
to protect Mollycoddle means to spoil Mnemonic: Â molly=to calm
soomeone too or overindulge something. down/pacify...coddle=to treat
much and make You can think of with tenderness/care...
their life too mollycoddle as an extreme Mollycoddle= treat with
comfortable and form of coddle. If you excessive care
Mollycoddle safe. constantly fuss over your
Form: v dog and serve her Example: The coach has been
homemade food while she's mollycoddling the team's star
resting on a soft feather players.
Tone: pos bed, you mollycoddle her.
to take care of treat with excessive Mnemonic: Do you know what
someone very indulgence hampers a child most? I think if
well and make the parents always INDULGE a
them feel as child , it may be Pampered & its
Pamper comfortable as life may be hampered.
possible.
Form: v Example: They really Pamper
their guests at that hotel.
Tone: pos

EXCESSIVE FLATTERY -ve

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 admiration and If you've ever been to a pop
praise, but it is concert filled with screaming
greater than is fans you've probably been
necessary. exposed to adulation —
praise so over-the-top it's
Adulation * almost embarrassing.
Form: n
Tone: neg
when you say all When you hear a
good things to blandishment come your
someone to way, you may feel flattered,
persuade them to as that's what a blandisher
Blandishment do things for you. intends to do. However,
* Form: n beware because that flattery
may come with the
underlying intention of
Tone: neg persuading you to do
something!
flatter A fawn is a young deer, but
it's also a verb meaning to
Form: v try and win favor by
Fawn flattering. You might fawn
Tone: neg over Bambi if you want to
hang out with the cute and
fuzzy gang.
too generous in Compliments usually make
praising or you feel pretty good, but
thanking fulsome compliments, which
Fulsome somebody are exaggerated and usually
Form: adj insincere, may have the
opposite effect.
Tone: pos
trying too hard to If you disapprove of the
please or satisfy overly submissive way
someone very someone is acting — like
important. the teacher's pet or a
celebrity's assistant — call
Obsequious them by the formal
Form: adj
adjective obsequious.
Tone: neg
a person who A sycophant is a person who
praises influential tries to win favor from
or powerful wealthy or influential people
people in order to by flattering them. Also
get something in known as brown-nosers,
Sycophant return. teacher's pets or suck-ups.
Mnemonic: Adulation *- ad + u
+ late; To act in an ad
(advertisement) you came late,
so producer became furious...in
order to cool him u need to
FLATTER him.
Example: The band enjoy the
Adulation *of their fans
wherever they go.
Mnemonic: Â BLAN (like PLAN)
+ DISH (food) - PLAN a DISH to
FLATTER somebody...
Example: He refused to be
moved by either threats or
Blandishment *s.
Mnemonic: a FAN tries to gain
favor by flattery
Example: a sports star
surrounded by Fawning fans
Mnemonic: Focus on the full
portion. Fulsome means
excessive to the point where it
is too full.
Example: He was Fulsome in
his praise of the Prime Minister.
Mnemonic: ob + SEQUI + ous
.. sequi means sequence where
one thing "follows" the other..
and servants follow what their
masters say
Example: She's constantly
followed by Obsequious
assistants who will do anything
she tells them to.
Mnemonic: Sycophant.split it
like .....syco(sounds like
psycho)+phan...sounds like
FAN.......SO JUST IMAGINE a
PSYCHO FAN of yours in your
office who want to please you in
whatever way..by flattering..or
by bootliking.....just to gain
your favour...
 Form: n Example: When her career was
riding high, the self-deluded
actress often mistook
Sycophants for true friends
Tone: neg
a person who You can call the kid who is Mnemonic: Sir,
praises influential always really nice to the "TODAY"(Toady) you look very
or powerful teacher in hopes of getting a ...... (this an act of pleasing
people in order to good grade a brown-noser someone in order to gain a
Toady get something in or, if you want to sound personal advantage.)
return. clever, a toady.
Form: n,v Example: She's a real Toady to
the boss.
Tone: neg
friendly or giving You might know the idea of Mnemonic: Unctuous ->
praise in a way the adjective unctuous by fUnctuous -> party like ... in
that is not sincere other words like "oily," parties girls do a lot of oily
and hence "smarmy," or overly makeup and try to appear and
unpleasant. "flattering." When a person behave sauve but in my opinion
Unctuous is unctuous, you can't trust they look and behave in a bland
their kindness, because they way.
Form: adj usually want something in Example: an Unctuous
return. appraisal of the musical talent
shown by the boss's daughter
Tone: neg

INSULTING WORDS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to feel and tending to diminish or Mnemonic: Depriciate is to
express disparage reduce and lessen.
disapproval of
something or
Deprecatory someone.
Form: adj Example: He made a
deprecating comment.
Tone: neg Root: Prefix De means DOWN.
showing a bad Something that's derogatory Mnemonic: de rogue -you
attitude towards is insulting or disrespectful. always will have a low opinion
someone. If you make derogatory of rogues
Form: adj comments, that means you Example: Fans made a steady
Derogatory say things that are stream of Derogatory remarks
unflattering, unkind, or about the players on the
demeaning. visiting team
Tone: neg
a word or remark Call a word or phrase Mnemonic: Owner of a
that expresses pejorative if it is used as a Mitsubishi PAJERO belittles
criticism. disapproving expression or a everyone on the road.
Pejorative Form: adj term of abuse. Tree-hugger Example: I'm using the word
is a pejorative term for an ‘academic’ here in a
environmentalist. Pejorative sense.
Tone: neg
 ADD , SUPPORT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to add to A complement is something Mnemonic: When you
something for that makes up a satisfying Complement others it is when
improvement. whole with something else. they finish the work perfectly or
Those shiny red shoes you completly
Complement just bought complement
Form: v Example: The excellent menu is
your shiny red purse. Complemented by a good wine
list.
Tone: pos
a thing that is A supplement is something Example: First-class
added to added to something else. accommodation is available for a
something else to Nutritional supplements add Supplement.
Supplement improve or vitamins and minerals to
complete it. the ones already included in
Form: n the food you eat.
Tone: pos

CALM
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
something done Aplomb is the ultimate test Mnemonic: Aplomb -a + pl
confidently and for cool: grace under (people) + OM; people normally
successfully, often pressure. Use aplomb to chant 'OM' when they do
in a difficult show great restraint under meditation to keep themselves
Aplomb situation. even the most trying cool under strain.
Form: n circumstances. In retail, it's Example: He showed great
always a good idea to Aplomb in dealing with the
handle the angry customers reporters.
Tone: pos with aplomb.
to be calm and in When you stay calm under Mnemonic: A R Rahman is a
control of your pressure, you keep your composer. He need all his
feelings. composure. Keeping your Composure to compose music.
Composure Form: n composure for a skinned Example: After the initial shock
knee? Easy. Keeping your she regained her Composure.
Tone: pos composure during an
avalanche? Not so easy.
a calm state of If you take the news of your Mnemonic: Equanimity = equal
mind that means brother's death with + enmity. To fight the enemy
that you do not equanimity, it means you you need to be composed and
become angry or take it calmly without temperamental, else he'll beat
upset. breaking down. Equanimity you.
Equanimity refers to emotional calmness
Form: n Example: He is an Olympic
and balance in times of diver who always displays
stress. remarkable Equanimity on the
platform
Tone: pos
 emotionless Someone who doesn't seem
to react — who is always
"taking a pass" in the
conversation of life can be
described as impassive.
Impassive
Form: adj
Tone: neg
not easily upset or If you're imperturbable you
worried by a are not easily upset. If your
difficult situation. goal is to be imperturbable,
then you can't let things
Imperturbable bother you or get you
Form: adj stressed, confused, or
angry.
Tone: pos
casual. If your friend is acting cool,
unconcerned or in an
indifferent manner, call him
nonchalant — like when he
Nonchalant saunters by a group of
Form: adj
whispering, giggling girls
and just nods and says,
Tone: neutral "Hey."
not easily made Yes, phlegmatic has roots in
angry or upset. that colorless, mucous stuff
called phlegm, but people
who are phlegmatic aren't
Phlegmatic Form: adj called that because they
have lots of mucous. They
are just a little dull in
Tone: pos expressing feelings or
showing emotion.
not easily excited Call a body of water placid if
or irritated. it has a smooth surface and
no waves. Call a person
placid if they don't tend to
Placid make waves by causing a
Form: adj fuss.
Tone: pos
quiet and peaceful Choose the adjective,
serene, to describe someone
who is calm and untroubled.
Serene Form: adj If you tell someone horrible
news and they remain
serene, you might wonder if
Tone: pos they heard you!
Mnemonic: Impassive- A
person saying-"I m Passive(Not
Active)", that means he has no
feelings,emotions.
Example: She remained
Impassive as the officers
informed her of her son's death
Root: Prefix IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Â im-
'not'+perturb(able), meaning
not perturbed....so a person
who is not perturbed stays calm
and placid.
Example: Although he seems
outwardly Imperturbable, he
can get very angry at times.
Root: Prefix IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Nonchalant seems
similar to non challenge. If
there is no challenge, life is
calm and relaxed/carefree.
Example: She faced the crowd
with the Nonchalant ease of an
experienced speaker.
Mnemonic: Sounds like
PRAGMATIC(practical) -
practical people think with logic
and show little emotion.
Example: There is a strangely
Phlegmatic response to what
should have been happy news
Mnemonic: Â a student well
PLACED in his college will sit
calmly and peacefully...as
compared to those who did not
get placed.
Example: He is a person with a
sunny, Placid disposition
Mnemonic: Â when we
se(see)+rene(rain) in hot
season,we become calm
Example: She is a Serene
woman who was everyone's
source of support
 not interesting or Something that is staid is
amusing. dignified, respectable —
possibly even boring, like a
staid dinner party that is
heavy on the important
Staid guests but light on the
Form: adj laughs.
Tone: neutral
not showing much A stolid person can’t be
emotion or moved to smile or show
interest.never much sign of life, in much
reacting. the same way as something
Stolid solid, like a giant boulder, is
immovable. Both are
Form: adj expressionless.
Tone: pos
quiet and peaceful When a place or your state
of mind is peaceful, quiet
and serene, it is tranquil.
Tranquil
Form: adj
Tone: pos
Mnemonic: Staid -sounds like
"STAYED"-Imagine you have
always maintained your dignity
and propriety in the place
where you have stayed for so
many years!
Example: Everyone was
surprised by the racy joke from
the usually Staid professor
Mnemonic: Remember Stolid
as solid. As we all know that
molecules in solid are not
moving randomly as in liquid or
gas. So they are dull. So Stolid
means solid and dull.
Example: She remained Stolid
during the trial.
Mnemonic: Tranquilizer is
given to animals for calming
them and thus Tranquil means
to calm
Example: The house was once
again Tranquil after the kids
moved outside to play

DISTURBED , AGITATED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to make someone Agitate means to stir up. If Mnemonic: Agitate rhymes
feel anxious and you watch a horror movie at with Irritate. You get agitated if
nervous. bedtime, you may be too somebody constantly irritates
agitated to sleep. Movies you.
Agitate X like that can agitate all sorts
Form: v Example: If I talk about the
of adrenaline responses in problem with him it just agitates
the body. him even more.
Tone: neg
a worried and sad Consternation is a noun that Mnemonic: CONSTERNATION -
feeling after can stop you in your tracks (cons) continuous + ter (terror)
having received because it means "a sudden, + nation; continuous terrorist
an unpleasant alarming amazement or attacks on a nation can cause
Consternation surprise. dread that results in utter CONSTERNATION
X confusion; dismay."
Form: n Example: Much to her parents'
consternation, she had decided
to not go to college.
Tone: neg
disturb. To disconcert is to unsettle Mnemonic: When you are
someone, make them feel getting ready to perform at a
Disconcert X confused and out of sorts. concert, you are tensed and
It's a mixture of to confused as to how your show
embarrass and to creep out. will fair with the audience.
 Form: v Example: News of his criminal
past has disconcerted even his
admirers.
Tone: neg Root: Prefix DIS means NOT
a worried and sad If you discover late Sunday Mnemonic: This (Dis) MAY
feeling after night that the dog really did semester end exams begin, I
having received eat your homework, you fear in dismay.
an unpleasant might cry out in dismay.
Dismay X surprise. Dismay describes an
Form: n emotional state of alarm, Example: The imposing climb
fear, or serious up the mountain dismayed us
disappointment. even before we got started.
Tone: neg
cannot think If you are upset, you are Mnemonic: This year because
clearly because distraught. If you want to of drought (sounds like
you are extremely explain why you are pulling distraught) people were upset
upset. your hair out, just utter and anxious.
Distraught X "Leave me alone; I'm
Form: adj Example: Distraught relatives
distraught" It'll work. are waiting for news of the
missing children.
Tone: neg Root: Prefix DIS means NOT
to make someone If nothing can faze you, you Mnemonic: The face turns
feel confused or are unflappable. Nothing faze(d) when someone is
shocked, so that bothers you, or gets you off humiliated.
you don’t your game. To faze is to
Faze X know what to do. disrupt or disturb.
Form: v Example: You'll never succeed
as a writer if you let a little bit
of criticism faze you.
Tone: neg
to make someone To fluster someone is to Mnemonic: Â Fluster reminds
nervous or make them feel upset or me of 'Frustrate'. when you get
confused by agitated. A challenging math confused, you get frustrated.
giving them a lot problem might fluster you,
Fluster X to do. or even a glance from an
Form: v,n admirer. Example: Some speakers
fluster more easily than others.
Tone: neg
to create trouble Stand outside the school Mnemonic: Foam starts to
or violence to cafeteria passing out flyers appear once you profusely
make it worse. with nutritional details on foment (stir up) a soapy hot
school food, and you may water bucket(2nd meaning )
Foment X
Form: v foment a Example: He was accused of
revolution––foment fomenting violence.
Tone: neg means stirring up something
undesirable, such as trouble.
lot of energy and The adjective frenetic is Mnemonic: sounds like 'fanatic'
activity in a way another way to say frenzied, which means someone with
that is not frantic, or totally worked up. excessive excitement or
organized Kind of how you'd run devotion to something
around the kitchen madly (belief/cause) so frenetic means
Frenetic X trying to cook a last-minute excessive excitement like a mad
dinner for 30 of your closest man.
Form: adj friends. Example: The celebration was
noisy and frenetic.
Tone: neg
 in a state of Hysterical means "marked
extreme by uncontrollable, extreme
excitement, in an emotion." If your favorite
uncontrolled way. sports team wins a
championship, you might
get hysterical and started
Hysterical X weeping and screaming all
at once.
Form: adj
Tone: neg
cannot be calmed An implacable person just
down can’t be appeased. If
you really offended your
best friend and tried every
Implacable X kind of apology but she
Form: adj
refused to speak to you
again, you could describe
Tone: neg her as implacable.
very worried and High on drama and lacking
upset any emotional restraint,
overwrought is an adjective
that means deeply,
Overwrought X excessively agitated or
Form: adj nervous.
Tone: neg
to make someone To perturb is to bug or
worried or bother someone by
anxious confusing them or throwing
Form: v them off balance. You can
Perturb X
try, but it's almost
impossible to perturb the
Tone: neg guards outside Buckingham
Palace.
Mnemonic: Hysterical sounds
like Hilarious, when its not even
so. Like its an emotional
disorder and someone watching
an emotional scene starts
laughing as if it comprises a
funny plot. That hysterical.
Example: A few of the children
began to scream, and soon they
were all caught up in the
hysteria.
Mnemonic: Sounds like
IMPLEASABLE -- some one who
cannot be pleased or appeased -
- not pacifiable
Example: He has an implacable
hatred for his political
opponents.
Root: Prefix MIS means NOT
Mnemonic: wrought sounds lik
drought...during drought people
run mad behind food...they are
in a state of agitation
Example: The witness became
overwrought as she described
the crime.
Mnemonic: perturb sounds like
"disturb"
Example: It perturbed him that
his son was thinking about
leaving school.

INDIFFERENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
someone who is Use the noun apathy when
not interested or someone is not interested
enthusiastic about in the important things that
anything. are happening. You might
feel apathy for the political
Apathy process after watching
Form: n. candidates bicker tediously
with one another.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â a (negative) +
pathy : root "pathy" means
feeling as in sympathy; so
Apathy means having no feeling
for others or lacking interest in
something.
Example: People have shown
surprising Apathy toward these
important social problems.

Tone: neg Root: Prefix A- means NOT

 a person who is Being stoic is being calm Mnemonic: Think: "Stone-like"
unable to suffer and almost without any -To be like a stone means you
pain without emotion. When you're don't experience pleasure or
Stoic complaining. stoic, you don't show what pain. You are unaffected.
Form: n,adj you're feeling and you also Example: We are surprised at
accept whatever is his Stoical acceptance of death
Tone: neg happening.

OVERLY OBEDIENT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to behave in a To grovel is to beg like a Mnemonic: One who wants to
humble manner hungry dog. You don't have "grow well" in his Company
with someone to be a canine, though, you needs to Grovel before his
who can probably might grovel for a better manager.
Grovel give him what he grade (please don't).
wants.
Form: v Example: He had to Grovel to
get her to accept his apology.
Tone: neg
a servant Your minions, if you are Mnemonic: A mini peon
lucky enough to have any, (Minion).. Who is servile to his
are those people who are boss.
Form: n devoted to you and entirely Example: Most of the top
Minion dependent on you. If you appointments went to the new
borrow money from a bully governor's personal Minions and
and don't pay it back, he political cronies
Tone: neg might send one of his
minions after you.
someone who If you want to get someone Mnemonic: sounds like
eagerly wants to to like you, don't offer to "SERVE" while serving you have
obey or please fetch them a Coke, rub to be submissive, or keep your
someone their feet, or do their head down.
Servile homework. They won't like
Form: adj Example: He had always
you any better, and your maintained a Servile attitude
servile attitude will only around people with money
Tone: neg cost you their respect.
copying someone abjectly submissive; Mnemonic: Slavish sounds like
without any characteristic of a slave or SLAVE.
originality of his servant
own at all.
Slavish
Form: adj Example: He has been criticized
for his Slavish devotion to the
rules.
Tone: neg
someone who Subservient means Mnemonic:
eagerly wants to "compliant," "obedient," sub+servient..servient sounds
obey or please "submissive," or having the like servent.....a servent is a
someone qualities of a servant. slave or one who is low in rank
Subservient Something that's or position so subordinate.
Form: adj,n subservient has been made Example: She refused to take a
useful, or put into the Subservient role in their
service of, something else. marriage.
 Tone: neg Root: Prefix SUB- means
UNDER.
a person who asks If you pray every night to Mnemonic: One who says
for something in a be accepted to your dream ..SUPPLy me I CANT get it on
humble manner college, you can call my own.
specially from God yourself a supplicant, or a
or a powerful person who asks humbly for
person. something.
Supplicant
Form: v Example: The new governor
soon had to deal with a long line
of Supplicants asking for jobs
and other political favors>
Tone: neg

SUPPRESS , END
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to defeat or when you pulverize Mnemonic: Pulverize =
destroy something someone, you defeat POWDERIZE
completely.(effect) him/her thoroughly
Pulverize
Form: v Example: We Pulverized the
opposition.
Tone: neg
to officially state Quash means to put down, Mnemonic: Quash can be
that a decision stop, extinguish, and framed as CRUSH to ash, so
made by the court it’s usually used to talk qu+(ASH)
has come to an about ideas, feelings, or
end or not valid. political movements. You
Quash
Form: v wouldn’t quash a grape Example: The rumours were
underfoot; you would quickly Quashed.
Tone: neut squash it. But if you were a
military dictator, you would
quash a revolution.
calm down Meaning to suppress or Mnemonic: Â Quell sounds
someone or overcome, quell is what simlar to yell and we yell to
something. you have to do with nerves supress someone or make
before a big test and fears him/her quiet.
Quell before going skydiving.
Form: v Example: Extra police were
called in to Quell the
disturbances.
Tone: pos
control Repression is a kind of Mnemonic: Repression is like
holding back or holding depression and you control your
down. There's repression of depression which is Repression
feelings (willing yourself
Repression Form: v not to cry), as well as social Example: They survived 60
repression (where the years of political Repression.
Tone: pos/neut government limits freedom
or shuts out certain
groups).
 prevent something Restrain means to hold
from taking place yourself back, which is
(syn) exactly what you'd have to
do if, after weeks of
Restrain dieting, you found yourself
Form: n
face to face with a dessert
case filled with pies, cakes,
Tone: neg and cookies.
decisively putting The verb to scotch has
an end to nothing to do with the well-
something. known liquor. Instead, it
Scotch Form: v means to prevent or stop
something from happening.
Tone: pos/neut
to bring someone To subdue is to hold back,
or something to put down, or defeat. A
control.(effect) Doberman can be subdued
Subdue Form: v with a bone, but subduing a
yapping toy poodle can be
Tone: neg/neut a mail carrier's greatest
daily challenge.
to put something To suppress something
to end especially means to curb, inhibit, or
by force even stop it. If the sound of
Form: v your boss moving in his
Suppress
chair sounds like gas,
Tone: neg you’re going to have to
learn how to suppress your
giggles.
SHORT-LIVED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
something that Something that is fleeting or
stays for a very short-lived is ephemeral,
short time like a fly that lives for one
Form: adj day or text messages flitting
Ephemeral from cellphone to cellphone.
Tone: neg
something that A beautiful sunset, a
stays for a very rainbow, a wonderful dream
short time right before your alarm
Form: adj clock goes off — all of
Evanescent
these could be described as
Tone: neut/neg evanescent, which means
“fleeting― or
“temporary.―
Mnemonic: Restrain is to
TRAIN your BRAIN to REFRAIN
from doing something you are
not supposed to.
Example: He could not Restrain
the dog from attacking.
Mnemonic: Scotch sounds like
Torch, which is used to supress
Darkness.
Example: Rumours that he had
fled the country were promptly
Scotched by his wife.
Mnemonic: Hungry? Lets go to
SUBWAYS to Subdue our
hunger.
Example: Julia had to Subdue
an urge to stroke his hair.
Mnemonic: The celebrity said
"sup press" when the press
came and ruined his activity.
Example: The governor tried to
Suppress the news.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Ephemeral sounds
like e-funeral. Electric funeral is
SHORT.
Example: The autumnal blaze
of colors is always to be
treasured, all the more so
because it is so Ephemeral.
Mnemonic: Remember it as
"Eva want scent'. Scent
evaporates like vapor.
Example: Beauty is as
Evanescent as a rainbow
 something that Fleeting is an adjective that
stays for a very describes something that
short time happens really fast, or
something that doesn’t
Fleeting last as long as you’d
Form: adj like.
Tone: neg
Not Permanent Use the adjective transient
to describe something that
always changes or moves
around, like how a teenage
Transient girl can have a temporary
Form: adj crush on one boy one week
and another boy the next
Tone: neut/neg week.
worldly and not If something is fleeting or
permanent lasts a short time, it is
transitory. Your boss
declared the company's
Transitory Form: adj restructuring to be
transitory, and promised
that the company would
Tone: neg emerge stronger and better
than ever.
NEVER ENDING,NON-STOP
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
something that If you smoke a cigarette
lasts for a long once, you've simply made a
time and cannot bad choice. But if you're a
be wiped off chronic smoker, you've
Chronic been smoking for a long
Form: adj time and will have a hard
time stopping.
Tone: pos
that does not Something incessant
STOP continues without
interruption. When you're
on a cross country flight,
it's tough to tolerate the
incessant crying of a baby.
Incessant
Form: adj
Tone: pos
Mnemonic: Â fleet is usually
used for a group of
airplanes/ship/cars which can
be seen for short period of
time, so short lived
Example: I had a Fleeting
desire to jump into the cool
lake but kept on hiking
Mnemonic: remember
Transient light and Transient
current.... that we studied in
physics.....which produce an
effect for a very short time
Example: We are all aware of
the Transient nature of speech
Mnemonic: Transistors take a
very short time to turn from on
to off mode i.e acting like a
switch
Example: A Transitory panic
struck me when I realized that
we had left the baby in the car.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: initial part sounds
like 'crown'! crown + ic. A king
rules the nation for long time,
hence his crown last for long
time..ie long lasting
Example: Inflation has become
a Chronic condition in the
economy.
Mnemonic: IN(
not)+cessa(sounds like CEASE)
which MEANS TO
STOP...something which does
not stop , and continues forever,
hence UNINTERRUPTED AND
UNCEASING.
Example: The Incessant noise
from an outside repair crew was
a real distraction during the
test.
Root: Prefix IN means NOT.
 that cannot be When a person is
stopped or inexorable, they're
changed stubborn. When a thing or
process is inexorable, it
Inexorable can't be stopped.
Form: adj
Tone: pos
never ending Use interminable to
describe something that
has or seems to have no
Form: adj end. Your math class. Your
Interminable sister's violin recital. A
Tone: pos babysitting job where five
kids are going through your
purse and the parents
didn't leave a number.
Lasting Forever Perennial typically
describes things that are
permanent, constant, or
repeated. If you fight with
your parents every year
Perennial
Form: adj over whether they really
must invite your annoying
cousins for Thanksgiving,
Tone: pos you could call that a
perennial conflict.
Never Ending, Relentless is a good word
Constant for describing something
that's harsh, unforgiving,
and persistent, like the hot
Relentless sun in the desert, or a cold
Form: adj
that keeps you in bed for
days with a nose like a
Tone: pos strawberry.
END , STOP
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
To come to an "Cease to exist" is a
end. popular use of the word
Form: v cease, or end, and you may
have closed your eyes and
Tone: neut/neg wished that someone —
Cease
the boogeyman in the dark
or a pesky sibling by day
— would stop! Go away!
Cease to be! Or, at the very
least — quit bugging you.
reach the climax The verb culminate is used
or highest state of to describe a high point or
Culminate development a climactic stage in a
process. For example, the
goal of a Major League
Mnemonic: Â
in(not)+exhort(means to
pressurize):that means a person
who is Inexorable cant be
pressurised;he will not yield
Example: There has been this
Inexorable rise of crime in Delhi.
Root: Prefix IN means NOT.
Mnemonic: In (NOT) +
Terminable (stop) Something
that cannot be stopped.
Example: The drive seemed
Interminable.
Root: Prefix IN means NOT.
Mnemonic: if you remember
we have learnt about Perennial
rivers in social studies which
means LONG LASTING rivers
Example: Flooding is a
Perennial problem for people
living by the river.
Mnemonic: relent(to
surrender)+ less.....so it is one
who doesn't surrender or is
persistent and determined
Example: Her Relentless
optimism held the team
together.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Cease is to Stop.
Example: You never Cease to
amaze me!
Mnemonic: Culminate = break
up like this.. cal(cul) min ate..
I'm having my food, it is almost
over or almost at climax .. i will
call you in a minute.
 Form: v baseball team is to have Example: Their summer tour
their season culminate in a will Culminate at a spectacular
World Series victory. concert in London.
Tone: pos
To end something To terminate something is Mnemonic: His term (time) of
to bring it to an end. imprisonment should never be
Period. Full stop. Terminated (stop).
Terminate Form: v Example: Your contract of
employment Terminates in
December.
Tone: neut/neg

IRREGULAR , AT INTERVALS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
active but not An adjective that sounds a Mnemonic: I am fat and so
regular and little like what it means, trousers occasionally fit me
steady fitful means stopping and fully.
Form: adj/adv starting, on-again off-again, Example: Several fitful
Fitfully
switching suddenly. I had a attempts at negotiation have
fitful night's sleep: I woke failed.
Tone: neut up several times throughout
the night.
something that Reach for the adjective Mnemonic: Here the word
takes place at intermittent to describe starts with inter so remember
irregular intervals periodic movement and as intervals...intervals of
stopping and starting over a pendulum is periodic in motion
Intermittent period of time.
Form: adj Example: The patient was
having Intermittent pains in his
side.
Tone: neut
happening or When something happens Mnemonic: She is so weight
done sometimes from time to time on an conscious that she consumes
but not often irregular basis, we say it is Chocolates only on occasions
an occasional occurrence. (special moments)
Form: adj For example, you might Example: He spent five years
Occassional
have an occasional lunch in Paris, with occasional visits
with a friend. If your friend to Italy.
Tone: neut ever picked up the bill,
maybe it would happen
more often.
Irregular bursts Something that is spasmodic Mnemonic: A SPAM mail
(The spasmodic is experiencing a fit, a loss seems to be an interruption.
fighting between of muscular control. If you
the two parties are spazzing out, you are
Spasmodic continued) spasmodic.
Form: adj Example: He made only
Spasmodic attempts to lose
weight.
Tone: neg
Scattered or Sporadic is an adjective that Mnemonic: Sporadic -opposite
Sporadic isolated or you can use to refer to of periodic, we know periodic
irregular Interval. something that happens or things occur regularly.
 Form: adj appears often, but not Example: Fighting continued
constantly or regularly. The Sporadically for two months.
Tone: neg mailman comes every day
but the plumber visits are
sporadic––he comes as
needed.

CALM DOWN
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
putting a fear, The verb allay is used when Mnemonic: al + lay - Ali (name
suspicion or worry you want to make of a person) + lay; Ali lay down
at rest. something better or on bed to calm down his body
eliminate fears and and mind.
Form: v concerns. Example: The new advertising
Allay campaign is an attempt to Allay
the public's concerns about the
safety of the company's
products.
Tone: pos
making a problem Do all these words make Mnemonic: Alleviate -elevator:
less serious your head ache? If so, take It sounds like elevator that
an aspirin to alleviate, or helps us to reduce leg pain while
relieve, your pain. walking or climbing stairs.
Alleviate
Form: v Example: Finding ways to
Alleviate stress is of primary
importance these days.
Tone: pos
to make To ameliorate is to step in Mnemonic: Ameliorate sounds
something better and make a bad situation like deteriorate = degrade
better. You could try Ameliorate = improve
Ameliorate Form: v introducing a second lollipop Example: This medicine should
to ameliorate a battle help Ameliorate the pain.
Tone: pos between two four-year-olds
over a single lollipop.
reduce distress or When your back is killing Mnemonic: Anodyne > a + no
pain you from helping your friend + dyne (dying); If you want him
move furniture into his new not to die from pain, you should
apartment, you need to take give him some Anodyne drugs.
an anodyne, a painkiller.
Anodyne
Form: adj Example: The otherwise
Anodyne comments sounded
quite inflammatory when taken
out of context.
Tone: pos
Making peace by Appease means to make or Mnemonic: Â After the end of
accepting preserve peace with a World War II, peace brought
demands nation, group, or person by calmness to all parts of the
giving in to their demands, world.
Appease Form: v or to relieve a problem, as Example: They Appeased the
in "the cold drink appeased dictator by accepting his
his thirst." demands in an effort to avoid
war.
Tone: pos
 make an If you assuage an
unpleasant feeling unpleasant feeling, you
less serious make it go away. Assuaging
your hunger by eating a bag
of marshmallows may cause
Assuage you other unpleasant
Form: v feelings.
Tone: pos
to make The verb conciliate means to
somebody less placate, appease, or pacify.
angry by being If you are eating at a
kind and pleasant restaurant and the waiter
Conciliate accidentally spills a drink on
Form: v you, the manager may try
to conciliate you by picking
up the tab for your meal.
Tone: pos
to make For a formal-sounding verb
something worse. that means to make worse,
(oppo) try exacerbate. If you're in
trouble, complaining about it
Exacerbate (oppo) Form: v will only exacerbate the
problem.
Tone: pos
Making a guilt You'll be furious that your
appear less friend didn't bake the
serious and that cupcakes she promised for
can be forgiven christmas — until you learn
Form: adj the extenuating
Extenuating
circumstances: her dog
climbed onto her kitchen
counter and ate all the
Tone: pos cupcake batter. Extenuating
means "making forgivable."
make something Choose the verb, mitigate,
less serious or when something lessens the
painful unpleasantness of a
situation. You can mitigate
Mitigate your parents' anger by
Form: v telling them you were late to
dinner because you were
helping your elderly
Tone: pos neighbor.
to lessen To mollify is to calm
someones anger someone down, talk them
off the ledge, make amends,
Mollify maybe even apologize.
Form: v
Tone: pos
Mnemonic: Assuage .....sounds
like AT YOUR AGE. imagine a
nurse is ASSUAGING a 70 year
old PATIENT and saying "AT
YOUR AGE you should take
some rest"
Example: A mother cooing to
her toddler and assuaging his
fear of the dark
Mnemonic: Conceal means
hide....when you hide yourself
from traffic, chaos, cacophonies,
you feel calm and you pacify
yourself
Example: The company's
attempts to Conciliate the
strikers have failed.
Mnemonic: acerb- means
bitter, harsh; So exacerbate
means to make things bitter, to
worsen.
Example: The proposed factory
shutdown would only exacerbate
our unemployment problems.
Mnemonic: An extended class if
supplemented with snacks may
be Extenuating.
Example: There were
Extenuating circumstances and
the defendant did not receive a
prison sentence.
Mnemonic: Â think of Mitigate
as COLGATE(toothpaste).Use of
COLGATE lessen or try to lessen
the extent of germs in our
teeth.
Example: Emergency funds are
being provided to help Mitigate
the effects of the disaster.
Mnemonic: Mollify sounds like
nullify...so just think of
nullifying something...nullifying
your temper
Example: He tried to Mollify his
critics with an apology.
 supress the anger If you are bringing peace or
or excitement of calm to a state of unrest,
something you are pacifying the
Form: v situation. Just think of the
transformation a squalling
Pacify
baby undergoes when a
Tone: pos pacifier is placed within his
mouth, and you will
remember the power of the
verb to pacify.
make someone When a husband shows up
less angry with flowers after he's
fought with his wife, he's
Form: v trying to placate her. If you
Placate placate someone, you stop
them from being angry by
Tone: pos giving them something or
doing something that
pleases them.
to stop somebody If you forgot flowers on your
from being angry Mom's birthday, you can still
and calm them propitiate her by sending a
down bouquet the next day.
Propitiate
Form: v Propitiate means to appease
someone or make them
Tone: pos happy by doing a particular
thing.
emotional comfort If something eases your
disappointment or grief,
consider it a solace. If
Solace Form: n you're sad, you might find
solace in music or in talking
to your friends.
Tone: pos
someone who Temper can refer to a
becomes angry tendency to become
very easily (oppo) unreasonably angry. If
Form: n you’re not sure whether
Temper
you have a temper, ask your
friends — but don’t get
Tone: pos mad if you dislike what they
have to say.
Mnemonic: a passive person is
always calm,so calm down
Example: She resigned from
her position to Pacify her
accusers.
Mnemonic: PL + ac + ATE = a
PLATE full of tasty food to
SATISFY someone.
Example: The angry customer
was not Placated by the clerk's
apology.
Mnemonic: PROf+PITI- if you
want professor's pity then you
would have to appease him/her
Example: He made an offering
to Propitiate the angry gods.
Mnemonic: He has SO LESS
anger that he is always in a
state of Solace.
Example: I Solaced myself with
a book while I waited for the
bus.
Mnemonic: The TEMPo
travellER is a vehicle of
moderate speed.
Example: his was disliked by
everyone because of his high
Temper

TO MAKE UNNECESSARY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
done without any Gratuitous means "without Mnemonic: 'Gratitude' is
good reason and cause" or "unnecessary." something that cannot be
often having Telling ridiculous jokes at a measured. It is priceless.
harmful effects somber occasion would be a
Gratuitous display of gratuitous humor.
Form: adj Example: The film was
criticized for its Gratuitous
violence.
Tone: neg
 to anticipate and To obviate means to Mnemonic: OBVIATE - viate
prevent (as a eliminate the need for sounds like deviate, deviate
situation) or make something or to prevent yourself from something
unnecessary (as something from happening. unnecessary to you
OBVIATE an action) If you want to obviate the
Form: verb possibility of a roach Example: The new medical
infestation, clean your treatment OBVIATEs the need
kitchen regularly. for surgery.
Tone: neg
to make The verb necessitate shows Mnemonic: Â
necessary that something is necessary necessi+tate—something
or needs to happen, as NECESSARY
Form: verb when a sweet tooth can Example: New safety
X
necessitate a trip to the regulations necessitated adding
NECESSITATE
store for a triple-scoop ice a railing to the stairs.
Tone: pos cream — which will
necessitate a trip to the
gym.
something that is necessitate or justify Mnemonic: we say a WARRANT
required or is issued against him, so a
necessary warrant is to JUSTIFY that he is
liable to be taken into custody
X Warrant Form: n Example: The deepening gloom
about the economy may well
warrant such an aggressive
response
Tone: neut

LACKING ENERGY , LAZY

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Lazy Indolent is an adjective Mnemonic: Â In India people
meaning slow or lazy. It become lazy when it is time to
can take an indolent pay the rent. (Indolent)
Indolent Form: adj teenager hours to get out Example: An Indolent boy who
of bed on a weekend had to be forced to help out with
morning. the chores.
Tone: neg Root: Prefix IN means NOT.
carelessly lazy Even though lackadaisical Mnemonic: Lackadaisical
sounds like it has sounds as LACK-A-DI-
something to do with a ZEALCAL... hence the meaning "
shortage of daisies, know lack of zeal"
Lackadaisical that what it really means is
Form: adj Example: His teachers did not
lacking in spirit or approve of his Lackadaisical
liveliness. approach to homework.
Tone: neg
lacking in energy, lacking brilliance or vitality Mnemonic: Lacking shine
force, not (lustre) or livliness
inspiring
Lackluster Form: adj Example: This was a a
Lackluster performance.
Tone: neg
 lazy, slow, weak Describe a slow-moving
river or a weak breeze or a
listless manner with the
Languid slightly poetic adjective,
Form: adj
languid.
Tone: neg
lack of energy After running 10 miles,
bicycling 20 miles, and
swimming 10 miles, the
triathlete was overcome
with lassitude — a great
Lassitude weariness or lack of energy.
Form: n/adj
Tone: neg
lazy When you feel lethargic,
you're sluggish or lacking
energy. Being sleepy or
hungry can make anyone
lethargic.
Lethargic
Form: adj
Tone: neg
lacking energy To be listless it to be
lethargic, low spirited, and
limp. "The fever made the
Listless boy listless — he seemed
Form: adj to melt into the sofa."
Tone: neg
sit, lie or stand in To loll means to hang
a lazy manner around lazily without doing
much at all. It's a great
pleasure to loll about in the
Loll park instead of going to
work. But your boss might
Form: v have a problem with it.
Tone: neg
lazy If you lounge around in
Form: n/adj your bathrobe watching TV
Sloth and ordering out for pizza,
you'll get called a sloth.
Tone: neg
Inactive When you are feeling
draggy — positively slug-
Form: adj like — you are sluggish, or
Sluggish slow. If cookie sales are
Tone: neg sluggish at your bake sale,
you are selling very few
treats.
Mnemonic: Languid sounds
similar to language..language
classes are generally boring..
Example: They proceeded at a
Languid pace.
Mnemonic: After a heavy
lunch, if you drink a glass of
LASSI, you will go into a
Lassitude i.e. weariness,
lethargy and ultimately go to
sleep.
Example: Symptoms of the
disease include paleness and
Lassitude.
Mnemonic: Being Lethargic
also goes well with watching TV,
since that takes almost no
energy at all. When you feel
Lethargic, you don't have any
energy to spare.
Example: A big meal always
makes me feel Lethargic and
sleepy
Mnemonic: I lost my list of
universities to apply. Now I am
lacking spirit because I am
Listless!
Example: The heat made
everyone tired and Listless.
Mnemonic: this is easy -
sounds like LOL. We use LOL
only when we are chatting.
When we chat we waste time
lazily by laying around. So Loll is
wasting time lazily.
Example: He Lolled back in his
chair by the fire.
Mnemonic: Â "slow"th
Example: A youth inclined more
toward Sloth than athletics
Mnemonic: Sluggish = slow +
ish
Example: The game picked up
after a Sluggish start.
 lethargic Torpor is a state of mental
and physical inactivity.
"After a huge Thanksgiving
meal, my family members
Torpor/Torpid fall into a torpor; no one
Form: n/adj
can even pick up the TV
remote."
Tone: neg
HARDWORKING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Diligent, If you call someone
hardworking assiduous, it's a
Form: adj compliment. It means
Assiduous they're careful, methodical
and very persistent. Good
Tone: pos detectives are classically
assiduous types.
very persevering Someone who is diligent
works hard and carefully. If
you want to write the epic
Form: adj history of your family, you'll
Diligent have to be very diligent in
tracking down and
interviewing all of your
Tone: pos relatives.
Diligent, If someone comments that
hardworking you are very industrious,
they are complimenting you
for working hard and
Industrious Form: adj tirelessly. You can have the
evening to yourself if you're
industrious enough during
Tone: pos the afternoon to get your
homework and chores done.
very careful and If you notice that
hardworking painstaking is composed of
Form: adj pains and taking, you
already have a pretty clear
Painstaking sense of what this adjective
Tone: pos means: to be painstaking is
to be so careful—so
meticulous, so thorough
that it hurts.
constant in effort A sedulous person is
and hardworking someone who works hard
and doesn't give up easily.
If you make repeated and
Sedulous Form: adj sedulous attempts to fix a
leaky pipe and it only
makes things worse, it
might be time to go online
and find the number of a
Mnemonic: Torpor sounds like
'topper'. Its quite opposite to
what is a 'topper' who is
naturally diligent
Example: A torpid sloth that
refused to budge off its tree
branch
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Ass is donkey and
donkey is hardworking.
Example: They were Assiduous
in their search for all the latest
facts and figures.
Mnemonic: Deligent is more
than being intelligent, which
involves hardworking.
Example: A student who has
been unceasingly Diligent in
pursuit of a degree in
mathematics.
Mnemonic: Â Industrious..if
you want to be an
INDUSTRIalist you have to be
DILIGENT and HARD-WORKING.
Example: An Industrious
worker who never seems to
sleep
Mnemonic: Taking the pain of
doing something.
Example: The event had been
planned with Painstaking
attention to detail.
Mnemonic: se+dul+lous...to
SEEK knowledge you have to
PAY ATTENTION i.e. have to be
LESS DULL
Example: An impressively
Sedulous suitor, he was
constantly sending her flowers
and other tokens of his
affection.
 Tone: pos plumber.
to work hard Toil is another word for Example: Hundreds of men
Form: n/v work. You toil as a customer Toiled for years at building the
service rep all day, but pyramid.
Tone: pos
you'd prefer to work as a
rock goddess.
Toil
Unfortunately, there weren't
many ads in the
employment section for
goddesses — rock or
otherwise.

HAPPY , JOYOUS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
to smile Experience a feeling of well- Mnemonic: We generally say a
being or happiness, as from Beam of light has entered our
good health or an intense life when our first child was
Beam emotion born.
Form: v Example: She was positively
Beaming with pleasure.
Tone: pos
happy and That blissful grin on your Mnemonic: Â divide this word
peaceful face? It could be described like beati+fic--beati sounds like
as beatific, meaning it beautiful and something which
Beatific projects a peaceful sense of is beautiful is blissful.
Form: n joy. Example: He has got a Beatific
smileand expression
Tone: pos
seeming not to The adjective blithe used to Mnemonic: Â Blithe- Be-light-
care or worry, mean happy and carefree, Hearted. means care free
happy but over time it's acquired a
Blithe Form: adj new understanding of Example: He drove with Blithe
someone who isn't paying disregard for the rules of the
attention the way they road.
Tone: pos should.
feeling of great If you’ve ever been so Mnemonic: In a city like Delhi,
happiness happy that the rest of the if you get ( ek in hindi) (one)
world seemed to disappear, taxi in the peak hours it
you’ve felt ecstasy — a definitely adds to your Ecstasy.
Ecstasy feeling or state of intensely
Form: n Example: His performance
beautiful bliss. sent the audience into
ecstasies.
Tone: pos
extremely excited To elate is to fill with Mnemonic: Elate sounds a bit
happiness. If you are elated, like inflate. Although the words
you are thrilled. You are are not rElated, if you Elate
walking on air. someone the feeling is probably
Elate a bit like inflating them —
filling them with happiness,
making them feel as though
they're floating above the
ground.
 Form: adj
Tone: pos
great happiness Use euphoria to describe a
that does not last feeling of great happiness
for a long time and well-being, but know
that euphoria often more
Euphoria than that––it's
Form: n unusually, crazy happy, over
the top.
Tone: pos
to make Exhilaration is great joy, and
somebody feel excitement and liveliness!
very happy and When you ride an ocean
excited wave, hear a favorite song,
Exhilaration or have a long and
Form: n uncontrollable laugh with
friends, there's a feeling of
Tone: pos exhilaration, an overflow of
happiness.
very happy and Use the adjective exultant to
pleased describe the triumphant
feeling you get when you
Form: adj succeed at something. The
Exultant
kids on the Little League
team who win the
Tone: pos championship game will be
exultant.
trying to be funny Someone who is facetious is
in a way that is only joking: "I was being
not appropriate facetious when I told my
Form: adj mother I want Brussels
Facetious sprouts with every meal, but
she took me seriously!"
Tone: neg
great happiness Felicity is a state of
happiness or the quality of
joy. Sitting on the roof with
a telescope and iced tea on
a clear, starry night is one
Felicity way to find perfect felicity
Form: n/v — a happy place.
Tone: pos
happiness and fun A festive, happy event, like
a big summer backyard
party, will be full of gaiety
Gaiety Form: adj — or merriment and
playfulness.
Tone: pos
Example: The discovery has
Elated researchers.
Mnemonic: if you(eu) live
FOR(phori) others (like mother
teresa)...that's the best way to
live...and you'll always be
happy
Example: The initial Euphoria
following their victory in the
election has now subsided.
Mnemonic: Exhilaration:
Imagine making a verb of
'hilarious'; something like 'ex-
hilariation' meaning cheerful
and lively.
Example: I felt exhilarated
after a morning of skiing.
Mnemonic: Exultant sounds
like Excitement, which is a
combination of pride and joy.
Example: Researchers are
Exultant over the new
discovery.
Mnemonic: someone who
makes funny faces Facetious-
Face is not Serious
Example: A Facetious and
tasteless remark about people
in famine-stricken countries
being spared the problem of
overeating
Mnemonic: Felicity seems very
like facility. If one gets all
facility (s)he must be very
happy. Thus Felicity may stand
for happiness or some thing
producing happiness
Example: He told his friends
that marriage had brought him
a Felicity that he had never
known before.
Mnemonic: Gaeiety can be
remembered as GAY (meaning
merry and happy)
Example: The colorful flags
added to the Gaiety of the
occasion.
 a joke A jest is a joke. Are you a
playful prankster? A jocular
Form: n/v jokester? A witty
Jest wisecracker? Then you are
definitely well versed in the
Tone: pos art of the jest.
humorous Do you like to make a lot of
jokes? Are you often silly?
Form: adj Are you usually happy? If
Jocular so, then you are a jocular
person.
Tone: pos
happy and You know that teacher who
cheerful always has a goofy smile on
his face and a bad pun for
Jocund the kids? He's got a jocund
Form: adj personality, meaning he's
merry and cheerful.
Tone: pos
the state of being Use the noun jollity to
happy describe having fun and
being in an extremely good
Jollity Form: n mood, like the jollity you
feel when you are with your
best friends at your favorite
Tone: pos amusement park.
friendly and happy Use jovial to describe people
who show good humor and
are full of joy. Santa Claus,
Jovial with his constant "ho-ho-
Form: adj hoing" is a jovial figure.
Tone: pos
feeling or showing If you were the quarterback
happiness that threw the touchdown
because of pass that won the Super
success Bowl, you would be jubilant:
Jubilant filled with joy.
Form: adj
Tone: pos
great happiness If you're blissfully happy,
you're rapturous. You could
describe your purring cat
rolling around in catnip as
Rapturous rapturous.
Form: adj
Tone: pos
entertain someone You may have heard it said
with a story that the fastest way to a
Regale
person’s heart is
through his stomach. So, if
Mnemonic: Remember "Jest
for laughs gags" on pogo
Example: You should know
that our teasing was done
entirely in Jest.
Mnemonic: Jocular sounds like
a joker.
Example: He is a Jocular man
who could make the most
serious people smile
Mnemonic: joc...(joke)..and
you crack jokes when you are
cheerful or to show high
siprited merriment
Example: Old friends engaged
in Jocund teasing.
Mnemonic: Â jolli+ty...so
focus on jolli....jolly means
cheers to you.
Example: I love all of the
warmhearted Jollity of the
holiday season.
Mnemonic:
Jovial=jo(joy)+vi(by)+al(all),
so Jovial means happiness,
joyful, merriment
Example: He was in a Jovial
mood.
Mnemonic: Jubilant sounds
like Jubilee, any kind of Silver
or Golden Jubilee is a special
occasion and is a happy and
joyous moment.
Example: The fans were in a
Jubilant mood after the victory.
Mnemonic: rapture sounds like
capture. You capture good
moments with a cam on
occassions of happiness and
DELIGHT, ECSTACY
Example: We listened with
rapture as the orchestra
played.
Mnemonic: re+gale(remember
chris gayle )if he comes to bat
again he always provides
entertainment to audience
 Form: v you need to please or Example: An inn that nightly
impress someone, regale Regales its guests with five-
them — that is, treat them course meals prepared by a
to lavish food and drink. master chef.
Tone: pos
confident, hopeful If you're sanguine about a Mnemonic: Sanguine -
and optimistic situation, that means you're Penguin : Kids cheer up when
about what might optimistic that everything's they see penguins .. Penguins
happen, in a going to work out fine. are very cheerful and hopeful
Sanguine difficult situation (Ref the movie "Happy Feet")
Form: n Example: They are less
Sanguine about the company's
long-term prospects.
Tone: pos
extremely noisy Uproarious describes a room Mnemonic: Uproarious has
(the uproarious of happy people laughing, or ROAR, sound made by Lion
laughter passed a noisy crowd at a soccer which always comes before
across the room); match. Uproarious situations TOM AND JERRY starts....its a
relate it to ROAR are very loud, a little out of show marked by
control, and often hilarious. commotion,fun,laughter and is
Uproarious sometimes noisy
Form: adj Example: Visited the site
where the action movie was
being filmed only to find a
chaotic, Uproarious set.
Tone: pos
someone who Waggish means that Mnemonic: Remember the
does something someone is humorous or character "SHAGGY" in Scooby
clever and witty — the kind of person Doo? He is the comedian of the
amusing who'd keep you in stitches show who always passes funny
all night if you sat next to and witty comments and acts
one at a party. like a joker. Waggish sounds
Waggish similar to Shaggy (though
partially).
Form: adj Example: He has a Waggish
disposition that often got him
into trouble as a child.
Tone: pos

CRUCIAL,SIGNIFICANT,IMPORTANT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Important In Catholicism, a cardinal is Mnemonic: Â 'CARDINAL' also
a high-ranking bishop. In means pertaining to the 'heart'
math, you use cardinal and the heart is the 'most
numbers to count. A important' part of our body. It is
CARDINAL cardinal rule is one that is responsible for the working of
central and should not be our body.
Form: n broken. Example: My CARDINAL rule is
to always be honest.
Tone: pos
central part If you're looking for the Mnemonic: CORE part of the
most essential part or the course is what we always try to
CORE
very center of something, focus on, when we were doing
you're looking for its core. our graduation.
 Form: noun Like the inedible middle of
an apple or your inner circle
of core friends.
Tone: pos
the most Foremost is an adjective
important or that means holding the
famous highest position or rank.
FOREMOST Form: n When naming advisors,
presidents usually search for
the foremost experts on
Tone: pos various subjects.
vital When something absolutely
has to be done and cannot
be put off, use the adjective
imperative.
IMPERATIVE
Form: adj
Tone: pos
most important to Indispensable is a strong
be without adjective for something that
you couldn't do without. If
you have asthma and you're
packing for summer
INDISPENSIBLE vacation, your inhaler is
indispensable, unless you
Form: adj enjoy gasping on the beach.
Tone: pos
required by law In the US, attending school
through the twelfth grade,
driving on the right side of
Form: adj the road, and obtaining a
MANDATORY
social security number are
Tone: pos all mandatory. The phrase
"mandatory requirement" is
redundant.
very important, Momentous describes an
specially because important event or moment
it will have in time. It is used for a time
important results of great consequence or for
a major accomplishment,
and is almost always
reserved for good things.
MOMENTOUS The day Barack Obama was
elected president was a
momentous day for
America.
Form: adj
Tone: pos
Example: Concern for the
environment is at the CORE of
our policies.
Mnemonic: Fore means before.
So something that is of primary
importance is FOREMOST.
Example: The governor was
FOREMOST among those who
condemned the violence.
Mnemonic: you have to attend
your "important r(el)ative
"…and that meeting is
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY and
IMPORTANT.
Example: It is absolutely
IMPERATIVE that we finish by
next week.
Mnemonic: Dispenser gives
coffee, so important things in
the dispensing machine do not
come with coffee, so somening
that cannot be dispensed is
important, so indispensable
means important
Example: She made herself
indispensable to the
department.
Mnemonic: MANDATORY, man-
date -for every man time and
date is necessary/requirement
Example: The offense carries a
MANDATORY life sentence.
Mnemonic:
momento+ous....momento or
memento are the objects which
are gifted to us by someone
special which reminds us of the
past and that person and which
are of great significance and
value to us, cards and gifts are
given as momento which are
MOMENTOUS to us
Example: My college graduation
was a MOMENTOUS day in my
life.
 very important To the President, protecting
our nation's security is of
paramount importance —
it's at the very top of his to-
do list.
PARAMOUNT
Form: adj
Tone: pos
vitally important High school graduation is a
pivotal moment in most
PIVOTAL Form: adj people's lives — an
important point that
Tone: pos signifies a shift in direction.
most important If something stands out in a
very obvious way, it can be
called salient. It's time to
find new friends if the
SALIENT differences between you and
Form: adj
your current friends are
becoming more and more
Tone: pos salient.
Mnemonic:
PARAMOUNT..(MOUNT
EVEREST)..IS THE biggest
mountain on the earth,so
something SUPREME ,and
BEYOND OUR REACH(LIKE
MOUNT EVEREST) is
PARAMOUNT.
Example: Maintaining the
secrecy of the agreement is of
PARAMOUNT importance
Mnemonic: Pi-votal- voting is
very crucial & important right.
Example: She is at a PIVOTAL
point in her career.
Mnemonic: We generally use
SALIENT features to mean
important features related to
something.
Example: She pointed out the
SALIENT features of the new
design.

UNIMPORTANT , TRIVIAL
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
if you consider Anything expendable is not Mnemonic: Expend sounds like
people or things necessary — it can be done Expense, which at times seems
to be expendable, without. If you lose or use to be unnecessary.
you think that you expendable funds, you won't
can get rid of miss the money.
them when they
EXPENDABLE are no longer
needed
Form: adj Example: There are employees
whose jobs are considered
EXPENDABLE.
Tone: neg
something that is fringe players in a team are Mnemonic: FRINGE players do
marginal not as famous or as highly not get as much attention as
regarded as the other main players do.
FRINGE players in the team are.
Form: noun Example: a FRINGE of moss
around the tree
Tone: neg
minor Incidental means secondary Mnemonic: "dental" is
consequence in time or importance. If you considered minor to other
lose weight because you branches of medical..
INCIDENTAL moved and must walk
Form: adj Example: You may incur some
further to school, the weight INCIDENTAL expenses on the
loss was incidental to the trip.
 Tone: neg move.
not important If something is considered
of little worth or importance,
Form: adj it is inconsequential. If
astronomers forecast a
INCONSEQUENTIAL
tremendous meteor shower,
Tone: neg it might turn out to be no
more than space junk, too
inconsequential to record.
having no value Something nugatory has no
real value; it’s
worthless. All your excuses
for why you didn’t turn
Form: adj the bath tap off when you
NUGATORY left the apartment are
nugatory; they don’t
change the fact that the tub
overflowed and leaked into
Tone: neg the apartment below.
not as important Scanners, printers, and
as the main aim. speakers are peripheral
devices for a computer
because they aren't central
Form: adj to the working of the
PERIPHERAL computer itself. Anything
peripheral is on the margin,
Tone: neg or outside, while main
things, like a computer's
processor, are not
peripheral.
something The adjective picayune
unimportant refers to those things that
are so small, trivial, and
unimportant that they're not
PICAYUNE Form: n worth getting into. Why
focus on the picayune
details, when it's the larger
Tone: neg ideas that are the real
problem?
Mnemonic: INCONSEQUENTIAL
sounds like Not essential
Example: That's an
INCONSEQUENTIAL problem
compared to the other issues
Mnemonic: NUGATORY sounds
like No+guarantee, i.e a
product which has no
guarantee, is worthless.
Example: The book is
entertaining, but its
contributions to Shakespearean
scholarship are NUGATORY.
Mnemonic: Villages on the
Periphery of any country are of
less importance...i.e
PERIPHERAL
Example: If we focus too much
on PERIPHERAL issues, we will
lose sight of the goal.
Mnemonic: relate it to pico,
which means small. so
PICAYUNE-pico-small or petty
things
Example: Our lives don't
amount to a PICAYUNE in the
great scheme of things

SAD , DEPRESSED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
lot of mental and The noun anguish refers to Mnemonic: Anguish - ang
physical pain and severe physical or emotional (anger) + you + wish; When
suffering pain or distress. A trip to the you are in anger with someone,
dentist might cause a you wish him/her to suffer from
Anguish cavity-prone person a lot of pain and distress.
Form: n,adj anguish. Example: They watched in
Anguish as fire spread through
the house.
Tone: neg
 having lost a Bereaved is an adjective Mnemonic: Bereaved sounds
relative or close describing people in deep like GRIEVE..which means
one because of sorrow at the loss of a loved mourning for somebody
death one. For some, being
Bereaved bereaved helps them leave
Form: adj Example: The grief of the
the sadness or release Bereaved parents seemed to be
themselves from it by without limit
Tone: neg experiencing it for awhile.
deprived of So, they took the thing you Mnemonic: be+reft--reft
something or most loved, and you're sounds like left, imagine a man
someone, lonely never going to get it back. who is left alone, after his best
You've gone beyond just friend left him or deprived of
Bereft plain grief-stricken — someone lovable.
Form: adj you're bereft. Example: He was completely
Bereft when his wife died.
Tone: neg
not giving any Something that is bleak is Mnemonic: Bleak sounds like
reason to hope gloomy and depressing. If black -- black color is the
it's raining and dark, you symbol of hopelessness and
might describe the night as depression.
Bleak bleak. If you have looked for
Form: adj Example: A Bleak outlook for
work and no one will hire the team for the rest of the
you, you could describe your season.
Tone: neg prospects as bleak.
sad and If you are crestfallen, you Mnemonic: Crest means
disappointed are dark, depressed, and heights and falling from a
because of having down in the dumps. You are height is being Crestfallen.
failed in need of a pep talk, or at
Crestfallen least a hug.
Form: adj Example: She was Crestfallen
when she found out she hadn't
got the job.
Tone: neg
sad and If you're ejected from an Mnemonic: Â you feel Dejected
depressed important game, you're when you are rejected
Form: adj going to feel dejected. If Example: She looked so
Dejected you're rejected by the love Dejected when she lost the
of your life, you'll feel game.
Tone: neg dejected again.
making people If you feel alone, left out, Mnemonic: de + solate sounds
sad and and devastated, you feel like I + SOLATE..and who lives
frightened desolate. A deserted, an isolated life? Obviously a
empty, depressing place can person who has been
Desolate be desolate too. ABANDONED by his family.
Form: adj Example: This is a Desolate
house abandoned many years
ago
Tone: neg
sad, less hope If you are despondent, you Mnemonic: the word
and courage are discouraged, very sad, despondant looks like
and without hope. If you are pepsodent. So wen you don't
depressed, you might brush in the morning... your
Despondent describe your mood as day will be gloomy and
despondent. depressing.
Form: adj Example: I had never seen
them looking so Despondent.
 Tone: neg
sad and Sniff, sniff, boo-hoo... use Mnemonic: FOR+LORN
abondoned and the adjective forlorn to (sounds like MOURN) - You are
hence lonely express loneliness and sad and wretched when you
feeling left out. mourn for someone dear to
Forlorn you.
Form: adj Example: She looked so
Forlorn, standing there in the
rain.
Tone: neg
tearful or weeping A good place to see a Mnemonic: Â Lachrymose-
display of lachrymose lac+chry(cry)+mose(most),so
sorrow is at a funeral — when you cry most you produce
people sobbing openly or 'tears'.
Lachrymose Form: adj sniffling quietly into their Example: The more
hankies. To be lachrymose, Lachrymose mourners at the
in other words, is to be funeral required a steady supply
tearful. of tissues
Tone: neg
to feel or show If you are really upset or Mnemonic: Â Lament =
great sadness for sorry about something, you l[amen]t => we Lament the
someone might lament it. A lament is death by saying 'amen'
Lament full of regret and grief.
Form: v Example: She Lamented over
the loss of her best friend.
Tone: neg
looking or Funerals are lugubrious. So Mnemonic: He was very
sounding sad are rainy days and Mondays. mournful when he had to BURY
Anything that makes you his cut LEG.
Form: adj sad, gloomy, or mournful Example: The diner's dim
Lugubrious can be called lugubrious. lighting makes eating there a
particularly Lugubrious
experience
Tone: neg
sad, depressed Melancholy is beyond sad: Mnemonic: Being Melancholy
as a noun or an adjective, means that you're overwhelmed
it's a word for the gloomiest with sorrow, wrapped up in
of spirits. sorrowful thoughts.
Melancholy
Form: n,adj Example: There is a brooding
Melancholy in his black and
white photography.
Tone: neg
to fail gradually in if you pine, you become Mnemonic: Someone who is
health or vitality weak, especially if you are staying away from home, will
from grief, regret, separated from your loved be in pain and would Pine to
Pine etc one. meet his/her parents.
Form: v Example: After his wife died,
he just Pined away.
Tone: neg
sounding sad Plaintive is an adjective for Mnemonic: Plaintive can be
describing someone or split into
something with a pleading, plain(plane)+tive(relative).
Plaintive
sorrowful, desperate tone. If Suppose a relative dies in a
you have ever heard the plane crash, we mourn. Thus
plaintive howl of a wolf, Plaintive = mourn.
 Form: adj then you know what we are Example: We could hear the
getting at here. Plaintive cry of a wounded
animal in the woods.
Tone: neg
expressing The verb repine describes Mnemonic: Imagine on
discontent expressing gloom or Christmas, your friend brings
discontent. Brooding, fretful, pine tree instead of Christmas
and sad — these are the tree, so you will Repine
Repine traits of people who repine
Form: v Example: There is no use
at their circumstances in repining over a love that's been
life. long lost
Tone: neg
great sorrow "O, woe is me!" This line is Mnemonic: Woe - when our
from Shakespeare. When favourite batsmen gets out...
Hamlet scorns Ophelia, she we, while watching cricket
utters these words to shout OH!!!! sadly
Woe express the grief and
Form: n,adj Example: Ah, Woe, with the
despair that will soon drive death of the last of my siblings
her to suicide. I am alone in this world!
Tone: neg

ENTHUSIASM,PASSION,EXCITE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
great enthusiasm Are you inspired to write
and passion love poems to your crush?
Sprinkle rose petals in her
path? Then you're feeling
Ardor/Ardent ardor — an intense kind of
Form: adj/n
warmth and fervor most
often associated with love.
Tone: pos
very enthusiastic Avid usually means very
eager or enthusiastic. If
Avid Form: adj you're an avid reader, it
means you read as much as
Tone: pos you can, whenever you can.
full of Buoyancy is a quality that
energy/liveliness makes things float in water.
It's also a type of
Buoyancy happiness: if you're full of
Form: n
buoyancy, you're mood is
Tone: pos light and happy.
positive in If a person, place, or thing
attitude and full of is energetic and active, then
energy it's dynamic. When things
Dynamic Form: adj are dynamic, there's a lot
going on.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â ardor - our door;
please close the door and
windows, to prevent the heat
from going outside.
Example: His revolutionary
ardor was an example to his
followers.
Mnemonic: a person is always
eager to be in Avid(a video)
Example: He is an Avid admirer
of horror movies.
Mnemonic: So whenever you
run into the word Buoyancy,
just think "staying afloat."
Example: They were all in
buoyant mood.
Mnemonic: A Dynamite
(explosive) is Dynamic (active
and powerful)
Example: Market Dynamics are
working in the company's favor.

Tone: pos
 cheerful and full More than chipper, more Mnemonic: Your dad
of energy than happy, more than purchasing you a new 'Enfield
delighted is ebullient — Bullet' so you show your
Ebullient meaning bubbling over with 'Excitement' - Ebullient!
Form: adj joy and delight. Example: The boss was in
Ebullient mood.
Tone: pos
a person who is Something effervescent has Mnemonic: My excitable dog is
very enthusiastic bubbles or froth, like a EVER VEnturing after my SCENt
Form: adj sparkling wine or a bubble Example: He has got a warm,
Effervescent bath. If you have a happy, Effervescent personality
Tone: pos light, cheerful personality
— if you are "bubbly" —
you too are effervescent.
Gushing, Getting a compliment from Mnemonic: Effusive when
unrestrained your effusive Aunt Sally can spoken have similarity with
praise, pleasure be a little embarrassing. Diffusive-Diffuse that means
or approval. Since she's so effusive, something going out/ gushing
Effusive Aunt Sally holds nothing out
Form: adj back, gushing with Example: They offered Effusive
enthusiasm. thanks for our help.
Tone: pos
full of energy, Are you feeling really happy Mnemonic: Exuberant- Excess
excitement and and enthusiastic about number of ANTS. ants are
happiness. something? Describe unrestrained, in large numbers
Exuberant yourself with the adjective,
Form: adj Example: She gave an
exuberant! Exuberant performance.
Tone: pos
having passionate Use fervent to describe a Mnemonic: fervent/fervid both
feeling person or thing that shows can be remembered by February
very strong feelings or -specifically Feb14 when
enthusiasm. If you have a youngsters are quite emotional
Fervent/Fervor fervent desire to become an regarding V-Day.
Form: adj/n actress, you'll stop at Example: She prayed fervently
nothing to realize your for his complete recovery.
Tone: pos dream.
full of energy, The adjective frisky means Mnemonic: When you do brisk
wanting to play playful or lively. Your frisky walk early in the morning, it
puppy likes to play tug-of- makes you Frisky, in other
Frisky war with your socks, words lively and energetic.
Form: adj whether they're on or off Example: The kids were Frisky
your feet. after all that candy.
Tone: pos
expressing so uttered with unrestrained Mnemonic: Gush sounds like
much enthusiasm enthusiasm Blush. When we blush our cheek
and emotion that becomes shinny.
doesn’t seem
Gushing sincere
Form: adj Example: Everyone has been
Gushing over the baby.
Tone: pos
showing strong If something is impassioned Mnemonic: Impassioned can be
Impassioned feeling about it's filled with or remembered as I AM
something demonstrating intense PASSIONed
 Form: adj emotion. Anything can be
impassioned — speech, a
play, a conversation, a
Tone: pos novel, or even you.
attractively lively A vivacious person is lively
and spirited: a vivacious
dancer might do a back-flip
Vivacious off the wall and then jump
Form: adj
into the arms of her
Tone: pos partner.
make something lessen in force or effect
less strong
X Dampen
Form: v
Tone: neg
having or showing Use the adjective zealous as
great enthusiasm a way to describe eagerness
Form: adj or enthusiastic activity. If
you are too zealous in your
Zealous/Zest efforts to decorate the
Tone: pos house with Christmas lights,
you might cause a power
outage for the whole
neighborhood.
Example: His lawyer made an
Impassioned argument in his
defense.
Mnemonic: YoU should try to
be lively and energetic at the
time of your VIVA
Example: He had three pretty,
Vivacious daughters.
Mnemonic: Dampened spirit
means lack of enthusiasm, when
something is damp, it become
weak.
Example: None of the setbacks
could dampen his enthusiasm
for the project.
Mnemonic: Zeal means passion
or enthusiasm.
Example: The detective was
zealous in her pursuit of the
kidnappers.

SULKING , BAD-TEMPERED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
giving the Dour describes something Mnemonic: Â "Dour" looks like
impression of sullen, gloomy, or "sour." A person with a sour
being unfriendly persistent. You might look expression is clearly feeling
dour on your way to picking very Dour, that is, sullen and
Dour up your last check from the gloomy
Form: adj job you just got fired from, Example: The city, drab and
and people should get out of Dour by day, is transformed at
your way. night.
Tone: neg
Unhappy and bad A morose person is sullen, Mnemonic: When someone is
tempered gloomy, sad, glum, and Morose, they seem to have a
depressed — not a happy cloud of sadness hanging over
Morose camper. them.
Form: adj Example: She just sat there
looking Morose.
Tone: neg
someone who is When you're peevish, you're Mnemonic: Know someone
easily annoyed by easily irritated and grumpy. who always seems annoyed,
Peevish
unimportant Everything seems to get grumpy, cranky, or irritated?
things under your skin. That person is Peevish.
 Form: adj
Tone: neg
bad tempered Choose the adjective,
petulant, to describe a
person or behavior that is
Petulant Form: adj irritable in a childish way.
Tone: neg
pouting your lips When something doesn’t
will mean you are go your way and you get
annoyed annoyed about it, that’s
Pout Form: v a pout. And when you let
the world know about it by
Tone: neg thrusting out your lower lip,
you are pouting. Get over it.
looking serious Medieval alchemists
and threatening. ascribed to the planet
Saturn a gloomy and slow
character. When people are
called saturnine, it means
Saturnine they are like the
Form: adj planet––gloomy, mean,
scowling. Not exactly the life
of the party.
Tone: neg
bad tempered and A bad-tempered or gloomy
not willing to talk person is sullen. Sullen
people are down in the
Sullen dumps.
Form: adj
Tone: neg
EXPRESS SYMPATHY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
to show sympathy When you commiserate
to someone who with your buddies, you're
is upset. sharing your lousy feelings.
People who commiserate
Commiserate Form: v have the same negative
feelings about something.
Tone: pos
showing A condolence is an
sympathy to expression of sympathy and
somebody. sorrow to someone who has
Condolence
suffered a loss, like the
letter of condolence you
send to a faraway friend
Example: I would rather figure
things out on my own than ask
that Peevish librarian for help.
Mnemonic: The pet - u - lent
(Petulant) me is getting me
irritated
Example: A Petulant and fussy
man who is always blaming
everyone else for his problems
Mnemonic: Push the liP OUT to
Pout.
Example: She Pouted her lips
and stared at him angrily.
Mnemonic: If you are a party
freak and at Nine of Saturday
Night if you are still at
home..then you will be gloomy!
So from this we can get
SATURday NINE or Saturnine!
Example: The men awaiting
interrogation by the police
shared a Saturnine silence
Mnemonic: Your face is
SWOLLEN ( by some insect bite
) and so you feel Sullen
Example: Bob looked pale and
Sullen.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: co+miserate
...share one's misery by being
with them or identifying their
misery vicariously
Example: The players
Commiserated over their loss in
the championship game.
Root: Prefix Com is together,
with
Mnemonic: When you offer
your Condolences to someone
who has suffered a loss, you are
saying that you share their
sadness, that you are there to
support and help them.
 Form: n who has lost a loved one. Example: The governor issued
a statement of Condolence to
the victims' families.
Tone: pos Root: Prefix Con refers to with,
together
ability to Use empathy if you're Mnemonic: simliar to -
understand looking for a noun meaning sympathy ( the ability to share
another persons "the ability to identify with someone else's feelings or
feelings. another's feelings." experiences by imagining what
it would be like to be in their
Empathy situation)
Form: n Example: He felt great
Empathy with the poor.
Tone: pos Root: The prefix EM refers to IN
…feeling In

UNUSUAL , EXCEPTION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
a fact or action An aberration is a noun that
that is not usual. means something that is
not normal or is very typical
at all. An example of an
aberration is when the
Aberration temperature hits 90
Form: n degrees in January — it's
nice and warm, but it's
really strange.
Tone: neut
a thing that is not An anomaly is an
normal abnormality, a blip on the
screen of life that
doesn’t fit with the rest
Anomaly of the pattern. If you are a
Form: n breeder of black dogs and
one puppy comes out pink,
that puppy is an anomaly.
Tone: neut
a longer route a roundabout road
that is taken to (especially one that is used
avoid a problem temporarily while a main
or go to a place route is blocked)
Detour Form: n
Tone: neut
to be different If something turns off
from something course or is diverted, it
Form: v deviates from the expected
Deviate or the norm. Deviating from
explicit recipe directions is
Tone: neut never a good idea, unless
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Sounds like abh
(hindi word for 'now') +
operation. Due to the mental
disorder, the patient needs to be
operated immediately (now).
Example: For her, such a low
grade on an exam was an
Aberration.
Root: prefix AB- means AWAY
FROM
Mnemonic: Anomaly= A(means
NO) + Nomaly = A(no) +
Normality = ABNORMALITY,
DEVIATION FROM NORMAL
ORDER
Example: We couldn't explain
the anomalies in the test
results.
Mnemonic: Detour if we
REVERSE it ROUTE(D)means
LONGER ROUTE
Example: We had to make a
Detour around the flooded
fields.
Root: Prefix DE means AWAY or
DOWN
Mnemonic: DeviatING from the
main point.
Example: The bus had to
Deviate from its usual route
because of a road closure.
Root: Prefix DE means AWAY
 you want inedible food or a
kitchen fire.
ORDINARY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
lacking If something is boring and
excitement unoriginal, it's banal. Banal
things are dull as
dishwater.
Banal
Form: adj
Tone: neg
an unoriginal idea A bromide is a common
saying or proverb that is
Form: adj obvious and not that
helpful, like "When life
Bromide hands you lemons, make
lemonade."
Tone: neg
an uninteresting If you've heard an
phrase. expression a million times,
chances are it's a cliche.
Cliché
Form: noun
Tone: neg
not original Alert: shifting parts of
speech! As a noun, a
Form: adj derivative is kind of
financial agreement or deal.
Derivative As an adjective, though,
Tone: neg derivative describes
something that borrows
heavily from something
else that came before it.
not original, Hackneyed is a word for
overused so lost language that doesn't pack
its significance a punch since it's overused
and trite. "Roses are red,
violets are..." — enough
Hackneyed Form: adj already?! That's hackneyed
stuff.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Divide it like -ban +
al(ban all people); you ban all
those people from your group, if
they are repeating the same
activity again and again.
Example: The writing was
Banal but the story was good.
Mnemonic: Bromide is the
COMMON salt ever found
Example: His speech had
nothing more to offer than the
usual Bromides about how
everyone needs to work
together.
Mnemonic: CLICK....it
represents camera...cliche
means a remark that is
overused....these days we make
overuse of camera to take
photos everytime to upload
them on social networking site
like facebook
Example: This is an old
Cliché that “a trouble
shared is a trouble halved―
Mnemonic: Derived from
something.
Example: I've always found the
exercise slightly Derivative and
not very challenging
Mnemonic: when a software is
hacked, it becomes Hackneyed
because then all people are able
to use that program without
paying for
Example: Advertisers have
Hackneyed the word
“revolutionary― so much
that it now just means that a
product is new
 lacking in That class on 18th century Mnemonic: Anything that you
refinement feminist zoologists and their can call Humdrum is so severely
favorite poets? Surprisingly lacking in variety and
humdrum, or dull, tedious, excitement that it's sure to
Humdrum and totally boring. make you hum and drum your
fingers out of boredom.
Form: adj Example: She liked the movie,
but I thought it was Humdrum.
Tone: neg
happens everyday An ordinary, unexciting Mnemonic: Â Mundane sounds
thing can be called like Monday. After an exciting
mundane: "Superman hid weekend, Monday is just
his heroic feats by posing another Mundane day.
Mundane as his mundane alter ego,
Form: adj Example: Prayer and
Clark Kent." meditation helped her put her
Mundane worries aside
Tone: neg
Dull, lacking a pedestrian thing is Mnemonic: ped means foot
inspiration.boring something that is boring or Pedestrian means one who
and always the unexciting walks on foot is obviously
same ordinary
Pedestrian Form: adj Example: He lived a Pedestrian
life, working at the paper mill
and living in his trailer.

Tone: neg
a remark or If an executive gives a Mnemonic: Platitude sounds
statement with speech that begins, "This flat + attitude: something flat
moral content business is all about does not attract us as it is very
often interesting survival of the fittest. You common. So you will obviously
and thoughtful need to burn the midnight give trite remarks.
Platitude oil and take one for the
Form: adj Example: His speech was filled
team," his employees might with familiar Platitudes about
get sick of listening to these the value of hard work and
meaningless clichés and dedication.
Tone: neg tell him to cut the p
of or belonging to In Roman times, the lower Mnemonic: Â sounds like
the lower social class of people was the pebble which are found every
classes plebeian class. Today, if where and are very common
Form: adj something is plebeian, it is Example: He wondered what
Plebeian of the common people. the people at the country club
would think of his Plebeian
origins
Tone: neg
occurring Quotidian is a fancy way of Mnemonic: split it as
everyday and saying "daily" or "ordinary." "quote+indian".QUOTE AN
therefore ordinary Quotidian events are the INDIAN every day. Newspapers
everyday details of life. quote opinions of Indians
everyday.. so its a DAILY
occurence,customary
Quotidian
Form: adj Example: Not content with the
Quotidian quarrels that other
couples had, they had rows that
shook the entire neighborhood

Tone: neg
 overused and When you want to indicate Mnemonic: Trite = tri +it ( so
therefore lacking that something is silly or sounds like try + it) She made
freshness or overused, you would call it the same dish all the time and
originality trite. A love song with lyrics gave it to her friends saying, 'try
about holding hands in the it' ... as it is repeated so many
sunshine? Totally trite. times, it becomes over familiar.
Trite
Form: adj/n Example: By the time the
receiving line had ended, the
bride and groom's thanks
sounded Trite and tired
Tone: neg

DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
something that is Use the adjective abstract Mnemonic: Abstract: sounds
present in the for something that is not a close to retract.-and you cant
thought but material object or is general retract anything from an
doesn’t have a and not based on specific Abstract speech or passage.
concrete shape or examples.
Abstract existence.
Form: adj/v/n Example: We may talk of
beautiful things, but beauty
itself is Abstract.
Tone: neut
difficult to Abstruse things are difficult Mnemonic: Abstruse rhyme
understand to understand because they with CONFUSE,there is
are so deep and confusion when things are not
intellectually challenging. It clear
Abstruse Form: adj might be hard to figure out Example: You're not the only
how a toilet flushes but the one who finds Einstein's theory
technology that goes into of relativity Abstruse
Tone: neg/ neut making the Internet function
is abstruse.
something that is Something arcane is Mnemonic: Ar + Kane (arcane)
mysterious and understood or known by - Kane's (for WWF watchers)
hence understood only a few people. Almost face always remains secret, as
by a few everyone knows the basics he uses a mask.
Form: adj of baseball, but only an elite Example: Grammatical rules
arcane few possess the arcane that seem arcane to generations
knowledge of its history that of students who were never
marks the true fan. taught grammar in the first
place
Tone: neut
likely to be Pssst... do you know the Mnemonic: Esoteric sounds like
understood by secret handshake? If you 'It's so terrible' that I fail to
only a small haven't been brought into understand this theorem.
Esoteric number of people the inner circle of those with
with special special knowledge, esoteric
knowledge and things will remain a mystery
interest. to you.
 Form: adj Example: Metaphysics is such
an Esoteric subject that most
people are content to leave it to
the philosophers
Tone: neut
having spiritual Things that are mystical are Mnemonic: Mystical sounds like
qualities that are magical or mysterious, Mystery, which is always difficult
difficult to possibly having to do with to comprehend.
understand witches or the occult.
Mystical
Form: adj Example: Watching the sun rise
over the mountain was an
almost Mystical experience.
Tone: neut
not clearly If something is obscure, it's Mnemonic: Obscure=
expressed or vague and hard to see. Be OBSession + CURE - Many
explained. careful if you're driving in psychiatrists believe that
heavy rain — the painted Obsession's cure is still
lines can be obscure. UNKNOWN / UNCLEAR
Obscure
Form: adj/v/n Example: We went to see one
of Shakespeare's more Obscure
plays.
Tone: neg/neut Root: Prefix OB means
AGAINST.
mysterious Dark and mysterious, the Mnemonic: Occult sounds like
occult is a kind of Difficult …to understand.
Form: adj supernatural power or Example: The actor's private
magic. If you see your life had long been Occulted by a
Occult neighbor chanting over a contrived public persona
Tone: neut giant vat of bubbling brew in
the middle of the night,
there's a chance he's
dabbling in the occult.
deep, grave and Difficult to understand Mnemonic: whatever
hence difficult to professional or researchers
understand found(read find) has to be deep.

Profound
Form: adj Example: It is difficult to
understand these Profound
questions about life and death.
Tone: neg/neut
knowing little It's rather difficult to Mnemonic: Â read Recondite as
about something penetrate the meaning of "re conduct". The professor re
recondite. Fitting, because coducted(repeated) the topic as
it's an adjective that the students could not
Recondite basically means hard for the understand properly.
Form: adj average mind to Example: This is a a Recondite
understand. subject
Tone: neut Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
clear/clarity Perspicuous is an adjective Mnemonic: Perspicuous is not
describing language that is suspicious.. absolutely clear
Form: adj clear and easy to Example: Believing that poetry
X understand. When you give need not be as perspicuous as
Perspicuous a presentation, you should prose, he writes poems that are
speak in a perspicuous intentionally ambiguous
Tone: pos manner so that everyone
 will be able to follow you.
LUCKY , UNLUCKY `-`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Fortuitous means by
chance, like a lucky
accident. If you and your
Tone: pos best friend's families
Fortuitous
happen to go on vacation to
the same place at the same
time, that’s a fortuitous
coincidence!
Form: adj Use the adjective opportune
to describe especially good
timing. A snowstorm is an
Opportune opportune time to make
Tone: pos
extra money shoveling your
neighbor's driveway.
Form: adj When the timing of
something is propitious or
you've got propitious
Tone: pos circumstances for
Propitious something, it's likely to turn
out well. A propitious time
for taking a big test is when
you've studied hard and
gotten a good night's sleep.
Form: n If you find good things
without looking for them,
serendipity — unexpected
good luck — has brought
Serendipity them to you.
Tone: pos
Form: n Despair is the feeling of not
having any hope left. If you
just found out that you're
having a test in math and
X Despair
Tone: neg you hadn't studied at all,
you might feel despair, or
despair of any hope that
you can pass it.
Form: adj Use the adjective hapless to
Tone: neg describe someone unlucky
and deserving of pity, like
X Hapless
the hapless used car buyer
who gives in to the fast-
talking salesperson.
Form: adj The fairy tale Cinderella
X
gives us many examples of
Wretched
uses for the word wretched.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: equivalent to
fortune... fortune isn't destined
to occur, it is accidental
Example: His success depended
on a Fortuitous combination of
circumstances.
Mnemonic: Everything one
wishes for is OPPORTUNITIES at
the Opportune time.
Example: The offer could not
have come at a more Opportune
moment.
Mnemonic: Â sounds like
profitious.. hence its profitable
and thus favorable
Example: It was not a
Propitious time to start a new
business.
Mnemonic: You can thank
Serendipity if you find a pencil
at an empty desk just as you
walk into an exam and realize
that you forgot yours.
Example: Meeting her like that,
and there of all places, was true
Serendipity!
Mnemonic: Despair can also
refer to someone or something
that causes you to worry or be
sad.
Example: A deep sense of
despair overwhelmed him.
Mnemonic: relate it to helpless
Example: Intimacy between
performers and their hapless
audience members creates an
interesting frisson.
Mnemonic: wretched - people
in a wrecked ship are
wretched.... physical misery!
 Tone: neg Poor Cinderella had a
wretched childhood, living
in wretched conditions with
a wretched stepmother. It
would be enough to make
anyone feel wretched, or
absolutely terrible.
PAIN , SUFFERING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: n When circumstances or a
situation works against
Adversity you, you face adversity.
Tone: neg
Form: n An affliction makes you
suffer, but you have to deal
with it anyway. Diseases
are often said to be
Afflictions afflictions, but the word can
Tone: neg
mean just about anything
that causes great suffering.
Form: n Don’t cry over spilled
milk, it is just a minor
mishap — a misfortune. If
the surgeon operates on
Mishap
Tone: neg the wrong leg when you go
in for knee surgery? Now,
that’s a mishap to get
upset about.
Form: n An ordeal is something
difficult or painful to go
through. Something kind of
hard like taking a test can
Ordeals be an ordeal, but often an
Tone: neg ordeal is a serious and
long-lasting event, like an
illness or tragedy.
Form: n a trial is a difficult
Trials Tone: neg experience, trouble or grief.
Form: n Tribulation is suffering or
trouble, usually resulting
from oppression. The
tribulations of a coal miner
Tribulation include a dangerous work
environment, lung disease
Tone: neg from black dust and a
cramped, dark work space.
Example: I felt wretched about
the way things had turned out.2
(formal)
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ad-worse, when the
conditions are worst, its your
misfortune
Example: He overcame many
personal adversities.
Mnemonic: Affliction sounds
like infection, which causes a
state of distress, irritation and
suffering
Example: He is in fact one
person with an affliction that
radically changes his
personality.
Mnemonic: MIS refers to
negative attribute and HAP can
be related to happening. So a
wrong happening.
Example: I managed to get
home without further Mishap.
Root: MIS means HATE/WRONG
Mnemonic:
OR+DEAL...DEALING WITH
ORIYA SPEAKING PEOPLE IN
ANOTHER LANGUAGE is quite a
difficult experience.
Example: They are to be
spared the ordeal of giving
evidence in court.
Example: this film is as much
about celebration as it is about
Trials.
Mnemonic: Tribulation-Tribal ;
While the group was trekking
they were caught by jungle
tribal (junglee log In Hindi) and
harassed ...It was a period of
Tribulation for them!
Example: Life is full of
Tribulations.
 REMEMBERING THE PAST
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: n People who are able to look
back on the past and
understand what happened
have hindsight. If you go
Hindsight Tone: neut skating on a frozen lake and
it cracks, in hindsight you'd
know you should've paid
attention to the giant
"danger" sign.
Form: n Think of the noun, nostalgia,
when you long for the good
old days of the past.
Nostalgia
Tone: neut
Form: n A reminiscence is a
memory, or the act of
recovering it. A visit to your
old elementary school may
Reminiscence Tone: neut flood your brain with
reminiscences––things
you hadn't thought of in
years coming suddenly
back.
Form: n,adj In retrospect — that is, in
looking back and
contemplating the past —
Retrospect we sometimes find ourselves
Tone: neut wishing that we had done
some things differently.
Form: adj Only one letter separates
the two words, but "wishful"
is having hope for
something, and wistful is
Wistfully having sadness or
Tone: neut melancholy about
something. "Wist" isn't even
a word that's used anymore,
but you can still be wistful.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: see it as be
Hindsight.. foresight- seeing
before occurring and Hindsight-
seeing after occurring.
Example: What looks obvious
in Hindsight was not at all
obvious at the time.
Mnemonic: Nostalgia. sounds
like no- hostel- gia.. so he feels
home sick..remembers home
Example: She is filled with
Nostalgia for her own college
days.
Mnemonic: can break it as re
+ mini + scene - recollecting
mini scenes from our past
memories
Example: The book is a
collection of his Reminiscences
about the actress.
Mnemonic: Retro means PAST
and Spect is to see. So to look
back in the past is to
Retrospect
Example: The decision seems
extremely odd, in Retrospect.
Root: RETRO means PAST
Mnemonic: Wistful and
Wishful...Wistful -Full of longing
or unfulfilled desire. Wishful =
Seeking advancement or
recognition.
Example: “If only I had
known you then,― he said
Wistfully.

EXCESSIVE PATRIOTISM `-`

Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: n The adjective chauvinistic
is useful for describing
people who strongly believe
Chauvinism
in the superiority of their
own gender or kind. A
chauvinistic man might say
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: If you believe that
your gender, culture, country, or
group is inherently better than
another, you are chauvinistic,
which is pronounced "sho-van-
IS-tick."
 Tone: neg women are too emotional
to hold stressful jobs.
Form: n,adj If you’re apt to come
off as a little zany and
express extreme
enthusiasm for a particular
idea or thing, you may be
Fanatic described as a fanatic.
Tone: neg "She’s a real vegetable
fanatic; I’ve never seen
someone so enthusiastic
about gardening methods.
Form: n Jingoism is fanatical, over-
the-top patriotism. If you
refuse to eat, read, wear,
Tone: neg or discuss anything that
Jingoism wasn't made in your own
country, people might
accuse you of jingoism.
Form: n The hamburger zealot was
so fanatical about his
burgers that he camped
outside his favorite fast-
food joint for hours every
Zealot morning, waiting for it to
Tone: neg open. And he would never
put mustard on them, only
ketchup.
DRY, EXTREMELY WET `-`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Arid is so dry that nothing
will grow. Death Valley in
California features an arid
Arid climate, which is why it's
called Death Valley and not
Tone: neg Life Valley.
Form: n,v Feeling overwhelmed, like
you're underwater? You
might be experiencing a
deluge — like when you've
Deluge (oppo) been given a deluge of
homework over vacation: a
Tone: neut dozen term papers, two
dozen books to read, and a
mile-high stack of math
Example: Male public figures
who make chauvinistic
comments about women are
now immediately placed in the
public stocks of social media.
Mnemonic: Fanatic sounds like
a FAN (follower) WHO DOES
NOT KNOW HIS LIMITS and
BECOMES ECCESSIVELY
ENTHUSIASTIC about SOMEONE
or SOMETHING
Example: An addictive parlor
game, it's played in front of
millions of political Fanatics, like
me, who can't resist tuning in
and feasting on the dish.
Mnemonic: jin(that alladin one)
had extreme and uncontrolled
loyalty towards his master
Example: The really bad thing
here is the silly wave that has
gone over the public
mind—protection humbug,
silver, Jingoism, etc
Mnemonic: Zealot can be
connected to A LOT OF ZEAL
(ENTHUSIASM), So a person
who is very passionate about
someone is definitely an
enthusiastic person.
Example: The coffee lover was
a Zealot regarding where his
coffee was grown, who grew it,
and how it was roasted.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â Arid : Take it as
a-rigid; a rigid thing can't be
made to change it's shape, thus
it can be taken as dry, barren,
and unproductive.
Example: Nothing grows in
these Arid regions.
Mnemonic: del[dell
company]uge[huge]...so when
the Dell company advertised it's
product, there was a huge rush
of requests, a deluge of
requests.
Example: When the snow
melts, the mountain stream
becomes a deluge.
 problems.
Form: v To be desiccated is to be
dried out. If you like
desiccated fruit, you like
dried fruit — such as
Desiccated raisins or dried apricots.
Tone: neut
Form: v drench or submerge or be
Drench (oppo) Tone: neut drenched or submerged
Form: v To inundate means to
quickly fill up or overwhelm,
just like a flood. Your
bathroom could be
Inundate
Tone: neut/neg inundated with water if the
(oppo)
pipes burst, and hopefully
your inbox is inundated with
nice emails on your
birthday.
Form: v If you don't water your lawn
all summer, the hot weather
will parch the grass until it's
Parch brown and withered. To
parch is to dry up or wither
Tone: neg due to sunlight or heat.
Form: v To sear something is to
quickly cook or burn its
surface by applying intense
Sear Tone: neut heat. When making beef
stew, the color and flavor
are usually better if you sear
the meat first.
Form: v Seep means to leak slowly.
When you see the word,
imagine water coming in
Seeped (oppo) through your sneakers on a
rainy day. It's not a lot of
Tone: neut water, but your feet still get
pretty wet.
Form: adj When it's been raining for
days, there are puddles
everywhere, and the grass
Sodden (oppo)
Tone: neut is thoroughly soaked, it's
safe to say the ground is
sodden.
Form: v Steep means to soak in, as
in steeping a tea bag in
Steeped (oppo) boiling water.
Tone: neut
Mnemonic: Removing moisture
and humidity from something is
what makes it become
Desiccated.
Example: Thus, these
environments are Desiccated by
the dry winds and direct
sunlight.
Example: We were caught in
the storm and got drenched to
the skin.
Mnemonic: Attempt to read the
entire dictionary in one sitting
and you'll inundate your mind
with vocabulary.
Example: We have been
inundated with offers of help.
Mnemonic: Parch can be
related to MARCH(month name).
In the month of march its so hot
that everything starts drying up.
Example: A drought is Parching
much of the country.
Mnemonic: Â Sear rhymes with
TEAR. When you BURN your
hand you are in tears.
Example: The heat of the sun
Seared their faces.
Mnemonic: SEEP is similar to
PEEP. When you peep, you see
through a small opening. When
liquid seeps, it comes out of a
small opening
Example: Blood was beginning
to seep through the bandages.
Mnemonic: SODDEN sounds
like suddenly soaken (soak with
water, wet)
Example: We arrived home
completely sodden.
Mnemonic: Steep and seep are
synonyms both meaning WET
Example: Steep the fruit in
brandy overnight.
 FERTILE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If you describe land as
arable, it means that
Tone: pos something can grow there.
Arable If you're looking to raise
crops, you better find
yourself a patch of arable
land.
Form: adj The adjective fecund
Tone: pos describes things that are
Fecund
highly fertile and that easily
produce offspring or fruit.
Form: adj When something is green
with plant life it's verdant, a
word often used to idealize
Verdant the countryside with its
Tone: pos verdant pastures or verdant
hills.
Form: adj Drive through a forest that's
just been destroyed by a
fire, and you'll get an idea of
X Tone: neg what barren means —
Barren stripped of vegetation and
devoid of life.
VERY HIGH PRICE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use the adjective
exorbitant when you want
to describe something that
is really just too much!
Exorbitant You'll often hear people
Tone: neg griping about exorbitant
bank fees or exorbitant
interest rates.
Form: n,v Gouge means stealing by
overcharging. If your local
gas station puts the price of
gas way up because a
Gouging
Tone: neg storm is coming, you may
say that the station owner
gouges prices — and
that's illegal.
Form: adj If something's so expensive
Tone: neg you can't touch it, it's
Prohibitive prohibitive. That Ferrari in
the showroom? You may
want it, but its price is
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: agra (agriculture)
+ able.
Example: Bees do not occupy
and use up Arable land.
Example: Fecundity declines
rapidly after the age of 40.
Mnemonic:
VARDAAN(blessing)...green
color is a blessing...green
vegetables,trees.
Example: She wore a dress of
Verdant green.
Mnemonic: Anything BARRING
(stopping) RAIN can cause a
land to be BARREN (not fertile).
Example: In ten thousand
years, the earth could be cold
and barren, an endless frozen
wasteland more suitable for
mammoths than for humans.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: EX(extra)ORBIT-
ant...extra orbit in the solar
system...so this extra+orbit
makes the solar system
excessive now
Example: It's a good hotel but
the prices are Exorbitant.
Root: EX means OUT OF/ FROM
Mnemonic: If you're not careful
with the screwdriver, you'll
accidentally gouge a hole in the
wall.
Example: Housing shortages
permit landlords to gouge their
renters.
Mnemonic: PROHIBIT
Example: The price of property
in the city is Prohibitive.
 prohibitive.
Form: n Usury means lending
money at exorbitant
interest rates. Credit-card
companies charging annual
Usury interest rates of 29% are
Tone: neg
guilty of usury, as far as
I'm concerned.
POOR
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: an,adj,v You might not have any
money in your pocket, but
it doesn’t necessarily
mean you are bankrupt. It
Bankrupt Tone: neg takes a legal proceeding for
the courts to declare a
person bankrupt — or
officially unable to pay his
debts.
Form: adj When you think of the word
destitute, which means
poor or lacking other
necessities of life, think of
Destitute someone who is in
Tone: neg desperate straits. A very,
very tight budget is poor.
Living on the streets is
destitute.
Form: adj If you are hard up, broke,
penniless, or strapped for
cash, you could describe
yourself as impecunious.
Impecunious Then maybe you could
Tone: neg make some money
teaching vocabulary words.
Form: v To impoverish is to take
away a person's livelihood.
Tone: neg When a drought ruins a
farmer's crop and he has
Impoverish
nothing to harvest, his bad
luck may leave him and his
family impoverished, or
poor.
Form: adj An indigent person is
Indigent extremely poor, lacking the
basic resources of a normal
Mnemonic: SURY reminds me
of TREASURY - Lending money
from the treasury at a very high
rate of interest
Example: Bank of America
recently rolled back a $5
monthly fee for debit cards that
many considered Usury.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: When your bank is
ruptured (you left without
money), you would definitely be
Bankrupt
Example: The company was
declared Bankrupt by the court.
Mnemonic: Break it as
DE+INSTITUE...that means the
person who has never been to
any INSTITUTE..i.e. who is
ILLITERATE is very poor
Example: When he died, his
family was left completely
Destitute.
Mnemonic: Â
IM(not)+PECUNIA is a root for
money...hence Impecunious
means having little or no
money.
Example: They were so
Impecunious that they couldn't
afford to give one another even
token Christmas gifts
Mnemonic: Impoverish can be
remembered as INTO POVERTY
Example: These changes are
likely to Impoverish single-
parent families even further.
Root: IM means NOT.
Mnemonic: Indigent (poor)
cannot be INDULGENT(rich and
overspending)
 Tone: neg life. Often the indigent lack
not only money but homes.
Form: adj Piggy bank empty? Nothing
but lint in your pockets?
Tone: neg Then you're probably
Insolvent unable to meet any
financial obligations. In
other words, you are
insolvent.
Form: n,adj People who live off begging
can be called mendicants.
However, you probably
wouldn't call your kids
Mendicant mendicants, even though
Tone: neg they beg you for stuff,
because the word
mendicant also implies
extreme poverty.
Form: n Pauper is an old-fashioned
word for someone who is
Tone: neut/neg poor — really poor, like
Pauper
the paupers described by
Charles Dickens or Mark
Twain.
Form: n Penury means extreme
poverty to the point of
Tone: neg homelessness and begging
in the streets. Economic
Penury downturns, job loss,
shopping sprees, and
weekends at the high
rollers' table in Vegas can
lead to penury.
Form: adj,n As an adjective, solvent
describes someone who's
got cash on hand.
X Solvent
Tone: neg
Example: Homeless shelters,
soup kitchens, free medical
clinics and court-appointed
lawyers are all institutions that
our society has developed to
help indigen
Mnemonic: in + solvent = one
who cant solve his debts.
Example: The company has
been declared Insolvent.
Mnemonic: Mendicant - Men +
dI + Can't : men who say I
can't, they don't like to work
and sometimes start practicing
beggary
Example: A Mendicant
approached me while I was
waiting at the traffic signal.
Mnemonic: Pauper and POOR
rhymes partially.
Example: She was buried in a
Pauper's grave.
Mnemonic: pen+ru(pee)-no
rupee to buy a pen
Example: He died in Penury.
Mnemonic: Sounds like "solve"
+ "rent". If you want to solve
the issues related to rent then
you must be able to pay all your
debts.
Example: In some cases, banks
that were otherwise solvent
faced collapse.

WEALTHY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj You know you're driving Mnemonic: af + fluent.
through an affluent Someone who is fluent in a
neighborhood when you see language knows an abundance
Affluent large houses, perfect of words.
Tone: neg landscaping, and expensive Example: I have a very Affluent
cars. Use affluent to neighborhood.
 describe wealthy people or
areas.
Form: adj Opulent is a word that you
will hear a lot around rich
people looking to show off.
"Remember the opulent
Opulent Tone: neg buffet at Carrie’s sweet
sixteen? Sixteen chocolate
cakes iced in gold leaf!"
Mnemonic: Â lent means
lending. generally rich people
lend money.Opulent means
wealthy.
Example: And on the thought,
as though in answer to his wish,
the landlord entered bearing a
fine Opulent omelet stuffed with
green peas.

INCREASE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: n The process of increasing
can be called accretion.
Although you may say that
Tone: pos stalactites "grow" from the
Accretion
ceilings of caves, they
actually form from an
accretion of limestone and
other minerals.
Form: v If you are a window washer,
but you refer to yourself as
a "vista enhancement
Aggrandize specialist," then you are
Tone: neut/neg aggrandizing your job title
— that is, making it sound
greater than it is.
Form: v Do you need to make
something bigger, better, or
stronger? Then you need to
augment it. To augment is
Augment to increase the amount or
Tone: neut strength of something.
Form: v To dilate something is to
make it wider. When the
light fades, the pupil of your
Dilate eye will dilate, meaning it
Tone: neut looks bigger.
Form: v Many people use the
Tone: neut expression "enhance your
chance" to point out ways
to increase your chances of
Enhance winning or earning a
contest or prize. When you
enhance something, you
heighten it or make it
better.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Accretion -add +
creation , this addition to
creation leads to growth
Example: The process of
character building through
Accretion and elimination has
been going on.
Mnemonic: Aggrandize -
aggregate + grand; aggregating
things...is similar to adding
details
Example: Her sole aim is
personal Aggrandizement.
Mnemonic: Augment sounds
like argument; Your misleading
argument, can increase the
chances of damage to our
company.
Example: The recent speech of
the president Augmented
tensions in the Near East
Mnemonic: If you DIE LATE(die
in a very old age) you expand(in
weight sense or in age)
Example: Her eyes Dilated with
fear.
Example: This is an opportunity
to Enhance the reputation of the
company.
 Form: v When something
proliferates, it's growing,
spreading or multiplying
really quickly. Bunny
Proliferate rabbits have a habit of
Tone: pos proliferating, as do
dandelions in untended
gardens and funny YouTube
videos on the internet.
Form: v To wax is to grow larger or
increase, whereas wane
means to grow smaller or
decrease.
Wax
Tone: pos
COMBINE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: v To amalgamate is to
combine different things to
create something new.
Institutions — such as
banks, schools, or hospitals
Amalgamate
— often join forces and
Tone: neut amalgamate with one
other. But other things —
like musical genres — get
amalgamated as well.
Form: n A coalition is a group of
people who join together
for a common cause, like a
Coalition Tone: neut coalition you form with
other skateboarders who
want to convince your town
to build a skate park.
Form: v Conflate is a more formal
way to say "mix together."
You probably wouldn't say
you conflated the
Conflate ingredients for a cake, but
Tone: neut if you blended two different
stories together to make a
new one, conflate would
work.
Form: v mix together different
elements
Meld
Tone: neut
Mnemonic: pro + life + rate :
increase in rate of production
(pro) of life (living organisms)
causes population to increase
rapidly
Example: Books and articles on
the subject have Proliferated
over the last year.
Mnemonic: If you go for
Waxing( A technique to remove
hair from your skin..usually
ladies go for it) once..next time
the hair growth on your skin
INCREASES GRADUALLY
Example: The sun's energy
output varies slightly as
sunspots Wax on the star's
surface.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â Amalgamate: as
we all know that AMALGAM is
the alloy of mercury.And alloy
means MIXING things
together.SO Amalgamate means
mixing or combining.
Example: The company has
now Amalgamated with another
local firm.
Mnemonic: Co means
TOGETHER. So anything done
together.
Example: There is a Coalition of
environmental and consumer
groups
Mnemonic: Conflates sounds
similar to cornflakes which gives
us strength by bringing together
all the vitamin and minerals
together
Example: The issues of race
and class are separate and
should not be Conflated.
Root: CON means TOGETHER
Mnemonic: Meld sounds like
blend which means a mixture of
Example: Time goes on Like an
endless maze, Melding seconds
to hours And hours to days.
 Form: n Synthesis is a mixture, or a
result that comes from
adding things together. Add
salt to water, and the
Synthesis synthesis is salt water. Mix
Tone: neut flour, sugar, butter, and
eggs together and bake
them, and the synthesis is
a cake.
Mnemonic: Remember
photoSynthesis - which
combines carbondioxide ,
organic material and light to
give Oxygen
Example: Our culture has a
Synthesis of traditional and
modern values

SWELL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: v A soda and pizza binge
might make your stomach
distend, meaning your
Distend
Tone: neut/neg stomach will swell as a
result of pressure from the
inside.
Form: adj To understand tumid, think
about how your belly feels
after Thanksgiving when
you've just polished off that
Tumid third helping of turkey with
Tone: neut/neg stuffing and Brussels
sprouts. Gassy? Full?
Distended? That's tumid for
you.
Form: adj Turgid describes something
that's swollen, typically by
fluids, like a turgid water
Turgid
Tone: neut/neg balloon that's way too big
to resist dropping on your
friend's head.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: try to relate it with
dis means distance and extend
means to expand.
Example: Starving children
develop huge Distended bellies
Mnemonic: Tumid has the first
three letters common with
TUMOUR, which is a swollen
mass or ball of cells. So Tumid
is swollen, or distended.
Example: In a Tumid, swelling,
blustering manner; haughtily;
violently.
Mnemonic: Turgid and Tumid
sounds similar and they share
the same meaning.
Example: This is a Turgid
prose, very lengthy and boring.

REDUCE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: v squeeze or press together Mnemonic: Constrict sounds
like RESTRICT. That’s the
meaning as well, to restrict
Constrict something from happening.
Tone: neut/neg Example: Film-makers of the
time were Constricted by the
censors.
Form: v Contract also means Mnemonic: Contraction and
"shrink." When the expansion are opposites
Tone: neut/neg economy contracts, Example: The universe is
Contract consumers stop buying expanding rather than
things, and people lose Contracting.
their jobs, and if you freeze
water, it contracts too.
 Form: v To curtail something is slow
it down, put restrictions on
it, or stop it entirely. If I
give up cake, I am
Curtail curtailing my cake-eating.
Tone: neut/neg
Form: v What do love, money, and
the earth all have in
Dwindle common? All can dwindle,
Tone: neut/neg or shrink away, if we don't
handle them properly.
Form: v Stopping for a snack may
help when your energy or
attention begin to flag,
Flag meaning you are getting
Tone: neut/neg
tired or losing your focus.
Form: v Things that wax and wane
grow larger and smaller,
like the moon. Things that
wane simply grow smaller.
"My initial enthusiasm for
Wane helping waned when I saw
the pile of envelopes that
Tone: neg needed licking."
POOR CONDITION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj That building falling down on
the corner of your block? It's
decrepit. So is the old man
Decrepit Tone: neg who lives there, if he is
weak from age. Decrepit
means broken down by hard
use.
Form: adj If something has been
abandoned, you can call it
derelict. Even if a person
has abandoned his
Tone: neg responsibilities, you can say
Derelict
that he is derelict in his
duties. But don't call a lost
child derelict — unless, of
course, he has neglected his
chores.
Form: adj Falling down and in total
disrepair, something that's
Dilapidated dilapidated is going to need
a lot of fixing up.
Mnemonic: Curtail. Can be read
as cur + TAIL or cutting the tail
of a dog (CUR), ie reducing it.
So Curtail is to shorten or to
reduce.
Example: The lecture was
Curtailed by the fire alarm going
off.
Mnemonic: Â if a swindler
(cheater) swindles (cheats) you
then your savings Dwindle.
Example: Support for the party
has Dwindled away to nothing.
Mnemonic: Â Flag rhymes with
sag which means to droop or
grow feeble
Example: It had been a long
day and the children were
beginning to Flag.
Mnemonic: Wane--it sounds
like "vain", imagine your tailor
has decreased the size of your
pant and shirt and now you
can't wear it, so your hard work
involved in buying that dress
went in vain.
Example: Her enthusiasm for
the whole idea was waning
rapidly.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Decrease in Brad
pit's muscular strength made
him very weak
Example: He is a Decrepit old
man.
Mnemonic: Derelict sounds
like Neglect. Neglected things
are generally abondoned after
a while.
Example: The canal has been
Derelict for many years.
Mnemonic: I drank a DILuted
API(appy) juice which was
outDATED(expired).... my
stomach got RUINED as a
result of my own NEGLECT.
 Tone: neg Example: The house remained
empty, and was getting into a
very Dilapidated state.
Form: adj Is your house in terrible Mnemonic: When the roof
condition? Does the roof rambles and falls apart, its
leak? Is it half tumbling indeed in a Ramshackled state.
Tone: neg down? Congratulations! It's Example: The opposition
Ramshackle
ramshackle — in other criticized the government's
words — in terrible Ramshackle economic policies.
condition and barely holding
together.
Form: n Any scene, place, or thing in Mnemonic: Shamble has
disorder. 'amble' which means able to
walk. But it also has SH, so
Shamble may be a person who walks
shakily lacks in strength.
Tone: neg Example: Terrorists have
turned the city into Shambles.

UNWILLING TO SPEND
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj A person who lives simply
Tone: neut and economically can be
called frugal. Buying clothes
at a consignment shop
*Frugal
would be considered frugal.
Not getting your mom a gift
for her birthday — that's
just cheap.
Legends:
X : Antonyms
: Words with
slightly different
meaning from
*
the majority of
the words in a
cluster.
: Words which
are neither
#
synonyms nor
antonyms.
: The words in
this family are
(+)
used usually in
positive context.
: The words in
this family are
(-) used usually in
negative
context.
 SPEND LAVISHLY `-`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: v Dissipate means "disperse"
or "fade away" — as a bad
smell will dissipate (usually)
if you wait long enough.
Dissipate
Tone: neg
Form: adj,n In the Bible, the Prodigal
Tone: neg Son leaves home and
wastes all his money, but
when he returns, he feels
Prodigal sorry. Use the adjective
prodigal to describe
someone who spends too
much money, or something
very wasteful.
Form: adj,n Profligate, as a noun or as
an adjective, implies
Tone: neg recklessly wasting your
money on extravagant
Profligate
luxury. Profligate behavior is
a lot of fun, but you'll regret
it later — when you get
your charge card bill.
Form: n A spendthrift person is
reckless and wasteful with
his money. Spendthrifts who
like to take you out to nice
Spendthrift Tone: neg lunches are good people to
be friends with, but it's
generally a bad way to
handle your own bank
account.
Form: v To squander means to
spend extravagantly,
thoughtlessly, or wastefully.
Squander If you need to save for
Tone: neg college, don't squander her
income on nightly sushi
dinners.
LESSEN IN INTENSITY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: di-SIP-ATE can be
remembered as: Sip = drinking,
Ate = Eating, a life of drinking
and eating , thus spending a lot
and pursuing pleasure!
Example: If you win the lottery,
you might suddenly find yourself
with a group of new friends
encouraging you to Dissipate
your money.
Example: They criticized the
Prodigality of the administration.
Mnemonic: Â Profligate= spend
Profusely like bill Gates
Example: A “Profligate―
nation may have good reason to
run up debts.
Mnemonic: Spendthrift can be
split in this way:
SPEND+THRIFT. Spending ones
thrift (saving).
Example: Ability to save.—All
healthy boys are naturally
inclined to be Spendthrifts.
Mnemonic: Squander rhymes
with WANDER....so if you keep
wandering, you are ultimately
wasting time in life.
Example: He Squandered all his
money on gambling.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: v Something that abates
becomes fewer or less
intense. Your enthusiasm
Abate for skiing might abate after
falling off a ski lift and
Tone: neg getting a mouthful of snow.
Form: v,n When something ebbs, it is
declining, falling, or flowing
away. The best time to look
Ebb for sea creatures in tidal
Tone: neut pools is when the tide is on
the ebb — meaning it has
receded from the shore.
Form: v Recede means to pull back,
retreat, or become faint or
distant. Flood waters
Tone: neut recede, as do glaciers, and
Recede
even abstractions like
"panic" and "hope." Think
"receding hairline." (That
means bald.)
Form: v To subside is to die down or
become less violent, like
rough ocean waves after a
storm has passed (or your
Subside seasickness, if you
Tone: pos/ neut
happened to be sailing on
that ocean).
RELEVANT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Something apposite is
fitting or relevant. It is
apposite that radio stations
play Christmas carols on
Apposite
Tone: pos Christmas Eve, and that
your tax accountant takes
vacation after April 15th. It
all makes sense.
Form: adj,adv Apropos means regarding
or appropriate to, as in:
Apropos of your interest in
Apropos Tone: pos fishing, your grandfather
gave you his set of
championship lures, rods,
reels and lucky tackle box.
Form: adj Germane means relevant; it
fits in. If you are giving a
speech on dog training,
Germane stick to the germane,
canine stuff.
Mnemonic: Focus on
‘ate’ part of Abate. (eat,
ate, eaten). When you eat
anything, you reduce it's
quantity.
Example: They waited for the
crowd's fury to Abate.
Mnemonic: Relate it to egg ;
now-a-days because of bird flu
the quantity of eggs coming to
the market is reduced.
Example: She sat in silence
enjoying the Ebb and flow of
conversation.
Mnemonic: Â You'll succeed if
you let your bad memories
Recede
Example: The sound of the
truck Receded into the distance.
Mnemonic: Subside sounds like
subsidy (reduction of cost on
services) the word REDUCE still
remains common.
Example: She waited nervously
for his anger to Subside.
Root: refix SUB means UNDER
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Apposite- opposite
of OPPOSITE i.e. perfectly
matched; appropriate; most
suitable
Example: Her remarks are
extremely Apposite to the
present discussion.
Mnemonic: Apropos - apro +
pos, appropriate + position -
appropriate + situation...
Example: Lets discuss this on
an Apropos moment.
Mnemonic: Germane...very
close to word ..Germany..so if
you want TO learn GERMAN
LANGUAGE....I GUESS A
GERMAN teacher would be
APPROPRIATE.
 Tone: pos
Form: adj Something pertinent is
relevant and on-point. If
you give your best friend
Pertinent Tone: pos pertinent advice, that
means the advice is
appropriate for the
situation.
Example: remarks that are
Germane to the discussion
Mnemonic: relate this word to
pertaining....which means
relevant to.
Example: Please keep your
comments Pertinent to the topic
under discussion.

EXCESS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: v When things abound, there
are a lot of them. In spring,
Abound birds, flowers, rain, and
Tone: neut frisbees abound.
Form: n A barrage is something that
comes quickly and heavily
— as an attack of bullets or
Barrage artillery, or a fast spray of
Tone: neut words.
Form: adj given or giving freely
Bounteous Tone: pos
Form: adj If you have a copious
amount of something, you
Tone: neut have a lot of it. If you take
copious notes, you'll do well
Copious
when it comes time for
review sessions — unless
you can't read your own
handwriting.
Form: n A grocery store with a large
selection of fruits and
vegetables could be said to
Cornucopia have a cornucopia of
produce. A cornucopia is a
Tone: neut lot of good stuff.
Form: n,v A glut is too much of
something. A glut of gas in
Tone: neg the marketplace can lower
its price. A glut of heavy
Glut
metal T-shirts in your
dresser, however, has
nothing to do with the
economy but might be a
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Bounded means
limited. Abound means not
limited, that is plentiful.
Example: Stories about his
travels Abound.
Mnemonic: Â Barrage -
barrier; like man-made barrier
in a stream which can stop
continuous flow of river water.
Example: the media's Barrage
of attacks on the President's
wife
Mnemonic: Bounty sounds like
Abound or Abundant which
means A LOT.
Example: Once again was the
Bounteous earth giving to man
a hundredfold what he had
sown.
Mnemonic: By copying in an
exam, some get a LOT of marks
Example: She supports her
theory with Copious evidence.
Mnemonic: corn + copia. copia
is similar to copius meaning
plentiful, Cornucopia thus
means plenty of
corn(grains/fruits).
Example: The book is a
Cornucopia of good ideas.
Mnemonic: Â Glut-Gain a
Lot..excess
Example: There is a Glut of
cheap DVDs on the market
 signal that it's time to clean
your room.
Form: v To inundate means to
quickly fill up or overwhelm,
Tone: neut just like a flood. Your
bathroom could be
Inundate inundated with water if the
pipes burst, and hopefully
your inbox is inundated with
nice emails on your
birthday.
Form: n A legion is a horde or a
large number of people or
things. It was originally a
Legion term for a military unit.
Tone: neut
Form: adj Anything multitudinous is
countless, infinite,
Tone: pos innumerable, and, myriad:
Multitudinous you couldn't count it if you
tried.
Form: n,adj If you've got myriad
problems it doesn't mean
you should call a myriad
exterminator, it means
Myriad
you've got countless
Tone: neut problems; loads of them;
too many to count. Welcome
to the club.
Form: n Plethora means an
abundance or excess of
something. If you have 15
different people who want to
take you on a date, you
Plethora have a plethora of romantic
possibilities.
Tone: pos
Form: adj Profuse is a word for a lot of
something or even way too
much — a profuse rainfall
Profuse is a serious amount of rain.
Tone: neut/ pos
Form: adj Someone or something that
is prolific is fruitful or highly
productive. A prolific
Prolific songwriter can churn out
five hit tunes before
Tone: pos breakfast.
Mnemonic: as mentioned
before (WET category)
Example: We have been
Inundated with offers of help.
Mnemonic: In army, 'march
fast' is common which is
performed using legs hence in
this way related to the word
Legion
Example: Legions of
photographers
Mnemonic: MULTI always
means MANY.
Example: All the Multitudinous
donations that the Earth makes
free of charge to human society
are known as "ecosystem
services".
Mnemonic: like pyramid.. huge
number of years since it was
built The PYRAMID consist of a
huge pile of rocks = a Myriad of
rocks
Example: Designs are available
in a Myriad of colours.
Mnemonic: Â like if you go
home after many days, your
mother will insist that you eat
more. What she will say is "Pe
Le + Thoda Aur Le" (in Hindi,
meaning take some
more)ultimately, it will become
an excess at the end. You will
be full
Example: The report contained
a Plethora of detail.
Mnemonic: to PRODUCE an
abundance of energy from
nuclear FUSion, you need to
join two atomic nuclei.
Example: He is Profusely
bleeding.
Mnemonic: Â "Production
Lifted"-They produced large
amounts of the product -Their
production was lifted up in
amount - They were Prolific.
Example: Few composers can
match his Prolific output.
 Form: adj If your supervisor at work
describes your new position
Tone: pos as “rife with
opportunities for
Rife advancement,― then
rejoice! That means your
position offers many
opportunities for
advancement.
Form: n Rapid simultaneous
Salvo discharge of firearms
Tone: neut
Form: n A spate is a large number. If
a spate of new coffee shops
open in your neighborhood,
Spate it’ll be easy for you to
Tone: neut
stay wide awake.
Form: v Steep also means to soak in,
as in steeping a tea bag in
Steeped
Tone: neut boiling water.
Form: n Steve baked a surfeit of jam
tarts. Steve ate a surfeit of
jam tarts. Steve surfeited
Tone: pos himself on jam tarts.
Surfeit Whether surfeit is a noun or
a verb (as in
"overabundance" or
"gorge"), Steve is likely to
end up with a bellyache.
Form: v,n A surge is a sudden strong
swelling, like a tsunami
Tone: neut/neg wave that engulfs the land.
Although a surge offers a
Surge
fluid image, anything can
experience a sudden surge,
including emotions, political
support, or an angry mob.
Form: v Teeming means completely
full, especially with living
things. If your
Teeming grandmother's apartment is
Tone: neut teeming with cats, she sure
has a lot of them.
Form: n When an attacking army lets
loose a barrage of bullets all
Volley at once, it's called a volley.
Tone: neut
UNCLEAR IN MEANING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: Â Rife- rifle which
has abundant bullets
Example: It is a country where
corruption is Rife.
Example: The first Salvo
exploded a short distance away.
Mnemonic: What will be fate of
our state if there is a Spate OR
SUDDEN FLOOD?
Example: The bombing was
the latest in a Spate of terrorist
attacks.
Mnemonic: as mentioned
before (WET category)
Example: as mentioned before
(under WET category)
Mnemonic: Surfeit = SIR is
FAT..as he eats a lot more than
required until he is full.
Example: Indigestion can be
brought on by a Surfeit of rich
food.
Mnemonic: S-sudden URGE to
increase spectacularly..
Example: He Surged past the
other runners on the last lap.
Mnemonic: Any time
something (or someplace) is
filled with life, it's Teeming with
it.
Example: the Teeming streets
of the city
Mnemonic: just like in Volley-
ball we throw shots at each
other.
Example: Police fired a Volley
over the heads of the crowd.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: adj Look to the adjective
ambiguous when you need
to describe something
Ambiguous Tone: neut that's open to more than
one interpretation, like the
headline "Squad helps dog
bite victim."
Form: adj If you can't decide how you
feel about something,
declare yourself ambivalent
Ambivalent about it.
Tone: neut
Form: adj Try to remember that
uncertain means equivocal
and certain means
unequivocal. That's a tricky
Equivocal movement the un- is
Tone: neut
making, and a lot of people
get stumped.
Mnemonic: Ambi means BOTH,
so when you are in two minds
you seem to be confused.
Example: Her account was
deliberately Ambiguous.
Mnemonic: Ambi means BOTH,
so when you are in two minds
you seem to be confused.
Example: She seems to feel
Ambivalent about her new job.
Root: Prefix AMBI means BOTH
Mnemonic: Equi means EQUAL,
so again refering to doubleness
or two minds/ confusion
Example: She gave an
Equivocal answer, typical of a
politician.
Root: Prefix EQU means BOTH

SURE , CERTAIN
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use absolute as a noun or
an adjective when you're so
sure of something that you
Tone: pos know it will never change.
Absolute For example, a devout
person's belief in life after
death is an absolute; that
person has absolute faith in
the afterlife.
Form: adj If someone accuses you of
stealing their lunch and you
give a categorical denial, it
means that you absolutely
deny having anything to do
Categorical with the theft. Categorical
means absolute,
Tone: pos unqualified, unconditional.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: "solute" sounds like
salute and we salute people
having complete power.
Example: ‘You're
wrong,’ she said with
Absolute certainty.
Mnemonic: assume that there
are two categories A & B and
you have to put an object in one
of them..now when you put that
object in a category..you are
ABSOLUTEly sure that it belongs
there.
Example: He is known for
making Categorical statements.

Form: adj If you're absolutely Mnemonic: Certitude sounds

convinced your team is
going to the Super Bowl,
Certitude you state it with certitude or
Tone: pos
confidence.
Form: n The adjective contingent
Contingent (X) can be used to describe
when something can occur
like Certainity, and with a
similar meaning.
Example: You will like
Rome,’ he said, with
absolute Certitude.
Mnemonic: remember that a
continent and small continents
depend on others
 Tone: neut only when something else
does first. Making money is
contingent on finding a
good-paying job.
Form: n A conviction is something
certain: a judgment of
Conviction guilty in court and a strong
Tone: pos belief are both convictions.
Form: adj Emphatic means forceful
and clear. Nicole's mother
Tone: pos was emphatic when she told
Emphatic her not to come home late
again.
Form: adj When something is
incontrovertible, it is
undeniably, absolutely, 100
percent, completely true.
Incontrovertible That rain is wet is an
incontrovertible fact.
Tone: pos
Form: adj Something provisional is
temporary, in the sense
that it's only valid for a
while. You'll often hear
provisional used to describe
Provisional (X)
things such as
Tone: neut governments, elections,
contracts, and agreements,
all of which can change into
something permanent.
Form: v Make sure you know the
context when using the
word qualify. In one sense,
it means to be right for, to
measure up. In another
Qualify (X) sense, though, qualify
Tone: neg
means to change something
slightly, to limit it or add a
condition to it.
Form: adj Choose the adjective,
tentative to describe
something you are unsure
Tone: neut or hesitant about. On
Tentative (X) Monday, you can make
tentative plans for the
weekend but it's too early
to commit to one party or
another.
Form: adj not limited or restricted
Unqualified
Tone: pos
Example: A strong contingent
of local residents were there to
block the proposal.
Mnemonic: He is the 'convict', i
don't have any doubt about it, I
am absolutely sure.
Example: He said he agreed
but his voice lacked Conviction.
Mnemonic: saying something
with EMPHASIS
Example: He was Emphatic that
he could not work with her.
Root: Prefix EM- means IN
Mnemonic: Â in-controvertible;
here relate controvertible with
controversy thus something
which cannot have any
controversy is in-controvertible
and thus is indisputable
Example: Her book shows
incontrovertibly that he was
innocent.
Mnemonic: provisional
certificate is issued by university
before the actual degree
certificate as a TENTATIVE ONE
FOR THE ORIGINAL
Example: The meeting has
been provisionally arranged for
Friday.
Mnemonic: Â Think of java
qualifiers
(private/public/default/protected
- they limit the access of
members of a class).
Example: I want to qualify
what I said earlier—I didn't
mean he couldn't do the job,
only that he would need
supervision.
Mnemonic: Â Living in a tent
temporarily. If you are living in
a tent, you are unsettled.
Example: Her English is correct
but tentative.
Root: Prefix TEN/TENT means
TO HOLD.
Example: The event was not an
Unqualified success.
 SHORTAGE , LACK OF
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: n If there is a dearth of
something, there is not
enough of it. A dearth of
affordable housing is bad,
Dearth Tone: neg but a dearth of bed bugs is
a blessing.
Form: n If you're running a deficit,
you are losing. You might
be losing money or losing a
Tone: neg game. Either way, you
Deficit better make up for it.
Form: adj Being deprived means
lacking important things
like food and water. For
example, when warm
Deprived
Tone: neg clothing, housing, and
nutrition are in short
supply, the people are
deprived of basics of life.
Form: adj You're stranded in the
ocean, miles from shore,
clinging to a sinking boat,
Devoid Tone: neg and you can't swim? Sorry
to say, your situation is
devoid of all hope.
Form: adj If I had more than an
Tone: neg exiguous amount of space
here, I'd be able to tell you
Exiguous
more about the fact that
exiguous means a tiny
amount.
Form: n The word paucity means
not enough of something. If
you've got a paucity of
Paucity good cheer, for example,
you'd better cheer up!
Tone: neg
Form: adj Reserved for the harmlessly
stupid and truly
meaningless, vacuous is a
Tone: neg smart-sounding way to
Vacuous
describe something dumb.
Celebrity gossip and reality
TV is usually pretty
vacuous, even if it's fun.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: earth is big. de-
earth.....(read as Dearth) means
small...small in quantity..or
scarcity
Example: here was a Dearth of
reliable information on the
subject.
Root: Prefix DE means
DOWN/AWAY
Mnemonic: Â Deficit:
DEFICIent+ IT, means reduce in
quantity
Example: The trade balance
has been in Deficit for the past
five years.
Root: Prefix DE means
DOWN/AWAY
Example: Boys from a Deprived
environment, wherein the family
life revealed a pattern of
neglect, moral degradation.
Root: Prefix DE means
DOWN/AWAY
Mnemonic: void - resembles
something nullified, ie empty,
lacking.
Example: The letter was Devoid
of warmth and feeling.
Root: Prefix DE means
DOWN/AWAY
Example: Flora saw her father
trembling in all his Exiguous
length, though he held himself
stiffer than ever if that was
possible.
Mnemonic: pau - paav as in
paav bhaji and if there is only
one "paav" for the whole
city...so obviously it will be
scarce
Example: There was a a Paucity
of information.
Mnemonic: Vacuous can be
seen as vacuum which means, a
region empty of matter.
Example: He stared down at
her, grinning Vacuously.
 VERY LESS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use the word marginal
when something is minimal
Tone: neg or barely enough. If you
buy lemons and sugar,
Marginal make lemonade and set up
a stand on the street
corner, but only sell a
couple of glasses, your
profits will be marginal.
Form: adj deficient in amount or
quality or extent
Meager
Tone: neg
Form: adj When something is
meaningless or insignificant
Tone: neg because it is so little, it's
negligible. The amount of
Negligible
interest you'll get on your
savings is negligible, so you
might as well spend your
money.
Form: adj A paltry amount is so small
it's not even worth thinking
about. In the novel "Oliver
Twist," when Oliver is given
Paltry
Tone: neg a paltry amount of gruel
— not nearly enough —
he asks, "Please, sir, can I
have some more?"
Form: adj We refer to an amount or
thing that is not quite
Tone: neg enough as scanty, or
lacking. It's an adjective
Scanty used to describe something
that doesn't offer enough,
as in "farmers having a
scanty crop in a drought
year."
Form: adj containing little excess
Skimpy
Tone: neg
Form: v.adj Frugally restricted or
Spare
meager, as a manner of
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Marginal is like
MARGIN.
Example: The story will only be
of Marginal interest to our
readers.
Mnemonic: Meager = m +
eager concentrate on "eager". A
person is eager only when
he/she is in a desperate need of
something inadequate...or
scanty in supply.
Example: She supplements her
meagre income by cleaning at
night.
Mnemonic: NEGLect it because
it's not (>
Example: The cost was
Negligible.
Mnemonic: Paltry is a
laughably small amount — the
waiter might chuck a Paltry tip
in the garbage.
Example: his account offers a
Paltry 1% return on your
investment.
Mnemonic: S-CAN'T-Y = CAN'T
be Sufficient
Example: Details of his life are
Scanty.
Mnemonic: Pinky wore Skimpy
clothes to the party only to add
to the disaster.
Example: They provided only
Skimpy details.
Mnemonic: Repair the Spare
parts
 Tone: neg living or a diet
Form: adj Something that’s
sparse is thin, not dense. If
you’re looking for the
perfect place to build a tree
Sparse house, a sparse forest is
Tone: neg probably not your best bet.
GREED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Avarice is a fancy word for
good old-fashioned greed.
It's one of what some call
Avarice "the seven deadly sins."
Tone: neg
Form: adj To be covetous of something
is to want it and to be a
little jealous of anyone who
has it. The advertising
industry’s goal is to
make you covetous of the
Covetous things that other people
Tone: neg
have — that way, you'll
buy them.
Form: noun Remember the saying
“Greed is good―? It
could just as easily be
Tone: neg “Cupidity is good,―
though admittedly it
Cupidity
doesn’t roll off the
tongue quite the same way.
Cupidity means a burning
desire to have more wealth
than you need.
Form: noun Called one of the seven
deadly sins, gluttony is
characterized by a limitless
Tone: neg appetite for food and drink
Gluttony
and overindulgence to the
point where one is no longer
eating just to live, but
rather living to eat.
Form: adj Something rapacious is out
to devour — anything, and
Rapacious
little can stand in its way. A
rapacious landlord is out for
Example: Since he was obese,
the doctor recommended him a
Spare diet.
Mnemonic: Sparse sounds like
Parsi(one group of people),who
are not many in INDIA but
THINLY SCATTERED or
SCANTILY present.
Example: Vegetation becomes
Sparse higher up the mountains.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Avarice- a + very
+ rich -a strong greed to be 'a
very rich' person.
Example: The man was now
blinded by his own greed and
Avarice.
Mnemonic: Covetous = split it
as cove(love) + to + US ;
because of excessive greed and
the love for money Covetous
people go to USA. i
remembered like that.
Example: Not only do public
displays of wealth draw the
Covetous gaze of tax collectors,
they are frowned on by a
culture that values solidarity.
Mnemonic: Cupidity sounds
like COMMODITY. Person having
greed for lots of it.
Example: His Cupidity was
tempted, his every weakness
exploited.
Mnemonic: glu'TON'ny...when
you eat excess,your weight will
be a TON!
Example: Gluttony has already
been touched on and needs no
illustration as to its extremely
bad effect on health.
Mnemonic: read Rapacious as
'rupeecious' so a person who is
greedy must have rupees on his
mind.
 Tone: neg more rent, and a rapacious
eater is only satisfied at the
all-you-can-eat buffet.
Form: adj A ravenous person feels like
they haven't eaten in days
and could probably finish off
Ravenous 10 pizzas without help. So
Tone: neg ravenous is not a good state
to be in when you go
grocery shopping.
Form: adj Voracious is an adjective
used to describe a wolflike
appetite. It might be a
craving for food or for
Voracious
Tone: neg something else, such as
power, but the word usually
denotes an unflattering
greediness.
Form: noun A strong desire to travel is
called a wanderlust. If you
dream of backpacking
through Europe, you have a
wanderlust.
Wanderlust
Tone: neg
OVERLY NOISY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Inaudible is another way of
saying "hushed" or "silent."
Tone: neut If you thought the bad
words you muttered under
# Inaudible
your breath were inaudible,
perhaps you should've
turned off that microphone
in front of you!
Form: adj The adjective boisterous is
* Tone: neg what you would use if you
Boisterous want to call attention in a
loud or clamorous way.
Legends:
X : Antonyms
Example: After years of
Rapacious supermarket
expansion there are too many
mouths to feed.
Root: RAP means SEIZE
Mnemonic: Â sounds like
RAVAN.. we can understand
how hungry one would get to
feed his 10 heads.
Example: What's for lunch? I'm
absolutely Ravenous.
Root: RAV means SEIZE
Mnemonic: remember
carniVORES, herbiVORES...So
"VORE" tells something about
eating.
Example: Ever since her
childhood she had read
Voraciously.
Mnemonic: wander(moving
from place to place)+lust(a
desire for something)....when
you have a desire for wandering
to places ,it means, you love to
travel ,so you can be refered to
as a Wanderlust
Example: He never stays long
anywhere when the Wanderlust
is on him.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: INAUDIBLE is NOT
AUDIBLE
Example: She spoke in an
almost inaudible whisper.
Root: IN means NOT
 : Words with
slightly different
meaning from
*
the majority of
the words in a
cluster.
: Words which
are neither
#
synonyms nor
antonyms.
: The words in
this family are
(+)
used usually in
positive context.
: The words in
this family are
(-) used usually in
negative
context.

SUPPORTER,X`ANTI,X`ENEMY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun An opponent is your Mnemonic: OPPONENT sounds
competition, whether it's a like an OPPOSER.
Tone: neg rival hockey team, or the Example: The team's
X Opponent other finalist in the chess opponents are unbeaten so far
tournament. Coaches tell this season.
you to never underestimate
your opponent.
Form: verb You can refer to a person Mnemonic: Advocate is a
who's a public supporter of a SUPPORTER
Advocate Tone: pos/neut cause as an advocate. Example: Many experts
Advocate rewarding your child
for good behavior.
Form: noun If you have an ally, you Mnemonic: Ally( alien) to
have someone who is on overcome the power of aliens
your side, like a more the countries have decided to
Ally experienced teammate who help each other during the war
is your ally in convincing the with aliens
Tone: pos coach to give you more Example: His sister was his Ally
playing time. against their grandparents.
Form: noun A champion is a supporter of Mnemonic: Champions are like
a group, cause,idea or super man who has capability to
belief. support and defend there
Champion friends [Secondary Meaning]
Tone: pos Example: She was a Champion
of the poor all her life.
Form: verb To endorse is to give Mnemonic: To ENDORSE is to
ENDORSE
support to someone or give support.
 Tone: pos something. "I endorse this!"
means "I think this is a good
thing, and so should you."
Form: verb Use the verb espouse to
describe the actions of
someone who lives
according to specific beliefs,
Espouse Tone: pos such as your friends who
espouse environmentalism
and as a result walk
whenever possible instead
of taking the car.
Form: noun A lobbyist is someone hired
by a business or a cause to
persuade legislators to
Lobbyist support that business or
cause.
Tone: pos
Form: noun Proponent means someone
who is in favor of
something. You might be a
proponent of longer
Proponent Tone: pos/ neut vacations, but your parents
are proponents of a longer
school year.
Form: noun A protagonist is the central
Tone: pos/neut character in a story: the
Protagonist protagonist of Huckleberry
Finn is — guess who? —
Huckleberry Finn.
Form: verb To tout means to praise,
boast, or brag about. If you
like to tout your skill as a
Tout
Tone: pos/neut skier, you tell people you
can go down expert-level
hills.
Form: noun An adversary is someone
who fights against or
X opposes another. In tennis,
Adversary Tone: neg you stand across the net
from your adversary.
Form: noun An antagonist is someone
who opposes someone else.
X
Tone: neg
Antagonist
Form: noun one who disparages or
belittles the worth of
X Detractor
something
Example: I wonder how many
celebrities actually use the
products they ENDORSE.
Mnemonic: pick the word
spouse like the wife is the
spouse of her husband and is
always supportive of him.
Example: They Espoused the
notion of equal opportunity for
all in education.
Mnemonic: a person who waits
in the lobby of government
headquarters and wait for the
law makers to come out, to
influence them.
Example: She is a paid Lobbyist
for a drug company.
Mnemonic: A person who
PROPOSES something is a
Proponent, opposite of
OPPONENT (one who opposes)
Example: He was also a leading
Proponent of overhauling the
nation’s health care system.
Root: PROP means NEAR
Example: He is a leading
Protagonist of the conservation
movement.
Mnemonic: Tout: shout to
promote (to publicly praise or
promote)
Example: She's being Touted
as the next governor.
Mnemonic: Concentrate on
ADVERSE : one who gives us
adverse effects i.e. opponents
Example: His old adversary
beat him in the chess
tournament.
Mnemonic: Antagonist sounds
like someone who is an ANTI
(opposer)
Example: He has always been
the prime minister's most
formidable antagonist in
Parliament.
Mnemonic: contractor is one
who takes up work and supports
the work, detractor is the one
who criticize the work
 Tone: neg
Form: noun A foe is an enemy. Foes can
Tone: neg range from an adversary of
one person to that of a
nation, from “he is my
X Foe foe― to “they are my
foe.― There is also a
“that is my foe― who
those who are trying to diet
know well, aka chocolate.
Form: verb To impugn means to call
into question or attack as
wrong. If your usually
grumpy brother is suddenly
nice and sweet, you'll
impugn his motives if you're
X Impugn smart — he probably just
wants something from you.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Censorship is inimical to
freedom. So, most
teenagers would argue, are
curfews. To be inimical is to
X Inimical
Tone: neg be harmful, antagonistic, or
opposed to — like smoking
two packs a day is to
healthy lungs.
MAIN JOB , PROFESSION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Unless you can find
someone to pay you to sip
fancy tropical drinks on the
Tone: neut beach, your vocation is not
Vocation likely to be a "vacation."
Rather, the word means
something you know how to
do––or what you do for
a living.
Form: noun An avocation is an activity
that you pursue when you're
X
not at work — a hobby.
Avocation
Pretty much anything can be
an avocation: tennis,
Example: Detractors claim the
building will be ugly and
impractical.
Root: DE means
AWAY/DOWN/OFF
Example: Though dying, his
foes are afraid to approach him.
Mnemonic: Â im + PUGN -
pugn looks like pungaa(hindi);
NOW think of a person who is
habitual of taking PUNGAA, he
will always CONTRADICT people,
and will always CHALLENGE
others (impugn others).
Example: There were no real
grounds for impugning the
decision.
Root: PUG means FIGHT
Mnemonic: Â INIMICAL - inimi
(sounds like ENEMY) + cal;
Enemies are HOSTILE and of-
course UNFRIENDLY
Example: These policies are
inimical to the interests of
society.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A perfect job is
when a Vocation is a Vacation
(holiday) for a person
Example: Nursing is not just a
job — it's a Vocation.
Root: VOC means CALL
Mnemonic: AVOCATION-in a
vacation. you do very little
/minor work only....hence
avocation implies minor
occupation
 Tone: neut soduko, writing poetry. Example: The shepherds
Watchful, Sincere, and
Experience, if not Knowledge,
were known of all men, in less
pastoral avocations.

ENERGIZING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb A dip in the ocean in
January is horrifying to
some people but
Invogorating Tone: pos invigorating to others.
Invigorating describes
something that makes you
feel strong and revitalized.
Form: verb To revitalize is to restore
something to life or give it
Revitalizing Tone: pos new life. Revitalizing adds
newsness and strength.
Form: adj If you've ever been
"roused" out of your sleep
Tone: pos by someone, then you'll
Rousing have no trouble seeing that
rousing refers to anything
that gets you going, up on
your feet, energized.
Form: adj Sedate means to be calm,
but if a doctor sedates you
it means you've been
administered a tranquilizing
drug. Most surgeries
X Sedative Tone: neut require some form of
sedation, but to be sedate
in day-to-day life means
composed, quiet, and
serene. Not necessarily
unconscious.
Form: adj Something that is soporific
is sleep-inducing. Certain
X Soporific medicines, but also extreme
Tone: neut coziness, can have a
soporific effect.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: IN + VIGOR
(enthusiasm) and hence the
meaning.
Example: They felt refreshed
and invigorated after the walk.
Root: IN means INTO
Mnemonic: REVITALIZE sounds
like REVIVE
Example: The local economy
has been revitalized.
Root: RE means to AGAIN
Mnemonic: aRousing ... lively
or stirring up the crowd
Example: The team was given
a Rousing reception by the fans.
Mnemonic: When we SEE +
DATE for the exam approaching
we generally become tensed,
but the key to success is to stay
CALM.
Example: We followed the
youngsters at a more sedate
pace.
Example: The movie had a
soporific effect on the audience.
Root: SOPAR means SLEEP

PLANNED , `X` SPONTANEOUS

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If you do something in a Mnemonic: Â every calculation
calculated way, you've given is well weighed and
it quite a bit of thought "planned"..and gives us a likely
Calculated beforehand, and you're very result
Tone: neut/pos deliberate in the way you do Example: This kind of
it. entertainment is not Calculated
to be appealing to children.
 Form: adj To deliberate means to
carefully think or talk
something through — it
also means slow and
Tone: neut measured, the pace of this
Deliberate
kind of careful decision
making. If you chose
deliberately, you make a
very conscious, well-
thought-through choice.
Form: noun planning or plotting in
advance of acting
Tone: neut/pos
Forethought
Form: adj Something intentional was
Tone: neut/pos done on purpose. If a crime
Intentional was intentional, it was no
accident.
Form: adj When you premeditate, you
are planning ahead. While
most people associate this
Tone: neut word with crime, let's hope
Premeditated
you can think of a better
reason to premeditate —
like buying groceries before
a storm.
Form: adj Studied describes a result
achieved, not
spontaneously, but by
Tone: neut/pos calculated and deliberate
Studied
effort. It will probably take a
studied effort to not appear
nervous when you give an
oral presentation.
Form: adj Extemporaneous means
spoken without preparation.
Tone: pos/neut The orator's performance
X was impressive, but only
Extemporaneous after we learn that his
speech was extemporaneous
did we realize the true depth
of his talent.
Form: adj Someone impetuous acts
too hastily or carelessly.
Hotheaded, impulsive folks
X Impetuous
are impetuous.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Some of the best kinds of
parties are impromptu ones,
X Impromptu
when you decide at the last
minute to get together. The
Mnemonic: daily + berate - if
you get berated(scolded) daily,
you need to think it over as to
why it happens..
Example: She spoke in a slow
and Deliberate way.
Mnemonic: can be rearranged
as THOUGHT +BEFORE.
Example: Some Forethought
and preparation are necessary
before you embark on the
project.
Root: FORE means IN FRONT
OF
Mnemonic: INTENTION
Example: I'm sorry I left you
off the list—it wasn't
Intentional.
Mnemonic: pre+meditate -
think before planning
something.
Example: The killing was not
Premeditated.
Root: PRE means BEFORE
Mnemonic: when we have
Studied (calculated approach)
enough, we tend to score high.
Example: She introduced
herself with Studied casualness.
Mnemonic: TEMPORARILY done
in haste and so not planned.
Example: His playing was
polished yet essayistic and
almost extemporaneous.
Root: EX means OUT OF
Mnemonic: im(not)-pet-
tuo(to)-us...a dog which is not
our pet will be very VIOLENT
and RASH.
Example: She is an impetuous
young woman.
Mnemonic: IM means NOT and
PROMPTU can be remembered
as PROMPT. So a person who is
not prompt.
 Tone: pos/neut adjective impromptu
describes things done or
said without previous
thought or preparation.
Form: verb To improvise means to
make something up on the
spot, or figure it out as you
go. "Our boss decided to
Tone: neg improvise his speech at our
X Improvise
company meeting and when
he started going off-topic,
everyone could tell he
hadn't prepared in
advance."
Form: adj The adjective offhand
describes a remark or
comment that is made
without previous thought or
X Offhand preparation. If you are at a
Tone: neg wedding, you may want to
make a few offhand but nice
remarks about the bride and
groom.
Example: They often held
impromptu meetings at their
house.
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: I Am Pro - vise - I
am proved wise as I have done
it without actually preparing for
it beforehand.
Example: There isn't much
equipment. We're going to have
to improvise.
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Â offhand - hands
on means experience, you have
prepared for that , so offhands
means something without
preparation
Example: He spoke
offhandedly, making it clear I
had no say in the matter.

EXTRA , UNNECESSARY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj Irrelevant, unnecessary, not Mnemonic: Think of news
required channels....EXTRA+NEWS...In
order to get TRP, news
channels show irrelevant or
unrelated things hence the
Extraneous news are most of the times
Extraneous
Tone: neg Example: We do not want any
Extraneous information on the
page.
Root: EXTR- means OUTWARD
Form: adj The word redundant applies Mnemonic: Redundant rhymes
to things that are Abundant and that is the
unnecessary or could be left meaning (more than
Redundant out. Calling a blank sheet of necessary).
Tone: neg paper empty is redundant. Example: The picture has too
much Redundant detail.
Root: RE means AGAIN.
Form: adj When something is so Mnemonic: divide it as
unnecessary that it could super+flow.. when there is
easily be done away with, large(super) flow of water, it
like a fifth wheel on a car or becomes EXCESSIVE /
Superfluous a fifth person on a double OVERABUNDANCE of water..
Tone: neg date, call it superfluous. Example: She gave him a look
that made words Superfluous.
Root: SUPER means ABOVE.
 RESOLUTE , DETERMINED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj In the old Looney Tunes
cartoons, Wile E. Coyote's
pursuit of the Road Runner
is dogged. He simply will not
Dogged give up. The Road Runner is
Tone: pos
dogged by the Coyote, who
will not stop chasing him.
Form: verb If something endures, it
lasts: Beethoven's fame has
endured for more than 200
Tone: pos years. But if you endure
Endure
something, you suffer
through it: We endured our
teacher's slide shows of her
vacation photographs.
Form: adj If you can't change it, it's
immutable. There are many
things in life that are
Immutable immutable; these
Tone: pos unchangeable things include
death, taxes, and the laws
of physics.
Form: adj Someone who is
indefatigable can go on for a
very long time without
becoming tired. You might
Indefatigable Tone: pos not be so happy to have an
indefatigable guide on your
walking trip––you'll
have blisters, but she'll see
no reason not to keep going.
Form: v Use the verb persevere
when you want to persist in
anything and continue
Persevere Tone: pos despite difficulties or
obstacles.
Form: noun Persistence is the ability to
stick with something. If you
Tone: pos practice the violin for over a
Persistence year before you can play
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
perfectly, that's persistence!
Form: adj Use the adjective resolute to
describe a purposeful and
determined person,
Resolute someone who wants to do
Tone: pos something very much, and
won't let anything get in the
way.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â a dogs tail is
always curved and can never be
made straight thus it is Dogged.
Example: Although the men
fought Doggedly on, a sense of
hopeless despair engulfed them.
Mnemonic: Endure -en (enable
) + dure (long distance); enable
upto the long distance.
Example: They had to Endure a
long wait before the case came
to trial.
Root: EN means INTO.
Mnemonic: mutation implies
changes in genes etc.
Therefore, if it is im (non) +
mutable it cannot be changed.
Example: This decision should
not be seen as Immutable.
Root: MUT means CHANGE.
Mnemonic: Â in means
not..and fatigue means
tiredness.. so Indefatigable
would be tireless..
Example: She was
Indefatigable in her search for
the truth.
Root: IN means INTO/VERY
Mnemonic: Persevere-
persistent+severe,he is very
severely persistent.
Example: Despite a number of
setbacks, they Persevered in
their attempts to fly around the
world in a balloon.
Mnemonic: sounds like
PERSIST/ EXIST
Example: His Persistence was
finally rewarded when the
insurance company agreed to
pay for the damage.
Mnemonic: we make
resolutions on jan 1st and we
are determined to follow them
atleast for that day!
Example: He became even
more Resolute in his opposition
to the plan.
 Form: adj Someone who is firm and
determined in a belief or a
position can be called
steadfast in that view, like
your mom when she thinks
Steadfast you really shouldn’t
Tone: pos wear that outfit.
Form: adj Use tenacious to mean "not
easily letting go or giving
up," like a clingy child who
has a tenacious grip on his
Tenacious mother's hand.
Tone: pos
Mnemonic: Steadfast- stood +
first ; One who has always
STOOD by you and is the FIRST
one to help you is a LOYAL
friend. Another meaning -
Always STEADY so unswerving
Example: He remained
Steadfast in his determination
to bring the killers to justice.
Root: STEAD means PLACE
Mnemonic: Sounds like ten
Asians. Ten developing Asian
countries if united together,
cannot be pulled apart.
Example: She's a Tenacious
woman. She never gives up.
Root: TEN means HOLD/ HOLD
TOGETHER.

TO OBJECT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb When you disregard the
rules about not wearing
Tone: neg sunglasses in school,
proudly sporting your
Defy purple aviator glasses in
math class, you've made a
decision to defy — to
resist or challenge — the
school rules.
Form: verb Your mother asks you to
pick up your room. You
refuse: you demur. Your
friend wants to go to the
Tone: neut/neg Death Metal Forever
Demur
concert, but you hesitate:
you demur. Whether you
strongly object, politely
disagree, or hesitate to
agree, you demur.
Form: noun To dissent is to publicly
disagree with an official
opinion or decision. Dissent
is also a noun referring to
Dissent Tone: neg public disagreement.
Form: verb When your younger brother
Object runs around the house with
scissors, you should
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Defy sounds like
DENY.
Example: I wouldn't have dared
to Defy my teachers.
Mnemonic: If Aunt Tilly offers
to knit a sweater for you, you
might politely Demur, being
reluctant to accept.
Example: At first she
Demurred, but then finally
agreed.
Mnemonic: ASSENT, ACCORD
etc means to agree and Dissent,
DISCORD etc means to
disagree.
Example: Voices of Dissent
began to rise against the
established authority in the
1950s and 1960s.
Root: DIS means NOT
Mnemonic: Object is just a
verb (action) form of ObjectION.
 Tone: neut/neg definitely object. Perhaps a
less sharp object such as a
roll of paper towels would
suffice.
Form: verb A quibble is a small
argument or fight. As a
Quibble Tone: neg verb, it means to pick a
mini-fight over something
that doesn't really matter.
Example: Many local people
Object to the building of the
new airport.
Root: OB means AGAINST.
Mnemonic: Query + babble
(minor objection/murmuring).
Example: It isn't worth
quibbling over such a small
amount.

TO MAKE UP , CREATE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb Make up a story, idea,etc, Mnemonic: CON means
especially falsely. TOGETHER...
Tone: pos Example: He Concocted an
Concoct
excuse to avoid punishment.
Root: CON means
WITH/TOGETHER
Form: verb To devise is to figure out a Mnemonic: Only WISE people
plan. Men twirling long can Devise/ invent things.
Devise Tone: pos mustaches might devise a Example: A new system has
plan to tie someone to the been Devised to control traffic in
railroad tracks. the city.
Form: verb To formulate is to come up Mnemonic: Formulate sounds
with a plan. If you are like CALCULATE…when we
locked out of your house, calculate you think well, that is
you'll need to formulate a similar to FORMULATING
Formulate
Tone: poa plan to get back inside — Example: She has lots of good
preferably one that doesn't ideas, but she has difficulty
involving kicking in the formulating them.
door.

STUBBORN
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If you Mnemonic: A+DAM+ant...A DAM IS
stubbornly GENERALLY INFLEXIBLE AND HARD so
refuse to vehicles can pass through it.
change your
Adamant Tone: neg mind about Example: Eva was Adamant that she would
something, not come.
you are
adamant
about it.
Form: adj Have you Mnemonic: Defiant sounds like DEFY +
ever seen a ARROGANT.
Tone: neg picture of a Example: The terrorists sent a Defiant
Defiant protester who message to the government.
is about to be
carried off by
police but is
 still shouting
or resisting,
fighting to the
bitter end?
That person is
defiant.
Form: adj Someone Mnemonic: (in)corr(gible) - in (NOT) eligible
incorrigible to be corrected or cant be corrected
seems to be
Tone: neg beyond Example: I thought you had given me up
correcting or long ago as an Incorrigible boy, who would
improving. have his own way.
When you talk
Incorrigible
about an
incorrigible
drunk, you're
saying they're
never going
to stop
drinking.
Form: adj Can't manage Mnemonic: Intractable is
your stubborn IN(Not)+TRACT(STRETCH)+ABLE(Do)...means
little brother if something/someone is not
who won't do stretchable/flexible,implies STUBBORN or
what anyone UNYIELDING.
says? You
Tone: neg could call him Example: Unemployment was proving to be
Intractable intractable, or an Intractable problem.
you could call
your mother. Root: IN means NOT.
Problems are
intractable
when they
can't be
solved.
Form: adj Intransigent Mnemonic: Â Intransigent - in-'not' +
means transact - won't do the transaction
inflexible,
Tone: neg stubborn, Example: An Intransigent conservative
entrenched. opposed to every liberal tendency.
Argue all you
like with an Root: IN means NOT.
intransigent
Intransigent
three-year-
old. He will
never back
down from
the position
that he wants
the lollipop
NOW.
Form: adj unreasonably Example: I rode a big mule not used to the
Tone: neg rigid in the bit, very troublesome and Mulish at first, but
face of broken in an hour.
Mulish
argument or
entreaty or
attack
 Form: adj Obdurate is a Mnemonic: OB+DURA(RELATE IT TO WORD
formal word DURABILITY)..SO anything which has
meaning durability..has the resisting power, and
stubborn. If something which can resist, is stubborn.
you want to
major in
Tone: neg English, but Example: The child's misery would move
your parents even the most Obdurate heart.
Obdurate are obdurate
that you Root: OB means AGAINST
should go
premed, they
might go so
far as to
threaten not
to pay your
tuition.
Form: adj When Mnemonic: obs+tin(ate), obsessive
someone is teens,they are stubborn,hard to control
beyond
Tone: neg stubborn, use Example: He can be very Obstinate when he
the word wants to be!
Obstinate
obstinate
instead: "You Root: STIN means STAND
obstinate old
mule! Get out
of my way!"
Form: adj If you Mnemonic: Pertinacious - pre(before) +
won’t take teenage : The age before teenage is where a
no for an person shows a childish behaviour and is very
answer, stubborn in a negative sense.
you’re
pertinacious.
Tone: neg The same Example: Jones was the most vocal and
holds true if Pertinacious of all her critics.
you
Pertinacious stubbornly
push on a
door despite a
sign that says
“pull.―
Pertinacious
means
unyielding or
perversely
persistent.
Form: adj Something Mnemonic: if we remove letter "p" and if we
perverse, or only concentrate on the reverse-this sounds
improper, similar to reverse- which is nothing but
doesn't have leading to opposite path which is not
a whole lot of acceptable in society.
Perverse good things
going for it,
Tone: neg even if it Example: She finds a Perverse pleasure in
brings a few upsetting her parents.
laughs.
 Form: adj If someone is Mnemonic: Â re+calci(calculator-
so pig-headed >calculate)+trant....so imagine a person who
that he won't has made a mistake in calculations using a
budge on an calci and is unwilling to re-calculate...it shows
issue, call him he is STUBBORN
Recalcitrant recalcitrant.
Not that it will
make a
Tone: neg difference Example: The University suspended the most
Recalcitrant demonstrators.

Form: adj Imagine Mnemonic: Â Refractory-means factor ,who

yourself always factors the law into piece,means don't
pulling a dog follow the law.
who doesn't
Tone: neg want to walk. Example: He is a Refractory child.
Refractory
The dog is
refractory, or
stubbornly
resisting your
authority.
Form: adj Willful means Mnemonic: wil+ful... full of will to do
"deliberate" something..something intentional (done
or "stubborn." purposely).
Tone: neg A child who Example: She is a Willful child.
exhibits willful
disobedience
Willful knows she is
doing
something
wrong (even
if she tries to
convince you
otherwise).

TO ACCEPT , AGREE , GIVE IN

Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb If you accede, it means you
agree with someone or give
Tone: neut/pos in to his or her wish. The
word is often used in a
Accede political context — the
Queen acceded to the
Prince's demands for more
territory, a larger army, and
funnier jesters.
Form: verb To acquiesce is to agree to
something or to give in. If
your kid sister is refusing to
Acquiesce hand over the television
remote, you hope she
acquiesces before your
favorite show comes on.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: sounds like accept
+ agreed : Accede
Example: He Acceded to
demands for his resignation.
Mnemonic:
Acquiesce..concentrate on the
part quie. and remember
quiet.. which means
submissive.. or imagine
someone who is quiet will give
in/ agree without any protest.
 Tone: neut
Form: adj If your friends want to try
sky diving and you're
amenable to the idea,
sounds like you're going to
Amenable be jumping out of a plane. If
Tone: pos/neut a person or thing is
amenable to something,
they are ready, willing, or
responsive.
Form: noun Assent means agreement. If
you nod your head in
assent, you agree to
something or you assent to
Assent it. You can assent in the
Tone: neut/pos same contexts as agree, but
you'll seem a bit more
serious.
Form: adj If you are willing to submit
to someone's request, then
you are compliant. Parents
Compliant
Tone: neut/pos like it when their teenagers
are compliant and follow the
rules.
Form: verb Comply is to act according
to someone's wishes or
rules. Although you might
like to stay out with your
Comply friends, you'll have to
Tone: neut
comply with your parents'
rules and be home by
midnight.
Form: verb If you concede something,
you admit that it is true,
proper, or
certain––usually in an
unwilling way and often in
Concede the context of a
Tone: pos/neut
competition, as in "At
midnight, the candidate
finally conceded defeat."
Form: verb To concur is to agree or
approve of something. If
someone says something
you agree with, you can say
Concur Tone: neut/pos "I concur!"
Example: Senior government
figures must have Acquiesced
in the cover-up.
Mnemonic: Amen is a word
used in Christianity. Meaning of
which is I agree. So Amenable
means something that we
agree to.
Example: They had three very
Amenable children.
Mnemonic: Assent sounds like
as sent; press editor agreed
and published the article 'as
sent' by us without any
modifications.
Example: There were murmurs
of both Assent and dissent from
the crowd.
Mnemonic: one who never
complains and obeys everyone
is Compliant !
Example: Most of the patients
were Compliant with the diet.
Mnemonic: com+ply -com cab
be related to computer and it
works according to our
instructions and wishes.
Example: They refused to
Comply with the U.N.
resolution.
Root: COM means TOGETHER
Mnemonic: if your mom is
pointing out that you need
sleep before the test, you
should Concede the truth of
what she's saying.
Example: He was forced to
Concede (that) there might be
difficulties.
Root: CON means
WITH/TOGETHER
Mnemonic: when a king
conquers(Concur) a state then
the people in the state have to
agree with it
Example: Historians have
Concurred with each other in
this view.
Root: CON means
WITH/TOGETHER
 Form: adj If someone is docile, he is
easily taught or handled. If
you suddenly became a
trouble-maker in class, your
Docile teachers would long for the
Tone: pos days when you were sweet
and docile.
Form: adj A malleable personality is
capable of being changed or
trained, and a malleable
Tone: neut metal is able to be pounded
Malleable
or pressed into various
shapes. It's easier to learn
when you're young and
malleable.
Form: adj pliant describes something
that adjusts to conditions or
is easily influenced: "In
Tone: neut/pos order to survive the
Pliant
recession, the company had
to be pliant and adjust to
the new economic
conditions."
Form: verb Being unwilling to relent is a
good qualification for a sales
person. You have to keep
trying to make the sale and
never give in until you've
Relent made it.
Tone: neut/pos
Form: verb Use the verb succumb to
say that someone yields to
something they've tried to
Succumb fight off, such as despair,
Tone: neut
temptation, disease or
injury.
Form: verb Yield has two meanings that
seem quite different: "an
Tone: neut amount" or "to give way."
The yield of the recipe was
Yield twelve brownies. To avoid
being tripped, Mary was
forced to yield to the
children on her way to the
brownie plate.
TO PROVE FALSE , TO DISPROVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: Docile contains
'doc' as in doctor; You have to
be Docile (easily managed or
handled) in front of your
doctor.
Example: All my tution
students are quite Docile and
hence I enjoy teaching them.
Root: DOC means TO TEACH
Mnemonic: relate with
meltable; so possible to
reshape.
Example: The softness and
malleability of gold makes it
perfect for making jewelry.
Mnemonic: Pliant sounds like
PLANT ( flexible, easily bent)
compared to a tree.
Example: He was deposed and
replaced by a more Pliant
successor.
Mnemonic: re- re+lent,
imagine you lent something to
your friend, and you need it
back but your friend needs it
even more than you do, so you
Relent and lend the thing
again.
Example: “Well, just for a
little while then,― she said,
finally Relenting.
Root: RE means AGAIN
Mnemonic: Succumb(Suck +
thumb)- Children doesn't give
up sucking their thumb.
Example: They were all offered
bribes and some of them
Succumbed.
Mnemonic: When you cannot
shield, you then Yield to force.
Example: After a long siege,
the town was forced to Yield.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: verb To belie means to
contradict. If you are 93 but
Tone: neg look like you are 53, then
Belie your young looks belie your
age.
Form: verb When you debunk
something you show it to be
false. For over a century
people have tried to debunk
the notion of natural
Debunk selection, but no one has
Tone: neg succeeded. It's a very hard
idea to debunk.
Form: verb Discredit means to cause
mistrust or cast the
accuracy of something into
doubt. If you say that
Discredit schooling is important to
Tone: neg
you, but you never study,
your actions discredit you
and your words.
Form: verb The verb expostulate means
to reason with someone
against an intended course
Tone: neg of action. Your parent you
Expostulate
always expostulate about
your really cool money-
making ideas. They just
don't understand!
Form: verb To rebut is to argue against
something. If your parents
say you're too young and
Rebut irresponsible to drive, you
Tone: neg can rebut their claim by
ticking off examples of your
responsibility.
Form: verb The verb refute is to prove
that something is wrong.
When the kids you're
babysitting swear they
Refute brushed their teeth, you can
Tone: neg refute their claim by
presenting the dry
toothbrushes.
Form: verb Remonstrate means to call
someone on something
Remonstrate that's wrong. If your mother
yells at you in public, you
might call this getting
Mnemonic: Belie sounds like
lie.
Example: Her energy and
youthful good looks Belie her 65
years.
Root: BE means THOROUGHLY,
MAKE or RENDER.
Mnemonic: DE+BUNK..so when
you bunk your college, and get
caught by your teacher... your
teacher exaggerates this fact
and ridicules you in front of the
class.
Example: His theories have
been Debunked by recent
research.
Root: DE means AWAY/ DOWN/
OFF
Mnemonic: DIS (not) giving
CREDIT or honoring someone
would definitely mean to
damage that persons image.
Example: The photos were
deliberately taken to Discredit
the president.
Root: DIS means NOT
Mnemonic: Ex+ Posing
(exposing) details unnecessarily
may be opposed.
Example: The man was
struggling violently, and
expostulating in no mild terms.
Root: EX means OUT OF
Mnemonic: When you
REpeatedly say BUT,you are
trying to contradict something
using arguments or evidences
Example: He issued a firm
Rebuttal to the accusations.
Root: RE- means AGAIN
Mnemonic: Refute rhymes with
refuse, when you DISAPPROVE
OF something, or if something
is false or incorrect..you Refute
it or disapprove..
Example: She Refutes any
suggestion that she behaved
unprofessionally.
Mnemonic: Remonstrate
sounds like demonstrate...so
remember it like when you are
demonstrative you can protest
for something.
 Tone: neg chewed out. She might call
it remonstrating. Either
way, it's embarrassing.
FAMOUS , IMPORTANT PERSON
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Anyone highly regarded or
prominent is eminent.
People that are eminent are
Eminent giants in their field.
Tone: pos
Form: noun In scientific writing, Stephen
J. Hawking is a luminary.
People look up to this well-
known scientist and author
Luminary for his knowledge and
Tone: pos
insight.
Form: adj Calling someone preeminent
means they're truly
Tone: pos outstanding or better than
Pre-
everyone else — not in
Eminent
general, but in a specific
field or specialty. Such as a
preeminent geologist.
Form: noun Stature is the another way
to say "height of a person,"
like the surprising stature of
Stature the movie star who seems
Tone: pos so much taller in his action
movies.
UNPLEASANT SMELL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If you want to understand
the true meaning of fetid,
Tone: neg leave your sweaty gym
Fetid clothes in your locker for a
few days. Fetid is a fancy
way of saying that
something smells really bad.
Form: adj You can use the adjective
malodorous as a nicer way
Malodorous to say that something's
stinky. Maybe you think
your feet smell like roses,
Example: They Remonstrated
with the official about the
decision.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Like the singer
"EMINEM" who is STANDING
ABOVE OTHER rap artists IN
QUALITY AND POSITION
Example: Mr. Vijay Mallya is an
Eminent peronality in the
business world.
Mnemonic: Luminary sounds
like luminous(under light).So,a
celebrity who is in the limelight
inspiring others.
Example: He has played with
all the great jazz luminaries.
Root: LUC means LIGHT/ CLEAR
Mnemonic: preeminent sounds
like prominent
Example: Dickens was
preeminent among English
writers of his day.
Root: PRE means BEFORE
Mnemonic: Stature sounds like
Statue.. All over the country we
have statues of people who are
famous and prominent.
Example: She is an actress of
considerable Stature.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Fetid sounds like
Feet smells bad
Example: I cannot stand the
Fetid odor of rotting vegetables.
Mnemonic: Â mal(means
bad)+odor(sounds simillar to
odour)..+us.......smelling..bad
odour of some chemicals is
dangerous to health.
 Tone: neg but if people move far away
when your shoes come off,
your rosy feet are probably
malodorous.
Form: adj If you accidentally leave half
a sandwich under your bed
for a few days, cover your
Tone: neg nose while you sleep
Noisome
because it will probably
become quite noisome. This
is a fancy way of saying that
it will stink.
Form: adj Something that's
odoriferous carries a smell.
Tone: neut
Odoriferous
Form: adj You know that science
experiment that used to be
lunch that is now rotting in
Putrid the back of your fridge?
Tone: neg Because it's decomposing
and stinks to high heaven,
you can call it putrid.
Form: adj Rank to describe an
especially foul smell. No
matter what rank you are,
Rank you must not enjoy walking
into the mess hall and
Tone: neg realizing that the rank smell
in the air is today's lunch.
Form: adj Something that is fragrant
has a nice smell. What
Tone: pos makes a smell nice is
X Fragrant
subjective, or course. You
might find bowl of dried
lavender to be fragrant.
Form: adj When something is redolent
of something, it makes you
think of that thing by
X Redolent Tone: pos making a pretty strong
impression on you. He had a
shifty eye redolent of years
of lying and petty crime.
DECAY , ROT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Something that is brackish
is unpleasant and harsh, like
Brackish
the coffee you left on too
long or the water in a
Example: She could not
understand how his son could
eat such a Malodorous dish.
Root: MAL means BAD
Mnemonic: NOSE+ NOISE
(Noisome is something that
makes noise in our nose).
Example: It's no fun having
asthma and living in an area
with Noisome smog.
Mnemonic: Odoriferous sounds
like ODOUR with a similar
meaning.
Example: Spices, Odoriferous
woods, and aromatic herbs,
tea, coffee, oranges, nutmeg,
and ginger, are exceedingly
plentiful.
Mnemonic: put+rid...anything
that is rotten and foul smelling,
we would want to get rid of it
immediately.
Example: Everyone will detest
the Putrid smell of rotten meat.
Mnemonic: Rank sounds like
RANG.The stink rang our nose
even after the garbage loaded
truck had passed by, atleast an
hour back.
Example: The house was full of
the Rank smell of urine.
Mnemonic: FRAGRANT/
FRAGRANCE.
Example: The air was fragrant
with scents from the ocean and
the hills.
Mnemonic: red+(Rose)+olent;
The Red rose you lent has a
pleasant smell.
Example: The kitchen is
redolent with the smell of
baking.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Brackish sounds
like BLACKISH. The vegetables
were rotten to the extent that it
looked almost blackish.
 Tone: neg muddy pond.
Form: noun The noun carrion refers to
the dead and rotting flesh of
an animal. Ever seen a dead
Carrion opossum or cat in the road?
Tone: neg You can call that road kill
carrion.
Form: noun If you suspect that
something in your yard is in
Putrefaction Tone: neg a state of putrefaction,
there's probably something
stinky and rotten out there.
Form: adj Rancid is a great name for a
post-punk band, but a lousy
way to describe the sauce
on your eggs Benedict.
Rancid Rancid means sour, rotten,
nasty and refers most
specifically to the sharp bad
Tone: neg smell of decomposing oils or
fats.
Form: adj Anything wholesome is good
for you. Hopscotch is in
most cases a wholesome
X game, since you can't get
Wholesome into much trouble while
Tone: pos hopping up and down on the
concrete.
TASTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Something delectable is
extremely delicious or
appealing. Nothing tastes
Delectable
Tone: pos better at the end of a meal
than an array of delectable
desserts and pastries!
Form: adj Pleasantly sharp taste.
Piquant
Tone: pos
Form: adj Something savory is full of
flavor, delicious and tasty
Tone: pos — usually something that
Savory
someone has cooked. In the
world of cuisine, savory is
also often used to mean the
Example: The office coffee is
often some Brackish brew that's
been sitting around for a couple
of hours.
Mnemonic: CARRYING rotten
flesh from one place to another,
that is what Vultures do.
Example: The Carrion Crow is
found as far North as Carolina.
Root: CARN means FLESH
Mnemonic: Putrefaction is the
opposite of PURIFICATION.
Example: The smell was awful.
Putrefaction had already set in.
Mnemonic:
ran+acid(acid)...presence of
acid(secreted by bacteria during
the process of fermentation) in
curd makes the curd bitter in
taste and bad in smell
Example: There was a Rancid
smell coming from the kitchen.
Mnemonic: Whole (complete,
full, total) + some (a part of, a
little portion)...you can take
some parts of the whole. A
feeling of entirety.
Example: It was clean
wholesome fun.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Something delicious
on table arouses desire.
Example: I love the Delectable
smell of freshly baked bread.
Mnemonic: PI+QUANT Quant in
GRE is more attracting and
delighting than Verbal
Example: The chicken served
with a Piquant wild mushroom
sauce.
Mnemonic: Â Save + Poori is
pleasant to taste.
Example: I am getting a Savory
smell from the kitchen.
 opposite of sweet, or salty.

Form: adj If you describe something as Mnemonic: Strawberry

scrumptious, you'd probably
Tone: pos like to eat every last crumb.
Scrumptious
Can I have another slice of
that scrumptious pie?
Please?
Form: adj Succulent means "juicy" and
is often used to describe
Tone: pos food. Think a succulent
piece of meat, or berries so
Succulent
succulent you’re left
sucking juice off your
fingertips when you eat
them.
Form: adj Sumptuous could be used to
describe a room appointed
with the finest furniture, a
lush orchestra playing a
Sumptuous beautiful symphony, or a
meal meant for a king.
Tone: pos
Form: adj Use the adjective
unpalatable to describe
something that tastes really
bad, like a glass of
X unsweetened lemonade.
Unpalatable Tone: neg
CRUMble is deliCIOUS
Example: I baked a
Scrumptious chocolate cake
Mnemonic: You suck a fruit
only if it is Succulent.
Example: A buffet table was set
with an array of Succulent
roasts.
Mnemonic: Â just focus on
SUM(means whole
amount)+ptuous.....well you
have decided to spend whole
amount of yours ( around a
crore )on your wedding..so you
are trying to be Sumptuous.
Example: We dined in
Sumptuous surroundings.
Mnemonic: Something that is
UNPALATABLE (not tasty) is
definitely not worth serving on
the PLATE. So remember it as
'UN-PLATABLE'
Example: The insects store this
chemical in their bodies in order
to make themselves unpalatable
to predators.
Root: UN means NOT

CANCEL,TAKE BACK STATEMENT

Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb When a celebrity wakes up
in Las Vegas with a
mysterious wedding ring on
Tone: neg her finger, the first thing
Annul she’ll probably want to
do is annul the marriage.
That will declare it invalid
and officially cancel the
whole deal.
Form: verb To disavow is to deny
support for someone or
something. You might feel
Disavow dissed if your biggest donor
Tone: neg
decides to suddenly
disavow you in your run for
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: an + nul - so to
nullify something means to
make it zero or to make it void
Example: Their marriage was
Annulled after just two months.
Mnemonic: Disavow can be
split into dis+allow which means
to refuse.
Example: The coach Disavowed
responsibility for the player's
behavior.
 president.
Form: verb Gainsay, a verb, means
"contradict" or "speak out
against." When you
Gainsay challenge authority, you
Tone: neg gainsay, as in teachers
don't like it when unruly
students gainsay them.
Form: adj Null means having no
value; in other words null is
Tone: neg/neut zero, like if you put so little
Null sugar in your coffee that
it’s practically null. Null
also means invalid, or
having no binding force.
Form: verb If you're someone who
speaks before you think,
you may need to recant, or
take back, that overly
honest assessment of your
Recant friend's new haircut.
Tone: neg
Form: verb To renege is to go back on
your word or fail to keep a
promise.
Renege
Tone: neg
Form: verb To repeal something —
usually a law, ordinance or
Tone: neg public policy — is to take
it back. For example, dog
Repeal lovers might want the town
council to repeal the law
that says residents can
have no more than four
dogs.
Form: verb To repudiate something is
to reject it, or to refuse to
accept or support it. If you
grow up religious, but
Repudiate repudiate all organized
Tone: neg religion as an adult, you
might start spending
holidays at the movies, or
just going to work.
Form: verb If you get a call saying a
company has decided to
rescind your job offer, it's
back to the classifieds for
Rescind you. Rescind is an official
Tone: neg reversal.
Root: DIS means NOT
Mnemonic: She has (Gain)ed
weight but she is not (say)ing it
which means, she is denying the
fact.
Example: Nobody can Gainsay
his claims.
Mnemonic: Null sounds like
NIL.
Example: The contract was
declared Null and void.
Mnemonic: RE (again) + CANT
(cannot) - "I have told you this
AGAIN and AGAIN, it CANNOT
be done, it has been
REJECTED."
Example: He made a public
Recantation of all his former
beliefs.
Root: RE means AGAIN and
CANT means CHARM/SING
Mnemonic: Â RENEGADE is a
traitor of a country.. Renege is a
traitor of his own words..
Example: They had promised to
pay her tuition but later
Reneged.
Mnemonic: rejection of an
appeal - Repeal
Example: The committee does
not have the power to Repeal
the ban.
Mnemonic: Â he ate the
PUDDING AGAIN.. When his
mother asked him if he ate the
pudding, he tried to Repudiate
(deny eating it)
Example: Socialism had been
Repudiated at the polls.
Mnemonic: Â Rescind reminds
us of "resign", where resign is to
cancel your appointment and
Rescind is to cancel an
agreement.
Example: The company later
Rescinded its offer.
Root: RE means AGAIN
 Form: verb Have you ever said
something you wish you
Tone: neut could retract, or take back?
You're not alone. Even
Retract newspapers and magazines
have sections where the
editors can retract
something written that was
incorrect.
Form: verb When you revoke
something, you officially
cancel it, like when you
revoke your sister's "coolest
Revoke sibling" award because she
shows your friends funny
pictures of you from when
Tone: neg you were little.
Form: noun Invalidate or nullify
Void Tone: neg/neut
BREAK A RULE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A breach is a violation of a
law, duty, or promise. If
Tone: neg you'd contracted to mow
Breach your neighbor's lawn and
don't do it, he can sue you
for breach of contract. Or he
can mow the lawn himself.
Form: verb To flout is to scorn or show
contempt for. "I flout the
law and the concept of
Flout civilian safety by making a
Tone: neg concerted effort to jaywalk
every time I cross a street."
Form: verb To accept a rule, law or
judgement without question
X Abide
Tone: pos
Form: verb Follow instructions, rules,
X
etc closely
Adhere
Mnemonic: Retract-RE TAKE
IT, meaning to take back
Example: He made a false
confession, which he later
Retracted.
Root: TRACT means TO PULL/
DRAW
Mnemonic: Revoke sounds like
PROVOKE. When you provoke
your friend again and again (RE)
to start an argument, he may
altogether Revoke (cancel) any
kind of ties that he shares with
you.
Example: The judge Revoked
her driver's license.
Mnemonic: Void is nothing but
VACCUM
Example: Because they were
not happy in their marriage,
they had it Voided.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Breach sounds like
brea(k)(ch)...break the contract
Example: Selling goods
constituted a Breach of
regulation 10B.
Mnemonic: Flout... FOUL +
OUT. When a player is sent out
by foul, the player shows his
contempt to the referee.
Example: Motorists regularly
Flout the law.
Mnemonic: bide in abide
sounds like bind(something that
binds you).....so abide means
something that fails to bind you
from your heart..but you merely
have to tolerate and follow.
Example: The act does not spell
out any consequences for failing
to abide the rule.
Root: AB means FROM
Mnemonic: adhere - add +
here; so adding two things
together means to stick them.
 Tone: pos Example: Corporations rule the
roost, and don't have any
particular moral standard to
which they adhere.
DISLOYALTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb When you betray someone
or something, you provide
information whether you
Tone: neg mean to do it or not, like the
BETRAY loud growling of your
stomach that betrays your
hunger or the secret you tell
about your friend that
betrays her trust.
Form: adj If something is slowly and
secretly causing harm, it's
insidious — like the rumors
no one seems to listen to
INSIDIOUS until suddenly someone's
Tone: neg
reputation is ruined.
Form: noun If you shared your most
embarrassing secrets with a
friend who then told them to
PERFIDY everyone he knows, his
Tone: neg betrayal could be described
as perfidy.
Form: noun A quisling is a traitor,
especially one who
collaborates with an enemy
occupying force for personal
QUISLING gain.
Tone: neg
Form: noun A traitor says one thing but
does another. If you
promise a friend you'll keep
TRAITOR
Tone: neg his secret, but instead you
blab it to everyone, you're a
traitor.
Form: noun Treachery is trickery,
cheating, and deceit, like
Tone: neg the treachery of your former
TREACHERY friend who only stuck
around until he stole your
girlfriend and turned the
whole grade against you
Form: noun Hacking your brother’s
TREASON
email account and sharing
Mnemonic/Example
Example: He was offered
money to BETRAY his
colleagues.
Root: BE means INTENSIVE/
THOROUGH/MAKE/RENDER
Mnemonic: INSIDIOUS-
inside+ hideous. think of
something terrible, like a
disease, hiding inside the body.
Example: This kind of
advertising acts INSIDIOUSly on
young minds.
Root: IN means VERY
Mnemonic: per+ fidy- without
fidelity i.e cheat upon your close
ones,in general cheat or breach
something/ someone.
Example: In Act 2 he learns of
Giovanni's PERFIDY and swears
revenge.
Mnemonic: QUISLING- split like
QUIT+LINK means a culprit
quits and collaborate (link)with
enemy
Example: QUISLING finally
gave in, allowing the imprisoned
teachers to return home.
Mnemonic: TRAITOR and a
CHEATER sounds and means
similar.
Example: He was seen as a
TRAITOR to the socialist cause.
Mnemonic: treach+her-trick
her-deceit somone
Example: He was punished for
his treacheries.
Mnemonic: Trickery with a
Reason calls for a TREASON
 Tone: neg all his secrets with your
mom could be considered an
act of personal treason,
meaning you have betrayed
your brother.
Form: noun Have you ever switched
political parties, taken up a
different religion, or —
worst of all — changed
TURNCOAT Tone: neg which sports team you
support? You are a turncoat
then, a deeply hostile word
meaning a traitor or
deserter to the cause.
Form: noun Every second grader knows
how to pledge allegiance to
the flag, but do you think
they realize when they place
X
their right hand over their
ALLEGIANCE
Tone: pos hearts that they're
expressing loyalty to what
we call the "Red, White, and
Blue"?
Form: noun Stemming from the Latin
word "fidelitas," the noun
Tone: pos fealty is related to "fidelity,"
X FEALTY and is another way of saying
"loyalty" or "faithfulness.".
Form: noun Fidelity is the quality of
being faithful or loyal. Dogs
are famous for their fidelity.
X FIDELITY
Tone: pos
Example: Ocalan, who has
been found guilty of TREASON,
is being held in solitary
confinement on a remote island
prison.
Mnemonic: if you turn your
coat then you show your back...
and one who back stabs you is a
traitor..
Example: In the days before his
unmasking, he was strangely
haunted by the subject of
TURNCOATs.
Mnemonic: We have heard the
fancy stories of ALI and his GIN
- his gin is COMMITTED and
LOYAL to him.. hence ALLE +
GI(A)N + CE
Example: People of various
party allegiances joined the
campaign.
Mnemonic: sounds like
fidelity....fidelity means loyalty
Example: Now let us shake
hands all around and swear
fealty.
Root: FEAL means TRUST/
FAITH
Mnemonic: look for the root
word fid...means faith, belief..so
words like fidelity, confide,
diffident, bonafide, fiduciary..all
have 'fid' common in it and all
these words are related to
involving trust or faith, similarly
fidelity
Example: The best printers can
reproduce photographs with
amazing fidelity.
Root: FID means TRUST/ FAITH

JUST BEGINNING , DEVELOPING

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If something is Mnemonic: embryo+nic.. an EMBRYO
described as is a cell which is UNDEVLOPED (of
embryonic, it's just human, hen etc ), so the
starting to develop underdeveloped stage is called
EMBRYONIC or come together. EMBRYONIC.
Tone: neut An "embryo" is a Example: The plan, as yet, only exists
person or animal in EMBRYONIC form.
that is still growing Root: EM means IN/INTO/ ON
in the womb or egg,
 and embryonic
means "like an
embryo."
Form: adj A fledgling is a fuzzy Mnemonic: FLEDGLING rhymes with
baby bird just duckling.. a young duck thus referring
learning to fly, or to inexperience.
FLEDGLING Tone: neut someone (like a Example: The intern was still a
baby bird) who's FLEDGLING.
brand new at doing
something.
Form: adj Inchoate means just Mnemonic: inch(o)+ate i've "just
beginning to form. begun" to eat an inch
Tone: neut You can have an Example: INCHOATE feelings of
inchoate idea, like affection for a man whom she had, up
the earliest flickers till now, thought of as only a friend.
of images for your
INCHOATE masterpiece, or it
can be a feeling, like
the inchoate sense
of anger toward
your new
neighbor’s
talking parrot
Form: adj Incipient means Mnemonic:
something is in an inci(INITIAL)+pie(nt)(PAYment)...when
early stage of only the initial payment is given, your
existence. In its house will be partially constructed.
incipient form,
INCIPIENT Tone: neut basketball was Example: The project is still in its
played with a soccer INCIPIENT stages.
ball and peach
baskets for goals.
Bouncy orange balls
and nets came later.
Form: adj Nascent describes Mnemonic: "new soul sent".....to
the birth or earth- NASCENT
Tone: neut beginning of Example: The actress is now focusing
something, for on her NASCENT singing career.
example a
civilization, a trend, Root: NASC means NATURAL
NASCENT
an idea, or an
action. It can also
imply a future
promise, like the
nascent government
of a new country.
Form: adj Rudimentary is a Mnemonic: sedimentary -
pretty long and RUDIMENTARY.....sedimentary rock
fancy word, for a are used in the base or foundation of a
word that just building...hence RUDIMENTARY means
means stripped basic or fundamental
down or at a very
RUDIMENTARY
Tone: neut early stage. The test Example: They were given only
should be easy: it RUDIMENTARY training in the job.
requires only a
rudimentary
understanding of the
materials.
 EXPERIENCED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun a skilled worker who
practices some trade or
handicraft.
JOURNEYMAN Tone: pos
Form: adj Seasoned describes a
person who has been
around forever, doing what
they do, and doing it well
SEASONED Tone: pos — throughout the seasons.
They have lots of
experience, and they can
handle just about anything
that comes their way.
Form: noun Veteran commonly refers to
someone who has fought in
a war––think Veterans'
Day, the Vietnam Veterans'
VETERAN
Memorial––but, in fact,
Tone: pos the word can mean anyone
with experience in a
particular field.
EXPERT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A connoisseur is a person
who, through study and
interest, has a fine
Tone: pos appreciation for something,
CONNOISSEUR like the connoisseur who
can identify the clarinet
player on a jazz recording
by the sound of his
inhalations alone.
Form: noun We call a person who truly
loves food—food at the
highest levels—an epicure.
Occasionally, you might
EPICURE Tone: pos find the word epicure used
for a person who loves
something else, but an
epicure is usually someone
who delights in fine food.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A man who may
have covered so many
journeys of life, will necessarily
be experienced.
Example: The picture is
certainly competent, but a
dozen other JOURNEYMAN
directors could have executed
this piece just as efficiently.
Mnemonic: One who has seen
many SEASONS in his life...will
be very AGED and
EXPERIENCED.
Example: Sudha is a
SEASONED dance performer.
Mnemonic: VETERAN -
vet(Vietnam)+eran(Iran) -the
people who were involved in
both these wars were certainly
experienced in war
Example: He is a VETERAN of
the Korean war.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CONNOISSEUR is
always SURE as he is an expert
or a good judge
Example: The exhibition will be
a delight for the collector and
CONNOISSEUR of silver
ornaments.
Mnemonic: EPIC-CURRY...one
who can write an EPIC on
CURRY has to be a
CONNOISSEUR OF FOOD.
Example: Thomas Jefferson
was one of America's first great
EPICUREs.
 Form: noun A gourmand is someone
obsessively and unhealthily
devoted to eating good
food and lots of it.
GOURMAND
Tone: neg
Form: noun That guy over there
correctly identifying the
dozen spices used in the
GOURMET meal he's eating? He’s
Tone: pos likely a gourmet, someone
who knows a lot about fine
food.
Form: noun A virtuoso is an incredibly
talented musician. You can
VIRTUOSO
Tone: pos also be a virtuoso in non-
musical fields.
SUMMARY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun The essential point or
problem is the crux. People
are always trying to get to
CRUX the crux of a matter or the
crux of a problem, while
Tone: neut others try to distract them.
Form: noun When you need a quick
summary of the essentials,
rather than the whole story
or a thorough explanation,
GIST you're looking for the gist.
Tone: neut
Form: noun A precis is a summary of
something's main points. If
you've ever jotted down
notes about your main
PRÉCIS ideas before writing a
Tone: neut
persuasive essay, you've
used a precis.
Form: noun Use purport when you want
PURPORT
to convince people about
Mnemonic: sounds like
government -and in
India..anything by government
is supposed to be free for
people..so if government plans
to provide free food people will
eat excessively...beyond their
capacity..because we take
pleasure in anything which is
free for us.
Example: He is the kind of
GOURMAND who swallows food
without even pausing to taste it.
Mnemonic: GOURMET- A
guru(expert) of meat(all food
and drink) -'A connoisseur of
fine food and drink'.
Example: Peter is the
GOURMET guru, so he should
order the food for dinner.
Mnemonic: One who has many
"virtues" is called a VIRTUOSO.
Example: He is a Piano
VIRTUOSO.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: FOCUS ON
LETTERS CRU + x....cru very
near to CRUcial...so something
which is crucial is always the
essential thing.
Example: Now we should come
to the CRUX of the matter.
Mnemonic: GIST -sounds very
similar to list.....So your lecturer
is asking you to LIST OUT THE
MAIN POINTS of the paragraph.
Example: I missed the
beginning of the lecture - can
you give me the GIST of what
he said?
Mnemonic: pre ( meaning
before ) + cis ( as in thesis ) ....
it is the summary that comes
before a thesis
Example: He was asked to
make a precis of the report and
submit it before the next
meeting.
Mnemonic: PURPORT:PURPOSE
- to convince someone wrongly
 Tone: neg something that might not
be true, like when you
purport that the dog ate
your homework.
Form: noun Synopsis is a noun
meaning summary. Instead
of reciting every line of the
Tone: neut Shakespeare play you were
SYNOPSIS assigned to read over the
weekend, it might be more
helpful for your classmates
if you give them a synopsis
of what happened.
FEELING GUILTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj We are sorry to inform you
that the adjective contrite
means to feel regret,
remorse, or even guilt.
CONTRITE Tone: neg/neut
Form: adj Penitent means deeply
sorry, ashamed, and full of
remorse. If you feel
Tone: pos/neut sorry––or just want to
PENITENT appear to––you should
adopt a penitent manner.
Form: adj Something that is poignant
touches you deeply.
Watching a poignant
YouTube video about baby
penguins chasing their
POIGNANT
mothers, for example,
Tone: neg/neut might give you a lump in
your throat. poignant
feeling can also make you
feel sad or regretful.
Form: noun Remorse, a noun, is what
you feel if you regret your
actions or wish for another
REMORSE outcome.
Tone: neg/neut
Form: adj If your elaborate magic
RUEFUL
trick goes awry, and
Example: The book does not
PURPORT to be a complete
history of the period
Root: PUR means TO CLEANSE
Mnemonic: When you SHRINK
a lengthy piece of writing, its
called a SYNOPSIS.
Example: The program gives a
brief SYNOPSIS of the plot.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Split as cont
(COUNT) - rite (RIGHT). COUNT
THE CASH RIGHT, ELSE YOU
WILL REGRET IT.
Example: He looked so
CONTRITE that for a while she
nearly believed that he was
actually feeling sorry for his
deed
Mnemonic: PENITENT sounds
like REPENTENT (to feel sorry
about a doing)
Example: He was feeling
PENITENT for having punished
his son without verifying the
truth.
Root: PEN means PUNISHMENT
Mnemonic: POIGNANT sounds
like PUNGENT. But something
that's pungent pricks your sense
of smell, whereas POIGNANT
refers to something that pricks
your emotions.
Example: her face was a
POIGNANT reminder of the past
time.
Mnemonic: rem+(w)orse
....remembering(read
recalling)the worse thing that
you did …you feel the guilt at
leaving them without notice
Example: she felt no REMORSE
at leaving them without notice
Mnemonic: RUEFUL sounds
CRYFUL.
 Tone: neg/neut instead of pulling a rabbit Example: "So this is the last
out of an audience time that we are meeting", she
member's shoe, you set said RUEFULly.
the shoe on fire, you might
give a rueful smile. Rueful
means apologetic or
remorseful.
LOSS OF STRENGTH , `X` THRIVING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Wearing a cast on a broken
leg can cause atrophy, or
withering, in the leg,
because it is immobilized
ATROPHY and gets no exercise.
Tone: neg
Form: verb Attenuate is a verb that
means to make or become
weaker. The effects of aging
ATTENUATE may be attenuated by
Tone: neg exercise. (Or by drinking
from the fountain of youth).
Form: noun Attrition is a gradual process
of wearing down,
weakening, or destroying
something.
ATTRITION
Tone: neg
Form: verb To debilitate something is to
make it weaker. A bad flu
may debilitate your powers
DEBILITATE of concentration, like the
Tone: neg New Year's resolutions that
temporarily debilitate
bakeries' business.
Form: verb If something degenerates, it
gets worse, like a food fight
Tone: neg that degenerates to an all-
out spaghetti-throwing war.
DEGENERATE
Degenerate can also
describe an immoral person
— or the behavior of such
a person.
Form: noun Degradation is the act of
lowering something or
DEGRADATION
someone to a less respected
state. A president resigning
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A + trophy; Even
after many years of practice, he
didn't win a trophy, so that was
just wastage of his energy.
Example: TV viewing may lead
to ATROPHY of children's
imaginations.
Mnemonic: ATTENUATE - at ten
+ you + ate; if youl eat only at
10 PM (once in a day), you will
ATTENUATE.
Example: The drug
ATTENUATEs the effects of the
virus
Mnemonic: ATTRITION -at +
rition (sounds like RATION);
Due to flood, ration is available
in very limited amount. there is
a shortage of food everywhere
in our city
Example: It was a war of
ATTRITION
Mnemonic: de + ablity -without
ability, the person who doesnot
have the ablity to do something
is called weak.
Example: The troops were
severely DEBILITATEd by
hunger and disease
Mnemonic: De (not)+ Generate
(work) Stop working
Example: Her health
DEGENERATEd quickly
Root: DE means AWAY/ DOWN
Mnemonic: de(means
less)+grad...so when you get
less GRADES in your exam..you
see humiliation from all sides.
 Tone: neg from office is a degradation. Example: A lot of
It’s also a downcast environmental DEGRADATION is
state. Once the president caused because of plastic usage.
has resigned, he might feel
degradation.
Form: adj Effete is a disapproving term Mnemonic:
meaning decadent and self- EFFETE...ef+fete..feet -so when
indulgent, even useless. The you walk for longer distances on
stereotype of the rugged your feet, you feel completely
EFFETE Westerner is just as false as worn out -as if you are lacking
the one of the effete East in power
Tone: neg Coast liberal. Example: The soft, EFFETE
society that marked the final
years of the Roman empire
Form: verb to make someone feel weak Mnemonic: ENERV(w)asTE
and tired when you waste your energy
you become weak.
ENERVATE
Example: A lifetime of working
in dreary jobs had ENERVATEd
his very soul.
Form: verb make weak Mnemonic: Not aBLE to pay the
FEE since his economic
ENFEEBLE conditions are very weak
Tone: neg Example: That bout of
pneumonia ENFEEBLEd him.
Form: adj weak from exhaustion Mnemonic: f-LAG-ging. lag
behind,weak-not able to keep
pace with another or others
FLAGGING
Tone: neg Example: We should rejuvenate
our FLAGGING attitude toward
everything.
Form: verb to grow thin Example: she started
MACERATE macerating after the accident.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Something that is moribund Mnemonic: MORIBUND is kind
is almost dead, like the of similar to morbid, which
moribund plant you didn't refers to things related to death
water for months, or so
MORIBUND
Tone: neg without change or growth Example: a MORIBUND
that it seems dead, like a company or patient.
moribund town that seems
trapped in the 1950s.
Form: verb To sap something is to drain Mnemonic: If you slap(SAP)
or deplete something over someone you diminish his
time. If you sap a maple dignity..
Tone: neg tree, you drain the liquid Example: the arduous job has
SAP
inside it to make maple SAPped him of all the energy.
syrup. But if you sap a
person of strength, you've
rendered him defenseless.
Form: verb lose strength Mnemonic: WILT and tilt sound
the same and they both mean,
WILT to droop.
Tone: neg Example: He was WILTing from
all the pressure at work
 Form: verb Wither means to shrivel up
or shrink. If you forget to
water your plants for six
WITHER weeks, they'll wither —
Tone: neg they'll dry up and you
probably won't be able to
bring them back to life
Form: verb Use the verb burgeon to
describe something that is
growing, expanding, and
Tone: pos flourishing. If you have a
green thumb, in the spring
X BURGEON your flower gardens will
burgeon in a cacophony of
color. If you don't have a
green thumb, your collection
of plastic plants will
burgeon.
Form: verb Starfish are famous for their
ability to regenerate, or
regrow, a lost arm. Anything
X REGENERATE that revives in this magical
Tone: pos
way can be said to
regenerate.
Form: verb When you make something
young again or give it more
life and energy, you
Tone: pos rejuvenate it. For example,
X REJUVENATE you can often rejuvenate a
not-quite-dead plant,
bringing it back to health
with some water and some
TLC.
Form: verb To resuscitate is to revive a
person who has lost
consciousness
X proper consciousness.
RESUSCITATION
Tone: pos
Form: verb To revive something is to
provide it with new energy
Tone: pos or life, like when you revive
X REVIVE a drooping plant by watering
it, or when you revive a
boring party by breaking out
the karaoke machine.
Mnemonic: WITHER -with +
her when a friend wants to
spend time with her, generally
his money is going to decay
Example: All our hopes just
WITHER away with time
Mnemonic: Burge+on sounds
like Bulge which means growing
big
Example: This country has a
burgeoning population.
Mnemonic: RE (again) +
Generate. Generations keep
growing.
Example: The money will be
used to regenerate the
commercial heart of the town.
Mnemonic: reJUVENATE-
Juvenile means a young
person..so making Younger
Example: His new job seemed
to rejuvenate him.
Root: RE means AGAIN
Mnemonic: RECESS+ATE-in
RECESS (interval) I ATE
something and due to that I got
Example: He had an heart
attack and all attempts to
resuscitate him failed.
Mnemonic: re-vibe (return to
being vibrant again)
Example: The flowers soon
revived in water.

IDEALISTIC
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj Use quixotic for someone Mnemonic: QUIXOTIC -quick +
or something that is exotic, if you desire something
QUIXOTIC
romantic and unrealistic, or exotic to happen quickly in your
possessed by almost life it is just a daydream.
 Tone: neut impossible hopes. Your
quixotic task is easy to
understand, if difficult to
achieve: establish world
peace.
Form: adj If you're looking to relocate
to a utopia, good luck! A
utopia is an ideal society,
and a scheme or vision for
producing such a society
UTOPIAN can be called utopian.
Tone: neut
STRANGE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj You're most likely to
encounter the adjective
eccentric in a description of
ECCENTRIC an unusual or quirky
Tone: neg/neut person — like a scatter-
brained aunt who leaves
her life savings to her cat.
Form: noun If you repeat foible out
loud enough times, it
sounds so funny that you
can laugh at it and maybe
FOIBLE Tone: neg/neut remember to laugh at the
odd and distinctive
weaknesses of others —
the foible or two or a
hundred that we all have.
Form: noun If a person has an
idiosyncrasy, he or she has
a little quirk, or a funny
Tone: neg/neut behavior, that makes him
IDIOSYNCRASY
or her different. If you only
say goodbye in French,
never in English, that
would be an idiosyncrasy.
Form: noun An oddity is anything
strange or unusual.
Tone: neg/neut Wearing ear muffs during a
ODDITY heat wave would be
considered an oddity,
because most people
wouldn't do that.
Form: noun a strange attitude or habit
QUIRKINESS Tone: neg/neut
Example: He is QUIXOTIC - he
wants to achieve things that are
practically impossible.
Mnemonic: UTOPIAN - UTOPIa
, sounds like Trophy - which is
something that everyone wants
but only one of them gets it, like
its a ideology/imaginary concept
that everyone wants it but
practically only one gets it.
Example: There is nothing like
a UTOPIAN society.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ec(x)-
centric(normal): going away
from the center that is departing
from the norms
Example: Most people
considered him a harmless
ECCENTRIC
Mnemonic: FOIBLE sounds like
Fail-able.. so you have a
weakness or slight fault at
something
Example: We have to tolerate
each others little FOIBLEs
Mnemonic: Idiot in sync with
the crazy people are
idiosyncratic.
Example: Wearing a raincoat,
even on a hot day, is one of her
idiosyncrasies
Mnemonic: odd things are
usually strange
Example: the book deals with
some of the oddities of grammar
and spelling
Mnemonic: Quirk sounds like
CRACK (unusual)
Example: everyone have their
own little quirks and
mannerisms
 DIFFICULT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use the adjective, arduous,
to describe an activity that
takes a lot of effort. Writing
ARDUOUS all those college essays and
Tone: neg/neut filling out the applications is
an arduous process!
Form: adj You have to wrestle a bit
with the longish word
cumbersome; it's
CUMBERSOME Tone: neg/neut cumbersome, or kind of
long and clumsy, to tumble
out in a sentence. It's hard
to use it gracefully
Form: verb To encumber is to weigh
someone or something
down with a physical or
psychological burden. You
ENCUMBER may find yourself
Tone: neg/neut encumbered by a heavy
backpack or with anxieties.
Either way, it's a heavy
load to bear!
Form: adj Use the adjective exacting
to describe something or
someone very precise or
strict in its requirements. If
EXACTING Tone: neg/neut your teacher has exacting
standards about spelling
and punctuation, you better
carefully check your final
paper.
Form: adj If one teacher gives you
three hours of homework a
night, that's rough. But if
all of your teachers do it,
Tone: neg/neut that makes the task of
ONEROUS
completing your homework
an onerous one, to say the
least. If something is
onerous, it is very difficult
to deal with or do.
Form: adj When you call Frankenstein
ponderous, it's not because
he likes to ponder the great
PONDEROUS questions of life. It's
Tone: neg/neut because he moves like a
Mack truck, only slower and
less gracefully
Form: adj If something is tedious, it's
TEDIOUS
boring. If you're anxious to
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: (h)ard + u (you) +
ous (we). This work is very
difficult and required full hard
work from us and your side.
Example: They searched
ARDUOUSly for clues.
Mnemonic: (Come-bear-some)
come bear some heavy things
that are hard to manage
Example: The organization
changed its CUMBERSOME title
to something easier to
remember
Mnemonic: Look for the word
cumber and think of
cumbersome ....anything that is
cumbersome may prove to be a
burden.
Example: The police operation
was ENCUMBERed by crowds of
reporters.
Mnemonic: EXACTING -he
wants things to be too exact and
precise...hence he is making
great demands
Example: He was an EXACTING
man to work for.
Mnemonic: it sounds like
on+er+us..that is ON+US..
when something is ON US ..we
feel burdensome
Example: an ONEROUS duty or
responsibility.
Mnemonic: POUND is a unit of
weight , we often calculate
weight in pounds! 1 Pound =
480 grams
Example: he spoke in a slow
PONDEROUS voice.
Mnemonic: TEDIOUS is
Tiresome.
 Tone: neg/neut get outside and enjoy the
sun, even the best lecture
will seem tedious.
Form: adj If someone does something
easily, or shows ease, it is
described as facile in a
good way, but if someone
X FACILE takes the easy way out and
Tone: pos/neut shows a lack of thought or
care, it is facile in a bad
way.
GAP
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun An abeyance is a temporary
halt to something, with the
emphasis on "temporary." It
is usually used with the
ABEYANCE word "in" or "into"; "in
Tone: neut
abeyance" suggests a state
of waiting or holding.
Form: noun A temporary gap, pause,
break, or absence can be
called a hiatus. When your
favorite TV show is on
HIATUS
Tone: neut hiatus, that means there are
no new episodes — not
forever, just for a little
while.
Form: noun See lull, think "calm." It
Tone: neg/neut could be the noun form (like
"the lull before the storm")
LULL or the verb: one can lull
someone by calming them
(as in lulling a baby to sleep
with a lullaby).
Form: noun A moratorium is the
suspension of a particular
activity––you could
have a moratorium on
MORATORIUM fishing, baking, the use of
candles, the wearing of
Tone: neut matching socks.
Form: noun A respite is a break from
something that's difficult or
Tone: neg/neut unpleasant. If you're
RESPITE cramming for exams, take
an occasional walk to give
yourself a respite from the
intensity.
Example: The journey soon
became TEDIOUS
Mnemonic: Facile -can be read
as 'Face I will'... I will be able to
face the problem (/person)
because it is EASY (REQUIRES
VERY LITTLE EFFORT) to solve
Example: It seems too facile to
blame everything on his
mishandling of the crisis.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Interpret it as
opposite of obey+ance -- not
obeying the given orders and
suspend the work (action)
Example: Legal proceedings
are in ABEYANCE while further
enquiries are made
Root: AB means AWAY FROM
Mnemonic: split it as
HI+AT+US.....if anyone says
'Hi' on the way, we will
definitely stop for a while.
Example: After a five month
HIATUS, the talks resumed.
Mnemonic: LULL - DULL
Example: a LULL in the
conversation.
Mnemonic: Generally,
MORATORIUMs go into effect
when something becomes seen
as being not okay for now, but
might go back to being okay
later.
Example: The convention
called for a two year
MORATORIUM.
Mnemonic: RESPITE sounds
like rest a bit
Example: The medicine
brought a brief RESPITE from
the pain.
 CORRECT , REPAIR
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Amend describes actions or
speech intended to correct
or improve something. If
you confused your
Tone: pos/neut audience when you gave
AMEND
your speech, don't be
afraid to amend what you
said, meaning you make
minor changes to better
explain what you meant.
Form: verb To atone is to do
something "right" to make
up for doing something
Tone: pos wrong. Religious believers
ATONE are known to atone for
their sins, but even
students can atone for a
past failure by acing a quiz
or two.
Form: verb Disabuse means to free
someone of a belief that is
Tone: pos/neut not true. Many teachers of
health find that when they
DISABUSE
teach, they spend as much
energy disabusing kids of
false beliefs as they doing
giving them the facts.
Form: verb In the fairy tale, the baker
must expiate his
father’s sins by
bringing the witch three
Tone: pos/neut ingredients for a magic
EXPIATE
potion: a cow, a cape and
a slipper. Expiate means to
make amends or atone for
a wrong you or someone
else has committed.
Form: verb To pay compensation for a
loss, damages, or similar
expense is to indemnify.
"The insurance company
indemnified its customers
for their claims after the
INDEMNIFY severe storm — one
customer lost three cars, a
Tone: pos/neut row boat, and a golf cart."
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: AMEND sounds like
a + mind; you should have a
sound mind to AMEND your
score in mathematics.
Example: The law has been
AMENDed for the betterment of
all common people.
Mnemonic: at+own(one) - he
realized his mistake 'at' his
'own' and wanted amend it.
Example: I have a desire to
ATONE.
Mnemonic: Remember as the
opposite of abuse
Example: Let me DISABUSE
you of your foolish notions
about married life.
Root: DIS means NOT
Mnemonic: Rhymes as Ex
Pirate. An ex-pirate always tries
to EXPIATE his guilt.Ex pirate
becomes pious.
Example: he had a chance to
confess and EXPIATE his guilt
Mnemonic: look for the word-
"demn" which can be connected
to "demon"..so what does
demon do? it destroys
property.. IN(not)+demni+fy -
correct what the demon inside
you has done..make amends for
it.
Example: The tenant is legally
required to INDEMNIFY the
landlord for any damage caused
to the property
Root: IN means NOT
 Form: noun Redemption is the buying
back of something. You
Tone: pos/neut might try for redemption
by attempting to buy back
REDEMPTION
a bike you sold, or you
might attempt to buy back
your soul after you steal
someone else’s bike.
Form: verb The verb redress is used
when you are supposed to
Tone: pos/neut fix a problem and make
amends. You want your
REDRESS parents to redress the fact
that you don't have a pet.
Your parents offer to get a
hamster, but instead, you
say you want a monkey.
Form: noun If you guessed that
reparation is related to the
word repair, you were
right. Both come from the
Tone: pos Latin word meaning "to
REPARATION
restore." While reparation
has a range of meanings,
they all convey the sense
of fixing or making up for a
past wrong.
Form: noun Restitution is the act of
making up for damages or
harm, like the time you
knocked the ball out of the
park, scoring a home run
RESTITUTION
but breaking a house's
Tone: pos/neut window in the process. You
had to make restitution for
the broken window, paying
for its replacement.
CLEAR in meaning and physically
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Clarity means clearness.
Clean water running down a
CLARITY Tone: pos mountain has clarity. So
does a lovely singing voice:
it's clear and pure.
Form: verb If you elucidate something,
you explain it very clearly. If
Tone: pos/neut you don't understand
ELUCIDATE
fractions, a visit to the pie
shop may elucidate the
subject for you.
Mnemonic: REDEMPTION is to
REDEEM.
Example: The REDEMPTION of
the world from sin
Root: RE means AGAIN
Mnemonic: REDRESS is: "relief
from distress"
Example: It is time to
REDRESS the injustices of the
past.
Mnemonic: REPARATION can
be remembered in connection to
REPAIR (sounds and means
similar).
Example: Offenders should be
forced to make REPARATION to
the community
Mnemonic: RESTITUTION - we
can think of "rest". We take rest
when we feel tired.i.e when
energy is lost.....so "rest" is a
"compensation" for an energy
loss.
Example: The government tried
to make RESTITUTION for the
damage caused
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CLARITY sounds
and means like CLEAR.
Example: The brilliant
CLARITY of his argument could
not be disputed.
Mnemonic: think of lucid,
which means clear.
Example: He ELUCIDATEd a
point of grammar.
 Form: noun If your teacher gives an
explanation of a difficult text
you are reading, she is
giving you an exegesis on it.
EXEGESIS An exegesis is a critical look
Tone: neut
at a text.
Form: noun An exposition takes place
when you "expose"
Tone: neut something — like at a fair
or convention for showing
EXPOSITION off goods, art, or similar
wares. An exposition can
also be the section of a
story that explains the
basics of the tale.
Form: verb If given recipe directions
that include "some sugar,"
"some onions," and "some
Tone: neut flour" as ingredients, you
might ask the cook to
EXPOUND
expound by adding
measurements of how much
of each to use. When you
expound, you explain or
provide details.
Form: adj The adjective limpid
describes something (often
Tone: pos liquid) that is clear, serene
LIMPID and bright. Nature calendars
often feature glamour shots
of a limpid stream or a
limpid lake.
Form: adj When you call something
lucid, you mean it's "easy to
understand" or "sensible".
LUCID
Tone: pos
Form: adj A sentence that teaches a
new vocabulary word should
always be pellucid, that is,
PELLUCID its style and meaning should
Tone: pos be easily understandable so
that you can derive the
definition from the sentence.
UNCLEAR , HAZY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: EXEcute
GEneSIS(part of the Holy
Bible)- to interpret the Bible &
explain it.
Example: A psychobiography
that purports to be the
definitive EXEGESIS of the late
president's character.
Mnemonic: EXPOSITION
sounds like EXPLANATION.
Example: We need a clear and
detailed EXPOSITION of their
legal position.
Mnemonic: EXPOUND sounds
like expand which means
explain
Example: He EXPOUNDed his
views on the subject to me at
great length.
Mnemonic:
LIMPID...lucid...liquid
Example: she gave him a look
of LIMPID honesty.
Mnemonic: LUCing(looking)In
Day is very clear. We can see
anybody clearly in day time. So
LUCID is something which is
crystal clear.
Example: the answers in this
book are explained in a LUCID
style.
Mnemonic:
PEL+LUCID...LUCID..MEANS
CLEAR ....SO CLEAR IN
MEANING.
Example: The light was so
PELLUCID, so dazzling that she
reached for her sunglasses.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: adj In a broader sense, the
Amorphous describes
anything that lacks a distinct
shape or organizing theme,
AMORPHOUS be it a work of art, a
Tone: neut political movement, or even
someone's direction in life.
Form: noun make less visible or unclear
BECLOUD
Tone: neg
Form: verb if something clouds your
judgment, memory, etc., it
makes it difficult for you to
CLOUD understand or remember
Tone: neg something clearly
Form: adj Is it hard to tell what
someone is saying? Can you
not see something clearly?
Anything hard to make out
INDISTINCT is indistinct.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Something that's murky is
dim, gloomy or hard to see
through clearly. Think of the
MURKY dark fog around a haunted
Tone: neg house or the cloudy, muddy
water in a swamp.
Form: adj Use the adjective nebulous
for situations that are "hazy,
NEBULOUS indistinct" and also "cloudy"
Tone: neg/neut or "fuzzy."
DIFFICULTY , CONFUSING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A dilemma is a tough choice.
When you're in a difficult
situation and each option
DILEMMA Tone: neg looks equally bad, you're in
a dilemma.
Mnemonic: AMORPHOUS -
a[morf]us = on reversing, morf
become - a+form+us i.e
something without form.. or
something lacking shape
Example: an AMORPHOUS
mass of cells with no identity at
all
Root: MORPH means FORM
Mnemonic: Her father's illness
BECLOUDed her wedding day.
Example: Her father's illness
BECLOUDed her wedding day.
Mnemonic: CLOUD itself calls
for a unclear vision literally and
leads to lack of understanding,
because of lack of clarity.
Example: Doubts were
beginning to CLOUD my mind.
Mnemonic: DISTINCT means
CLEAR and IN means NOT.
Hence lacking in CLARITY will
mean INDISTINCT
Example: His memory of the
incident was someone
INDISTINCT
Root: IN means NOT
Mnemonic: MURKY -
mu(munsoon)+r(rainy)+ ky
(sky) - which is dark and
gloomy
Example: This is a MURKY
night.
Mnemonic: Nebula the milky
way in galaxy which is cloudy
and unclear
Example: This is a NEBULOUS
concept.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: To DIAL his
number or not is a real
DILEMMA.
Example: Here am I brought
to a very pretty DILEMMA; I
must commit murder or commit
matrimony.
 Form: noun An imbroglio is a
complicated or confusing
personal situation. To
rephrase the J. Geils band
song, "Love Stinks," if you
love her and she loves him
IMBROGLIO and he loves somebody else,
Tone: neg you've got quite an
imbroglio.
Form: noun A morass is a mushy,
muddy patch of ground that
you might find in a bog. In
MORASS other words, it's something
you probably don't want to
Tone: neg get stuck in.
Form: noun A plight is a situation that's
hard to get out of. Learning
about the plight of very poor
people trying rebuild their
PLIGHT
Tone: neg homes after a devastating
earthquake might inspire
you to send money to a
charity.
Form: noun If you're engaged to get
married, but suddenly fall in
love with someone else, you
have got yourself in quite a
PREDICAMENT predicament. A predicament
is a difficult, confusing, and
unpleasant situation
Tone: neg
Form: noun A quagmire is a dangerous
place, like the muddy
shoreline of a pond. The
more you try to climb out of
QUAGMIRE a quagmire, the more you
seem to slip. That's because
as you step on the mud, it
Tone: neg oozes everywhere
Form: noun How to define the word
quandary? Wow, this is
quite a dilemma. What to
do, what to do? Looks like
QUANDARY this moment itself is a
quandary: a tough situation
Tone: neg that will be really hard to
resolve.
Mnemonic:
IM+brog(=frog)+lio(=lion).
Suppose in a play, you have to
choose between characters of
frog and lion, you will be in a
complicated and confusing
situation.
Example: A celebrated
IMBROGLIO involving some big
names in the New York literary
scene
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: MORASS refers to
anything that bogs you down,
overwhelms you, sticks to
everything, and hinders your
progress — like red tape.
Example: A MORASS of lies
and deceit
Mnemonic: PLIGHT Â sounds
like FLIGHT which tends to be a
difficult condition for first time
flyers.
Example: The African elephant
is in a desperate PLIGHT.
Mnemonic: PREDICAMENT
sounds like PREDIC (T) -
AMENT : imagine a situation
where YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
will happen (can't predict) or
WHAT TO DO..is a
PREDICAMENT.
Example: I am in a terrible
PREDICAMENT.
Mnemonic: Take into
consideration the First three
words QUAGMIRE. The word
resembles earth QUAKE. So
earth quake is an awkward
predicament, where soil sinks
under your feet.
Example: I can't handle this
QUAGMIRE anymore.
Mnemonic: QUANDARY sounds
like LAUNDRY. So many clothes
to be washed at home or given
to the LAUNDRY adds to
dilemma and and difficult to
decide.
Example: George was in a
QUANDARY - should he go or
shouldn't he?
 HAPPENING BEFORE MAIN EVENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun An antecedent is a thing
that comes before
something else. You might
think rap music has no
ANTECEDENT historical antecedent, but
Tone: neut earlier forms of African
American spoken verse go
back for centuries
Form: noun A forerunner is someone or
something that came before
and paved the way for
something today. Rotary
Tone: neut phones were forerunners of
FORERUNNER today's complex cell
phones.
Form: noun A harbinger is something
that comes before and that
shows what will follow in the
future. The robin is a
HARBINGER harbinger of spring––its
Tone: neut presence means spring is
coming soon.
Form: noun You've heard the old saying
"Pride comes before the
fall?" Well, you could just as
easily say pride is a
PRECURSOR precursor to the fall. A
Tone: neut precursor is something that
happens before something
else.
IMMORAL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Debauchery is a noun
meaning crazy partying and
wild nights, usually
accompanied by a lot of
DEBAUCHERY alcohol. So you probably
Tone: neg don't want to engage in any
kind of debauchery the night
before an exam.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ante(before) +
ced("to go"). root "ced" means
"to go" .Hence ANTECEDENT
means "that which goes before"
Example: "He grabbed the ball
and threw it in the air,"ball" is
the ANTECEDENT of "it"
Mnemonic: Fore means
something that precedes and
runner means someone is
approaching so the meaning.
Example: An early injury
proved the FORERUNNER of a
disastrous performance by
Williams.
Root: FORE means IN FRONT
OF.
Mnemonic: HARBINGER
sounds like HER + FINGER, she
shows me what is about to
happen by gesturing with her
finger.
Example: Her father's
successful job interview was
seen as a HARBINGER of better
times to come.
Mnemonic: "PRECURSOR" -
pre(before) + cursor(that
points out) -something that
points out in advance -
forerunner.
Example: These events were
PRECURSORs to revolution
Root: PRE means BEFORE
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: DEBAUCHERY
sounds like BUTCHERY.
Butcher, a person who kill
animals for food.Hence after
killing, people indulge.
Example: He later regretted
the DEBAUCHERY of his youth.
Root: DE means AWAY/
DOWN/ OFF
 Form: adj If your friend vacations in
lavish hotels, wears
thousand-dollar shoes, and
DECADENT refuses to eat cheese that
Tone: neg costs less than $20 an
ounce, you might say her
lifestyle is decadent.
Form: verb If something degenerates, it
gets worse, like a food fight
that degenerates to an all-
Tone: neg out spaghetti-throwing war.
DEGENERATE
Degenerate can also
describe an immoral person
— or the behavior of such
a person.
Form: noun Depravity goes beyond mere
bad behavior — it is a total
lack of morals, values, and
even regard for other living
things, like the depravity of
DEPRAVITY a serial killer
Tone: neg
Form: adj The adjective dissolute
means unrestrained. If
Tone: neg you're a dissolute person,
DISSOLUTE you indulge in gambling,
drugs, and drinking and
don't care if others
disapprove.
Form: noun lack of probity : lack of
integrity or rectitude
Tone: neg
IMPROBITY
Form: noun If you drink a lot, eat a lot,
and live a wild and
unrestrained life, you might
be called a libertine.
LIBERTINE
Tone: neg
Form: adj Someone who is licentious
behaves or speaks
inappropriately or vulgarly.
LICENTIOUS
Mnemonic: DECAY+DANCE -
now a days the way heroines
are dancing is degrading as far
as vulgarity is concerned.
Example: The book condemns
some of society's wealthiest
members as DECADENT fools.
Mnemonic: DE (not) +
GENERATE(working). Stopped
generating.
Example: We are living in a
DEGENERATEd society.
Root: DE means AWAY/
DOWN/ OFF
Mnemonic: People are
deprived of their basic
amenities because of the
extreme corruption existing
among the goverment
employees
Example: He was sinking into
a life of utter DEPRAVITY.
Root: DE means AWAY/
DOWN/ OFF
Mnemonic: One whose moral
values are dissolved
Example: Literature dealing
with the DISSOLUTE and
degrading aspects of human
experience
Root: DIS means NOT
Mnemonic: PROBITY sounds
like INTEGRITY, and IM (not).
So no Integrity.
Example: His IMPROBITY
resulted in him facing a
termination from his
workplace.
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: LIBERTINE-
liberti+ne=LIBERTY IN Excess
can make you irresponsible and
immoral.
Example: The legend of Don
Juan depicts him as a
LIBERTINE.
Root: LIBER means FREE
Mnemonic:
licent(license)+ous....well
some bollywood celebrities
have got the LICENSE OF
indulging into amoral
ACTIVITIES.
 Tone: neg
Form: noun There's no way around it, a
reprobate is a bad egg. The
black sheep of the family,
missing a moral compass
REPROBATE — a reprobate's been
Tone: neg called everything from a
deviant to an evildoer to a
scoundrel.
Form: noun If you are guilty of
turpitude, you should be
ashamed of yourself.
Tone: neg Turpitude is a word that
TURPITUDE represents depraved
behavior. Prisons are filled
with criminals who have
engaged in acts of moral
turpitude.
Form: adj Wanton describes something
excessive, uncontrolled and
sometimes even cruel. The
principal sees a food fight as
WANTON
Tone: neg a wanton act of vandalism
done with wanton disregard
for the rules, but the kids
might just see it as fun.
Form: adj Someone wayward is a little
stubborn and independent
WAYWARD — they're determined to
Tone: neg find their own way and are
not easily controlled.
WITHOUT MISTAKES , PERFECT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Flawless is an adjective that
means "without any
imperfections," like your
FLAWLESS Tone: pos flawless vocal performance
— not one mistake. That's
why the choir teacher gave
you an A+.
Form: adj Immaculate means spotless,
pure, and clean as fresh
snow on a far-off mountain.
IMMACULATE
Only obsessive cleaners can
keep immaculate homes,
but it’s a goal we can
Example: A moralist who
decried what she regarded as
the LICENTIOUS and corrupt
culture of the entertainment
industry.
Root: LIC means PERMIT.
Mnemonic: REPROBATE:
rep(repeatedly)+rob+ate.. a
person who again and again
robs other peoples belongings
has no moral values.
Example: Without hesitation,
she criticized the REPROBATE
who proposed such an indecent
idea
Mnemonic: TURPITUDE
sounds like turbid attitude so a
depraved act.
Example: This, he said, left
modern man out of synch with
the natural order of things,
resulting in war, conflict and
general TURPITUDE.
Mnemonic: WANTON sounds
like WANT ON. Someone who's
WANT(desire) goes ON and
ON..no limit to his want.
Example: They were accused
of WANTON cruelty toward
animals.
Mnemonic: sounds like
waver...wave means a whim or
caprice.
Example: She is a WAYWARD
child.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: flaw is a
mistake—FLAWLESS means
without mistake
Example: Her English is almost
FLAWLESS
Mnemonic: IMMACULATE - Im
+ Maculate - without macule
(spots) Macule is a spot or area
of discoloration of skin.... so
IMMACULATE is without
macules.... spotless, clean
 Tone: pos strive for, like that far-off
mountain.
Form: adj The adjective impeccable
describes something or
someone without any flaws.
IMPECCABLE A stand-up comedian needs
Tone: pos impeccable timing for his
jokes to work.
Form: adj "Fallible" means capable of
making mistakes — or,
easier to remember —
INFALLIBLE capable of failing. Infallible
Tone: pos means exactly the opposite
— incapable of failing.
Form: noun Integrity is a personal
quality of fairness that we
INTEGRITY Tone: pos all aspire to — unless
you're a dishonest, immoral
scoundrel, of course.
Form: adj Use the adjective
irreproachable to describe
Tone: pos something or someone
blameless or not deserving
of criticism. It can be
IRREPROACHABLE
annoying, but your parents
strive to give you
irreproachable advice when
they tell you, "Study hard in
school," and not "Party on!"
Form: noun Though probity sounds like
what you might do with a
Tone: pos sharp stick, it actually
PROBITY means being morally and
ethically above reproach,
having integrity
Form: noun Rectitude refers to behavior
that is correct, upright and
honorable. You have moral
RECTITUDE rectitude if you refuse to be
Tone: pos involved with a plan that
some kids in your class have
to cheat on a test.
Form: adj Unimpeachable describes
someone or something that
is totally, completely,
without any doubt, innocent
UNIMPEACHABLE and good, like an
Tone: pos
unimpeachable role model
who avoids bad influences
and sketchy situations.
RESTRAIN , SET FREE
Example: she always looks
IMMACULATE.
Mnemonic: Picking on
somebody means to finding
faults. Hence Im + Pick-able
means no fault can be found
Example: Her written English is
IMPECCABLE
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Folly means
mistake and In means 'not'. So
without mistake is being
INFALLIBLE.
Example: Doctors are not
INFALLIBLE
Root: IN means NOT
Mnemonic: INTEGRITY is like
ENTIRELY TRUE (fair)
Example: A man of great
INTEGRITY
Mnemonic: cannot be
REPROACHED (criticized).
Example: His conduct as a
police officer was
IRREPROACHABLE.
Mnemonic: PROBITY sounds
and means like INTEGRITY
Example: The defense attorney
questioned the PROBITY of the
witness
Root: PROB means PROVE
Mnemonic: RECTITUDE -
rectified + attitude. If a attitude
is rectified, it has to be correct.
Example: She is a model of
RECTITUDE
Root: RECT means RULE
Mnemonic: impeach means to
doubt or question,
UNIMPEACHABLE means that
cannot be doubted
Example: we got evidence
from an UNIMPEACHABLE
source
Root: UN means NOT
 Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb A fetter is a shackle or chain
that is attached to
someone’s ankles. To
fetter someone is to restrict
FETTER Tone: neg their movement, either
literally or metaphorically.
You might feel fettered by
your parents' rules, even
without the chains.
Form: noun If a police officer has to
manacle your hands behind
your back, you're in big
trouble. That's just a fancy
MANACLE way of saying that you've
Tone: neg been handcuffed.
Form: verb Many cars use rack-and-
pinion steering, in which the
steering wheel turns a
small-toothed pinion gear,
PINION which engages the larger
rack that turns the car's
Tone: neg wheels.
Form: verb You secure the sails before
Tone: neut you take out the sailboat,
SECURE
which means you tie them
down.
Form: noun Handcuffs are shackles. So
are those leg irons some
Tone: neg prisoners wear when they
appear in court. In other
SHACKLE
words, a shackle is a
restraint, either physical or
psychological, that restricts
movement.
Form: verb,noun Both a verb and a noun,
tether keeps things tied
together, or is the tie itself.
TETHER
Tone: neg Remember, when you tether
that chair to those balloons,
use a strong tether.
Form: verb If you emancipate someone,
you set them free from
something. At the end of the
X Civil War, slaves were
Tone: pos
EMANCIPATE emancipated and became
free men and women.
Form: verb If you need to be untangled,
set free or otherwise
X EXTRICATE
released from something or
someone, you need to be
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: FETTER sounds
like(shutter) when a shutter is
closed..then nothing can go out
of it.
Example: He felt FETTERed by
small and petty rules and
regulations
Mnemonic: MANACLE sounds
like ankle or shackle , so my
ankle got trapped that
restrained me from doing
something.
Example: MANACLEs prevented
the bear from roaming beyond a
very small area
Mnemonic: PINION can be split
into PIN+ON; when we PIN
something, it will hold it and
thereby prevent it from flying
away .. (bind the arms of
something)
Example: His arms were
PINIONed to his sides.
Example: She SECUREd the
rope firmly to the back of the
car.
Mnemonic: SHACKLE - buckle
the ankles from shaking.
Example: A country struggling
to free itself from the shakles of
colonialism
Mnemonic: TETHER can be split
as TiE + HER, so remember it as
TIE her WITH A ROPE.
Example: he TETHERed his
horse to a tree
Mnemonic: A man in cip= ship:
a man is set free to travel in
ship to his own country
Example: Slaves were not
emancipated (freed) until 1863
in the United States.
Root: EM means INTO
Mnemonic: concentrate on
ex+tric…Mr.EX(X) PLAYED A
TRIC(k) in order to FREE himself
from the prison.
 Tone: pos extricated.
HARMFUL , CURSE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Something that one
absolutely and positively
cannot stand is anathema.
Garlic is anathema to
ANATHEMA vampires (ditto for stakes
and daylight). So is
kryptonite to Superman or
Tone: neg a silver bullet to a
werewolf.
Form: adj Baleful means the
foreshadowing of tragic or
evil events. If no one's
listening in class and your
BALEFUL teacher reprimands you
Tone: neg with a baleful glance,
expect a pop quiz.
Form: noun The noun bane refers to
anything that is a cause of
harm, ruin, or death. But
we often use it for things
BANE
Tone: neg that aren't that bad, just
feel like it. You might say
mosquitoes are the bane of
your existence.
Form: noun A blight is a disease that
hurts plants and makes
Tone: neg their leaves wither. It can
also affect neighborhoods.
BLIGHT Urban blight refers to a
part of the city where
things are falling apart.
Blight could also mean
something that harms.
Form: adj If something is deleterious,
it does harm or makes
things worse. Smoking has
DELETERIOUS obvious deleterious effects
Tone: neg on your health, not to
mention your social life.
Form: adj Detrimental is a formal way
of saying "harmful."
Anything detrimental hurts,
DETRIMENTAL hinders, or puts a damper
Tone: neg on something. Detrimental
things do damage.
Example: He had managed to
extricate himself from most of
his official duties
Root: EX means OUT OF
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic:
ASTHMA...ANATHEMA…I hate
asthma because it affects
respiratory system....ANATHEMA
also means curse....to have
ASTHMA is a kind of ANATHEMA
Example: Racial prejudice is
(an) ANATHEMA to me.
Mnemonic: BALEFUL sounds
like bail+ful; when any
dangerous convict gets out of
jail taking bail, he could be
threatening.
Example: We are aware of the
BALEFUL effects of water
pollution.
Mnemonic: Modern technology
is BOON OR BANE. Boon is
useful and BANE is Something
causing misery or death
Example: The neighbors kids
are the BANE of my existence.
Mnemonic: Black light may
destroy the plants.
Example: His career has been
BLIGHTed by injuries
Mnemonic: relate it to
DELETE...so you DELETE all the
spam mails because they may
BE HARMFUL to your PC
Example: the DELETERIOUS
effect of stress on health.
Mnemonic: Look at the part
MENTAL ...a MENTAL person can
cause serious harm or injury,
when violent.
Example: the sun's
DETRIMENTAL effect on skin.
 Form: noun “Go bury your head in
the sand.― This nasty
curse is a malediction (and,
I’m sure, nothing you
MALEDICTION would ever say to another
Tone: neg human being).
Mnemonic: MALEDICTION -
MAL+DICTION. MAL means 'evil
or ill' and DICTUM is 'saying'. So
to say something evil is to
CURSE.
Example: The MALEDICTION by
the sorcerer scared him to death

Root: MAL means BAD/ EVIL

Form: adj For something that's very
Tone: neg harmful, especially a tumor
MALIGNANT that's cancerous, use the
term malignant.
Form: adj Pernicious means harmful
and subtle, such as a
poison gas that causes
cancer in those exposed to
PERNICIOUS it over the course of years.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: MAL means BAD.
Example: She was relieved
when the doctor told her that
the tumor was not MALIGNANT.
Root: MAL means BAD/ EVIL
Mnemonic: word can be divided
like per+nicious..nicious when
pronounced sounds like
noxious...so noxious.. ..so
something harmful
Example: the PERNICIOUS
influence of TV violence on
children.

BLESSING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A benediction is a blessing
— either a formal one that
you might hear in a church
BENEDICTION service or an informal one
Tone: pos
that you might utter when
you take any leap of faith.
Form: noun If you say grace before a
meal, you are saying a
benison, or blessing. You
BENISON Tone: pos can also be grateful for the
benison of having your
family around the table for
a meal.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BENE - (GOOD) and
DICTUM is 'saying'. Good words
used is called BENEDICTION.
Example: his arms outstretched
in BENEDICTION
Root: BENE means GOOD
Mnemonic: Beni(means good)+
son. You feel blessed to have a
good son.
Example: I could never step in
to marriage without my
Grandmothers BENISON.
Root: BENE means GOOD

LIST 8

CHAOS , CONFUSION
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun Bedlam is a scene of Mnemonic: Imagine a room full
Bedlam madness, chaos or great of beds with one leg missing - the
confusion. If you allow bed lame is general confusion
 Tone: Neg football fans onto the field
after the big game, it will be
pure bedlam.
Form: adj The adjective tumultuous
means "disruptive,"
Tumultous "troubled," "disorderly," or
Tone: Neg
"turbulent."
Form: noun Use the noun turbulence to
describe instability or
disturbance. If you’re on
an airplane during a storm,
Turbulence
Tone: Neg turbulence is that horrible
thing that is causing the
plane (and your stomach) to
bounce around.
Form: noun Upheaval means a violent or
sudden change. You might
talk about an upheaval in
Upheaval government following an
Tone: Neg election where many
incumbents are replaced.
CRIMINALS , LAW BREAKERS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Tone: neg A desperado is an outlaw that
you'd see in an old Western
or in the Wild West. Think hip
holsters, spinning guns, and a
Desperado
shoot-out, all with a
bandanna pulled up hiding
half of the face of the
desperado.
Form: noun Technically, a felon is anyone
who's been convicted of a
serious crime, but you can
Felon
Tone: neg use felon to describe anyone
you think has done something
terrible.
Form: noun A hooligan is a rowdy person
Tone: neg who causes trouble for others.
Hooligan
Hooligans are similar to
bullies and thugs.
Form: noun If it's threatening you or
otherwise posing some sort of
danger, then it's a menace.
Menace Tone: neg Angry rabid dogs, smog
clouds, and annoying little
brothers are all probable
menaces.
Form: noun A miscreant is a person who
Miscreant is bad––who lies, breaks
the law, yells at small
Example: It was Bedlam at our
house on the morning of the
wedding.
Mnemonic: billowing waves and
turbulences
Example: It was a Tumultous
time in her life
Mnemonic: Imagine someone
who has ants crawling all over
their turban; the turban ants are
in the state of being uncontrolled
Example: a period of Turbulence
in the country's history
Mnemonic: Making an evil
version of the movie up - making
up evil - would be a drastic
change in the movie
Example: I cannot face the
Upheaval of moving house again
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: When somebody is
Desperate, he can go to the
extent of indulging in violent act.
Example: Payne is described as a
worthless loafer and Desperado.
Mnemonic: A person who FEL
(fell) ON a road of decency and
became a criminal (Felon).
Example: A convicted Felon loses
the right to vote
Example: Hooligans vandalizing
the neighbourhood
Mnemonic: If a man is an ace at
what he does..he is Menace to
you.
Example: a new initiative aimed
at beating the Menace of illegal
drugs
Mnemonic: Imagine dr.
frankenstein miscreated a person
who behaves badly
 Tone: neg puppies. It's a somewhat old-
fashioned word, popular with
old ladies shocked at having
their purses stolen at the
opera.
Form: noun A rogue is a sneaky person
who has tricks up their
Tone: neg sleeves, not like a magician,
Rogue but like someone who would
steal your wallet or cheat at
cards.
Form: noun A ruffian is a bully, someone
who is violent toward others.
Maybe they had a bad
childhood, or perhaps they
Ruffian
like the sound of people in
Tone: neg pain. No matter where they
come from, ruffians are best
avoided.
Form: noun A scoundrel is a person who
does deliberately evil things.
If your brother hides a fake
mouse in your shoe and you
Scoundrel therefore almost have a heart
Tone: neg
attack while getting dressed,
you have every right to call
him a scoundrel.
CHEAT , DECEIVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj To be artful is to do
something skillfully, especially
Artful Tone: neg in a cunning way. A con man
must be artful.
Form: noun If a politician pretends to be
angry as a way of rousing the
Tone: neg anger of the voters and
Artifice
getting more votes, he's
guilty of artifice — a subtle
and crafty trick.
Form: verb Ever paid a restaurant bill
only to discover they charged
Tone: neg you for stuff you never had?
What they did was bilk you
Bilk
— cheat you out of money
that was justly yours. Shady
companies are forever bilking
their investors.
Chicanery Form: noun Have you ever gotten the
Example: Some Miscreants
uprooted all the plants in our
colony last night.
Root: Mis is to HATE
Mnemonic: Someone who ROb
his own GUEsts is a Rogue
Example: Many of the vagabonds
were Rogues and cheaters of
various kinds, and formed a sub
community on the fringes of
official society.
Mnemonic: Don't get on the
wrong side of rough ian because
he's a petty criminal and will
probably beat you up and take
your lunch money.
Example: a gang of young
Ruffians.
Mnemonic: An irresponsible
driller on an oil rig will clean
himself with the drill, turning it
into a scouring drill
Example: The Scoundrel who
killed her made good his escape
eight full hours before the police
had any knowledge of the crime.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: spell it "art of
fool(ing)" i.e in a cunning way
Example: He was Artful and
cunning, and didn't really trust
him.
Mnemonic: sounds like artificial
fish which is nothing but a trick.
Example: Pretending to faint was
merely an Artifice.
Mnemonic: milk~ similary milk
suppliers add water to cheat us
Example: a con man who Bilked
investors out of millions of dollars
Mnemonic: She can be tricky!
 Tone: neg sense that politicians or Example: It can take several
corporate leaders will say hours in large counties for the
anything to turn public ballots to reach the counting
opinion their way? This tricky station, giving ample opportunity
kind of deceit and for Chicanery.
manipulation is called
chicanery.
Form: adj If people call you crafty, they Mnemonic:
Tone: neg probably mean you are sly Example: He's a Crafty old devil
and a little deceptive. Then
again, they could be saying
Crafty
that you are really good at
knitting, beading or turning
old t-shirts into funky
pillowcases.
Form: verb A dupe is a furry, ceremonial Example: They soon realized
Tone: neg hat occasionally worn during they had been Duped.
ancient pagan rituals... or
not. Dupe actually means
Dupe
“trick or deceive.―
We’re sorry we tried to
dupe you into believing the
wrong definition.
Form: verb When you finagle, you get out Mnemonic: it is very difficult to
of something using devious have an ANGLE in FINLAND,BY
Finagle methods, like when you ANY TRICKS.
Tone: neg pretend you're sick to avoid Example: He Finagled some
taking a pop quiz. tickets for tonight's big game.
Form: verb You can also use fleece in an Mnemonic: colleges are
informal way to mean PLUNDERING in the form of
Fleece cheating someone. Fleece(FEES) and capitation
Tone: neg Example: Some local stores have
been fleecing tourists
Form: noun Use the noun guile for Mnemonic: Chris Gayle is a Guile
cunning, craftiness, and artful cricketer.
Tone: neg duplicity. Acting like you have Example: George was a man
Guile
a job on Wall Street when completely lacking in Guile
you're actually unemployed
would take a lot of guile.
Form: verb Your little brother might be a Example: The immigrant was
Tone: neg gull if you can trick him into duped because he trusted
Gulled
doing your chores along with everyone", "You can't fool me!"
his own.
Form: verb To hoodwink someone means Mnemonic: To place a hood over
to trick or mislead them. someone's head and make them
Beware of fake ATMs that try wink (close) their eyes is to
Hoodwink to hoodwink you into giving Hoodwink or trick them
Tone: neg over your bank card and your Example: She was Hoodwinked
code, only to keep them both into buying a worthless necklace
and steal all your money.
Form: verb To swindle is to cheat or Mnemonic: Movie the Great
steal. You can swindle money, Swindle.
Tone: neg goods, ideas, and anything Example: They Swindled him out
Swindle
else that can be stolen, but be of hundreds of dollars
careful, because someone can
also swindle you.
Form: adj Did you fall for that wily door Mnemonic: Wily=WILling to trick
Wily
to door salesman's pitch? He people what anyone wants to
 must be very slick and tricky have
to have convinced you to buy
Tone: neg a set of new tires, considering Example: The boss is a Wily old
you don't have a car. fox.
WITHOUT DECEPTION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Yes, artless could mean
lacking in art, but more often
Tone: pos it means lacking in
Artless
superficiality or deceit. An
artless person could never
make a living as a con artist.
Form: noun Credence means truthfulness,
or believability. A video of a
funnel cloud entering Central
Park would give credence to
Credence/ Credible rumors of a tornado in
Tone: pos Manhattan.
Form: adj People who believe things
easily without having to be
convinced are credulous.
Credulous Tone: pos Sales people are always
hoping that someone
credulous picks up the phone
during a sales call.
Form: verb A dupe is a furry, ceremonial
Tone: pos hat occasionally worn during
ancient pagan rituals... or
not. Dupe actually means
Dupe
“trick or deceive.―
We’re sorry we tried to
dupe you into believing the
wrong definition.
Form: adj If you are guileless, you are
not a liar; you are innocent,
Guileless and you might be a touch on
Tone: pos the gullible side.
Form: adj If you are gullible, the joke is
on you because you are easily
fooled.
Gullible
Tone: pos
Form: adj Someone who is ingenuous
shows a childlike innocence,
Ingenuous trust, and openness. One of
Tone: pos the things kindergarten
teachers value is the chance
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: art + less, without
having any art(skill)
Example: the Artless sincerity of
a young child
Mnemonic: Credence: imagine
that a shopkeeper is giving you
credit because he has confidence
in you, that you would return it
someday
Example: They could give no
credence to the findings of the
survey
Mnemonic: Relate the word
Credulous to Credibility (bearing
truth)
Example: He is Credulous on the
one hand and intensely loyal on
the other.
Example: They soon realized
they had been Duped
Mnemonic: Â "guile" means to
decieve guile+less means no
deception, only honesty.
Example: She had the Guileless
innocence of a child.
Mnemonic: Gullible = Gull + ible
= girl/galli + able A girl who is
able to be tricked or deceived
easily
Example: the advertisement is
aimed at Gullible young women
worried about their weight
Mnemonic: In genuine
relationship people are naive and
trusting to each other.
Example: You are too Ingenuous.
Root: In means NOT
 to work with kids while
they're still relatively
ingenuous––their open,
trusting natures are a joy.
Form: adj No one likes being called Mnemonic: sounds as "naya",
naive, since it means you lack some one who is new is
Naïve sophistication or street inexperienced
Tone: pos smarts. Example: I can't believe you
were so Naïve as to trust him.

REPEAT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To recapitulate means to go Mnemonic: sounds like recap....if
back and summarize. At the you have noticed , whenever you
end of an oral report, you watch a serial ,before it starts
might say, "So, to they always give the recap of
recapitulate, I've made three what happened the previous day
Recapitulate points," and then you name
Tone: neut Example: to Recapitulate briefly,
them. the three main points are
these…
Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
Form: verb To regurgitate is to bring Mnemonic: When you gargle you
already swallowed food back re(gurg)itate the water
Tone: neut/pos up through one's throat and Example: For the exam, you
out the mouth. Not so nice in must be able to Regurgitate the
Regurgitate
humans, much more information
understandable (if still gross) Root: Prefix RE means to
in birds — who feed their REPEAT.
baby chicks by regurgitating.
Form: verb present or use over, with no Example: He just Rehashes
or few changes songs from the 60's
Rehash
Tone: neutral Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
Form: verb To reiterate something is to Mnemonic: Break it like =
say or do something again, or Reiterate= RE+UTTER+IT i.e to
many times. Let me reiterate: say again
Tone: neut if you repeat yourself, you're Example: Let me Reiterate that
Reiterate reiterating the thing you we are fully committed to this
originally said. policy
Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.

REPEAT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To recapitulate means to go Mnemonic: sounds like recap....if
back and summarize. At the you have noticed , whenever you
end of an oral report, you watch a serial ,before it starts
might say, "So, to they always give the recap of
Recapitulate recapitulate, I've made three what happened the previous day
Tone: neut points," and then you name Example: to Recapitulate briefly,
them. the three main points are
these…
Root: Prefix RE means to

Form: verb To regurgitate is to bring
already swallowed food back
Tone: neut/pos up through one's throat and
out the mouth. Not so nice in
Regurgitate
humans, much more
understandable (if still gross)
in birds — who feed their
baby chicks by regurgitating.
Form: verb present or use over, with no
or few changes
Rehash
Tone: neutral
Form: verb To reiterate something is to
say or do something again, or
many times. Let me reiterate:
Tone: neut if you repeat yourself, you're
Reiterate reiterating the thing you
originally said.
COUP
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun The hurricane battered the
coast, causing the city to
flood, and tens of thousands
of people were stranded
Cataclysm
without food or water. When
Tone: neg an event causes great
suffering, we call it a
cataclysm.
Form: noun A catastrophe is a disaster. If
a wedding reception is
disrupted by a fistfight
Catastrophe Tone: neg between the bride and her
new mother-in-law, you could
call the occasion a
catastrophe.
Form: noun A coup is a pretty major
achievement, whether it
involves taking over a
Coup (X) government by force, or
Tone: neut landing a major business
contract.
Form: noun Use debacle to refer to a
Tone: neg violent disaster or a great
failure. If the flower gardens
come toppling down during
Debacle
prom, strangling some
students and tripping others,
you might call the evening a
debacle.
COUP
Words Relation to Meaning
REPEAT.
Mnemonic: When you gargle you
re(gurg)itate the water
Example: For the exam, you
must be able to Regurgitate the
information
Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
Example: He just Rehashes
songs from the 60's
Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
Mnemonic: Break it like =
Reiterate= RE+UTTER+IT i.e to
say again
Example: Let me Reiterate that
we are fully committed to this
policy
Root: Prefix RE means to
REPEAT.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: The -clysm part of
Cataclysm comes from the Greek
word meaning “to wash,―
so Cataclysm's original meaning
was “flood, deluge".
Example: to survive the
Cataclysm of the Black Death
Mnemonic: Cats as astronauts
will create Catastrophe in the
space.
Example: Early warnings of rising
water levels prevented another
major Catastrophe
Mnemonic: Coup sounds like
Cop( Police), they do sudden
attack (encounter), which is often
a successful action too!
Example: he seized power in a
military coup in 2008
Root: DE refers to DOWN or
AWAY
Mnemonic/Example
 Group
Form: noun The hurricane battered the
coast, causing the city to
flood, and tens of thousands
of people were stranded
Cataclysm
without food or water. When
Tone: neg an event causes great
suffering, we call it a
cataclysm.
Form: noun A catastrophe is a disaster. If
a wedding reception is
disrupted by a fistfight
Catastrophe Tone: neg between the bride and her
new mother-in-law, you could
call the occasion a
catastrophe.
Form: noun A coup is a pretty major
achievement, whether it
involves taking over a
Coup (X) government by force, or
Tone: neut landing a major business
contract.
Form: noun Use debacle to refer to a
Tone: neg violent disaster or a great
failure. If the flower gardens
come toppling down during
Debacle
prom, strangling some
students and tripping others,
you might call the evening a
debacle.
ACTING PROPERLY,X MISBEHAVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Something that is decorous is
dignified, proper, and in good
taste, like your decorous
Decorous great-aunt who always wears
Tone: pos a dress — even when she's
only headed to the grocery
store.
Form: adj A demure woman or girl can
Tone: pos be described as polite and a
Demure little shy. A demure outfit is a
modest one––think high
neckline and low hem.
Form: adj Prim means polite, straight-
laced, even twee. Many
characters in Jane Austen
Prim novels are prim and proper.
Tone: pos
Form: noun Propriety is following what is
socially acceptable in speech
Propriety and behavior. If you are
Tone: pos someone who cares about
always doing the right and
Mnemonic: The -clysm part of
Cataclysm comes from the Greek
word meaning “to wash,―
so Cataclysm's original meaning
was “flood, deluge".
Example: to survive the
Cataclysm of the Black Death
Mnemonic: Cats as astronauts
will create Catastrophe in the
space.
Example: Early warnings of rising
water levels prevented another
major Catastrophe
Mnemonic: Coup sounds like
Cop( Police), they do sudden
attack (encounter), which is often
a successful action too!
Example: he seized power in a
military coup in 2008
Root: DE refers to DOWN or
AWAY
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: décor, DECORATE.
if you decorate your ROOM it will
look proper in appearance
compared to hall.
Example: They skipped her
immoral doings Decorously
Example: she is a Demure young
lady.
Mnemonic: In order to be very
precise and formal with my
speech, I had to trim all my
stories. (Prim - Trim)
Example: She is much too Prim
and proper!
Mnemonic: sounds like proper!
PROPER + APPROPRIATE =
Propriety
Example: nobody questioned the
Propriety of her being there alone
 proper thing, your friends
might accuse you of being
obsessed with propriety and
beg you to loosen up.
Form: adj You don't want to seem
anything less than seemly,
especially in the presence of
Seemly the Queen. Only seemly
Tone: pos behavior is allowed when
she's around.
Form: adj If something's execrable it's
really and truly, unbelievably,
absolutely the worst.
X Execrable
Tone: neg
Form: adj Something flagrant is bad —
so bad you can't ignore it. A
flagrant foul in sports might
X Flagrant send you to the bench, and a
Tone: neg flagrant violation of the law
might send you to the
slammer.
Form: noun Whenever you see the prefix
"mal-," you know it's not
good. Malfeasance is bad
behavior, especially from
X Malfeasance officials or people who should
Tone: neg know better.
SHINING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj When heated, coals become
incandescent, which means
Tone: neut/neg that they glow red-hot. When
you're heated up by an
Incandescent
argument, chances are you're
incandescent with, or
characterized by the intense
emotion of frustration.
Form: adj Iridescent is an adjective that
means lustrous and pearly,
Iridescent giving off a brilliant sheen like
Tone: neut
an oil slick or, well, a pearl.
Form: adj Luminous means full of or
giving off light. During the
Tone: pos winter holidays, with all their
Luminous
emphasis on light, you can
see luminous displays of
candles everywhere.
Lustrous Form: adj In shampoo commercials, the
Mnemonic: See+ homely: see
Sita is so homely and hence
proper or appropriate to be my
daughter in law!
Example: it was not considered
Seemly to talk in such a way in
front of the children
Mnemonic: Execrable = exe + cr
+ able; this *.exe file is a 'crappy'
virus and is 'able' to badly harm
your computer.
Example: execrable piece of
poem
Mnemonic: Â flag + rent --
renting the national flag!(No
offense meant) It is shocking &
scandalous.
Example: a flagrant use of
human rights
Mnemonic: What do we mean by
it if we say MAL FEES?? Certainly
its a bribe. So Malfeasance means
officials indulged in taking bribes,
a misconduct.
Example: The officer was
arrested for malfeasance activities
Root: Mal means BAD
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â IN the LIGHT of the
SCENTED CANDLE..
Example: an Incandescent
musical performance
Mnemonic: irid means iris and
iris helps us distinguish colours
Example: a bird with iridiscent
bright colors
Mnemonic: remember Luminous
INVERTERS ad by dhoni...brightful
Example: he was staring with
large Luminous eyes
Mnemonic: luster means shinny.
 Tone: pos hair you see swinging is
lustrous. It is brilliant, in the
shiny sense.
Form: adj If you're familiar with the way
that the gemstone opal
shimmers like a pearl, then
Opalescent you'll understand that
something opalescent reflects
Tone: neut the light in the same way.
Form: adj If someone tells you that you
have refulgent eyes, they
mean that your eyes shine
Tone: pos brightly, like the stars. This
Refulgent
suggests that your special
someone is the poetic type,
since refulgent is a literary
way of saying "bright."
Form: adj Something scintillating is
flashing briefly and sharply
Scintillating Tone: pos with light. Scintillating
conversations are smart and
captivating.
SELF-CONTROL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Reserve abstemious for
someone who exercises
restraint, especially with
Tone: neut regard to alcohol. A rock
Abstemious
musician may sing about
enjoying wine and women,
but in his private life he may
be abstemious.
Form: noun If you are a chocolate lover
you'll have to show great
restraint when the dessert
cart rolls over if you are
Abstinence
Tone: neut practicing abstinence, another
word for "refraining." It might
take a lot of willpower not to
throw yourself at the cart.
Form: adj When you abstain from
pleasures of life, you're
Celibacy practicing celibacy.
Tone: neut
Form: verb To stop yourself from saying
or doing something that you
could or would like to say or
Forbear do
Tone: neut
Form: adj A moderate voter is someone
Moderate Tone: neut who is politically speaking, in
the center. In other words,
Example: she has thick Lustrous
hair
Mnemonic: Â opal comes from
iris.. which is the part of the
eye..eyes helps us experience
colors.. and Opalescent means
lustrour colors..
Example: the pearls had an
Opalescent luster
Mnemonic: Refulgent sounds like
detergent.. use detergent to make
things shine
Example: the Refulgent sun
Mnemonic: Scintillating ===
ILLUMINATING
Example: this was a Scintillating
performance
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â focus on 'abs' part
of this word. Abs...To build a six-
pack abs, eat and drink carefully
Example: He was a hardworking
man with Abstemious habits
Root: AB means AWAY FROM
Mnemonic: ABS THIN ence. A
person maintained Abstinence
when he restrained from pleasant
things like food and drinks!!!
Example: practicing Abstinence
from chocolates is impossible for
her.
Mnemonic: A CELIBATE is far
from CELEBRATING life.
Example: He has been celibate
all his life
Mnemonic: We must be willing to
wait patiently FOR the BEAR to
leave as we stay tucked in a tight
ball face down.
Example: He wanted to answer
back,but he forbore from doing
so.
Example: He has Moderate salary
demands
 they are not quite left or
right, but somewhere in the
middle
Form: verb When someone burps in a Mnemonic: Â ref-rain...we resist
quiet classroom it can be hard from getting wet in the "rain" in
to refrain from laughing. Use rainy season.
Tone: neut the verb refrain if you have a Example: please Refrain from
Refrain
sudden impulse to do smoking
something, and you have
stopped yourself from doing
it.
Form: adj Temperate means mild, Mnemonic: Temper- ate…he
moderate. If you're a has taken over his temper, that is
temperate person, you are have controlled it
Temperate Tone: neut calm, reasonable. If you live Example: He is Temperate in his
in a temperate climate it's eating and drinking
warm and sunny, but not too
hot.
Form: verb Indulge is a verb that means Example: They went into town to
Tone: pos "to give in to something," like indulge in some serious shopping
X Indulge when you indulge your
craving for chocolate by
eating a big piece of it.

PRACTICAL , POSSIBLE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If you see yellowish skies on Mnemonic: read it as can + see
a humid, spring evening in + able = CAPABLE OF BEING
Kansas, it is entirely IMAGINED
Tone: pos conceivable that a tornado is Example: It is a Conceivable that
Conceivable in the making. That is to say, I'll see her tomorrow
it's imaginable or even
possible, so make sure you
take every conceivable
precaution.
Form: adj Someone who's credible is Mnemonic: Credible sounds like
honest and believable. A Believable.
Tone: pos pathological liar, for example, Example: It is just not Credible
Credible
might not be the most that she would cheat.
credible witness for your case Root: CRED means BELIEVE
against the bank robber.
Form: adj If something is feasible, then Example: Its just not Feasible to
Tone: pos you can do it without too manage the business on a part
much difficulty. When time basis
Feasible someone asks "Is it feasible?"
the person is asking if you'll
be able to get something
done.
Form: adj If something is plausible, it's Mnemonic: Plausible rhymes with
reasonable or believable. possible
Tone: pos Things that are plausible Example: Her story sounded
Plausible could easily happen. A woman perfectly Plausible
becoming President is very
plausible. A giraffe becoming
President is not.
Form: adj To describe a person or a Mnemonic: PRA + gma + TIC =
Pragmatic
solution that takes a realistic PRA + c + TIC + al
 Tone: pos approach, consider the
adjective pragmatic. The four-
year-old who wants a unicorn
for her birthday isn't being
very pragmatic.
Form: adj The adjective utilitarian
describes something that is
Tone: pos useful or functional. If you are
attracted to a car for its
Utilitarian storage space and gas
mileage — as opposed to its
sparkly tire rims — then
chances are you value a car's
utilitarian features.
Form: noun The adjective verisimilar
describes something appears
to be true or real, but may
not be. If you want to impress
Verisimilar
Tone: pos your friends, remark on the
verisimilar portrait of lost love
in that foreign film you all
went to see.
Form: adj When something is viable, the
adjective refers to something
Viable workable with the ability to
Tone: pos grow and function properly.
BOLD , RUDE , OVERLY PROUD
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj The word unassuming means
modest, lacking in arrogance,
pleasant, or polite. You'll find
Tone: pos that some of the most
(X) Unassuming unassuming people are
actually the most interesting
and powerful of all. They're
just decent enough not to
display it all the time.
Form: adj Arrogant is an adjective for
Tone: neg describing people who are too
proud and look down on
Arrogant others, like supermodels who
think their good looks give
them a right to do whatever
they want.
Form: adj This adjective is very bold —
if you are audacious, you are
daring and unconventional!
Audacious
Tone: pos
Form: noun To be bombastic is to be full
of hot air — like a politician
Bombastic who makes grand promises
and doesn't deliver.
Example: a Pragmatic approach
to management problems
Mnemonic: utility comes from
usefulness.
Example: this is a plain Utilitarian
kitchenware
Mnemonic: remember veriserum
from Harry Potter which makes
you tell the truth even if you don't
drink a drop of it
Example: a Verisimilar tale
Root: VER means TRUE.
Mnemonic: Â vi(VIV=LIFE) +
ABLE....so some one who is ABLE
to live his LIFE.
Example: this is a Viable option
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Unassuming
(modest) is the opposite of
flaunting (making a show of).
Example: Sachin is very
unassuming and hence is the king
of the cricket world.
Example: His Arrogant behavior
is ovserved by his seniors with
disgust.
Mnemonic:
Audacious..auda(AUDIBLE)....IF
YOU WANT to be audible to
millions of people you have to be
very daring and bold, to go to the
stage and deliver your message.
Example: an Audacious decision
Mnemonic: Â if bomblast takes
place anywhere then all politicians
starts to give a Bombastic (blah
blah) speech
 Tone: neg
Form: noun If you know someone who is a
real show off and is always
Braggart bragging about how great
Tone: neg they are, then you might call
this boaster a braggart.
Form: noun impudent aggressiveness
Brass Tone: neg
Form: noun a very troublesome child
Brat
Tone: neg
Form: noun If you act with bravado, you
are making a bold showy
statement. Picture a cowboy
Bravado
Tone: neg bursting through saloon doors
in an old western, and you
can picture bravado.
Form: adj With brazen disregard for the
sign that said "no cellphones
please" the woman took a
Brazen Tone: neg long call in the doctor's office
waiting room. Brazen refers
to something shocking, done
shamelessly.
Form: adj If you're being cheeky you're
Tone: neg being brash or irreverent. If
you're a cheeky child, you're
Cheeky probably just being impudent
and disrespectful — and
you're probably going to get
in trouble.
Form: adj A conceited person has an
Tone: neg inflated self-image and
perceives himself as
incredibly entertaining and
wonderful. Talk incessantly
Conceited
about your accomplishments
on the clarinet or amazing
ability to wiggle your ears,
and people are going to think
you’re conceite
Form: noun If you rudely behave as if you
have a right to something
Effrontery that you have no right to,
Tone: neg you're committing effrontery.
Form: noun limited to or caring only about
Tone: neg yourself and your own needs
Egotistical
Form: noun Gall describes something
irritating, like someone very
Gall rude. If you barge into a
bakery and cut in front of a
Example: His speech was full of
bombast.
Mnemonic: Â Braggart sounds
like dragg art.. the art of dragging
oneself too much(boasting)
Example: Her Braggart behavior
annoys everyone
Example: She marched in here,
bold as Brass, and demanded a
raise.
Mnemonic: Brat-similar to a rat
which is very troublesome.
Example: a Bratty kid he is.
Mnemonic: Brava+Do = Act like
brave but not brave. Pretended
bravery
Example: "Don't threaten me,"
she whispered with false Bravado
Mnemonic: a Brazen person will
not care about anything or
anyone.
Example: She had become
Brazen about the whole affair
Example: a Cheeky grin
Example: He is a very Conceited
person
Mnemonic: Â for every
discussion he comes to the FRONT
and argues...in a rude manner.
Example: He had the Effrontery
to accuse me of lying
Mnemonic: ego
Example: His egotism prevented
him from really loving anyone but
himself.
Mnemonic: remember Galls in
"Asterix & Obelix" they used to
slap the Romans, as the Romans
always annoyed them
 Tone: neg sweet old lady, then you have
gall.
Form: adj Grandiloquent is a fancy term
for, well, being fancy or
pretentious. In fact, you
Grandiloquent might say grandiloquent is
itself a pretty grandiloquent
Tone: neg word.
Form: adj Someone who is haughty is
Tone: neg arrogant and full of pride.
When you're haughty, you
Haughty
have a big attitude and act
like you're better than other
people.
Form: noun Hauteur is an obnoxious
Tone: neg display of overbearing pride
and superiority over others.
Hauteur Rather than showing humility
and respect, a bad king might
act with hauteur toward his
subjects.
Form: noun Hubris is an excess of
confidence: a boxer who
shouts "I'm the greatest!"
Hubris even though he's about to get
pummeled by a much
Tone: neg stronger opponent is
displaying a lot of hubris.
Form: adj If someone's rude without
being openly nasty, like a kid
in the back row of class
quietly heckling his teacher,
Impertinent you can call him impertinent.
Tone: neg
Form: adj An impudent person is bold,
sassy, and shameless. If you
want to get into a fancy
nightclub and you tell the
Impudent bouncer, “Let me in,
I’m much more beautiful
Tone: neg than all these ugly losers in
line,― that’s impudent
behavior.
Form: adj Someone who's insolent is
either really doing her own
thing, even if it goes against
Insolent what everyone else is doing,
Tone: neg or she’s mildly
disrespectful.
Form: noun the courage to carry on
Nerve
Tone: pos
Example: Then they had the Gall
to complain
Mnemonic: GRAND+ELOQUENT
only an ELOQUENT speaker can
deliver a POMPOUS/BOMBASTIC
speech in front a HUGE/GRAND
crowd
Example: His Grandiloquent
speech impressed no one
Mnemonic: don't care attitude
Example: he replied with
Haughty disdain
Example: Bill’s hautiness
infuriated Martha so much that
she stormed out of the room. -
Mnemonic: Â HUB+RIS(RAISE)--
A person RAISEd in a HUB(city
centre),will be arrogant and
conceited towards villagers and
others.
Example: his faliure was brought
only by Hubris
Mnemonic: focus on its last
words "tinent" sounds like tenant-
> so when a imperial owner talks
to his tenant he doesn't give any
respect.
Example: Would it be
Impertinent to ask why you are
leaving?
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Â sounds like
impunity, which means immune
from punishment, which is
characteristic of those who are
shamelessly bold, insolent,
impertinent = Impudent.
Example: an Impudent young
man!
Mnemonic: sounds like insult-ent
-A person who insults evryone is
UNRESTRAINED, IMPRUDENT AND
SHAMELESS
Example: Her insolence cost her
her job.
Example: It took a lot of Nerve to
take the company to the court.
 Form: adj A pompous person is arrogant
or conceited. He'll walk into a
party with an inflated ego,
Pompous ready to tell anyone who will
Tone: neg
listen that "I'm kind of a big
deal."
Form: adj When someone takes
liberties, doing things too
boldly, you can describe them
Presumptuous with the adjective
Tone: neg presumptuous.
Form: adj Use the adjective pretentious
as a way to criticize people
Tone: neg who try to act like they are
Pretentious
more important or
knowledgeable than they
really are.
Form: adj You can use saucy to describe
Tone: neg someone who likes to cause
trouble, but usually in a
Saucy
playful and funny way. Saucy
is also a good word for a
person who really likes to flirt.
Form: adj Supercilious people think very
highly of themselves, more
highly than of others. Think of
them as a "super silly ass,"
and you'll remember the basic
Supercilious sense of supercilious.
Tone: neg
Form: verb Picture the confident, maybe
even arrogant way a pirate, a
cowboy, or even a rapper
Swagger might stroll around. That style
Tone: neg
of walking is called a
swagger.
Form: noun Use the noun temerity to
mean the quality of being
unafraid of danger or
punishment. If you have the
Temerity
Tone: neg temerity to jump off the
bridge even after hearing
about the risk of instant
death, you truly are a nutcase
Form: adj If you admire yourself in the
mirror all the time and
constantly brag about all the
Vainglorious
Tone: neg beauty contests you have
won, you might rightfully get
accused of being vainglorious.
Mnemonic: pomp sounds like
pump... so falsely pump oneself
up... puffed with vanity
Example: his speech sounded
very Pompous and self
congratulatory
Mnemonic: Focus on "Presum"
(Presume)--> To overstep your
boundaries by boldly PRESUMing
something.
Example: Would it be
Presumptuous of me to ask to
borrow your car?
Mnemonic: Pretentious is
someone who is Pretending
Example: That was just an
ordinary house- not a Pretentious
one
Example: a Saucy smile
Mnemonic: split it like
SUPER+CILI(sounds like
SILLY)+o+US......now think of our
SUPER SENIORs in our college .
..who were very ARROGANT IN
NATURE..and were very keen to
exhibit their superiority over us
hence treated us in a very silly
way..
Example: The jewelry store clerk
was very Supercilious
Mnemonic: Â It's like sword +
dagger. If one has both of them,
he will be quite confident.
Example: he Swaggered into the
room looking very pleased with
himself
Mnemonic: te+merit+y—if you
have merit(academic excellence)
then you will be excessive
confident and fearless
Example: he had the Temerity to
call me a liar
Mnemonic: all your glorious
achievements are in vain if you
boast about them.
Example: In saying this we may
well be proud but not
Vainglorious.
 SHOW - OFF -ve
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj extravagant elaborateness
Flamboyance
Tone: neg
Form: verb Flaunt is "to display proudly
or show off," like when you
flaunt your new Italian leather
Flaunt Tone: neg jacket by wearing it to the
beach and pretending you're
cold to make sure everyone
sees it.
Form: adj You've got big plans. Huge
plans. Whatever it is, it's
going to blow minds and
absolutely rock worlds! Well,
Grandiose to some people those plans
Tone: neg might sound a bit grandiose.
Form: adj Reach for the adjective
ostentatious when you want a
flashy way to say — well,
Ostentatious "flashy" or "showy."
Tone: neg
VERY BRIGHT , SHOWY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Sobriety is the state of being
Tone: pos sober, which can mean either
not intoxicated or being
(X) solemn. If he takes a drink,
Sobriety an alcoholic ends a stretch of
sobriety. You might note
sobriety in the stands when
your team is losing.
Form: verb Bedizen means to decorate
yourself or something else to
Tone: neg the max — in an over-the-
Bedizen top flashy style. Picture big
jewels and gold bling.
Form: adj Use the adjective garish to
describe something that is
overly vivid, bright, showy,
Garish
and in bad taste — like the
Tone: neg DJ's garish outfit that is a
flashback to the disco era.
Gaudy Form: adj Something that's gaudy is
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: flamboyant ~ flame
+ boy; imagine a boy wearing a
T-shirt with pictures of flame on
it. will it not be flamboyant?
Example: he was flamboyant on
and off the stage.
Mnemonic: Flaunt ->Friend's
aunt; my Friend's aunt always
Flaunts.
Example: he did not believe in
Flaunting his wealth.
Mnemonic:
Grandiose=Grand+Expose. Think
of it as IMPRESSIVELY HUGE
assets which are RIDICULOUSLY
EXAGGERATED but they are fake
Example: he could no longer live
the Grandiose lifestyle to which he
had become accustomed
Mnemonic: Ostentatious....read
it as Stuntatious....Stunts...you
perform stunts to attract
attention, showy.
Example: she wore Ostentatious
gold jewelry
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: sounds like SOBER
Example: She was a model of
honesty and sobriety
Mnemonic: Bedizen can be
remembered as 'bad design dress'
Example: i told it would be a
disaster to let your mother
decorate this place, just look how
she has Bedizened it.
Mnemonic: Â Imagine if
someone GARNISHES too oddly !
puts everything, and makes it
gaudy !
Example: this dress is a little to
garisg for my taste
Example: she always wears
 Tone: neg showy, bright and definitely Gaudy colors.
tacky. So think twice about
that gaudy rainbow-colored
suit and shiny gold shoes
ensemble.
Form: adj Have you ever heard the Mnemonic: Meretricious = Mere
phrase "fake it until you make + Tricious. 'Mere' means trifle or
it"? That is advice that something less important
Tone: neg encourages you to be Example: Bill has been involved
meretricious, pretending to be in several Meretricious relations
Meretricious
something you aren't, like the
meretricious flaunting of
gigantic fake diamond
earrings, pretending they are
real — and tha
Form: adj Tawdry means cheap, shoddy, Mnemonic: ORIGINALLY THE
or tasteless. It can be used to WORD IS DERIVED FROM
describe almost anything from AUDRYLACE,A PLACE IN BRITAIN
clothes to people to even WHERE CHEAP AND SHOWY
Tawdry events or affairs. LACE(PROB OF SHOES) WERE
SOLD
Tone: neg Example: She wore a Tawdry
necklace to the ball.

GENEROUS SUPPORTER
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun someone who makes Mnemonic: al+trust : a person
charitable donations intended who is trusted by all as he does
to increase human well-being good deeds for welfare of others
Altruist
Tone: pos Example: Politicians are not
necessarily motivated by pure
altruism.
Form: noun Every school, museum, and Mnemonic: bene is a root word
struggling artist is in search which means good.. bene+factor
for a generous benefactor, or i.e some good factors like money,
Benefactor someone to provide the help.
Tone: pos financial means to keep Example: He is a generous
everything running smoothly. Benefactor.
Form: adj Beneficent is the type of act Mnemonic: one who thinks about
that helps others. If you're a the benefits of others.
Tone: pos beneficent person, you Example: the benificent power of
probably spend a lot of your nature
Beneficent
time volunteering at soup
kitchens or homeless shelters,
helping people who are less
fortunate than you are.
Form: adj Choose the adjective Example: belief in the existence
benevolent for someone who of a Benevolent God!
Tone: pos does good deeds or shows Root: BENE means GOOD
goodwill. If your teacher
Benevolent
collects homework with a
benevolent smile, she's
hoping that you've done a
good job.
 Form: adj A humane person is one who
shows great compassion and
caring for others, including
Humane animals, and who tries
Tone: pos whenever possible to alleviate
another's suffering.
Form: adj A magnanimous person has a
generous spirit. Letting your
Tone: pos little sister have the last of
Magnanimous the cookies, even though you
hadn't eaten since breakfast,
would be considered a
magnanimous act.
Form: adj If you give your best friend a
bracelet for her birthday, then
you’re a good friend. If
you give her a diamond
Munificent Tone: pos bracelet, a racehorse, and an
oil well, then you’re a
munificent friend, meaning
you are very lavish when it
comes to giving gifts.
Form: noun A patron supports someone or
something. A patron of a
Tone: pos business supports the
business by being a loyal
Patron
customer. A patron of the arts
helps support starving artists
— financially, not with food
rations.
Form: noun A philanthropist is a person
who gives money or gifts to
charities, or helps needy
people in other ways. Famous
Philanthropist examples include Andrew
Tone: pos
Carnegie and Bill & Melinda
Gates.
VERY TALKATIVE , LOTS OF WORDS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj A garrulous person just
won’t stop talking (and
talking, and talking, and
Garrulous talking...).
Tone: neut
Form: adj A loquacious person talks a
lot, often about stuff that only
they think is interesting. You
Loquacious Tone: neut can also call them chatty or
gabby, but either way, they're
loquacious.
Mnemonic: HUMAN have
sympathy for those who have
suffered. Eg. We give charity for
flood victims and all
Example: Campaigners claim that
the animals are not being kept in
Humane condition
Mnemonic: magnify is huge…a
big hearted person.
Example: He was Magnanimous
in defeat and praised his
opponent's skill
Mnemonic: you think of rishi -
muni (sages), who are always
generous in giving, will give you
whatever you want
Example: He enjoys being
Munificent on a princely scale
Mnemonic: The boss thinks he is
a Patron saint.
Example: Peggy was the Patron
of many artists
Mnemonic: Phil is Love and
Anthrop means mankind… So
Love for mankind is what is shown
by a Philanthropist
Example: He was a wealthy
businessman and philathropist
Root: PHIL means LOVER OF,
LIKE
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â "Girls, rule us!"
They rule us in their ability to talk
non-stop about any topic.
Example: He became positively
Garrulous whenever extremely
happy
Mnemonic: Â it is derived from
the root word 'loqua'... which
refers to SPEECH or TALK
Example: She is a Loquacious
lady who never runs out of stories
to tell.
Root: LOQ means SPEAK
 Form: adj A book that feels like it is
several hundred pages longer
Tone: neut than it needs to be is prolix.
Prolix
The word simply means that
something has too many
words and goes on too long.
Form: noun Verbiage is what it sounds
Tone: neut like — a lot of words: verbs,
nouns, adjectives and all the
other parts of speech.
Verbiage
Usually, verbiage means a
few too many words — like
the excessive verbiage in a
legal document.
Form: adj Verbose describes a person,
speech, or piece of writing
that uses many words,
usually more words than
Tone: neut necessary. If you talk too
Verbose
much, you can be described
as verbose, and so can your
history paper if you didn't do
the research and are just
tried to take
Form: adj Voluble describes someone
who talks a lot, like your aunt
who can’t stop telling you
Voluble to cut your hair or a political
Tone: neut candidate who makes twenty
speeches on the day before
the election.
QUIET , FEW WORDS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To abbreviate is to shorten.
Words are often abbreviated,
like when we say sked instead
Abbreviated Tone: neut of schedule.
Form: verb So the editor wants to cut
your epic 800-page history of
the stapler to a 150-page
summary instead. Don't cry
Abridge
— he just wants to abridge
Tone: neut your masterpiece, trimming it
down to the more readable
essential elements.
Form: noun The noun brevity means
shortness or conciseness. If
Tone: pos you give a report on
Brevity agriculture in the northern
hemisphere in 3 minutes, you
have done it with incredible
brevity.
Mnemonic: Prolix=prolonged
+lexico graphy
Example: a Prolix lecturer telling
you more than you want to know
Mnemonic: relate it to verbose!
Example: use concise military
Verbiage
Mnemonic: VER for verbal BOSE
for boss; so you may say that
your boss is excessively verbal or
talkitive.
Example: She is a Verbose
speaker
Mnemonic: Remember "volume"
in TV controls. It's related to
sound. This Voluble is also related
to speaking.
Example: Evelyn was very
Voluble on the subject of woman
rights.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: abbreviate consists of
brevity(means brief)..so the
meaning would be 'to make brief'
Example: The National
Aeronautics and Space
Administration is Abbreviated to
NASA.
Mnemonic: Â a+bridge..well
bridges are meant to reduce the
gap between something..so
abridging..something means
reducing or shortening something.
Example: She has been asked to
Abridge the movie for television.
Mnemonic: brief + tea
session,tea time is short…
Example: Charles Dickens was
not known for his Brevity
 Form: verb When you condense
something, you cut it down
and trim it. You may love
every word of your 1000-page
Condense
Tone: neut novel, but you'll have to
condense the plot into a 2-
page summary for your
editor.
Form: adj Laconic is an adjective that
describes a style of speaking
or writing that uses only a few
words, often to express
Laconic
Tone: neut complex thoughts and ideas.
A more laconic way to write
that last sentence might be
this: laconic means brief.
Form: adj Any word or sound made up
Monosyllabi Tone: neut of just one syllable can be
c described with the adjective
monosyllabic.
Form: adj Reticent means either quiet or
restrained. If you're reticent
about your feelings, you like
Reticent Tone: neut to keep them to yourself, and
you're probably quiet in
rowdy groups where everyone
is talking over each other.
Form: adj Something that is succinct is
short and clear. If you're
going to be interviewed on
Tone: neut television about your new
Succinct
book and only have a five
minute slot, you'll need to
come up with a succinct
version of your story.
Form: adj omit a sound or letter in a
word
Syncopate
Tone: neut
Form: adj Someone who is taciturn is
reserved, not loud and
talkative. The word itself
refers to the trait of reticence,
Taciturn
Tone: neut/neg of seeming aloof and
uncommunicative. A taciturn
person might be snobby,
naturally quiet, or just shy.
PRETENSE OF MORALITY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Cant is language repeated so
Cant often and so mechanically
that it's essentially empty of
Mnemonic: Imagine a cone-
shaped cloud: the cloud has cone
dents where parts of it have
changed from a gas into a liquid
Example: Condense the soup by
boiling it for several minutes.
Mnemonic: LAC..LACK, SO LACK
OF WORDS in her speech, specify
that she used very few words to
portray her ideas.
Example: a Laconic comment
Example: Ralph grew
increasingly Monosyllabic as the
evening progressed.
Mnemonic: Cent (Saint) is
stereotypically reluctant to speak
or draw attention to themselves.
Example: She was shy and
Reticent.
Mnemonic: Â SUCK+INK -
brief/summary of story sucks less
ink on the paper
Example: Keep your answers as
succint as possible
Example: The patterned holes in
the paper kept coming and turned
into Syncopated sweetness before
your eyes.
Root: SYN- means
WITH,TOGETHER.
Mnemonic: meaning of tacit =
silent. so meaning of tacit + urn =
Taciturn = silent person ,
untalkative
Example: He Is a Taciturn and
serious young man
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â monks will be
ChANT ing mantras . its known
only for saints and monks
 Tone: neg meaning.
Form: noun Hypocritical involves acting in
a way that goes against your
stated beliefs. If you drive
drunk despite the fact that
Hypocritical
Tone: neg you are the president of
Students Against Drunk
Driving, you are truly
hypocritical.
Form: noun a person regarded as
arrogant and annoying
Prig
Tone: neg
Form: noun Use prude to describe
someone who is too
concerned with being proper
or modest. It is a derogatory
Prude label affixed most often to
Tone: neg girls or women who are not
forthcoming
romantically––it's not
very nice.
Form: adj The sanctimonious person
sounds like a hypocrite when
he preaches to a friend about
Sanctimonious the evils of drugs, while he
Tone: neg drinks one beer after another.
IMPERSONATOR , CHEAT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A charlatan is a quack, a
person who is trying to
deceive you with false claims.
Beware of charlatans who try
Charlatan to sell you access to the
Tone: neg fountain of youth or to a Ponzi
scheme disguised as an
exclusive investment fund.
Form: noun A demagogue is someone who
becomes a leader largely
because of skills as a speaker
or who appeals to emotions
Demagogue and prejudices.
Tone: neg
Form: noun An imposter is a person who
Tone: neg pretends to be someone else.
Imposter
Someone who tries to
convince you that he's your
Example: His speech was full of
moral, religious and social Cant.
Mnemonic: A hippo who says 'i
am very clean' but who lives in
hippo grit is one who contradicts
her own statements
Example: Charles was a liar and
a hypocrite who married her for
money.
Mnemonic: PIGGish people don't
take much care on propriety but
PrigGISH people do.
Example: He was in danger of
becoming Priggish and
opinionated.
Mnemonic: Can be thought as an
antonym of CRUDE. Also, when
crude oil is refined we get PURE
oil and hence it can be called
PURITAN also.
Example: The people of the
Victorian Age were such Prudes!
Mnemonic: Just because he
SANCT (relate it to sanction)SOM
MONEY to us don't mean he's all
religious.
Example: I wish she had stopped
being Sanctimonious
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: The guys on the
Shopping Channel, who claim to
give you rock hard abs on five
minutes a day, are mostly
Charlatans.
Example: He knows nothing
about medicine- he is a complete
Charlatan.
Mnemonic: Â democracy+agog-
an agog man leading democracy
will only try to win peoples
support by using unreasonable
and emotional arguments
Example: There will always be
another video, book, or cartoon
just waiting to be exploited by
politically savvy Demagogues.
Mnemonic:  I+m+poster—a
person made a poster of himself
with a celebrity showing every
body that I AM in POSTER is a
 long lost cousin in order to
get an invitation to stay in
your awesome apartment is
an imposter.
Form: noun There are good quacks and
bad quacks. A good quack is
the sound a duck makes. A
Quack bad quack is someone
Tone: neg pretending to be a doctor.
Form: noun A shyster is someone who
might rip you off or do
something unethical in order
Tone: neg to get his way.
Shyster
Form: verb If you know someone is a
swindler, stay away from him.
Swindler Swindlers are scammers who
Tone: neg
con people to make a buck.
LIST 9
IMITATE , COMIC IMITATION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun In contemporary usage,
burlesque is a ironic style of
entertainment dating back to
medieval times.
Burlesque Tone: positive
Form: verb When you emulate someone,
you imitate them, especially
with the idea of matching
Emulate their success.
Tone: positive
Form: verb A mimic is someone who is
Tone: positive good at imitating others. A
gifted mimic might be able to
Mimic imitate one president after
another just by minimally
changing facial expression
and manner of speaking.
Form: noun A parody is a humorous or
Parody mocking imitation of
something, using the same
fraud person
Mnemonic: Â If someone tells
you that he has the power to
create an earth quake, he is
certainly a Quack.
Example: She exposed Dr Jones
as a Quack
Mnemonic: Shiny (Ahuja) is a
star (Shyster), and you all know
what he's done was unethical.
Example: On L.A. Law,
respectable attorney Brackman
was horrified to learn that his
newly discovered half brother was
a cheap Shyster.
Mnemonic: Movie the great
swindle
Example: They swindled him out
of hundreds of dollars.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: if you want to ridicule
Barclay's premier league than you
can write Burlesque premier
league.
Example: So now it is time to
consider better ways to
accomplish these goals, ways that
don't turn the appointment
system into Burlesque.
Mnemonic: Our friend, the late
emu, (emu-late) sadly died while
trying to imitate the flight of an
eagle
Example: She hopes to Emulate
her sister's athletic achievements.
Mnemonic: Mimicry
Example: He Mimicked
Rajnikanth in the class
Mnemonic:
Parody..parrot..always imitates
people often in a humorous way.
 Tone: positive form as the original. To
parody a poem, you have to
write another poem.
Form: verb When you simulate something
you imitate it. Hollywood
makeup artists can use
Tone: positive pencils and gray wigs to
Simulate simulate old age in a young
actor. It can also mean to
model––a computer can
simulate disaster scenarios in
cities.
Form: noun a composition that imitates or
misrepresents somebody's
Spoof style, usually in a humorous
Tone: positive way
EXPRESS USING GESTURES
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A charade is something done
just for show. Your devotion
to vegetarianism would be a
Charade
charade if you actually ate
Tone: Neutral cheeseburgers when no one
was looking.
Form: verb When you gesticulate, you
make sweeping and excited
Tone: Neutral movements with your hands
Gesticulate when speaking. Someone
describing a scary car
accident might gesticulate
wildly.
Form: noun A mime is a performer who
uses exaggerated facial
expressions and body
Mime movements — instead of
Tone: Neutral
words — to communicate
with his audience.
Form: noun If you make a motion with
your hands to indicate eating
ice cream, you are using
Tone: neutral pantomime.Parents often use
Pantomime this wordless communication
to try to keep things from the
kids. Unfortunately, the kids
usually catch on quickly —
especially if there is ice cre
INTERVENOR , LEAD
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb act in an official capacity in a
* Officiate Tone: positive ceremony or religious ritual,
such as a wedding
Legends:
Example: His personality made
him an easy subject for Parody.
Mnemonic: In latin, similis
means like; Simulate means
imitate
Example: Role-playing is a useful
way of simulating real-life
situations.
Mnemonic: to spell SPOON as
Spoof is a kind of parody,hoax or
Spoof
Example: It's a Spoof on horror
movies.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: back to school time
activities: act out the name of a
movie using hands only.sign
language.
Example: Let's play Charades.
Mnemonic: latin, gestus means
action.
Example: She was shouting and
gesticulating from the other side
of the road.
Mnemonic: consider 'Mime' as
short-form of mimicry without
words
Example: The actor mimicked the
President very accurately
Root: Mime is to COPY.
Mnemonic: Tushaar Kapoor
performs a Pantomime in Golmaal
movies
Example: This is a magical tale
told through Pantomime and song
Mnemonic/Example
X : Antonyms
: Words with
slightly different
meaning from
*
the majority of
the words in a
cluster.
: Words which
are neither
#
synonyms nor
antonyms.
: The words in
this family are
(+)
used usually in
positive context.
: The words in
this family are
(-)
used usually in
negative context.

RESPECT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: v To commemorate something
means to remember
something and by doing so to
Tone: positive honor it, as in “We would
Cemmemorate
like to commemorate his
many years of past service by
presenting him with this
lovely gold watch.―
Form: noun Sure you wear ripped jeans to
school every day, but you
don't wear them to your
grandmother's house out of
Deference deference to her. When you
show deference to someone,
Tone: positive you make a gesture of
respect.
Form: v You might like your manager,
but if you exalt her, it means
you really put her on a
pedestal and treat her like
Exalt Tone: Negative royalty.
Form: adj To hallow is to bless,
Hallow consecrate, or render holy by
means of religious rites,
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: come +
memory(ative) remembering
something and honouring.
Example: A series of movies will
be shown to commemorate the
30th anniversary of his death.
Mnemonic: de- means down,
away; ferre means to carry; if
you let someone carry away a
matter, you are showing
respectful submission or
Deference to their competence
Example: The DEFinite
difFERENCE between good and
bad manners.
Mnemonic: In Latin, ex- means
out, altus means high; if you
hold someone in 'high' regard,
you Exalt or praise them
Example: The chefs gave the
young man high praise for
inventing an egg flavored salt,
and quickly began to use it in all
their sandwiches.
Mnemonic: Hallow = Hall+ow;
in a prayer 'Hall' religious
programs are held
 Tone: positive especially significant religious
places or the relics of saints.
Form: noun Homage means great respect
and honor, or something done
to honor a person or thing.
Homage We pay homage to our
Tone: positive
ancestors and say prayers in
homage to their memory.
Form: v Revere means that to respect
someone so deeply that you
almost worship them. Despite
Tone: positive the size of the American
military, the American people
Revere
revere peacemakers like
Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Mahatma Gandhi. Rock stars
are revered by throngs of
devoted fa
Form: v To venerate is to worship,
adore, be in awe of. You
probably don't venerate your
teacher or boss; however,
Venerate you may act like you do!
Tone: positive
INSPIRING FEAR OR RESPECT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Awe is a feeling of fear that is
mixed with respect and
wonder. You might gaze at
Awe
Tone: positive the Grand Canyon with awe,
marveling at its beauty and
fearing its depth.
Form: adj What do the national debt,
your old gym teacher, and
your mother-in-law have in
common? They're all
Formidable
Tone: Negative formidable — that is, they
inspire fear and respect
thanks to their size, or special
ability, or unusual qualities.
Form: adj Redoubtable means
honorable, maybe even
intimidatingly so. If your
grandmother worked
Tone: positive tirelessly to raise four kids on
Redoubtable
her own and start her own
taxi cab business and to this
day, keeps all of her cabbies
in line, she is without a doubt
redoubtable.
CONFIRM , DECLARE, GIVE UP `X`
Words Relation to Meaning
Example: Their wedding was
Hallowed by a friendly priest
Mnemonic: Homage = Home +
Age; In our culture, we respect
the aged persons of our home.
Example: He describes his book
as “a Homage to my
father.―
Mnemonic: In Latin, re- is an
intensive prefix; vereri means to
stand in awe or fear
Example: From earliest
childhood she had been taught to
Revere and love bishops of her
church.
Mnemonic: In latin venus
means beauty, love, desire; you
cherish respectfullyor Venerate
something that you love and find
beautiful
Example: U RATE someone
higher.. you TREAT THEM WITH
RESPECT
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Awe can be
remembered in connection to
Awesome
Example: I'm in Awe of your
biking skills.
Mnemonic: In Latin, formido
means terror, dread; Formidable
means awesome, great in size of
difficulty
Example: In spite of his
Formidable appearance he had a
certain charm of manner.
Mnemonic: re-doubt-able :
Something appears to be so
fearful that it makes you doubt
again.
Example: He was dreading his
interview with the Redoubtable
Mrs. Fitton.
Mnemonic/Example
 Group
Form: verb To affirm something is to give
it a big "YES" or to confirm
Affirm that it is true.
Tone: Neutral
Form: verb Ascertain is a verb that
Tone: Neutral means to find out something.
Ascertain You might have to go to the
bank to ascertain if there is
any money in your account.
Form: verb To aver is to declare
something is true or to state.
Tone: Neutral This verb has a serious tone,
Aver so you might aver something
on a witness stand or you
might aver that you won't
back down to a challenge.
Form: verb When you avow something,
Tone: Neutral you say it openly for the
whole world to hear. If you're
Avow a witness in a trial, you'll be
asked to take an oath in
which you'll avow that you'll
tell the truth.
Form: verb "I proclaim the Olympic
Tone: Neutral Games open." Every two
years with words similar to
Proclaim
these, the Olympic games
officially begin. To proclaim is
to exclaim or declare.
Form: verb Sometimes someone in power
might decide to give up that
power and step down from his
or her position. When they do
X Abdicate that, they abdicate their
Tone: Neutral
authority, giving up all duties
and perks of the job.
Form: verb Abjure means to swear off,
and it applies to something
you once believed. You can
Tone: Positive abjure a religious faith, you
X Abjure can abjure your love of
another person, and you can
abjure the practice of using
excessive force in
interrogation.
Form: verb The verb abnegate means to
deny or renounce something.
Scientists abnegate the
X Abnegate existence of little green
Tone: Negative
spacemen from Mars.
Form: verb To cede is to give up or
X Cede Tone: Negative surrender land, position, or
authority.
Mnemonic: Affirm sounds like
Confirm
Example: I can Affirm that no
one will lose their job.
Mnemonic: As Certain as ever!
Example: A great detective must
always Ascertain his beliefs.
Mnemonic: A VERy confident
statement!
Example: She Averred that she
had never seen the man before.
Mnemonic: A: VOW
Example: They Avowed their
undying love for each other.
Mnemonic: Sounds like claim
Example: The day was
Proclaimed a public holiday.
Mnemonic: abdicate sounds like
dictate, with a twist in the
meaning. Dictate is to Rule and
Abdicate is to give up that rule
Example: Sonia Gandhi abdicated
the position of Prime Minister and
surprised the whole world
Root: AB refers to AWAY FROM.
Mnemonic: If your abs feel pain,
you might want to forgo that
intensive ab workout.
Example: When the five year old
got abs injured his mother
advised that he forgo his
thousand situps a day
Root: AB refers to AWAY FROM.
Mnemonic: ab-Negate, Negate
means to reject or to stop
something from happening.
Example: The king abnegated his
power to the ministers.
Root: AB refers to AWAY FROM.
Example: Cuba was ceded by
Spain to the US in 1898.
 Form: verb To forsake another person is
to leave them entirely, usually
in a moment of need.
X Forsake
Tone: Negative
Form: verb To forswear is to give up an
idea, belief, or habit that
you’ve had previously.
X Forswear Tone: Negative New Year’s is a popular
time to forswear anything
from sweets to bad
relationships.
Form: verb If you relinquish something,
you let it go. You relinquish
control of the army when you
X Relinquish Tone: Neutral resign as general. Your
relinquish your plan to sneak
into town when your parents
find out what's going on.
Form: verb To renounce is to officially
give up or turn away from.
Tone: Negative People on a diet usually
X Renounce renounce pizza and chocolate
cake, for example.
OFFENSIVE , LUSTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use lascivious to describe a
person's behavior that is
Tone: Negative driven by thoughts of sex. If
Lascivious
someone gives you a
lascivious smile, they've got
only one thing in mind.
Form: adj To be lecherous is to be full of
strong sexual desire and to
Lecherous act on it, usually in an
Tone: Negative unpleasant way.
Form: adj A leer is a grin that isn't
friendly. A leer means the
Leer Tone: Negative person doesn't like you, or
even worse, does — in a
creepy way.
Form: adj Making lewd remarks are
sexually inappropriate.
Personal and sexually explicit
Tone: Negative comments might be
Lewd
acceptable when said in
private but they are not all
right when said to strangers
in public.
Form: adj When people are lured into
Lurid looking at something, they
may be drawn to it because
Mnemonic: for- expresses
negativity, sake means in the
interest of; forsake means to
abandon
Example: She promised his wife
that he will never forsake her.
Mnemonic: I Swear to forgo all
fatty sweets and look slim and
trim all my life.
Example: He foreswore
cigarettes as his New Year's
resolution.
Mnemonic:
Relin(Release)+quish(wish); So
release ur wish
Example: He was forced to
relinquish control of the company.
Mnemonic: Satyam announce to
renounce Ramalinga Raju
Example: Will James renounce
his throne in favor of his son?
Root: RE refers to AGAIN or
BACK.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Lascivious means
lewd
Example: He was fired for
making Lascivious remarks to a
co-worker.
Mnemonic: lecher means to live
in sin. Any indecent activity is
definitely sinful.
Example: He had a Lecherous
gleam in his eye.
Mnemonic: Leer is to stare
without fear.
Example: Leering objectionably
at others is utterly frustrating and
intolerable.
Mnemonic: Lewd sounds like too
loud to appear crude and
indecent.
Example: His Lewd behavior and
suggestions offended his students
and they denied attending his
classes.
Mnemonic: In latin, Luridis
means pale, yellow, ghastly; thus,
Lurid means scandalous, obscene.
 Tone: Negative it's a shocking, graphic, or
horrible scene, something
lurid and very vivid that pulls
them in.
Form: adj Obscene describes something
that is morally offensive way.
Obscene Tone: Negative
Form: adj When you ogle someone, you
look at them with love or
Ogle desire in mind. And if you're a
Tone: Negative cartoon character, you might
also be drooling.
Form: adj Things that are seamy have
lost all morality. Your mother
wouldn't approve of you going
to a seamy video arcade,
Seamy especially not if you went with
Tone: Negative a group of seamy people.
Form: adj Describe a person's actions as
sordid if they are so immoral
or unethical that they seem
Sordid dirty. Think of the worst parts
Tone: Negative of a bad soap opera!
Form: adj Vulgar is a great word that
combines a bunch of different
meanings into one, chief
Vulgar Tone: Negative among them: crude, crass,
common, uncouth, sometimes
raunchy. It depends on who's
saying it and why.
TO THINK
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Cogitate is a fancy was of
saying think hard. If you
spend a lot of time figuring
out exactly how your French
Cogitate teacher does her hair, you are
cogitating in order to avoid
Tone: Positive conjugating.
Form: v Before you accept a job offer,
or a college's offer of
Contemplate admission, you should take
time to contemplate the pros
Example: She was wearing a
Lurid orange and green blouse.
Mnemonic: Ob means against
and any scene (movie) that is not
worth seeing , is Obscene.
Example: It's Obscene to waste
so much on food when millions
are starving.
Root: Prefix OB means AGAINST
Mnemonic: Ogle sounds like
eagle, who always waits to first
eye a victim and then target it.
Example: He is not in the habit of
ogling at women.
Mnemonic: Seamy reminds me
of shoaib akhtar who's a seam
bowler and he is so fast that it is
Seamy or unpleasant for the
batsman who is facing him.
Example: He was always
attracted towards a Seamy way of
life.
Mnemonic: She lived in very
Sordid housing conditions, under
a bridge to be exact, so that the
SORE DID not heal properly.
Example: It was a shock to
discover the truth about his
Sordid past.
Mnemonic: He had a vultures
eyes, too eager to scan through
distatesful things.
Example: The Vulgar decoration
spoilt the mood and ambience of
the party.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Cogitate can be
related to cognitive thinking. Cog
always means to know, so when
you know about something and
have knowledge about the same
you think deeply.
Example: I have been cogitating
all day about this issue but
getting nowhere.
Mnemonic: its too late now to
show contempt over this issue.
Just think carefully and take a
decision.
 Tone: neutral/ and cons of your decision. If
positive you contemplate something,
you think about it carefully.
Form: adj To deliberate means to
carefully think or talk
something through — it also
means slow and measured,
Deliberate the pace of this kind of careful
Tone: neutral/ decision making. If you chose
positive deliberately, you make a very
conscious, well-thought-
through choice.
Form: noun reflect on one's own thoughts
and feelings
Tone: neutral/
Introspect
positive
Form: v The verb mull means to think
deeply about something, the
way you might mull over your
Mull choice of what college to
Tone: neutral/
positive attend.
Form: noun As a verb, to muse is to
consider something
thoughtfully.
Muse
Tone: Positive
Form: adj See that person staring out
Tone: neut/neg the window who looks so sad
Pensive and lost in thought? He is
pensive, the opposite of
cheery and carefree.
Form: v "Once upon a midnight
dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary" is the first
Tone: Positive line of Edgar Allen Poe's poem
Ponder The Raven. Many a deep
thinker has repeated it while
musing. But if you've given
up deep thinking, you may
say instead, "Nevermore."
Form: v If you reflect on your past
experiences, you look at them
once again thoughtfully.
Reflect
Tone: Positive
Form: v When you ruminate, it means
you are thinking very deeply
Ruminate about something. You're likely
to be so lost in thought that
you stare off into space and
Example: You are too young to
be contemplating retirement.
Mnemonic: Deliberate sounds
like Daily-berate, i.e. you are
berated or scolded everyday, you
need to think why it is happening
with you everyday.
Example: The speech was a
Deliberate attempt to embarrass
the government.
Mnemonic: Intro means inside
and spect means to see. So to
look within is Introspection.
Example: These situations are
best resolved with the minimum
of Introspection or self-analysis.
Root: Intro means INSIDE and
SPECT is to SEE
Mnemonic: when you are
considering an offer for 5 days,
you are Mulling over it
Example: I need some time to
Mull it over before making a
decision.
Mnemonic: Muse is to use your
brains and think over something
for long.
Example: philosophers have
mulled over the question of God
for thousands of years
Example: Rainy days often put
her in a Pensive mood.
Mnemonic: In Latin, Ponder
means weigh on the mind; thus
Ponder means think about
Example: She Pondered over his
words, because a serious decision
was to be taken.
Mnemonic: Â to understand the
concepts of Reflection of light, we
have to think deeply and study
Example: She was left to Reflect
on the implications of her
decision.
Mnemonic: In Latin, ruminare
means to chew cud, turn over in
the mind. When we sit alone in a
room (rum-inate), we start
thinking about random things.
 Tone: Positive don't hear people when they Example: From placement point
call your name. of view, here are some points to
Ruminate upon.

EASILY AFFECTED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj An impervious surface is one Mnemonic: IM- means not,
that can't be penetrated. The pervius means having a way
word is often followed by "to," through; impervious means
Impervious (X) as in "His steely personality impenetrable.
Tone: Positive made him impervious to jokes Example: She is impervious or
about his awful haircut." not affected by criticism.
Root: IM means NOT
Form: adj The path of least resistance is Mnemonic: Pro+One: liking
where you'll find prone: it towards one.
Prone Tone: Negative refers to whatever you're Example: People with fair skin
likely to do. who sunburn easily are very
Prone to develop skin cancer.
Form: n It can mean "to make
Tone: Negative someone do something," as in
Subject to "Don't let your dad subject
you to an hour-long lecture
on fishing."
Form: adj If you are susceptible to Mnemonic: Susceptible sounds
something such as infections like suspect, so suspected to be
or earaches, it means you are easily influenced by someone.
Susceptible likely to become sick with
Tone: Negative Example: Salt intake may lead
these things. to high blood pressure in
Susceptible adults.
Form: adj Use the adjective vulnerable Mnemonic: In Latin, vulnerare
to describe something or means to wound; able to be
someone open to being wounded or woundable.
Vulnerable Tone: Negative physically or emotionally Example: In cases of food
wounded, like a newborn poisoning, young children are
chick or an overly sensitive especially Vulnerable.
teenager.

ALONE , LONELY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun a hermit is someone who likes Mnemonic: The root of the word
to be alone, far from the is the Greek eremos, meaning
crowd because of religious “solitary.― Hermit does not
Hermit beliefs. permit a social life.
Tone: Neutral Example: It was an attempt to
live by himself and to himself, in
fact, to turn modern Hermit.
Form: noun People who are isolated are Mnemonic: Isolation sounds like
completely cut off from the solo or alone…sounds like I (me)
rest of the world. - solation- solo. So, I am solo or
Isolation alone
Tone: Negative/ Example: Many unemployed
Neutral people experience feelings of
Isolation and depression.
 Root: prefix ISO means EQUAL.
Form: noun when a person avoids others Mnemonic: Loner sounds like
company or assistance we call lonely and it means the same.
Loner him a Loner.
Tone: Neutral Example: I am a Loner by
nature, love to keep to myself.
Form: noun A recluse lives alone, works Mnemonic: Think of the Brown
alone, eats alone, and Recluse spider, who likes to hide
generally stays away from out in dark old boots or
other people. undisturbed corners of the
basement. re- means again,
Recluse claudere means to shut.
Tone: Negative/ Example: Reclusion from the
Neutral crowd seems soothing at time but
one cannot live in that, all alone
all the time.
Form: verb when you seclude others, you Mnemonic: The root is Latin,
separate them from other Secludere, which means "shut off'
people. from se, "apart" and cludere, "to
shut." OR think like this: Se
means apart from and clude
Seclude sounds like include..so not
including oneself
Tone: Negative/ Example: After Mr. Park’s
Neutral death, praising him was taboo,
and his daughter, who never
married, has lived a Secluded life.
Form: adj If you are a lone wolf, a Mnemonic: Solitary comes to us
rugged individualist, an island from the Latin solus, which means
unto yourself you prefer to be alone. Note its similarity to words
Solitary solitary or alone. like solo which means Solitary or
alone.
Tone: Negative/ Example: She enjoys long
Neutral Solitary walks.

CARELESS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj to be extremely careless. A Mnemonic: Lax sounds like
paperclip chain used as a bike LaxUS, which in Latin means
lock? That would be an Loose. It can also be remembered
example of lax security. as a RELaxED attitude.
Lax
Tone: Negative Example: The entire class
performed incredibly well on the
test, largely due to the sleepy
professor's Lax supervision
Form: adj You can be negligent at work Mnemonic: Negligent comes
if you let the work pile up from the Latin word neglegentia,
while you play computer meaning "carelessness."
Negligent games.
Tone: Negative Example: Fining Negligent
smokers can reduce the number
of smokers in public.
Form: adj If it's your turn to bring in the Mnemonic: Remiss sounds like
Remiss coffee and donuts for your you missed doing something
early morning meeting, and again.
 Tone: Negative you forget, then your co-
workers can say that you
were remiss in fulfilling your
responsibility
Form: adj when someone does
something in a slipshod
manner they do it in a way
that is careless and sloppy.
Slipshod
Tone: Negative
Form: adj That teacher's demands are
stringent — she wants the
homework typed in her
favorite font, on special
Stringent X paper, and each essay must
be exactly 45 lines!
Tone: Neutral
Example: We were Remiss in not
sending thank-you notes for our
wedding gifts
Mnemonic: An easy way to
remember the meaning of
Slipshod is to note that "shod"
(inferior in quality) is part of
"shoddy," a shoddy slipper led to
an acute foot pain.
Example: The crops are gathered
in the same Slipshod way. How do
we get profits from it?
Mnemonic: Stringent sounds like
ASTRINGENT, which we use if we
have pimples on the face.
Applying an astringent tightens
the pores and lessen the pimples.
Strict is being stringent.
Example: Stringent safety
procedures prevent accidents in a
dangerous work environment.

FRIENDLY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If the adjective affable applies Mnemonic: Arrange this word
to you, it means that you are like this: Aff for affection and
friendly and pleasant. A able. So a person who is capable
Affable snarling junkyard dog is not of being affectionate is Affable.
Tone: positive affable. Example: Mr Brook is an
extremely Affable and
approachable person.
Form: adj Someone showing aloofness Mnemonic: Aloof is away from
might be shy, or just really crowd.
Aloof (X) Tone: Negative doesn't want to be around Example: My nervousness
people. expressed itself as aloofness:
overly judgmental, overly cool
Form: adj A friendly, pleasant person Mnemonic: The Prefix AM refers
could be described as to Love. So a person who has a
amiable. loving attitude and is friendly
should be Amiable.
Amiable Tone: positive Example: Two Amiable people
who no longer want to be married
to one another might have an
amicable divorce.
Root: prefix AM means LOVE.
Form: adj Amicable is being friendly. Mnemonic: The Prefix AM refers
to Love. So a person who has a
loving attitude and is friendly
should be Amicable.
Amicable
Tone: positive Example: The end of a romantic
relationship that's less than
Amicable might involve broken
dishes or broken bones.
 Root: prefix AMI means LOVE
Form: noun a feeling of friendship and Mnemonic: break it up into
trust among people who work Camara + de + rie.. you give or
or spend a lot of time share your room with your
together friends with whom you have
Camaraderie mutual trust.. good-fellowship.
Tone: positive Example: The games are
designed to differentiate the line
between competition and
Camaraderie.
Form: adj ready to accept and doing Mnemonic: Compliansance
what others want you to do. sounds like Comply which means
to agree to everyones opinion.
Complaisance
Tone: Negative Example: She was a complaisant
wife and dutiful daughter.
Root: COM means TOGETHER.
Form: adj If you're trying to decide Mnemonic: con- means
which of your friends to take together, genialis means nuptial,
on a road trip, choose the productive; Congenial means
Congenial most congenial one. Definitely good-humored
Tone: positive like minded and friendly. Example: It always feels great to
work in a Congenial environment.
Root: Con means TOGETHER.
Form: adj If someone is called 'life of Mnemonic: Con' means
the party' she can be called together, and VIV means lively.
convival. So when together you call for a
lively environment with your
Convivial friends, its called Convivial
Tone: positive Example: She is a woman of
convival nature, very fun loving.
Root: Con means TOGETHER.
Form: adj Use cordial to describe a Mnemonic: You can relate it to
greeting or relationship that is 'chord' that joins/connects two
friendly and sincere. people, and hence calls for a
Cordial relation.
Cordial
Tone: positive Example: Justice Thomas did not
address the controversy directly,
but he said relationships on the
court are Cordial.
Form: verb You many not realise it, but Mnemonic: fraternity comes
when you hang out with your from the Latin word, Fraternus,
buds, your fraternize. That is which means brotherly.
Fraternize Tone: positive you associate in a friendly Example: The recession has
manner. created an atmosphere where
disparate groups fraternise in an
atmosphere of mutual support.
Form: adj If you're friendly and Mnemonic: Genial sounds like
outgoing, you're genial. You Genuinely Friendly.
Genial Tone: positive can be a genial host or a Example: Bob was always Genial
genial guest. and welcoming , a warm hearted
Genial host
 Form: adj If you know someone who's
outgoing, sociable, and fond
of the company of others, you
might want to call her
Gregarious gregarious.
Tone: positive
TO IRRITATE , MAKE ANGRY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj When an employee is
dissatisfied by her bad
working condition, they are
Disgruntled Tone: Negative disgruntled.
Form: verb To exasperate is to make
something that is already bad
even worse, by asking the
Exasperate Tone: Negative waiter continuously "what are
all the ingredients in the salad
dressing?" and making him
repeat the specials five times.
Form: noun When you grate something
you rip it to shreds, similarly
someone annoys you
Grate extremely, you feel like you
Tone: Negative are being grated
Form: verb A harangue is more than a
speech, louder than a
discussion, and nastier than a
Harangue lecture.
Tone: Negative
Form: verb when in a political campaign a
leader delivers his speech,
and you tend to interrupt him
Heckle by shouting or questioning,
you are heckling him
Tone: Negative
Form: noun If recess gets canceled for
everyone because two
students get into a fight, the
rest of the student body will
Indignation respond with indignation.
Tone: Negative
Mnemonic: it's from the Latin
word grex, meaning "herd
(animals that live in groups)."
Not surprisingly, people began
using it to describe humans who
liked being in groups.
Example: She is very outgoing
and Gregarious.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Disgrunt is like grunt
that is a low sound made when
you are not satisfied, angry.
Example: I went to five high
schools in four years and was very
Disgruntled
Root: DIS means APART, NOT
Mnemonic: I become angry
getting "eggs as per
rate"….Exasperate
Example: Her moods
Exasperated him.
Mnemonic: Grater can almost
seem as if a cheese Grater has
been applied to your nerves and is
slowly ripping them to shreds.
Example: He kept staring at her
and it began to Grate on her
nerves.
Mnemonic: HAR (her) + ANGUE
(anger) = she VERBALLY
ATTACKED me because of HER
ANGER at me.
Example: He walked to the front
of the stage and began to
Harangue the audience.
Mnemonic: Heckle sounds like
tickle. Like when you are busy
doing something and your
sister/brother tickles you and
interrupts it is called Heckle.
Example: He was Heckled
throughout his speech.
Mnemonic: Indignation traces
back to the Latin prefix in- "not"
and root dignus "worthy" and
means anger at something that is
unfair or unjust.
Example: The increase in plane
fares has aroused public
Indignation.
 Form: verb People talking too loudly on Mnemonic: Fury is a word for
their phones, the cancellation "anger" that should help with this
Infuriate of your favorite TV show is word
Tone: Negative infuriating Example: Her silence Infuriated
him even more.
Form: adj If your little brother keeps Mnemonic: Irksome sounds like
saying the same phrase over Tiresome and that’s the
Irksome and over again, you might meaning.
Tone: Negative find it irksome…its annoying Example: what an Irksome task
and tiresome. the writing of long letters is
Form: adj If you are miffed you are Mnemonic: If there is a tiff with
slightly annoyed and hurt someone you are Miffed.
Miffed because of something which
Tone: Negative Example: She's a little Miffed
someone has done or said. that we're not taking her with us.
Form: verb When you continuously keep Mnemonic: Nag sounds like
finding fault in a person Drag….when you keep dragging
simply because you don’t on an issue for too long which is
Nag like them or keep asking for not important any more, its
something that your father Nagging.
Tone: Negative may not wanting to give you, Example: My girl friend Nagged
you are nagging me to cut my hair.
Form: noun If you know what a nettle Mnemonic: A kid sister, a
is—that is, a barbed seed mosquito, an angry boyfriend, or
that gets stuck in your clothes a hot, muggy day: all of these are
and hair..you will know how examples of things that might
Nettle annoying and irritating it is. Nettle a person.
Tone: Negative Example: Stop nettling when am
focussing on my work…the
angry brother shrieked out at his
sister.
Form: noun when a person drives too Mnemonic: If someone keeps
slowly on the highway, it peeping at you from the back seat
seems to be of the bus continuously, you will
peevish…annoying, definitely get irritated/Peeved
Peeve frustrating.
Tone: Negative Example: When a baby sitting
beside you keeps crying while you
watching a movie, it seems
peevish
Form: noun The verb pique means to Mnemonic: Pique sounds like
make someone angry or prick, when someone or
annoyed. something pricks you get angry.
Pique
Tone: Negative Example: When he realized no
one was listening to him, he left in
a fit of Pique.
Form: verb If something vexes you, it Mnemonic: Vex sounds like
bring you irritation, bothers, mess, when someone messes
worries. around you feel Vexed (irritated)
Tone: Negative Example: New research findings
Vex
announced today offer a small,
albeit promising, breakthrough in
addressing the Vexing issue of
waste.

WISE, SHORT SAYING

Words Relation to Meaning Mnemonic/Example
 Group
Form: noun Moms and dads love adages
such as "early to bed early to
rise" and "an apple a day
Adage keeps the doctor away."
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun "People who live in glass
houses shouldn't throw
stones." is an aphorism which
is apt and witty.
Aphorism
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun An apothegm is a short
instructive saying that's easy
to remember and sometimes
even slightly witty, like "haste
Apothegm Tone: Neutral makes waste."
Form: noun One of Oscar Wilde's many
memorable epigrams is "I can
resist everything but
Epigram temptation."
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun "Early to bed, early to rise,
makes a man healthy,
wealthy, and wise." This is a
Maxim maxim which is like great
Tone: Neutral
sayings everybody knows.
Form: adj A pithy phrase or statement is
brief but full of substance and
meaning. Proverbs and
Pithy sayings are pithy
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun When you are asked to
behave following certain rules
like "give your ears to
Precept
Tone: Neutral everyone, but your voice to a
few"…it is considered a
precept
Mnemonic: Adage sounds like
adding age to a saying by using it
several times.
Example: According to the old
Adage, a picture is worth a
thousand words.
Mnemonic: a+phrase :
Remember Navjot Singh sidhu for
his proverbs which he would share
in the cricket commentary:
Aphorism
Example: They force us, in other
words, to remember Ronald
Reagan’s Aphorism: trust, but
verify.
Mnemonic: The hooligans
overheard the man trying to be
witty diverting attention saying
"ape... oh. them!" / Apothegm
Example: "Necessity," says the
old Apothegm, "is the mother of
invention."
Root: APO means FROM, AWAY
FROM
Mnemonic: If you've ever seen
an inscription on, say, the back of
a watch, you know the writing has
to be brief. That is an Epigram
Example: "Don't sweat the small
stuff." is an Epigram.
Root: EPI means UPON.
Mnemonic: I believe in the
Maxim, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix
it'.
Example: An overused Maxim of
real estate is "Location, location,
location."
Mnemonic: The pith is an
essential part of a fruit, but small;
thus Pithy means small but
substantial
Example: They finally got to the
pith of the discussion.
Mnemonic: its a rule to PRE
SET(cept)the oven before
cooking.
Example: The law of nature has
but one Precept, "Be strong."

TAKE AWAY FORCIBLY

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: verb To take something,
someone's ideas, etc. for your
own use, especially illegally or
without permission
Appropriate
Tone: Negative
Form: verb The extra coats that are
taking up space in your
closet,, when you divest
Divest them, you get rid of it.
Tone: Negative
Form: verb If you really like your
neighbor's house, you may
wish you could expropriate
the property.
Expropriate
Tone: Negative
Form: verb If everyone at the lunch
meeting is vying for the last
roast chicken sandwich, but
you grab it first, you preempt
Preempt your colleagues from getting
Tone: Negative it.
Form: verb If you take over your
neighbor's backyard and claim
his in-ground swimming pool
Usurp Tone: Negative as your own, you might seize
control of, or usurp his yard,
but he'll probably call the
cops on you.
UNWELCOME INTRUSION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To encroach is to overstep
your bounds, to take over
space or rights that belong to
another, like your brother
whose mess always
Encroach encroaches on your side of
Tone: Negative the room you share.
Mnemonic: Appropriate = a +
property + iate.. i.e. to make it
your own property.. by force if
required.. And also when you are
appropriating it your self you are
"allocating" it to yourself.
Example: He was accused of
appropriating club funds.
Mnemonic: In latin, di- means
apart and vestire means to clothe;
you get rid of clothes by selling
them; thus Divest means sell.
Example: The company is
Divesting itself of some of its
assets.
Mnemonic: It sounds a lot like
another verb, appropriate and has
a similar meaning..from the
common root word: Own
Example: a state may
Expropriate property in order to
build a new road.
Root: EX means OUT OF, FROM
Mnemonic: Pre means before
and -empt sounds like
attempt…So when you attempt
to do something before anyone
else does it is called Preempt
Example: A good training course
will Preempt many problems.
Root: PRE means BEFORE
Mnemonic: Here's the secret to
stealing a chef's power: use
herbs…Usurp.
Example: The old guard being
Usurped by the new.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Encroach sounds like
cockroach. Say, a cockroach
creeps inside your bed while you
are sleeping, forget about dislike
you will scream because its
disgusting.
Example: Someone whose
questions get more and more
personal, which Encroaches on
your privacy.
 Form: verb Whether you have a habit of
standing too close when
talking to others or bringing
luggage on a crowded rush-
hour subway car, you'll find
Impinge Tone: Negative people don't like it when you
impinge on their personal
space.
Form: verb When you infringe on
someone's space, time, or
rights, you're getting involved
Infringe in a way that is not cool.
Tone: Negative That's why, when you violate
a copyright, you're said to
infringe upon it.
Form: verb When someone says, “I
hate to intrude, but…―
you can bet she is in fact
Intrude going to interrupt your
Tone: Negative conversation or insert her
opinion, even though it
isn’t wanted.
Form: verb If you want to be rude, you'll
obtrude, or thrust yourself to
the front of a line without
waiting.
Obtrude
Tone: Negative
IRRITABLE , BAD TEMPERED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Take care not to throw your
ball into the yard of the
Cantankerous cantankerous old man down
Tone: Negative
the street
Form: noun If you feel chagrin it means
that you are embarrassed or
distressed as a result of a
Chagrin failure.
Tone: Negative
Form: adj Are you easy to tick off?
Known to have a short fuse?
Then, you could be described
Choleric as choleric. Choleric just
means you're testy and
Tone: Negative irritable.
Mnemonic: Â Impinge- im +
ping(e)..Someone continuously
pinging you while chatting means
he or she wants to influence you
and then touch your heart.
Example: Constantly inviting
your friend to go shopping and
meet you in nice restaurants
might Impinge on her desire to
save money.
Root: IM here means INTO
Mnemonic: Fringe refers to
BORDERS, so if someone tries to
cross the borders forcefully, it
should not be tolerated.
Example: The material can be
copied without infringing
copyright.
Mnemonic: This verb is derived
from the Latin, Intrudere, in which
the in- means “into― and -
trudere means, “to thrust.―
Example: Loud music could
Intrude into your studying.
Mnemonic: Obtrude sounds like
rude that is when someone is
climbing through your kitchen
window is someone who chooses
to Obtrude, or forcefully enter
your home.
Example: Music from the next
room Obtruded upon his thoughts.
Root: OB means AGAINST
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Cantankerous sounds
like: RANT HIS ANGER AT US.
Example: He is a Cantankerous
old man.
Mnemonic: Chagrin: Anita, that
poor girl, she is unlikely to ever
grin again after the shame and
disappointment she has endured.
Example: To her Chagrin, neither
of her sons became doctors.
Mnemonic: Choleric: sounds like
CALL A RICK at night in Bangalore
and you will be bound to lose your
temper/ Choleric because they
charge any amount they want to.
Example: He was a Choleric, self-
important little man.
 Form: adj A churlish person is one
whose middle name might as
well be Rude. He’s the
Churlish one who was never taught to
Tone: Negative mind his manners and avoid
telling vulgar jokes at the
dinner table.
Form: noun Old, cranky, and more than a
little stubborn, a curmudgeon
is the crusty grey haired
neighbor who refuses to hand
Curmudgeon out candy to a child and even
Tone: Negative
snatches the ball which may
have fallen in his yard.
Form: adj An irritable and unpleasant
mood is being grouchy.
Grouchy
Tone: Negative
Form: adj It's the kind of short, brusque
response you'd give a
telemarketer who called you
Gruff in the middle of dinner —
right before you hung up.
Tone: Negative That when you gruff.
Form: adj If you're irascible, you get
angry easily — perhaps
Irascible blowing up in rage when
Tone: Negative someone brushes into you.
Form: adj Irritable feeling calls for
testiness.
Testiness Tone: Negative
EXAMINE CAREFULLY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Window shopping and
scanning the newspaper for
Browse# Tone: Neutral interesting headlines are
forms of browsing.
Form: verb Traditionally, peruse has
Peruse
meant to read or examine
Mnemonic:
chur(church)+lish(wish)-church
wishes always not to behave
rude,boorish
Example: It might seem Churlish
to critique this engaging film on
political grounds
Mnemonic: Curmudgeon: Cur
means a dog and a person who
keeps freaking out at others like a
dog barks all the time.
Example: You are such a terrible
old Curmudgeon, why do you
keep shouting at my kids for no
reason?
Mnemonic: Girls always saying
ouch-ouch for every silly thing,
make guys very irritated &
Grouchy!!! Now you will always
remember this
Example: On average, people are
chirpier when they wake up and
become Grouchy as the day wears
on.
Mnemonic: Gruff is the perfect
adjective to describe a irritated
old man who rarely leaves his
house and yells at any children
who dare to cross his lawn.
Example: Beneath his Gruff
exterior, he's really a nice guy.
Mnemonic: Root word for
Irascible is IRE: which means
ANGER.
Example: He had an Irascible
temper.
Mnemonic: Testiness sounds like
testing of patience. When you lose
it, you are irritated.
Example: "Why do you laugh at
me?" she inquired, with a frank
Testiness that pleased me better
than her other talk.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: browse means the
same as peruse.
Example: There was so much
food at the party that we quickly
got sated just by browsing.
Mnemonic: Peruse is like read as
per use. To read what is required.
 Tone: Neutral something carefully. If you
are visiting a library or a
bookstore, you might find
yourself perusing the shelves.
Form: verb examine carefully.
Pore
Over
Tone: Neutral
Form: verb If you want to examine
something closely and go over
Tone: Neutral every single detail, then you
should scrutinize it. Like the
Scrutinize
way your mom probably
assesses your outfit before
you leave the house for a
party.
HIDE , COVER , DISGUISE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Camouflage is to hide, like
the leaf-colored and patterned
uniforms worn by soldiers
Camouflage who want to blend in with
their natural surroundings.
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun An over-sized, dark raincoat
you wear when you don't
want your friends to see
Cloak you're going to the movies
Tone: Neutral without them., is a Cloak.
Form: verb To dissemble is to pretend
that you don't know
something, to pretend that
Dissemble you think one way when you
Tone: Neutral act another way.
Form: verb For a more formal way to say
pretend to or imitate, choose
the verb feign.
Feign
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun Guise, a noun, is the art of
pretending to be something
you aren't, like when, in the
Guise guise of an invited guest, you
Tone: Neutral
fake your way into the party
of the century.
Example: A copy of the report is
available for you to Peruse at your
leisure.
Root: Prefix PER means
THROUGH
Mnemonic: When you pore
yourself completely over
something and you are hell bent
on understanding the concepts.
Example: His lawyers are poring
over the fine print in the contract.
Mnemonic: Scrutiny is known to
all of us.
Example: She leaned forward to
Scrutinize their faces.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Camouflage is in
relation to a chameleon (lizard)
who keeps changing its colors
according to sorroundings and to
hide from the enemy.
Example: The leopard's spots act
as (a) Camouflage.
Mnemonic: If you were a famous
person who wanted to go out
alone, you might Cloak your
identity with a Cloak.
Example: Cloaking an issue
never helps you get rid of it, you
should face it.
Mnemonic: If you don't want to
re-semble (to look like someone
else) yourself, dis-semble (hide
your identity) yourself.
Example: She was a very honest
person who was incapable of
dissembling.
Mnemonic: Feign sounds like
Fake and the meaning remains
the same.
Example: “A present for
me?― she asked with Feigned
surprise.
Mnemonic: Guise sounds like
disGuise. Both means the art of
hiding
Example: The story appears in
different Guises in different
cultures.
 Form: adv When you want to do
something and not be
recognized, go incognito —
hiding your true identity.
Incognito
Tone: Neutral
Form: noun If you masquerade as a
sweet, kind-hearted person,
Tone: Neutral you present that image to the
Masquerade
world, hiding your true
identity as a jerk who has
rage issues.
Form: noun The fog might shroud the
valley, or that long-sleeved,
ankle-length dress might
Shroud shroud the tan you worked so
hard on in Mexico over
Tone: Neutral Christmas break.
Form: noun A travesty is a silly imitation,
like a tall young man dressed
up like a little old lady
Travesty
Tone: Neutral
SECRET
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Pick the adjective,
clandestine, to describe
something that is done in
Clandestine secret, like your clandestine
Tone: Negative attempts to steal your
brother's candy.
Form: adj Think soldiers in masks
secretly infiltrating an enemy
Tone: Negative stronghold, a covert operation
Covert
is one that no one but the
president and a few generals
know is happening.
Form: adj Let's hope the teacher doesn't
see your furtive attempts to
Furtive pass notes in class!
Tone: Negative
Mnemonic: consider the word
RECOGNITiOn. Incognito can be
remembered as IN(-ve
prefix)+rRECOGNITiOn, i.e
avoiding recognition among the
public and to do that you conceal
your identity o name.
Example: Movie stars often
prefer to travel Incognito.
Root: COG meanS to KNOW.
Mnemonic: Maquerade sounds
like mask. To hide behind a mask.
Example: He was tired of the
Masquerade and wanted the truth
to come out.
Mnemonic: Shroud sounds like
crowd. Like a crowd covers a
place which would otherwise be
silent and vacant, a Shroud is
used to cover up a place or thing.
Example: The organization is
cloaked in a Shroud of secrecy
Mnemonic: In Latin, trans-
means over, vestire means to
clothe; in French, travesti means
dressed in disguise; Travesty
means an outrageous injustice
Example: The trial was a
Travesty of justice.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Clandestine--break it
like clan + destine--What our
DESTINy has in store for us
remains a big secret to everyone.
Example: The CIA might run a
Clandestine operation to infiltrate
terrorist organizations.
Mnemonic: Covert sounds like
Cover up and attack secretly.
Example: The teachers weren't
impressed by the students' Covert
attempt to derail the discussion.
Mnemonic: Furtive sounds like
'FLIRT'ive.. So a flirtly look is
always SNEAKY...!!
Example: She cast a Furtive
glance over her shoulder.
 Form: adj In figurative use, oblique
means indirect or purposely
misleading. "What is two plus
two?" "Fish!" as an answer is
Oblique completely oblique.
Tone: negative/
neutral
Form: adj An overt attempt to get your
teacher off-track might fail.
Instead, try asking subtle
Overt (X) questions about her kids, and
Tone: Negative she'll stay off topic all class.
Form: verb Skulking is cowardly. It
means hiding out, either
because you're trying to pull
Skulk Tone: Negative something off in secret, or
you're trying to get out of
doing something you're
supposed to be doing.
Form: adj When you're sly, you're
crafty, cunning, tricky, and
Sly
Tone: Negative wily. If you're good at lying,
you're quite sly.
Form: noun Stealth means to do
something so quietly and
carefully that no one notices,
like the stealth of a kitten
Stealth
Tone: Negative sneaking up on a mouse.
Form: adj When someone behaves in a
surreptitious way, they're
being secretive. They're doing
Surreptitious Tone: Negative something that they don't
want to be seen doing.
TEMPTING , EXCITING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj The adjective erotic is often
used to describe a
person’s carnal desires.
Erotic
Tone: Neutral
Form: adj Seductive is an adjective that
describes the fascinating
magnetic pull that someone
Seductive or something has, an
Tone: Neutral
attractive quality that tempts
you in some way.
Mnemonic: By correcting the
clerk's "Mrs." with "That's Ms.
now," the woman made an
Oblique reference to her change
in marital status.
Example: He referred only
Obliquely to their recent
problems.
Mnemonic: Here's your trick for
remembering the difference
between overt and covert: overt
= "open," covert = "covered."
Example: There was little overt
support for the project.
Mnemonic: Â HULK SkulkED
through the city to avoid being
noticed by COPS.
Example: There was someone
Skulking behind the bushes.
Mnemonic: When you LIE you
are Sly!!
Example: He is as Sly as a fox.
Mnemonic: Stealth and steal
come from the same root word
and used to mean the same
thing.
Example: if you plan a birthday
party by Stealth, then the guest
of honor will be pleasantly
surprised.
Mnemonic: You have to be
Surreptitious to text in class
without being caught.
Example: The members of the
secret society hold Surreptitious
meetings because, well, they're a
secret society.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Greek word erotikos,
from eros or erot-, meaning
“sexual love.
Example: An Erotic art seems to
be appealing if depicted
sensually.
Mnemonic: The word comes
from the Latin seducere, meaning
“draw aside.―
Example: Radio people often
have Seductive voices that lull
you to sleep
 Form: adj Sensual means physically Mnemonic: Sensual is related to
pleasing. senses.
Sensual
Tone: Neutral Example: Food is a great Sensual
experience.

OFFICE OR JOB RELATED

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun An incumbent is an official Mnemonic: The head of citibank
who holds an office. If you currently holding an office gets a
want to run for congress, bright red ink umbrella that paints
you're going to have to beat him red when it rains
Incumbent the incumbent.
Tone: Negative Example: Voters are usually
reluctant to toss out Incumbents
who bring improvement, however
limited.
Form: adj Scientists believe that one of Mnemonic: Sedentary sounds
the causes of the obesity like sit and do all the entries in
epidemic sweeping the US is the book all day long, like a
our sedentary lifestyle. cashier or librarian.
Sedentary Tone: Negative Sedentary means sitting a lot Example: The researchers say
and refers to a person or job the opportunities for Sedentary
that is not very physically behaviour in modern society such
active. as watching TV, sitting in a car or
using a computer is becoming
Form: noun If you have a cushy job — Mnemonic: Sinecure sounds like
one that pays, but involves insecure. I became very insecure
minimal work — then you when my boss assigned me to do
have a sinecure. a job with few responsibilities;
maybe he doesn't think i'm
responsible.
Sinecure
Tone: Negative Example: Because he was the
brother of the CEO, he was
offered a Sinecure in the
company: he showed up each day
and collected a pay check, but
others actually

LIST10

RUDE
Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Form: noun A boor is a crude, rude Mnemonic: BOOR can be related
person. Boors lack to this hindi word BOORA… a bad
BOOR sophistication and manners and rude person.
Tone: NEG Example: A BOOR would talk too
loudly on the train.
 Form: adj If you ask a salesperson with
help finding something and
all you get in response is a
brusque "Everything's out on
BRUSQUE the shelves," it would be
unfriendly, rude, and very
Tone: NEG brief.
Form: adj I’m sorry to be curt, but
let's get right to the point.
You should use the adjective
CURT curt to describe a way of
Tone: NEG
speaking that’s brief and
blunt.
Form: adj If your teacher tells you to
make your writing in your
essay style terse and to the
point, he's saying use as few
TERSE words as you can and be
simple and clear.
Tone: NEG
FLUENT , CLEAR
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To articulate is to say
something. And, if you say it
ARTICULATE well, someone might praise
Tone: POS you by saying you are
articulate.
Form: adj Something coherent is logical
and clear. "I told you if you
didn't do your homework you
couldn't watch TV. You didn't
COHERENT Tone: POS do your homework so you
can't watch TV." This is a
coherent argument
Form: adj An eloquent speaker
expresses herself clearly and
Tone: POS powerfully.
ELOQUENT
Form: verb Can't get your point across?
Maybe you just need to speak
ENUNCIATE more clearly or articulate your
Tone: POS thoughts better — in short,
enunciate.
Form: adj The word glib might be used
GLIB to describe the slick car
salesman who uses his
Mnemonic: Brush and BRUSQUE
are not related, but they sound
similar––when someone is
BRUSQUE, you often feel that they
are trying to give you the "brush
off."
Example: The doctor spoke in a
BRUSQUE tone.
Mnemonic: It's CURTesy
(courtesy) to not be rude and short
in behavior
Example: A CURT note of rejection
arrived from the company director.
Mnemonic: TERSE...sounds like
TERESA..Here all her
achievements,efforts everything
has been consolidated, confined
and put into a single word
"MOTHER"
Example: The President issued a
TERSE statement denying the
charges.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: The Art of Calculating
your speech while you presenting
a paper at your college.
Example: She struggled to
ARTICULATE her thoughts.
Mnemonic: c+o+her+rent--- HER
RENT used to come
CONSISTANTLY as she was in a
good(LOGICAL) job
Example: She only became
COHERENT again two hours after
the attack.
Root: Prefix CO refers to
TOGETHER or WITH
Mnemonic: Eloquence sounds like
fluency.
Example: He was ELOQUENT
when it came to addressing his
office colleagues.
Root: Prefix LOQ means to SPEAK
Mnemonic: The word ENUNCIATE
is related to the Latin words for
both "announce" and "messenger."
Example: She ENUNCIATEd each
word slowly and carefully.
Mnemonic: GLIB sounds like
Ghalib..his shayeri was slick and
fluent.
 Tone: POS polished sales pitch to talk his Example: He is a GLIB salesman.
customers into buying
lemons.
Form: adj If you have to recite Mnemonic: labor is something
Shakespeare and you do so done with lots of effort.
x LABORED Tone: NEG haltingly or self-consciously, Example: The movie looks
then you have given a labored labored and slow by today's
performance. standards.

DELAY ,POSTPONE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To adjourn is to close a Mnemonic: "I must ADJOURN!" is
session of something, like at a fancy way of saying "I'm out of
court. People also adjourn here! I need to get some sleep.
ADJOURN when they go to bed. See you tomorrow."
Tone: neut/neg Example: The trial has been
ADJOURNed until next week.
Root: Prefix AD refers to towards
Form: verb Defer means to put off or Mnemonic: When you become
delay. You can try to defer the deaf to your mother's pushing you
inevitable by pushing to get up from bed because you
“snooze― and falling may get late for college and you
DEFER back asleep, but eventually say you will go tomorrow, you are
you're going to have to get DEFERring.
Tone: neg up. Example: The department
DEFERred the decision for six
months.
Form: verb To protract something is to Mnemonic: You may remember
stretch it out. If you have a from geometry that a PROTRACTor
disagreement with a friend is a device used to draw exact
that you continue for weeks angles. A PROTRACTor allows you
and weeks, you are to PROTRACT a plan for the perfect
PROTRACT protracting the argument. catapult — perfect to use to end a
PROTRACTed battle.
Tone: neg Example: The ruling brings an end
to a heated, PROTRACTed court
case.
Form: verb To postpone something for a Mnemonic: When we keep
while. something in the SHELVE, purpose
is to keep it aside and use it when
required, similarly when we
SHELVE SHELVE an issue we postpone it for
a while.
Tone: neg Example: Authorities have drawn
up draft media bills in the past
which were later SHELVEd.
Form: verb When we table an issue, we Example: They voted to TABLE the
TABLE Tone: neg/neut tend to hold back to a later proposal until the following
time meeting.

BEGINNER,INEXPERIENCED
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: noun An acolyte is also a fan or
follower of the famous, so you
can find an acolyte in church
ACOLYTE or at a concert.
Tone: pos
Form: noun An apprentice is someone who
learns a trade. An apprentice
farmer is paid very little but
APPRENTICE has the chance to learn
farming by watching and
Tone: pos doing.
Form: noun a young person who is
training to become an officer
in the police or armed forces
CADET
Tone: pos
Form: adj callow is a freshmen in high
school or the callow
receptionist who can't figure
CALLOW out how to transfer a call.
Tone: neg
Form: noun Though dilettante might
sound like a nice French word,
don't use it on your friend
who thinks he can play the
DILETTANTE guitar after several short
Tone: neg
lessons.
Form: adj One of the things
kindergarten teachers value is
the chance to work with kids
INGENUOUS while they're still relatively
Tone: pos
ingenuous––their open,
trusting natures are a joy.
Form: noun "Look at the little freshies,"
said the football team captain
to his friends. "Little
neophytes come to learn how
the big boys play....Let's get
NEOPHYTE Tone: neut 'em!"
Mnemonic: ACOLYTEs of movie
star or pro athletes closely follow
their careers — and with great
admiration — and would love to
be just like their heroes.
Example: He is the emperor's
faithful ACOLYTE.
Mnemonic: APPRENTICE sounds
like a parent. Say someone who
has become a parent for the first
time, tries to gradually learn how
to manage their kids.
Example: An APPRENTICE chef.
Mnemonic: remember NCC =
national CADET crops. students
joined in NCC camp for serving
nation. so they ll join military
trainee they are called CADET
Example: Thomas received the
best CADET award of the Air Force
last year
Mnemonic: The inexperienced cat
owner did not see anything wrong
with the cat lying low on the the
ground, yowling in pain.
Example: The inexperienced cop
did not see anything wrong with a
big bag of cash laying on the street
Mnemonic: A card dealer learns
how to deal a tent instead of cards
and is one who practises an art for
pleasure
Example: Online DILETTANTEs
dropped out fast, but 23,000
committed learners finished the
course
Mnemonic: In+genuine- In
genuine relationship people are
naive and trusting to each other.
Example: It is INGENUOUS to
suppose that money did not play a
part in his decision.
Mnemonic: Neo- means new, and
-phyte is from the Greek phuton
"plant"––like a baby plant, a
NEOPHYTE is someone who is new
to an activity.
Example: A political NEOPHYTE is
someone who has just been
elected and comes to Washington
D.C. not understanding how the
game of politics is played.
Root: Prefix NEO means NEW.
 Form: adj If something is so new and
original that it's never been
seen, used or even thought of
before, call it novel.
NOVEL
Tone: pos
Form: noun On the Internet, a novice
might be called a newbie, but
your parents would call one a
beginner.
NOVICE
Tone: neut/pos
Form: adj If you hear someone talk
about puerile toys, they may
merely be remarking on the
PUERILE toys of childhood, but it is
Tone: neut/neg more likely they are
discussing whoopee cushions,
fake dog poo, and the like.
Form: noun an awkward and
ROOKIE Tone: neut/neg inexperienced youth is a
rookie.
Form: noun A tyro is a beginner, a new
recruit, or someone who is
just learning something. If
Tone: neut you are the new guy at the
TYRO
job and you're wearing a big
dorky badge that says
"Trainee" on it, you are a
tyro.
WORKING UNDER ANOTHER
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Subordinate means putting
one thing below another. We
subordinate our desire for
popcorn to our desire to keep
SUBORDINATE watching the movie.
Tone: neg
Form: noun someones called an underling
when they are lower in rank
to someone else and take
UNDERLING
Tone: neg orders from them, and also
when you do not respect
someone
Mnemonic: Companies are always
looking for that NOVEL idea that
will earn them millions and
skydiving is a NOVEL experience,
especially if you're not
adventurous.
Example: Protesters found a
NOVEL way of demonstrating
against steepy rising oil prices.
Mnemonic: NOVICE is derived
from the Latin word novus, which
means new. A NOVICE is new to
what they do, so a NOVICE
photographer is just learning how
to take nice pictures
Example: I'm a complete NOVICE
at skiing.
Mnemonic: PUERILE sounds like
Pure. Like a child who is pure at
heart and is inexperienced,
immature.
Example: Concert organizers
branded the group's action as
PUERILE, schoolboy humor.
Example: I don't want to have
another ROOKIE to train.
Mnemonic: TYRO isn't used much
these days but it's similar to
newbie, novice, or recruit.
Example: He is a TYRO Journalist.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Sub means lower and
Ordinate sounds like order, so
when someone is ordered to do
something as he works under
someone else, he is called a
SUBORDINATE
Example: In many societies
women are SUBORDINATE to men.
Root: Prefix SUB refers to UNDER
Mnemonic: UNDERLING has the
word Under that itself means
below someone.
Example: He dishes out orders to
his UNDERLING.
 Form: noun an actor who learns the part
of another actor in a play so
that they can play that part if
UNDERSTUDY necessary, so an extra is
Tone: neut called an understudy.
FALSEHOOD
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Mendacity is a tendency to lie.
Your friend might swear that
he didn't eat your secret
MENDACITY chocolate stash, but you'll find
Tone: neg
it hard to believe him if he's
known for his mendacity.
Form: noun A defendant in a murder trial
commits perjury when he
Tone: neg swears he never met the
PERJURY murder victim before, even
though he had a two-year
relationship with her.
Form: verb A boy might use prevarication
to avoid telling the whole
truth about how the kitchen
window got broken.
PREVARICATION
Tone: neg
Form: noun Veracity sounds like some
kind of disease you don't want
Tone: pos to catch, but in fact, it means
X VERACITY truthfulness. If you question
the veracity of a statement or
story, you wonder whether it
is truthful or accurate.
ILLOGICAL , STRANGE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Something absurd is really
silly, absolutely ridiculous, or
total nonsense.
ABSURD
Tone: neg
ATYPICAL Form: adj Atypical means outside of
Mnemonic: UNDERSTUDY sounds
like studying under someone so
that you can learn enough and
practice the same role if required
Example: She worked as an
UNDERSTUDY to Meryl Streep.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: you require a special
kind of mental audacity to think
it's okay to lie to a police officer.
Example: often politicians are
accused of hypocrisy and
MENDACITY
Mnemonic: Jury sanctioned
charges due to his PERJURY
Example: The witness is now
facing charges of PERJURY.
Root: Prefix PER- refers to
THROUGH
Mnemonic: Pre (Before) Varicate
(varying): if you are varying from
what you said before, you are
lying. Pre + var (truth) + cate
(fabricate) is to fabricate the
truth, meaning to lie.
Example: Some people believe
that to prevaricate in a good
cause is justifiable and regard the
statement as a "white lie."
Root: Prefix PRE refers to
BEFORE
Mnemonic: Ver is root for
Thruth. Veracity of Veer in city.
Example: I can recommend him
for this position because I have
always found him veracious and
reliable.
Root: refix VER refers to TRUTH
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Ab means away from
normal path and that is what
ABSURD means
Example: “the ABSURD
excuse that the dog ate his
homework―
Mnemonic: A (not) typical
 Tone: neg type—an atypical suburban
town might be populated by
zombies in damp caves.
Form: adj If your teacher walked into
class wearing a purple boa,
cat's eyes glasses and three
inch heels, you might
BIZARRE comment, "How bizarre!"
Tone: neg
Form: adj Ludicrous things are funny,
absurd, or nonsensical. If
LUDICROUS Tone: neg someone says something silly
or far-fetched, you could say
"That's ludicrous!"
Form: adj Driving around the city in a
golf cart and eating spaghetti
with pineapple sauce are both
OUTLANDISH examples of outlandish
Tone: neg behavior.
Form: adj To a vegetarian, the idea of
eating a 52-ounce T-bone
steak would seem
Tone: neg preposterous — absolutely
PREPOSTEROUS absurd.
Form: adj If you hear strange music
echoing through your attic,
you might refer to it as
positively uncanny.
UNCANNY
Tone: neg
GLOOMY , DARK , HOPELESS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If one person shows up to Mnemonic: Abis Mal(Aladdin) was
your party, well then that is ABYSMAL in nature
ABYSMAL an abysmal turnout.
Tone: neg Example: His manners are
ABYSMAL.
Example: Women, he noted, are
more likely than men to have so-
called ATYPICAL heart attack
symptoms - like unexplained
shortness of breath, nausea or
weakness.
Root: Prefix A-refers to
WITHOUT
Mnemonic: Bizzare sounds like
Bazar. we all know how noisy,
and stange it becomes to visit a
big bazar, where you are clueless
where to go and what to buy.
Example: Unpredictable behavior
is often called BIZARRE — like
when your teacher conducts a
lesson in Pig Latin.
Mnemonic: Ridiculous and
LUDICROUS are same.
Example: It was LUDICROUS to
think that plan will succeed.
Mnemonic: Out + Landish =>
the one who is from some other
land. Means unconventional and
bizarre to our land
Example: This idea is not as
OUTLANDISH as it seems.
Mnemonic: Pre (before) Post
(after) both in one word,
pre+post+erous seems ABSURD.
Example: a chef who is asked to
cook with nothing but jelly beans
might exclaim, "That's
PREPOSTEROUS!"
Root: Prefix PRE refers to
BEFORE
Mnemonic: If something is
UNCANNY, it is so mysterious,
strange, or unfamiliar that it
seems supernatural.prefix un-
"not" and canny "fortunate, safe."
Example: You have the
UNCANNY knack of reading my
innermost thoughts.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: adj If it's raining and dark, you Mnemonic: Leak makes it cold
might describe the night as BLEAK chances, that it will leak His
bleak. roof leaked and he is BLEAK…cold
BLEAK and depressed
Tone: neg Example: No doubt it is also
BLEAK in the winter.
Form: adj A cloudy day, a sad song Mnemonic: Have you ever been
about lost love, your called a GLOOMY Gus? If so, you
downbeat mood after your must have been acting depressed
team loses a big game — all or sulky. But you aren't the first to
GLOOMY of these can be called gloomy. be called that — after all,
GLOOMY Gus was a comic book
character
Tone: neg Example: There was a GLOOMY
silence in the room.
Form: adj Also your face after your Mnemonic: Something that is
teacher hands back an exam somber is often thought of as "in
you failed. Somber is used to shadow," as in "the shadow of
SOMBRE describe situations, facial grief," or "the shadow of a bad
expressions, or moods that mood.
Tone: neg are dark, gloomy, or Example: Funerals and burials
depressing. tend to be very somber occasions
Form: adj Dark and dismal Mnemonic: STYGIAN sounds like
dungeon both related to bottom
STYGIAN hell wherein darkness thrives.
Tone: neg Example: She was STYGIAN in her
appearance yesterday

ALERT
Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Form: adj Use vigilant to describe Mnemonic: If you stay awake all
someone who keeps awake night, you're keeping watch or
and alert in order to avoid keeping a vigil.
VIGILANT Tone: pos danger or problems. Example: A pilot must remain
VIGILANT at all times.
Root: Prefix VIGIL refers to
SEEING
Form: verb make less hostile, win over. Mnemonic: A criminal threatens
another with small arms. the other
dices his arms and after the diss
X Disarm arm he takes away his weapon
Tone: neg Example: Most of the rebels were
captured and disarmed.
Root: Prefix DIS means NOT
Form: verb an incompetent person; Mnemonic: Slouch sounds like
usually used in negative slow. And so is a person who is
constructions. slouch.
X Slouch
Tone: neg Example: One felt that people
were able to slouch a bit and slip
off too tight shoes.

ATTRACT , FASCINATE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: adj Something arresting
commands your attention. It's
stunning, and you can't turn
ARRESTING away.
Tone: pos
Form: verb Some people are able to
captivate with wit and charm,
others with physical beauty,
still others with intelligence.
CAPTIVATE
Tone: pos
Form: adj When you like something a lot
(often in a negative sense).
ENAMORED
Tone: pos
Form: verb Whether it's a thrilling action-
adventure film, or that
enigmatic girl you see on the
subway, when something is so
ENTHRAL fascinating that it holds all
Tone: pos
your attention, it is said to
enthrall.
Form: verb Have you ever had a
ridiculous crush on someone
that's made you act foolishly?
That person infatuated or
INFATUATE inspired unreasonable passion
in you, causing you to become
Tone: pos infatuated.
Form: verb You meet someone and you
can’t take your eyes off
them, like you are connected
by an invisible cord and
MESMERIZE can’t break free. Those
kinds of people have the
power to mesmerize.
Tone: pos
Form: noun Rapture is a feeling of
emotional ecstasy so magical
RAPTURE it's almost as if you've been
transported to some other
Mnemonic: when someone gets
ARRESTed, he is all over the news
paper and hets ATTRACTING
ATTENTION of all
Example: An ARRESTING song is
one you always want to hear.
Mnemonic: CAPTIVATE comes
from Capture , the only difference
is CAPTIVATE is used in a positive
context. To attract someones
attention.
Example: The children were
CAPTIVATEd by her stories.
Root: Prefix CAP means to TAKE or
SEIZE.
Mnemonic:
enam+or—ENAM(inaam—a prize
in hindi), when someone gets
inaam, he is filled with LOVE and
HAPPINESS and is center of
ATTRACTION for all
Example: The tourists have
always been enamoured by the
beauty of Niagara Falls.
Root: refix EN- refers to IN
Mnemonic: En (enter) Hall: when
you enter a gigantic and
exclusively decored hall you are
ENTHRALled
Example: He is a star performer
whose grace, skill, and virtuosity
ENTHRALl the audiences.
Root: refix EN- refers to IN
Mnemonic: In means Not and
Fatuate: When you are not (in) fat,
you would look attractive and
people will be attracted towards
you and may even be In-Fat-uated.
Example: His new car has
INFATUATEd him
Mnemonic: Â MESMERIZE sounds
like memorize—if you memorize
all vocab words you can
ATTRACT(HYPNOTIZE) anyone with
your good communication skills,
especially at your work place.
Example: They were MESMERIZEd
by her performance.
Mnemonic: En RAPTURE: the word
RAPTURE means ecstasy, i listen
the rap music with great RAPTURE.
 Tone: pos world. Example: Charles listened with
RAPTURE to her singing.
Form: noun When you watch a movie Mnemonic: RIVET is used to hold
which though scary, you two metal plates together.
appreciate the dark somber RIVETing is holding one’s
RIVET look of the ugly hero, it must attention.
Tone: pos have been rivetting. Example: The last chapter was so
RIVETing that I was reading past
midnight.
Form: adj attracting and holding interest Mnemonic: spell (magical) and
as if by a spell. that seems to bind us in a way that
seems extremely attractive and
SPELLBINDING worth attending.
Tone: pos Example: It was a SPELLBINDING
description of life in ancient Rome.
Form: noun The French word ennui Mnemonic: En (anything) nui
describes a feeling that (new)? I am tired of old stuffs.
Tone: neg combines tiredness and Example: When you're feeling
X ENNUI boredom. Ennui is one version ennui, you might as well take a
of "the blahs." nap, because you're too drowsy
and uninterested to do much of
anything else.

WIDESPREAD
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj You should probably postpone Mnemonic: Â
dinner if your date's cold is contag+ious—CONTAG(contact)
contagious — that means it's +ious—something that’s
easily spread and likely to get SPREADS when comes in CONTACT
you sick. with body or something; so
CONTAGIOUS something that SPREADS
Tone: neg Example: His enthusiasm was
CONTAGIOUS
Root: Prefix CON means WITH or
TOGETHER
Form: adj If you want to underscore just Mnemonic: Like epidemic disease,
how commonly found and ENDEMIC is specific to a group. As
present something is within a discussed about epidemic and
ENDEMIC particular place, try the word pandemic.
Tone: neg endemic. Tight pants are Example: Food shortages and
endemic in my lunch room! starvation are ENDEMIC in certain
parts of the world.
Form: noun An epidemic is a disease that Mnemonic:
spreads rapidly among many pandemic,EPIDEMIC,endemic....say
people in a community at the pandemic is whole world,EPIDEMIC
same time. In the 1980, the whole country and endemic is for a
fast spreading AIDS epidemic city or particular in a community
transformed life on our
EPIDEMIC planet.
Tone: neg Example: Effectively, tobacco
companies will be exporting an
EPIDEMIC of smoking-related
diseases, the campaign suggests.
Root: The root word DEM (I/O)
refers to PEOPLE.
 Form: noun Remember the 2009 swine
flu? That was a pandemic —
an illness that swept over
much of the globe.
PANDEMIC Tone: neg
Form: adj Rampant means wild, out of
control, to be up on your hind
legs roaring at the world.
RAMPANT
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: pan means all, demos
means people; a PANDEMIC is a
widespread outbreak of disease
affecting all people
Example: A flu PANDEMIC
occurred three times in the last
century
Root: Prefix PAN means ALL or
EVERY.
Mnemonic: RAM ka naam lekar
public ko thagne waale BABA aaj
kal RAMPANT ho gaye
hain.....Taking God Rama's name
and fooling around with people, all
these Baba's have become
RAMPANT these days.
Example: The children ran
RAMPANT at the supermarket even
though their mother tried to control
them.
Root: Prefix PAN means ALL or
EVERY.

UNINTERESTING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj You might have trouble Mnemonic: Non + Describe : An
finding a nondescript ordinary object does not need to
apartment building because it be described
Tone: neg looks exactly like every other Example: The private detective
apartment building around it. was a short, NONDESCRIPT fellow
NONDESCRIPT So its something that is not with no outstanding features, the
special. sort of person one would never
notice in a crowd.
Root: Suffix SCRIPT refers to
WRITE
Form: adj Keep your eye on the Mnemonic: If you are doing
adjective conspicuous for something wrong, it's wise not to
something that stands out so be conspicuous about it!
X CONSPICUOUS
Tone: pos much you notice it right away Example: Mary's red hair always
— like that zit in the center made her conspicuous at school.
of your friend's forehead.

BRAVE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj This adjective is very bold — Mnemonic: AUDACIOUS is Audio
if you are audacious, you are to us: if you want to be audible
daring and unconventional! you need to be AUDACIOUS (bold)
AUDACIOUS
Tone: pos Example: The AUDACIOUS
soldier went into battle without a
shield.
Form: noun Men behaving courteously Mnemonic: CHIVALRY sounds
CHIVALRY toward women — holding like: Lord Shiva is bestowed with
the door for them, offering endless valor and patience.
 Tone: pos them their jackets when it's
cold — is called chivalry.
Form: adj A dauntless person is
someone who isn't easily
frightened. If you're
DAUNTLESS Tone: pos dauntless, it means you're
like a tiger or a wild horse —
you can't be dominated or
tamed.
Form: adj If you volunteered to deal
with removing a huge, hairy
spider from your bathroom
GALLANT
Tone: pos ceiling, your whole family
would be grateful for your
gallant actions.
Form: adj Intrepid is just a fancy word
for describing a person or
action that is bold and brave.
INTREPID Tone: pos Super heroes are intrepid in
their struggle for truth, justice
and the American way.
Form: noun As a noun, pluck is energy or
PLUCK Tone: pos enthusiasm, even when things
are looking grim.
Form: adj If you're undaunted, you're
not afraid or intimidated. As a
Tone: pos great surfer, you remain
UNDAUNTED
undaunted as you seek out
dangerous waters to ride the
biggest waves.
Form: adj It was pretty courageous of
the automaker Plymouth to
name a car the "Valiant" in
VALIANT the 1960s and 70s because
that term usually refers to a
Tone: pos hero or describes a really
determined, or valiant.
Form: noun It was custom-ordered for a
Tone: pos knight in resplendent armor
sitting atop his noble steed.
VALOUR "Onward to deeds of valor!,"
you imagine him saying,
anticipating his own unfailing
courage.
SELF-OBSESSED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If you are egocentric, the
whole world centers on you
and you don't pay much
attention to other people. Are
EGOCENTRIC you even reading this?
Tone: neg
Example: Women always admire
men who are chivalrous.
Mnemonic: If Daunt means Fear
and Less we know. So
DAUNTLESS means fearless.
Example: The DAUNTLESS
reporters saved the lives of
hundreds of tourists in the hotel.
Mnemonic: army GALLANTry
award is awarded to BRAVE army
people
Example: She made a GALLANT
attempt to hide her tears.
Mnemonic: In means NOT and
TREP means FEAR. INTREPID
means fearless.
Example: The INTREPID
reporters braved the threat of
gunfire for the sake of their news
reports.
Example: I finally PLUCKed up
the courage to ask her for a date.
Mnemonic: UN is not , daunt is
fear. So UNDAUNTED is fearless.
Example: You must remain
UNDAUNTED when facing your
terrifying calculus homework.
Mnemonic: separate VALIANT
into Valley + Ant. Now think
"ants" audaciously walking
through a "valley" to gather their
food
Example: It was a VALIANT
attempt to prevent the hijack.
Mnemonic: The Jailer is valor.
Example: He received the Medal
of Honor for his valor in battle.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Ego is self and
Centric means center of
attraction. So a person who is
self-centered is Ego Centric.
Example: Young children are
usually EGOCENTRIC because
they haven't learned other forms
of behavior.

Form: noun A self-centered person is
egotist.
EGOTIST
Tone: neg
Form: noun The noun narcissist refers to
someone intensely concerned
with only his or her own self
or interests and who seems to
NARCISSIST forget that others exist.
Tone: neg
Form: adj A self-deprecating person
knows her own weaknesses
and shortcomings and isn't
SELF-DEPRECATORY (X) afraid to point them out, often
in a humorous way.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Someone who's self-effacing
is shy and likes to stay out of
the spotlight, shunning
attention and praise.
SELF-EFFACING (X)
Tone: pos
GENUINE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Be careful when you are
buying jewelry or watches. If
Tone: pos you are going to buy a
diamond ring, you want an
AUTHENTIC
authentic diamond and not
glass. That would be
authentic glass but a fake
diamond!
Form: adj If you painted an uncanny
copy of the "Mona Lisa" and
tried to pass it off as the
COUNTERFEIT (X) original, you'd have a
counterfeit on your hands.
Tone: neg
Form: adj If you create a "diamond" out
of plastic, then you’ve
created a factitious diamond,
FACTITIOUS (X) meaning that it’s a phony.
Tone: neg
Root: Prefix EGO is SELF
Mnemonic: A person who is
concerned with ones self only.
SELF is EGO.
Example: You need to be an
EGOTIST to succeed in politics.
Mnemonic: NARCISSIST has
emerged from the word Narcissus
was a hunter who was
exceptionally beautiful and also
just as proud of his looks, ignoring
other people around him.
Example: A NARCISSIST is his
own best friend.
Mnemonic: Some people are
egotistical, always talking about
how great they are. The opposite
type of person is self-deprecating,
dwelling on his own faults.
Example: He gave a self-
deprecating shrug.
Mnemonic: If someone says you
did a great job and you say, "It
was nothing," that's self-effacing.
Efface mean to erase, so when
you tend to erase yourself from
different situations its self-
effacing.
Example: He was a shy, self-
effacing man.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: AUTHENTICate with a
ticket, it proves you are genuine
Example: My little sister told me
that the Eiffel Tower is about
10,000 feet high," when in fact it's
1,063 feet tall.
Mnemonic: contra- means in
opposition, facere means make;
making a product for a different
(opposing) reason; a counterfeit is
an imitation of something valuable
Example: Are you aware these
notes are counterfeit?
Mnemonic: Most facts are
factitious. Fictitious .. is always
artificial
Example: Bollywood actresses
often create factitious tears by
using glycerin
 Form: adj Something legitimate is the Mnemonic: LEGITIMATE is like
real deal — according to the legible that is something that is
LEGITIMATE law. logical and lawful
Tone: pos Example: It seemed like a
perfectly LEGITIMATE question.
Form: adj "The trees and lights turned Mnemonic: Ver means TRUE
the campus into a veritable …so something that is truly able
wonderland" means that the is VERITABLE.
VERITABLE Tone: pos campus seemed to be Example: The meal that followed
transformed into a true was a VERITABLE banquet.
wonderland (if there is such a
thing).

NATIVE , LOCAL
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj Domestic work is work done Mnemonic: I'm not a very
in the home. Domestic is also DOMESTIC sort of person.
Tone: neut used to refer to products that Example: Then an establishment
DOMESTIC are produced in your country, newspaper offered him a column-
or policies and affairs that writing about foreign, but not
relate to your country. DOMESTIC, affairs.
Form: adj Though Switzerland is known Mnemonic: Indigeneous sounds
for its chocolates, chocolate, like indian+geniuses.....native or
which comes from the cocoa local talent or genius....
Tone: neut plant, is indigenous to South Example: An INDIGENOUS
INDIGENOUS America. ceremony or religion is one
traditionally used by a certain
group of people.
Root: Prefix IN means INTO.
Form: adj Something so unusual that it Mnemonic: Exotic Destinations/
must be from some unfamiliar Exotic Islands: TV show
X EXOTIC Tone: neut place is exotic. An exotic pet Example: He travelled around the
might be a panda, instead of globe to collect rare and exotic
a hamster. plant species.

PUZZLING
Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Form: noun The tricky word conundrum is Mnemonic: "What walks on four
used to describe a riddle or legs in the morning, two in the
puzzle, sometimes including a afternoon, and three in the
play on words or pun. evening?" The answer is "A person":
crawling as a child, walking as an
CONUNDRUM adult, and using a cane in old age.

Tone: neg Example: Oil, in short, is an

essential CONUNDRUM of our lives.

Form: adj "White bunny. Moon. Square." Do
you understand what that means?
Of course not! It's totally cryptic.
CRYPTIC Cryptic comments are hard to
Tone: neut/neg
understand because they seem to
have a hidden meaning.
Mnemonic: A Roman Script will be
difficult to comprehend and hence it
may be called CRYPTIC.
Example: I shall be careful in future
not to make my remarks so
CRYPTIC.

Form: noun Take the noun, enigma, for
something that is a puzzle or a
mystery. Why do you have to
learn difficult words like this?
ENIGMA That is an enigma.
Tone: neut/neg
Form: adj When you garble something, you
warp or distort it, making it hard
to understand. Talking with
GARBLE Tone: neg marbles in your mouth is one
sure way of garbling your speech.
Form: adj Any person or thing that's
mysterious, mystifying, hard to
Tone: neg read, or impossible to interpret is
INSCRUTABLE inscrutable.You ever notice how
it's hard to tell what some people
are thinking? Those folks are
inscrutable.
Form: verb An intrigue is a secret plot. If you
ever become the monarch of a
INTRIGUE small island kingdom, keep watch
Tone: neg for signs of any intrigue against
you.
Form: noun A labyrinth is a structure with
many connected paths or
passages in which it is hard to
find your way. So a labyrinth is a
LABYRINTH complicated situation: our tax
code is a labyrinth of rules and
Tone: neut/neg regulations.
Form: noun a system of paths separated by
walls or hedges built in a park or
garden, that is designed so that it
MAZE is difficult to find your way
Tone: neut/neg through
Form: noun Runic writing consists of ancient
characters that are tough to
decipher. These days the word
might better fit a doctor's
RUNIC signature or a confusing
Tone: neut/neg instruction manual.
Root: The root CRYPT means
HIDDEN
Mnemonic: Who havent heard the
tunes of ENIGMA, also, no one has
ever seen the members of
ENIGMA…Band members are still
remain in Enig
Example: To me he has always
been an ENIGMA, one minute
completely insensitive, the next
moved to tears
Mnemonic: While he was Gargeling
he spoke with GARBLEd words
Example: So imagine a sentence so
scrambled that you have to sort
through each word, trying to figure
out what everything means.
Mnemonic: Its INSCRUTABLE to
tight screw in table
Example: The killer left no clues,
and the murder remains an
INSCRUTABLE mystery
Mnemonic: Â INTRIGUE - tri(tricky)
+ gue(game) - tricky game
Example: The idea INTRIGUEd her.
Mnemonic: When you visit a huge
library, you may lose your way in
the process of finding your
necessary books, so it’s a
LABYRINTH and a complicated
situation altogether.
Example: We lost our way in the
LABYRINTH of streets.
Mnemonic: MAZE sounds like haze.
Haze or something hazzy is cloudy
and hence confusing. So is the
function of MAZE
Example: The old city is a delightful
MAZE for the modern tourist.
Mnemonic: RUIN-IC.. Imagine
going through newly discovered
ruins of a civilization, it'll be
enchanting and mysterious at the
same time.
Example: RUNIC inscriptions
continue to have an air of mystery
about them, because they're so hard
to read.
 SHY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Take the adjective, coy, for a
Tone: neg/neut person who pretends to be
shy but really isn't, or
COY someone who could give a
definite answer but won't.
Coy behavior can be playful
or just plain annoying.
Form: adj Your diffidence might be the
reason why you never say
"hi" to the cute guy or gal in
DIFFIDENCE the elevator or why you never
Tone: neg/neut
ask for a raise.
Form: noun An introvert is person who is
wrapped up in herself. If you
are extremely shy and would
INTROVERT Tone: neut rather examine your feelings
in your diary than have a
conversation, then you are an
introvert.
Form: adj If you're reserved, you're the
opposite of a loudmouth or a
RESERVED Tone: neut cut-up: you're polite, you
have a lot of self-control, and
you don't show your feelings.
Form: adj If you are a retiring person,
you avoid being at the center
of attention. You can often be
RETIRING Tone: neg/neut found in the library and other
quiet places, and if someone
compliments you.
Form: adj Timid means "overly cautious
or fearful," like a timid driver
TIMID who drives very slowly or
Tone: neg avoids highways altogether.
Form: adj A timorous person is timid or
shy, like your timorous friend
who likes to hang out with
TIMOROUS close pals but gets nervous
around big groups of new
Tone: neg/neut people.
FEAR , LACKING COURAGE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To cower is to shrink in fear.
COWER Whether they live in the
country or city, any mouse
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: COY Boy (shy boy)
Example: But the former finance
minister remains COY on the timing
of the vote.
Mnemonic: Confidence
DIFFIDENCE is lack of confidence
.Diffident is not confident.
Example: With habitual
DIFFIDENCE she handed a new
manuscript to me
Mnemonic: The word INTROVERT
comes from Latin intro-, for inward,
and vertere, for turning.
Example: He was described as an
INTROVERT, a reserved man who
spoke little.
Mnemonic: RESERVED attitude.
Remains quiet and to himself.
Example: He was unemotional,
quiet, quiet, and RESERVED.
Mnemonic: After RETIRING people
has a RETIRING personality.
Example: Given Susan's RETIRING
personality, no one expected her to
take up public speaking.
Mnemonic: TIMID (shy) + date.
TIMID person going on date with
boss and she inTIMIDate him.
Example: Deer are naturally TIMID
creatures.
Mnemonic: Timor sounds like
Tremor, which means shaking and
that happens even when we are
scared. And TIMOROUS is related to
fearful.
Example: She started delivering
her speech with a TIMOROUS tone.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Coward COWER when
Cow (animal) cowed (terrorized)
him
 Tone: neut will cower when a huge,
hungry cat approaches.
Form: adj A craven man is no Superman
or Spiderman, nor is he a
Tone: neg firefighter or a soldier. A
CRAVEN
craven man is the opposite of
those guys: he has not an
ounce of courage.
Form: verb When you cringe, your body
language shows you don't like
what you see and hear. You
may even jerk your body
CRINGE away from the offensive sight
Tone: neut or sound, like the movie
Agneepath.
Form: verb The Cowardly Lion in the
Wizard of Oz appeared at first
to be easily daunted, but, in
DAUNT fact, he showed unusual
Tone: neg courage.
Form: verb Flinch is often used to
describe a person who shows
a moment of weakness or
FLINCH fright: he was so tough, I
Tone: neut
thought he'd never flinch, but
snakes really freak him out.
Form: verb When you intimidate, you
frighten or make someone
afraid. A pet rat might
INTIMIDATE intimidate your sister's
Tone: neg friends, keeping them out of
your fort.
Form: verb If you scare someone so
much they can't move, you
petrify them. Petrify is to
PETRIFY make something like a stone
Tone: neg or to literally turn to stone.
Form: adj You can describe someone
who lacks courage as
Tone: neg pusillanimous, such as a
PUSILLANIMOUS pusillanimous student who is
too afraid to speak out
against someone who is
bullying others.
Form: verb Shrink is the informal word
you can use to talk about a
SHRINK therapist. Talking about your
problems with her can
hopefully help you shrink
Example: A gun went off and
people COWERed behind walls and
under tables.
Mnemonic: Opposite of Brave is
CRAVEN
Example: CRAVEN cowardice of the
highest order.
Mnemonic: Whether it's a song you
hate or someone mentioning an
embarrassing moment from the
past, you CRINGE at things that are
unpleasant.
Example: She felt herself CRINGE
with embarrassment at the
memory.
Mnemonic: Haunt: Don’t do
this, an inner voice which make you
DAUNT. DAUNT to go into haunted
house.
Example: I felt somewhat
DAUNTed by the prospect of the
long drive home
Mnemonic: Sounds like pinch ,
when you pinch, the skin FLINCHes.
Example: She FLINCHed away from
the dog; He FLINCHed at the sight
of the death.
Mnemonic: You can see "timid" in
the middle of INTIMIDATE, and to
be timid is to be frightened or to
pull back from something.
Example: Attempts to INTIMIDATE
people into voting for them failed.
Mnemonic: More commonly,
something petrifies a person or an
animal when it scares them very
much.
Example: Just the thought of
making a speech petrifies me.
Mnemonic: Pussy animals: pussy
cat like animals are coward
Example: You should be ashamed
of your PUSILLANIMOUS conduct
during this dispute.
Mnemonic: SHRINK also means to
reduce, our clothes get SHRINKED
due to FEAR of WATER, so CLOTHES
MOVE BACK COZ OF FEAR of water
 Tone: neut them, or make them smaller.
Form: noun When plain old "fear" isn't
Tone: neut/neg enough to get across a deep
feeling of dread about
TREPIDATION
something on the horizon, use
the more formal word
trepidation.
HIGHEST POINT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun When something is at the
very peak of perfection, reach
Tone: pos for this noun from Greek:
ACME acme. A brilliant violinist
might reach the acme of her
career, but eventually she
might become unstrung.
Form: noun When there's no mountain left
Tone: pos to climb and nothing but blue
APEX sky above, you know you've
reached the highest peak —
the apex.
Form: noun A crest is a showy tuft of
feathers on the head of a
bird. It's easy to identify a
CREST male cardinal by its bright red
Tone: neut
color and the tufted crest on
its head.
Form: noun Going as far into the sky as
you can go on foot, you'll
Tone: pos reach the highest point, or
pinnacle, of the Himalayas. A
PINNACLE
successful climb like that
might also become the
pinnacle, or peak, of your
success.
Form: noun What better place for the
mountain climbing summit
than on the summit of the
mountain.
SUMMIT
Tone: pos
Form: noun Making a momentous life
decision with great
X ABYSS Tone: neg uncertainty, like enrolling in
clown college, might feel like
jumping into the abyss.
Form: noun If a highly forgetful person
X NADIR loses his phone, his wallet,
and then his car keys in
Example: My sweater shrank in the
wash.
Mnemonic: Trep is fear.
Example: The sailors viewed the
gathering storm clouds with
TREPIDATION.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Lakme is at ACME: top
beauty product
Example: His work is considered
the ACME of cinematic art.
Mnemonic: APEX = climax = MAX
Example: An actor who wins an
Oscar can say she's reached the
APEX of her career.
Mnemonic: CREST is like Crust i.e
upper part/highest point of that
wave.
Example: They've been on the
CREST of the wave ever since their
election victory.
Mnemonic: Pineapple juice is
PINNACLE of juices
Example: He had reached the
PINNACLE of his career.
Mnemonic: sum+mit— imagine
you SUM your gre
score(quant+verbal) and think of
getting into MIT school, i.e.,
HIGHEST or TOPMOST POINT you
can get into
Example: This path leads to the
SUMMIT.
Mnemonic: the abyss referred to
the "bottomless pit" of Hell.
Example: They took a long look
into the abyss before deciding
whether to jump.
Mnemonic: Nadir sounds like Na +
Gir meaning from where one cannot
fall that is the lowest point.
 Tone: neg separate instances all in one
day, you could say that he
has reached an organizational
nadir. This means “lowest
point.―
Form: noun Zenith means the high point.
Tone: pos The sun reaches its zenith
ZENITH when it is as high in the sky
as it is going to go on that
day.
Example: The nadir of David's life
came in a brief two month period
when his wife left him, he got fired,
he lost the lease on his apartment,
and his dog died.
Mnemonic: Jannat is at ZENITH
Example: His career is now at its
ZENITH.

ACCUSE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun An aspersion is a disparaging Mnemonic: Finding out that a field-
remark. It almost invariably hockey coach had never played the
appears as a plural, following sports might cast Aspersions on her
Aspersion the word "cast" — when you ability to coach it.
Tone: neg cast aspersions on someone, Example: I wouldn't want to cast
you are questioning their Aspersions on your honesty.
abilities or doubting them.
Form: noun the making of false Mnemonic: Calumny rhymes with
statements to damage ALUMNI--imagine yourself
someones reputation. slandering and defaming some of
Calumny your college ALUMNI
Tone: neg Example: He accused the press of
publishing vicious calumnies.
Form: verb Even though Joan Jett sang Mnemonic: Â de(do away with) +
about not minding her bad fame...so taking away somebody's
reputation, most of us don't fame...defaming someone.
Tone: neg want others to defame us. To Example: The newspaper denies
Defame
defame is to gossip, even if any intention to Defame the
the story is made-up, with the senator's reputation.
goal of hurting someone's
image.
Form: noun a written document that is for Mnemonic: Â Libel is close to
damaging someones's label.WE always tend to LABEL
reputation. people by their shortcomings, thus
Libel Libel=defamatory statement
Tone: neg Example: He sued the newspaper
for Libel.
Form: verb evil in nature or effect. Mnemonic: mal=bad, ling=related
to language (lingual)...so,
Malign=use of bad language Also,
it's opposite of BENIGN
Malign
Tone: neg Example: She feels she has been
much Maligned by the press.
Root: Prefix MAL refers to BAD
Form: noun strong public criticism , public Mnemonic: etymologically OB-
abuse. 'against' and LOQUY-'talk'.
Therefore Obloquy means to TALK
Obloquy AGAINST SOMEONE,i.e. SLANDER
Tone: neg Example: Her family tried to shield
her from public Obloquy.
Root: Prefix OB means AGAINST
 Form: noun Bad behavior leads to
opprobrium. If you throw a
soft drink off the theater
Opprobrium balcony, the opprobrium
Tone: neg might keep you from getting
dates to the movies.
Mnemonic: If you take
OPIUM(banned drug) you will be
criticized, humiliated & put to
shame.
Example: The bombing has
attracted international Opprobrium.

Form: noun If you call your teacher a
"dirty toad," you're going to
Tone: neg get into trouble––she'll
Slander call you out on the slander.
Slander is the act of making a
false, negative spoken
statement about someone.
Form: verb making damaging accusations
against someone.
Slur
Tone: neg
Form: verb To vilify someone is to spread
nasty stories about them,
Vilify whether true or not.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: its like throwing sand
on someone's reputation
Example: He's suing them for
Slander.
Mnemonic: Â Slur - blur : Blur is
something that is not clear to the
eyes (vision) and Slur is not clear in
Sound !
Example: She accused the
programme of Slurring the
company's name.
Mnemonic: Vilify (to speak ill of) is
to make someone out to be a villain
Example: The Nazi propaganda
vilified the Jews

DISREPUTE , BAD REPUTATION

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun public shame Mnemonic:
IGNO(IGNORE)+miny(enemy)...so
YOU ignore your enemy because
Ignominy you have a DEEP DISGRACE FOR
HIM.
Tone: neg Example: They suffered the
Ignominy of defeat.
Form: noun infamous for some bad quality Mnemonic: Â in(not) + fame = so
or deed when not in fame it could only
mean disgrace.
Infamy Tone: neg Example: They are seeking a sort
of personal vindication through
fame or, more precisely,
Infamy.―
Form: adj wicked or criminal Mnemonic: this sounds like
ne(nephew)+farious(furious).so
your nephew is very furious or cruel
or violent
Nefarious
Tone: neg Example: It's getting as profitable
as selling dangerous illegal drugs,
and many of the same Nefarious
people are involved.
Form: adj infamous for some bad quality Mnemonic: in(NOT GOOD OR BAD)
Notorious or deed +famous...FAMOUS for BEING NOT
GOOD or Notorious
 Tone: neg
Notoriously difficult to predict.
UNINTENTIONAL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adverb Inadvertently is an adverb
that means "without
knowledge or intent," like
INADVERTENTLY Tone: neut when you inadvertently take
someone else's coat from the
coatroom because it looks
just like yours.
Form: adverb without knowledge or
intention
UNWITTINGLY
Tone: neg/neut
FALSE , FAKE , DOUBTFUL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Urban legends — stories
about phantom hitchhikers,
deep-fried rats, and spider
Tone: neg eggs in bubblegum — are
APOCRYPHAL
classic examples of
apocryphal tales. They're told
as if they're true, but no one
can ever identify their origins.
Form: adj Choose the adjective dubious
for something you have
Tone: neg doubts about or you suspect
DUBIOUS
is not true. That bridge you
just "bought" might be of
dubious value.
Form: adj The adjective erroneous
describes something or
someone as mistaken and
ERRONEOUS Tone: neg incorrect. Early explorers had
the erroneous notion that the
oceans were full of dragons.
Form: verb Do you like to construct mini
airplanes from kits? Work on
an assembly line? Piece
FABRICATE together Ikea furniture? Then
you certainly know how to
Tone: neg fabricate, or to put together,
things.
Form: adj Something fallacious is a
FALLACIOUS mistake that comes from too
little information or unsound
Example: Mountain weather is
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: In advertisement there
is no logic but still we buy the
products
Example: The teacher told her
student, 'You're acting
INADVERTENTLY, please pay
attention
Mnemonic: wit is knowledge.
Witting means knowing
something.UN(not)WITTING(knowing
something)
Example: She had broken the law
UNWITTINGLY, but she had still
broken it.
Root: UN means NOT
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Appu cry, fal (fruit):
Apple is a crying fruit is a
APOCRYPHAL
Example: Most of the stories
about him are APOCRYPHAL.
Mnemonic: Doubt DUBIOUS is
doubtful
Example: I am DUBIOUS about
the wisdom of this action
Mnemonic: ERRONEOUS sounds
like ERROR and the meaning is
also similar
Example: The reporter's
ERRONEOUS story was corrected
by a new article that stated the
truth.
Mnemonic: When the mattress
fabric ate Johnny Depp in "A
Nightmare on Elm Street", his
mother was forced to clean up
and make his bed again.
Example: The evidence was
totally FABRICATEd.
Mnemonic: FALLACIOUS derived
from FALLACY which is derived
from FALSE
 Tone: neg sources. Predictions that the
whole state of California will
snap off from the rest of
North America and float away
have proven to be fallacious
— for now, anyway.
Form: adj Illicit means not allowed by
law or custom. An illicit drug
ILLICIT Tone: neg trade is one that happens
under the radar of the law.
Form: adj Whether you're talking about
your attitude, a gigantic
Tone: neg diamond, or that obnoxious
guy's claims that he knows
PHONEY
everything about quantum
physics, you can use phony to
say that something’s not
real.
Form: noun A sham is a fake. If you
frequently order products
Tone: neg advertised on late-night,
hour-long television
commercials, you’ve
SHAM
probably ended up with at
least one item that was a
sham. All-purpose, industrial
strength stain remover,
anyone?
Form: adj Use specious to describe an
argument that seems to be
good, correct, or logical, but
is not so. We live on the
SPECIOUS earth, therefore the earth
Tone: neg must be the center of the
universe has been proven to
be a specious theory of the
solar system.
Form: adj Something false or
inauthentic is spurious. Don't
trust spurious ideas and
SPURIOUS Tone: neg stories. Spurious statements
often are lies, just as a
spurious coin is a counterfeit
coin — a fake.
LIST 11
SPOTTED , STAINED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A blemish is a small flaw. If
BLEMISH you borrow your brother's
brand new bicycle, you'd
Example: It is a fallacy to say
that the camera never lies.
Mnemonic: Silly Sit Silly is sitting
and doing ILLICIT things.
Example: The man got caught
with dangerous weapons and
ILLICIT drugs
Mnemonic: Eu: Good , Phony:
sound so good sound.
Example: Her poetry was full of
euphony, and therefore very
enjoyable to read aloud.
Mnemonic: Scam shyam always
SHAM illness
Example: She felt trapped in a
SHAM of a marriage.
Mnemonic: Spec+ious => people
with specs normally seem
reasonable but end up being
incorrect. * (no offense, just to
remember)
Example: This idea that we must
see through what we have started
is SPECIOUS, however good it
may sound
Mnemonic: SPURIOUS sounds
like furious. You get furious when
you hear SPURIOUS arguments
Example: When his wife died, he
became the victim of SPURIOUS
rumors
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BLEMISH sounds
like Blame. We usually blame
people even for small flaws
 Tone: neg better be careful — what
might seem like the tiniest
blemish to you might be a
horribly ruined paint job to
him.
Form: noun an irregularly shaped spot
BLOTCH
Tone: neg
Form: verb To debase something is to
make it corrupt or impure. If
your lemonade stand sells
Tone: neg “pure lemonade,―
DEBASE
you’d insist on using real
lemons instead of a mix;
using a mix would debase
your product.
Form: adj If your little sister has a
maculate appearance, she
either needs a good wipe with
a damp towel or you should
MACULATE Tone: neg take her to the doctor
straight away.
Form: verb If you spread false rumors
that there's chicken stock in
Tone: neg the vegetarian entree at Mr
SULLY Srivastav's, you would sully
his good reputation.To sully is
to attack someone's good
name.
Form: verb If something's tainted, it's
ruined or spoiled. If you leave
milk on the counter
TAINTED overnight, it could be tainted.
Tone: neg
Form: verb To tarnish is to become dull
or discolored. Silver tends to
tarnish easily, which is why
TARNISH
your mother is always having
Tone: neg you polish the family silver.
SPOIL , DISFIGURE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Example: His reputation is
without a BLEMISH.
Mnemonic: BLOTCH sounds like
a blot (of ink) on your shirt
leading to a dirty patch.
Example: His face was covered
with dark red BLOTCHes.
Mnemonic: The Base Terrace se
building ki base pe aa gaye hai
so DEBASE
Example: He wouldn't DEBASE
himself by doing manual labor
Root: DE refers to DOWN or
AWAY
Mnemonic: MACULATE sounds
like Mac -you -Late for the
party…that’s not correct
and your image is stained
Example: The room was long,
dark, narrow, slovenly, spaced
with tables on which were
MACULATE cloths and lamps with
faded shades.
Mnemonic: Bully always SULLY
people
Example: I would not SULLY her
reputation with that piece of
gossip
Mnemonic: Taint sounds like a
bad paint. A bad paint can ruin
the look of the wall and hence
look TAINTED.
Example: Opposition leaders
said that the elections had been
TAINTED by corruption.
Mnemonic: TARNISH is opposite
of Garnish. Garnish is to
decorate and TARNISH is
stained.
Example: The mirrors had
TARNISHed with age.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: verb If you deface something,
you've blemished or
disfigured it in some way. For
example, graffiti can deface a
statue.
DEFACE
Tone: neg
Form: verb To disfigure something is to
ruin its appearance, which is
what would happen if you
drew a big bushy mustache
DISFIGURE and a pair of antennae on the
Tone: neg Mona Lisa.
Form: verb Distort means to twist out of
shape. When you look at a
tree through a twisting
DISTORT Tone: neg kaleidoscope, you distort its
image, making its branches
and leaves look wavy and
misshapen.
Form: verb A mar is a flaw, mark, or
blemish, like a deep scratch
on a wooden table. As a verb,
MAR Tone: neg to mar is to make such an
imperfection — like the pen
mark that mars your crisp,
white shirt.
Form: verb to become, or make
something become, twisted
or bent out of its natural
WARP shape, especially something
Tone: neg that is too hot or damp.
POLISH , RENOVATE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb You can burnish your resume,
by polishing it until it's
perfect.
BURNISH
Tone: neg
Form: verb Whether it’s a bike, an old
REFURBISH
computer, or a tennis
Mnemonic: The de- in DEFACE
should be a clue that this is a
negative word.Throwing a cup of
coffee on a valuable painting
ruins the face of the painting —
so we say it's been DEFACEd.
Example: They were charged
with defacing public property.
Root: DE refers to DOWN or
AWAY
Mnemonic: The prefix DIS
means negative always and Dis
means NOT. So When the figure
is not in usual shape and form its
called DISFIGURE.
Example: Their faces are
DISFIGUREd by severe burn
scars.
Root: DIS is APART or NOT
Mnemonic: Dis means NOT and
again to maintain the original
form of something is to DISTORT
Example: The loudspeaker
seemed to DISTORT his voice.
Mnemonic: She MARked on the
wall with pencil and spoilt the
paint.
Example: The elections were
MARred by violence.
Mnemonic: WARP is pronounced
as Worp which sounds like a
dwarf who is extra short and
sometimes not in correct posture.
Example: The window frames
had begun to WARP.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BURNISH is opposite
of Tarnish. Tarnish is to spoil or
disfigure something and
BURNISH is to make something
look shiny by polishing.
Example: When the floor is dry
apply a coat of concentrated Star
and BURNISH when dry.
Mnemonic: REFURBISH sounds
like refurnish.
 Tone: neg stadium, when you refurbish
something you clean it up and
make it look or perform
better.
Form: noun a coating that provides a
hard, lustrous, transparent
VARNISH finish to a surface
Tone: neg
Form: noun A veneer can be anything that
makes something look more
elegant or attractive than it is.
VENEER
Tone: neg
IMPURE , POISONOUS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb If you adulterate something,
you mess it up. You may not
want to adulterate the beauty
ADULTERATE of freshly fallen snow by
Tone: neg shoveling it, but how else are
you going to get to work?
Form: verb The verb contaminate means
the same as pollute. Whether
it’s food, air, or water,
CONTAMINATE
Tone: neg when you contaminate
something, you make it
impure or hazardous.
Form: noun A miasma is a cloud of foul-
smelling vapor, like swamp
gas.
MIASMA
Tone: neg
Form: adj Something noxious is harmful
and could be even fatal —
whether it is colorless,
NOXIOUS odorless, and invisible like
Tone: neg carbon monoxide, or dark,
strong-smelling, and obvious,
like black smoke from a fire.
Form: adj Danger! Hazardous! Do not
eat! These are just some of
the warnings you'll see on
TOXIC
toxic substances — meaning
stuff that's poisonous and
even deadly.
Example: REFURBISHed phones
are easily available for those who
do not wish to spend much on hi-
tech phones.
Root: RE means AGAIN.
Mnemonic: Â garnish means to
decorate; VARNISH means to
decorate by POLISHING
Example: I'll give the shelves a
coat of VARNISH.
Mnemonic: VENEER is
pronounced in a similar way to
Paneer. Both mean the same
soft, elegant.
Example: The chest is solid oak,
not VENEER.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ADULTERATE
sounds like: Adult rate, adult
are impure than children so
adults are adultrated
Example: Food adulteration is
a big problem in developing
countries.
Mnemonic: If your coke has
got tab in it the coke is made
impure
Example: The drinking water
has become CONTAMINATEd
with lead.
Mnemonic: You could
describe the MIASMA of a hot
summer day, but you'd be
thinking of the stench of
uncollected garbage and
exhaust fumes, not the smell
of summer flowers
Example: a MIASMA of
cigarette smoke.
Mnemonic: NOXIOUS can be
split in two parts: No+
Oxygen…in the air is really
harmful.
Example: His cologne was so
NOXIOUS I had to exit the
elevator and take the stairs
Mnemonic: TOXIC is related
to the word toxin, which is a
kind of poison. Cobra bites,
wild mystery mushrooms and
strong chemicals are all
TOXIC.
 Tone: neg
Form: verb As some sneaky five-year-
olds know, crossing one’s
Tone: neg fingers while making a
VITIATE
promise is an effective way to
vitiate, or destroy the validity
of, an agreement.
GET RID OF , CLEANSE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Use the noun, catharsis, to
refer to the experience a
person can have of releasing
emotional tension and feeling
CATHARSIS refreshed afterwards.
Tone: neg
Form: verb To exorcise is to cast out a
devil or evil spirit, using
prayer and other religious
tools. You're probably familiar
EXORCISE with the name of the person
who does this: an exorcist.
Tone: neg
Form: verb To expurgate is to censor.
Usually, people talk about
expurgating bad words from
something written or on TV.
EXPURGATE For Instance, the BIG BOSS,
Tone: neg
contestents have been asked
not to use curse words.
Form: verb To purge is to get rid of
something or someone, and
often it’s done suddenly.
PURGE
Tone: neg
UNMATCHED , UNIQUE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Use the adjective inimitable to
describe someone or
INIMITABLE something that is so special or
unique, it is impossible to
Example: Many pesticides are
highly TOXIC.
Mnemonic: VITIATE the
effect of Vish (Poison)
Example: The “yes―
vote was VITIATEd by the low
turnout in the election.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CATHA sounds like
KATHA(a religious story in
hindi)..KATHA leads to the
purging(means release) of
emotional tensions.
Example: Aristotle maintained
that tragedy created a
CATHARSIS by purging the soul
of base concepts.
Mnemonic: EXORCISE sounds
like "exercise," which means to
work out or train your body or
mind. Casting out devils is hard
work, so be sure to exercise
before you EXORCISE.
Example: The ghost was
EXORCISEd from the house.
Root: EX means OUT OF/FROM
Mnemonic: ex- means out,
purgare means cleanse;
EXPURGATE means change the
tone of a text by removing words
Example: On TV, if you hear
some words bleeped out, those
words have been EXPURGATEd.
Root: EX means OUT OF/FROM
Mnemonic: PURGE rhymes with
urge, and when you have a really
strong urge to throw stuff away
or clean something out, you have
an urge to PURGE.
Example: His first act as leader
was to PURGE the party of
extremists.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: IN means NOT and
IMITATE is to COPY. So it means
something that cannot be copied
or duplicated.
 Tone: pos duplicate, like that superstar
tennis player with the
inimitable serve no other
player can copy.
Form: adj Do you ever feel like one of a
kind? Then maybe you are
Tone: pos peerless, a word for someone
PEERLESS (or something) unique,
excellent, and superior.
SERIOUS , CONFUSED
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj If you're bemused, you're
muddled or preoccupied. It
Tone: neut happens when you're lost in
BEMUSED
thought, dazed, or
overwhelmed (say, on the
first day of high school).
Form: adj See that person staring out
the window who looks so sad
PENSIVE Tone: neut and lost in thought? He is
pensive, the opposite of
cheery and carefree.
ECHO
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To resound is to echo with
sounds, usually loudly. When
you sing in the shower, your
Tone: neut voice resounds.
RESOUND
Form: verb If you give a loud shout in a
cavernous place, like a gym,
or a church, the sound of your
voice will reverberate
throughout the room.
REVERBERATE Reverberate means an echo.
Tone: neut
PERSUADE
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: verb When you coax someone, you Mnemonic: When you want a
try to convince him gently, bike from your father, serve him
COAX with pleasant words and some cokes to first cool him and
maybe a little flattery. then request for your bike…in
short COAX him.
Example: John related in his own
INIMITABLE way the story of his
trip to Tibet.
Mnemonic: PEERLESS don’t
have any peer(friend)
Example: Amazing, one-of-a-
kind people like Picasso, Gandhi,
and Shakespeare are considered
PEERLESS.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Amused No =>
BEMUSED = Confused
Example: It Constantly confuse
or bemuses people, why he did
this.
Mnemonic: PENSIVE calls for a
PAINFULL face/ mood
Example: She was in a PENSIVE
mood, just wanting to be alone to
think.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Re means to
REPEAT. So the sound that
keeps repeating is RESOUND.
Example: If you've ever heard a
ring announcer, the microphone
helps his or her voice RESOUND
to the crowd.
Root: RE is to REPEAT
Mnemonic: Re is to REPEAT and
verbate can be equated to
vibrate. So a sound that keeps
on vibrating, its REVERBERATE.
Repetitive Re Vibration (echo)
produces echo.
Example: The thunder
REVERBERATEd across the
valley.
Root: RE is to REPEAT
Mnemonic/Example
 Tone: neg
Form: adj In these days of 24-hour
entertainment news and
sound-bite sized explanations
of complex government
COGENT policy, it’s hard to find a
Tone: neg cogent (persuading)
argument amidst all the
emotional outbursts.
Form: verb To enjoin is to issue an urgent
and official order. If the
Tone: neg government tells loggers to
ENJOIN
stop cutting down trees, they
are enjoining the loggers to
stop.
Form: verb When he heard the crowd
exhort (to fill up with
encouragement) him with
stomping and cheers, he
EXHORT knew that he could finish the
Tone: neg marathon.
Form: verb To induce is to move or lead
someone to action. A promise
of a lollipop can induce a
toddler to do just about
INDUCE anything, even sit down and
be polite to the maid.
Tone: neg
Form: verb If you have an urge to eat
candy, you really want to eat
those sweets. Your mother
URGE might urge you to wait until
Tone: neg after dinner.
FLATTER , BEG `LOWER DEGREE`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Behest is an authoritative
command or request. If your
boss or principal asks to see
BEHEST you, you go to their office at
their behest.
Tone: neg
Form: verb If you're begging for
something but you want to
BESEECH sound formal and a little old-
fashioned, say "I beseech
you!" It really captures how
Example: She COAXed the horse
into coming a little closer.
Mnemonic: COGENT sounds like
Convincing+ Gent. A man who
speaks in a way that is very
convincing, may be like a
salesman.
Example: She put forward some
COGENT reasons for abandoning
the plan.
Mnemonic: ENJOIN to join the
army
Example: The doctor ENJOINed a
strict diet.
Mnemonic: If your Ex, hurts
(EXHORT) you continuously by
reminding you of time spent in
the past, request (urge) him to
move on and stop bothering you.
Example: The media have been
EXHORTing people to come to the
demonstration.
Mnemonic: Typical filmy
dialogue: a movie heroine might
say to the villain, "Nothing could
INDUCE me to marry you. Not all
the money in the world. Not if
you were the last man on Earth!"
Example: Nothing would INDUCE
me to take the job.
Mnemonic: Mr. BURGEr King
giving bURGEr to BoURGEois
(middle class people) dressed in
pink.
Example: Police are urging
anyone who saw the accident to
contact them immediately.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BEHEST can be split
as Be (become) + Haste (fast)
when you are called by your
boss, because it is his
command/BEHEST.
Example: He went at the king's
BEHEST.
Mnemonic: BESEECH sounds a
little like seek, which is
appropriate. To BESEECH is to
seek for something, or for
permission.
 Tone: neg urgent and desperate you are,
yet saves a shred of your
dignity.
Form: verb to ask somebody for food,
money, etc. especially
CADGE because you cannot or do not
Tone: neg want to pay for something
yourself
Form: verb To cajole someone is to
Tone: neg persuade them by using
insincere compliments or
CAJOLE promises. If you say "Please,
pretty-please, I'll be your best
friend," when asking for a
candy, you are cajoling him.
Form: noun "Ain't too proud to beg" is
what the word entreaty is all
about. When you make an
ENTREATY Tone: neg entreaty, you're begging or
pleading for something.
Form: verb You might ask your friend for
a loan if you're short a few
Tone: neg bucks, but if the bank is about
to foreclose on your house
IMPLORE
you'll implore your friend for
the money, desperately
begging for the cash so you
can keep your house.
Form: verb to importune is to beg, but
use it only when you're
talking about going beyond
mere begging into more
urgent territory. The woman
IMPORTUNE importuned the judge to
release her innocent brother
Tone: neg from jail.
Form: verb If you don’t get the grade
you were hoping for on your
paper, you could try to
rewrite it, or you could meet
SUPPLICATE
Tone: neg with your teacher and
supplicate. Your humble
requests for an ‘A’ may
or may not work.
Form: verb To wheedle is to sweet talk,
or flatter someone in the
hopes of getting something in
WHEEDLE Tone: neg return. You might try to
wheedle a meter maid into
not giving you a parking
ticket.
FORCE `HIGHER DEGREE`
Example: Let him go, I BESEECH
you!
Mnemonic: Imagine begging
somebody for a ride. "Can I catch
(CADGE) a ride with you?"
Example: I managed to CADGE
some money off my dad.
Example: The salesman will
CAJOLE the couple into buying
the stereo.
Mnemonic: We often have to
entreat a person to give us a
treat
Example: She held up her arms
in ENTREATY.
Root: Prefix EN means IN
Mnemonic: Beggars IMPLORE for
money sitting on floor
Example: They IMPLOREd him
for forgiveness.
Mnemonic: Im means NOT and -
portune sounds like Fortune (fate
and money both). So a person
lacking or not having enough
money and a good fortune has to
beg from others and is called
IMPORTUNE.
Example: After a year of being
IMPORTUNEd (persuasion), dad
let me have the car.
Root: Prefix IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Imagine a cat supply
teacher, a supply cat, who has no
idea how to teach and has to beg
for help
Example: He SUPPLICATEd her
girlfriend to get back to him after
cheating on her
Mnemonic: WHEEDLE sounds
like Needle. She WHEEDLEd
Needle from doctor
Example: I WHEEDLEd a new car
out of my father.
 Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Coercion is making something
happen by force, like when
COERCION Tone: neg bullies use coercion to make
kids give them their lunch
money.
Form: verb You don't want to be
compelled to go to a classical
music concert if you'd rather
COMPEL listen to rap. Compel means
Tone: neg
to force or drive someone to
do something.
Form: noun Let's say you have a secret.
You've promised not to tell,
but there's something forcing
Tone: neg you to call a friend and spill
COMPULSION
the beans. This force is
compulsion, that urge to do
something even though you
know you shouldn't.
Form: verb To extort is to use information
or the threat of violence to
Tone: neg acquire cash or something
EXTORT
else. Extortion is a classic
shakedown, a gouge, a
squeeze.
Form: verb something that encourages,
urges, or drives.
GOAD
Tone: neg
Form: noun When you urge, and literally
Tone: neg force your mother to sign the
marksheet since you have
PRESS
scored very less and it’s
the Principals command, its
PRESSING her to do so.
Form: verb When you dissuade someone,
you convince that person not
to do something: “When
Caroline saw Peter's broken
X DISSUADE leg, she tried to dissuade him
Tone: neg going on the ski trip.―
TEMPT , PLOT , TRICK
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun If you find yourself making
ALLURE
eyes at that stranger across
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: COERCIVE forces in
physics
Example: The police might use
COERCION, too, to get a
confession.
Mnemonic: School officials might
be upset if a winter storm
COMPELs them to cancel classes
Example: The law can COMPEL
fathers to make regular payments
for their children.
Mnemonic: Compusion is to
comply or agree to something
when you are forced to.
Example: COMPULSION for
employers in contributing to their
employees pension funds.
Mnemonic: Ex Tort (Torture) get
money by threats
Example: The kidnappers
EXTORTed a 2 lakh ransom for
his release.
Mnemonic: GOAD = goat.
Imagine a huge Goat which
always inspires you to think that
humans could eat grass for their
living
Example: When GOADed beyond
endurance, she turned on him
and hit out.
Mnemonic: PRESS is to force.
Example: They had PRESSed for
their children to be taught
French.
Mnemonic: Remember the
meaning of dissuade (discourage)
by comparing it to its more
common relative persuade (to
force or urge)
Example: I tried to dissuade him
from giving up his job.
Root: Prefix DIS means APART/
NOT
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: All Lure means to
attract
 Tone: neg the coffee shop, chances are
there is an allure about him or
her — something
mysteriously, powerfully
attractive and tempting.
Form: verb To beguile is to trick
someone, either with
deception or with irresistible
BEGUILE charm and beauty. You could
Tone: neg be beguiled by a super model
or by a super con artist.
Form: verb When you collude with
someone you secretly plot
Tone: neg together to do something bad.
COLLUDE You might collude with your
twin sister to find out where
all the birthday presents are
hidden.
Form: verb To connive is to plan or plot to
do something illegal or wrong.
Conniving is considered
dishonest and cowardly.
CONNIVE
Tone: neg
Form: verb When you conspire, you
collaborate with others to do
harm, or maybe just keep
something from happening
CONSPIRE
Tone: neg
Form: verb Let's say your friend wants to
go to the movies and you
don't want to. Your friend
ENTICE Tone: neg might try to entice you by
offering to buy you popcorn.
Entice means to persuade
with promises of something.
Form: verb When you tell your boyfriend
he’s not just the best
boyfriend ever but also the
Tone: neg world's best driver, and this
makes him offer to drive the
INVEIGLE
whole way on your upcoming
road trip, then
congratulations. You know
how to inveigle, or use charm
to coax someone i
Form: verb To lure is to entice or bait
LURE
someone. A lure is used to
Example: The romantic young
man ALLUREd the beautiful
woman by preparing a wonderful
dinner.
Mnemonic: Be means TO and -
Guile is to cheat using charm. SO
BEGUILE IS TO CHEAT USING
ONES CHARM.
Example: Bermuda triangle is
something which BEGUILEs a
great many people.
Mnemonic: CO means together
and Lude is to play, using tactics.
Example: Several people had
COLLUDEd in the murder.
Mnemonic: Connie has been
plotting and conspiring to ruin
her neighbor's garden by planting
it full of ivy (a climbing tree)
Example: The government was
accused of having CONNIVEd
with the security forces to permit
murder.
Mnemonic: CON means
TOGETHER and Aspire would
mean that you are keen to do
something. In this case when
together you aspire to harm
some one its called conspiracy.
Example: They were accused of
conspiring against the
government.
Root: Prefix CON means
TOGETHER
Mnemonic: You are ENTICEd
(attracted to) buy ENTICEr, the
bike.
Example: Some stores slashed
prices by up to 80 % to ENTICE
shoppers.
Mnemonic: In veil girl is having
INVEIGLE intentions. Deceptive
intentions of girl in veil
Example: The babysitter tried to
INVEIGLE the kids into going to
bed
Mnemonic: LURE is not a Pure
act of attracting.
 Tone: neg bait or entice fish to attach
themselves to your hook.
Form: noun When a James Bond villain
comes up with a plan to
Tone: neg destroy the world, he
doesn’t use a simple plan.
MACHINATION
No, he uses a machination
— a complex plot that relies
on numerous elements
coming together to work.
Form: noun A ploy is a clever plan that
helps you get what you want.
Tone: neg A manipulative little girl might
PLOY
shed tears simply as a ploy to
get her mother to buy her ice
cream.
Form: noun Movie bank robbers always
seem to pull some kind of
ruse, a deceptive trick or
Tone: neg tactic like hiding the money
RUSE
underneath the bank while
they drive off in the getaway
car to avoid capture by the
police.
Form: noun A scheme is an elaborate plan
or plot. It's going to take a
really solid scheme, probably
involving teleportation or
SCHEME
Tone: neg some sort of temporary
cloning, to make an
appearance at both parties at
once.
Form: noun Tactic is another word for
maneuver or method. Looking
for a way to get something
TACTIC done? Then you better find a
Tone: neg
tactic.
IMPORTANT MARK
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun A hallmark is a distinctive
characteristic of something or
someone. That can mean a
HALLMARK literal symbol on the bottom
Tone: pos of a piece of pottery, or just a
rock star's signature hair
style.
Form: noun A milestone is a significant
event in your life. Often a
Tone: pos milestone marks the start of a
MILESTONE new chapter. For example,
the day you graduated from
high school was a milestone in
your life.
Example: The romantic young
man LUREd the beautiful woman
by preparing a wonderful dinner.
Mnemonic: Machine Guns in
Nation for MACHINATIONs.
Example: I don't want to get
involved in all his
MACHINATIONs.
Mnemonic: PLOY is to plot or
take strategic steps.
Example: This is a a clever
marketing PLOY.
Mnemonic: Imagine an
australian making a scheme to
sell kangaroos to people as pets.
Example: She tried to think of a
RUSE to get him out of the
house.
Mnemonic: These companies
keep on introducing new
SCHEME(PLAN) to trick
customers
Example: This is an elaborate
SCHEME to avoid taxes
Mnemonic: To TACKLE
something in a tricky way or by
planning or plotting is TACTICs.
Example: football teams have to
use strong defensive TACTICs to
keep the other guys from scoring.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A basketball player
could say that coming to practice
early is a HALLMARK of her
success
Example: Police said the
explosion bore all the HALLMARKs
of a terrorist attack.
Mnemonic: a MILESTONE victory
or a company's sales MILESTONE.
Example: He said the launch of
the party represented a
MILESTONE in Zambian history.
 Form: noun A watershed is a turning
Tone: pos point, or historic moment. The
WATERSHED day you got your braces off
might have been a watershed
moment in your life.
BEST EXAMPLE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun If your teacher says the term
paper you handed in last
week is a work of genius that
sets a new gold standard for
APOTHEOSIS the school, he's telling you
Tone: pos
your work is the apotheosis of
term papers. The epitome.
Form: noun An archetype is a perfect
example of something. If you
Tone: pos have blond hair, a perfect size
ARCHETYPE six body and are on the
cheerleading squad, you're
the archetype of a high school
cheerleader.
Form: verb To embody a role is to fill it
completely. If a high schooler
seems to embody the
character of Macbeth, his
EMBODY performance might make the
Tone: pos audience forget they're
watching a dorky 15-year-old
with braces.
Form: noun If you're talking about a
typical example of something,
Tone: pos call it the epitome. The
EPITOME
cartoon character Garfield is
the epitome of the fat, lazy,
food-obsessed cat.
Form: verb If you exemplify something,
you're the perfect example of
Tone: pos it. Say you wear frilly shirts,
EXEMPLIFY knee-high boots, and black
eye-make-up — you
exemplify the fashion world's
obsession with pirates.
Form: noun A paradigm is a standard,
perspective, or set of ideas. A
PARADIGM Tone: pos paradigm is a way of looking
at something.
Form: noun Paragon applies to someone
who is a model of perfection
in some quality or trait. We
PARAGON link paragon with other words
that follow it, such as
Tone: pos "paragon of virtue" or
"paragon of patience."
Example: The middle decades of
the 19th century marked a
WATERSHED in Russia's history
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: apo = up/
above(raise) + theo(god)+ sis =
is. So "god is above all in
APOTHEOSIS belief".
Example: Mona Lisa is the
APOTHEOSIS of all paintings.
Root: Prefix APO means AWAY
FROM, FROM
Mnemonic: Archies type comics
are ARCHETYPE
Example: She is the ARCHETYPE
of an American movie star.
Mnemonic: Imagine someone
whose body is crushed and
replaced with a letter m – the
'm' body stands as a
representative of his body.
Example: He is a politician who
embodied the hopes of black
youth
Mnemonic: Happy Tom: is a
perfect example of Tom and Jerry
Example: He is the EPITOME of
goodness.
Mnemonic: EXEMPLIFY is
nothing but EXAMPLE.
Example: His food exemplifies
Italian cooking at its best.
Root: Suffix -Y always means A
STATE of something
Mnemonic: Dime coin is
PARADIGM for US currency
Example: The war was a
PARADIGM of the destructive side
of human nature.
Mnemonic: You rub the gold on
the touchstone and you can find
out how good the gold is. You are
hoping that it is the PARAGON of
"goldness."
Example: He wasn't the
PARAGON of virtue she had
 expected.

Form: verb To personify is to give Mnemonic:

something lifeless human-like
qualities — like when Emily
Tone: pos Dickinson wrote, "Because I
PERSONIFY could not stop for Death, He
kindly stopped for me..."
Form: noun A precedent is something that
sets a standard for future
events. It's hard to say what
the legal community would do
PRECEDENT
Tone: pos without the word precedent,
since so many legal
judgments and decisions are
based on what came before.
Form: noun A prototype is the original
model, like a sample on which
Tone: pos to base future designs. A
PROTOTYPE company designing a new
toaster will first design and
build a prototype, to test it
out and see if it's any good.
person+infy(infosys):infosys
recruit only quality people.
Example: These children
PERSONIFY all that is wrong with
the education system.
Root: Suffix -Y always means A
STATE of something
Mnemonic: PRECEDENT -
pre(before)+ cedent(incident), an
incident happened before which
will decide the following incident.
Example: The ruling set a
PRECEDENT for future libel cases.
Root: Prefix PRE means BEFORE.
Mnemonic: Type of
something….
Example: Scientists have
developed a working PROTOTYPE
for a voice translation machine.
Root: Prefix PROTO means FIRST

APPLAUSE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun A performance that's repeated Mnemonic: ONCE MORE is
or added to the regular ENCORE... (just rearrange letters
performance is called an ENCO to ONCE and you are there
encore. If you're deaf from with it...)
ENCORE
Tone: pos last night's concert, it might Example: She played a Chopin
be because the band played waltz as an ENCORE.
for two hours and then did a
thirty minute encore.
Form: noun Hear that applause and cries Mnemonic: On this Occasion he
of "Bravo"? Your audience is got standing OVATION
OVATION Tone: pos giving you an ovation, or Example: He was pleasantly
praise for a great surprised by the OVATION he
performance. received.
Form: verb To pan a performance, book, Mnemonic: Pan sounds like BAN
or movie is to say that you , when a performance or book is
think it stunk. criticized, at times it is banned
X PAN from reading.
Tone: neg Example: The television series
was panned by critics and viewers
alike.

COME TOGETHER
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj Concurrent means happening Mnemonic: CONCURRENT can be
CONCURRENT at the same time, as in two related to Co-(together) occurant
movies showing at the same (something that takes place).
 Tone: neut theater on the same
weekend.
Form: noun Confluence means a flowing
together. In a literal sense,
it's about rivers. But it's more
often used to talk about the
CONFLUENCE coming together of factors or
Tone: neut
ideas, or of cultures in a
diverse city.
Form: verb Two roads, a roomful of
politicians, or a group of rabid
Tone: neut fans — when things come
CONVERGE together from different points
they converge.
STUPID , FOOLISH
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj If you want to call someone a
complete stupid while
sounding smart yourself,
ASININE asinine is your go-to word.
Tone: neg
Form: noun Dolt refers a person who isn't
very smart. You might be
called a dolt if you do
Tone: neg something dumb, like stand
DOLT
outside your car complaining
that you locked your keys
inside — even though the
window is wide open.
Form: adj Fatuous means lacking
intelligence. When your
FATUOUS Tone: neg mother outlaws calling your
brother stupid, use fatuous
instead.
Form: noun If your best friend calls you
an imbecile, he's implying
that you're stupid, and he's
IMBECILE probably pretty angry with
Tone: neg you. An imbecile is an
extremely stupid person.
Form: adj If something is inane, it's silly
or senseless. If you just want
INANE Tone: neg to space out, you won't mind
the inane chatter on TV, as
long as it's on.
Example: He was imprisoned for
two CONCURRENT terms of 30
months and 18 months.
Root: Prefix CON means
TOGETHER.
Mnemonic: CONFLUENCE can be
remembered as you bring people
together by means of your
influence.
Example: the CONFLUENCE of
the Blue Nile and the White Nile
Root: Prefix CON means
TOGETHER.
Mnemonic: CONVERGE sounds
like Come and merge.
Example: Thousands of
supporters CONVERGEd on
Washington, D.C. for the rally.
Root: Prefix CON means
TOGETHER.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â if you get NINE out
of ASSI(80) You ar surely an
ASININE(stupid)
Example: Talking trash about
your boss in an email they're cc'd
on...that's ASININE.
Mnemonic: DOLT rhymes with
bolt. Nut-bolt ~ what a nut he is.
(stupid person)
Example: I gave him the keys,
but then that DOLT locked them
in the car
Mnemonic: getting FATUOUS on
purpose is foolish for your health
Example: She is far too
intelligent to utter such FATUOUS
remarks
Mnemonic: IMBECILE sounds like
IMBALANCE....a person having
imbalance in his mind is a stupid
person....
Example: They behaved like
IMBECILEs.
Mnemonic: Insane person
passes INANE remarks.
Example: I have never heard
anything as INANE as what just
came out of your mouth.
 Form: noun An oaf is the boring, ill-
mannered person you hope
OAF doesn't show up at your party
Tone: neg and send the other guests
running for the door.
Form: adj The adjective obtuse is good
for describing someone slow
on the uptake: "Don't be so
obtuse: get with the
OBTUSE program!"
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: OAF...sounds like
uff..and when you see an ugly
awkward person.
Example: He stood there
grinning like an OAF.
Mnemonic: Remember OBTUSE
angle in Geometry? It’s the
opposite of Acute angle. Acute
means Sharp , OBTUSE should be
Blunt.
Example: Perhaps I'm being
OBTUSE, but what has all this got
to do with me?

INTELLIGENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Acuity has to do with
sharpness and smartness. Do
ACUITY Tone: pos you always get A's in math?
Then you have an acuity for
numbers.
Form: noun If you have acumen, you are
very sharp at what you do.
ACUMEN Tone: pos You hope your accountant and
your surgeon are both known
for their acumen.
Form: adj Someone who is astute is
clever and has good
ASTUTE Tone: pos judgment. The kid running
around with a bucket stuck on
his head? Not so astute.
Form: adj Discerning people pick up on
subtle traits and are good
judges of quality — they're
the ones that can tell if your
DISCERNING cupcakes are homemade from
the finest ingredients or
Tone: pos totally from a box mix.
Form: adj Someone discriminating has
fine-grained judgment and
can tell, for example, the
Tone: pos difference between pretty
good cookies and incredibly
DISCRIMINATING great cookies — a valuable
skill.
Form: adj What English teachers want
from students writing papers
INSIGHTFUL is insightful analysis ––
thinking that sees beyond the
obvious and expresses an
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A cute girl has sharp
features
Example: In time his youthful
ACUITY of vision failed him, and
he needed glasses.
Mnemonic: A few men have
ACUMEN
Example: His business ACUMEN
helped him to succeed where
others had failed.
Mnemonic: absolute: a salute to
ASTUTE person
Example: That was a very
ASTUTE observation.
Mnemonic: READ IT AS di-
screening. A DUAL SCREENING
PERSON, WHO KEEPS ON
SCREENING EVERYTHING
AROUND TWICE( VERY
OBSERVANT, ALERT)
Example: The DISCERNING
customer will recognize this as a
high quality product.
Mnemonic: Discriminate is to
know the DIFFERENCE between
good and bad.
Example: When eating, being
DISCRIMINATING is especially
useful: why eat food that's badly
prepared or unhealthy if you don't
have to?
Root: Prefix DIS means to
APART,NOT
Mnemonic: With this word,
remember in- and -sight-. When
you have the ability to look (sight)
inside (in) something––a
painting, a discussion, a situation.
 Tone: pos original thought.
Form: adj If you're judicious, you've got
a good head on your
Tone: pos shoulders and make good
JUDICIOUS
decisions. Humpty Dumpty's
decision to sit on a wall? NOT
judicious.
Form: adj If someone calls you
perceptive, they mean you
Tone: pos are good at understanding
PERCEPTIVE things or figuring things out.
Perceptive people are
insightful, intelligent, and able
to see what others cannot.
Form: adj Perspicacious is an adjective
that means "shrewd" and
Tone: pos "wise." A perspicacious child
PERSPICACIOUS
can't be fooled when her
parents try to keep a secret
by talking in Pig Latin.
Form: adj To be imprudent means
lacking self-restraint when it
would be wise to have it, like
PRUDENT Tone: pos that time you started dancing
on the table during a math
test. Remember that?
Everybody else does.
Form: adj Use the formal adjective,
sagacious, to describe
someone who is wise and
SAGACIOUS
insightful like an advisor to
Tone: pos the president or a Supreme
Court justice.
Form: noun Use the word sage for
someone or something wise
Tone: pos and judicious. Thanks to the
SAGE
sage advice of your friend,
you didn't write your teacher
an angry e-mail!
Form: noun You know that girl in your
school with a GPA over 100?
SAVANT Tone: pos She is a savant in the making.
A savant is someone over-
the-top smart, a scholar.
EQUALITY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Secular things are not Mnemonic: we say india is a
religious. Anything not SECULAR country--- means india
affiliated with a church or has combination of many
SECULAR
faith can be called secular. religions, not a fixed religion,
there are hindu, muslims
,Christian, jain
Example: She offered some really
interesting, INSIGHTFUL
observation.
Mnemonic: judi+cious--- having
JUDgement qualities
Example: It is curable with
JUDICIOUS use of antibiotics.
Root: Prefix JUD means to JUDGE
Mnemonic: PERCEPTIVE sounds
like Perfectly Observative.
Example: It was very
PERCEPTIVE of you to notice that.
Root: Prefix PER means
THROUGH
Mnemonic: A PERSPICACIOUS
person has keen perspective
Example: The brilliant lawyer was
known for his PERSPICACIOUS
deductions
Mnemonic: Im means NOT and
PRUDENT means CAREFUL. Not
Careful
Example: It would be
imPRUDENT to invest all your
money in one company.
Mnemonic: Imagine a man who
is so old his skin sags in sag ages
-this man is so old he must be
wise
Example: He is a SAGACIOUS
leader.
Mnemonic: S + AGE... a wise
aged man(your grandpa)..
Example: He was famous for his
SAGE advice to younger paints.
Mnemonic: Rakhi Sawant is
considered SAVANT in exposing
Example: There are SAVANTs
who are wise and learned, and
then there are idiot SAVANTs
Mnemonic/Example
 Tone: pos Example: Ours is a SECULAR
society.
Root: Prefix SEC mean CUT.
Form: adj Secular, lay, or civil, as Mnemonic: TEMPORAL and
opposed to any particular Mortal are rhyming words with the
religion. same meaning i.e something that
is temporary, that does not last
TEMPORAL forever.
Tone: pos Example: Although spiritual
leader of millions of people, the
Pope has no TEMPORAL power.
Root: Prefix TEMP means TIME.

INBORN , FIRMLY FIXED

Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj Congenital refers to something
present at birth but not
Tone: neut necessarily inherited from the
parents. Babies with heart
CONGENITAL
disorders developed in utero
can live long and productive
lives, in spite of their
congenital birth defect.
Form: verb When you're entrenched,
you're dug in. Sometimes that
means you're literally in a
Tone: neut trench, but usually it means
ENTRENCHED you just won't budge from a
position or belief.
Form: adj Use the adjective inherent for
qualities that are considered
permanent or cannot be
INHERENT separated from an essential
Tone: neut character.
Form: adj If a characteristic or ability is
already present in a person or
animal when they are born, it
INNATE is innate. People have the
Tone: neut
innate ability to speak whereas
animals do not.
Form: adj The intrinsic qualities of
something have to do with its
INTRINSIC nature. An intrinsic quality of
Tone: neut
dogs is that they're loyal.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Genetic mismatches
lead to CONGENITAL diseases.
Example: Half of all fetuses with
the syndrome have a
CONGENITAL heart defect.
Mnemonic: If you establish
something by digging a trench
you are in trench
Example: Having turkey on
Thanksgiving is a tradition that's
ENTRENCHED in American culture
— it's long been established and
isn't going anywhere
Mnemonic: INHERENT is always
in here. It’s a rule that if you
want to stay in here, at our house
you have to pay a monthly rent.
Example: It has, however,
highlighted the difficulties
INHERENT in this process
Mnemonic: He always ate in inn,
that’s his INNATE (inborn)
habit
Example: He possess an INNATE
knowledge of right and wrong
Root: Prefix IN means INTO
Mnemonic: INTRINSIC is
internal, within.
Example: Generosity was an
INTRINSIC part of her nature

DIG OUT , SEARCH , SOLVE

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To "inter" a body is to bury it Mnemonic: Inter is to bury
DISINTER or place it in a mausoleum, so DISINTER is to dig out. Dis is NOT
to disinter someone is to take .
 Tone: neut the body out again —
usually to find out how they
died, to make sure it's really
who we think it is, or to move
the body to a new burial site.
Form: verb To excavate is to remove or
find by digging. If you have
rocky soil in your garden, you
may have to excavate it to
EXCAVATE remove the rocks and replace
Tone: neut
them with additional soil.
Form: verb When you see your
mysterious neighbor digging
Tone: neut around in his backyard, you
may wonder if he’s trying
to exhume something.
EXHUME
Chances are he’s only
digging up potatoes — when
you exhume something, it
means you’re digging up
a corpse.
Form: noun You may be familiar with
ferrets, those adorable little
mammals that look like cheap
FERRET minks. Well, the verb to ferret
Tone: pos/neut means to act like a ferret: to
dig for something until you
find it.
Form: verb To unearth something is to
dig it up. You could unearth a
coffin, or even a tee shirt
buried in the bottom of a
UNEARTH drawer.
Tone: neut
Form: verb make plain or clear; solve
UNRAVEL Tone: neut
Form: verb Inter means to bury, usually
Tone: neut/neg in a tomb or grave. If you
loved your cat a lot, you
X INTER
might want to inter her
remains in the back yard and
make a nice little memorial.
WEAK , THIN , TALL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Example: The actor's
autobiography DISINTERred a
past era.
Root: Prefix DIS- means NOT/
APART.
Mnemonic: Try to remember
EXCAVATE in this way: eight eggs
dig out a cave and are known as
the eggs cave eight.
Example: The site has been
EXCAVATEd by archaeologists.
Root: Prefix EX- means OUT OF,
FROM
Mnemonic: Ex- human, dig out
(EXHUME) human from ground
Example: They insisted not to
EXHUME that old argument in the
party.
Root: Prefix EX- means OUT OF,
FROM
Mnemonic: FERRET my Parrot
FERRET the FERRET, kaunsa
FERRET hai mera (trying to find
out from a flock of parrots)
Example: She opened the drawer
and FERRETed around for her
keys.
Mnemonic: un(not)+earth the
minerals which are not present in
surface of earth is found BY
DIGGING
Example: When they UNEARTHed
the city, the archeologists found
many relics of an ancient
civilization.
Mnemonic: Un (not) + Ravel is
to complicate. Paresh Rawal Ravel
the story
Example: It also helped
UNRAVEL longstanding mysteries
such as exactly how ozone
degrades and rust forms.
Mnemonic: Inter is to bury.
Example: The princess was
interred on an island in the middle
of a lake.
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: adj grow weak and thin or waste
away physically is called
EMACIATE Tone: neg emaciate.
Form: adj You can never be too rich or
Tone: neg too thin, but you certainly can
be too gaunt. It means you
look skinny like you're sick,
GAUNT
not skinny like you have a
personal nutritionist slapping
your hand when you reach for
a bonbon.
Form: adj Use the adjective lanky to
describe someone who’s
tall, thin, and a little bit
gawky.
LANKY
Tone: neg
FAT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Corpulent is a formal word
that describes a fat person. If
you are trying to be respectful
Tone: neg when describing a fat man,
CORPULENT you might refer to him as a
"corpulent gentleman."
Form: noun The girth of something is the
distance around its middle,
Tone: neg and it usually refers to a
GIRTH person’s waist. If you get
pregnant with twins, your
girth will probably block your
view of your toes.
Form: adj Obese means excessively fat.
In medical terms, it means
you have a body mass index
OBESE Tone: neg (BMI) of 30 or more, at which
point your body's excess fat
begins to threaten your
health.
Form: adj Don't call someone fat. Be
nice, and call them portly.
Tone: neut/neg Portly is just one of several
PORTLY words that are kinder than
"fat," including "stout,"
"heavy," and "pleasingly
plump."
Form: verb short and thick
SQUAT
Mnemonic: Ema she ate it but
still looks thin or EMACIATEd
Example: His long period of
starvation had left him
EMACIATEd.
Mnemonic: Taunt to GAUNT girl
Example: The girl was very
GAUNT, but she was very healthy
as well.
Mnemonic: You’ve probably
seen a LANKY basketball player
who moves awkwardly but is still
able to make the play, or a LANKY
teenager who seems to be made
up entirely of long legs and long
arms.
Example: She is a tall LANKY
teenager.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: cor+pulent (Car
Puller) one who is capable of
pulling a car i.e. a large fat man
Example: Mrs. George donner
was in good health was somewhat
CORPULENT and certainly able to
travel.
Root: Prefix CORP means BODY
Mnemonic: He is a GIRTH of
Earth
Example: The man of enormous
GIRTH. A tree one meter in GIRTH
.
Mnemonic: OBESE can be used
as very fat so OBviously not at
EASE.
Example: OBESE patients are
given dietary advice.
Mnemonic: Â PORKY the pig is
PORTLY...
Example: The salesclerk tactfully
referred to the overweight
customer as PORTLY rather than
fat
Mnemonic: Kuwait people are
SQUAT
 Tone: neg
Form: adj Stout describes something
fat, dependable, or rugged. If
someone calls you stout, ask
STOUT them exactly what they mean
Tone: neg before bursting into tears and
skipping dinner. It could be a
compliment!
AWAY FROM THE CORRECT PATH
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adverb If you go astray, you lose the
path. If you went to college
intending to become a doctor,
ASTRAY but instead became interested
Tone: neg in making violent video
games, your parents might
feel you have gone astray.
Form: adverb When something goes wrong
with a decent plan, you say it
Tone: neg has gone awry. You
AWRY accidentally forget your
backpack in the airport?
That's a mistake. That's when
something has gone awry.
Form: adj Circuitous means indirect or
roundabout. If you're in a
hurry to get to the hospital
CIRCUITOUS where your wife is having a
Tone: neg baby, you want to take the
straightest, fastest way, not a
circuitous one!
Form: adj If you lack a definite plan or
purpose and flit from one
thing to another, your actions
DESULTORY are desultory. Some people
call such desultory
Tone: neg wanderings spontaneous.
Others call it "being lost."
Form: verb If we're talking about science
fiction, and you suddenly go
off on a long tangent about
the cost of grape soda, you
DIGRESS digress. When a person
Tone: neg digresses, they stray from the
topic.
Form: adj If people accuse you of
rambling from topic to topic in
DISCURSIVE your speech or writing, they
Tone: neg may say you have a
discursive style — with
Example: As he was SQUAT, he
was easily noticeable in a team
having lean players.
Mnemonic: Most supermodels
would not want to be described as
STOUT, which is often a nicer way
of saying "fat."
Example: She is getting too
STOUT for her dresses.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A STRAY dog is a
domestic animal found wandering.
It is not in right direction to
home.
Example: We locked up our
valuables so they would not go
ASTRAY.
Mnemonic: Plan went AWRY,
success went away
Example: All my plans for the
party had gone AWRY.
Mnemonic: If your route goes
around in complicated circuits, it's
CIRCUITOUS, or windy and
indirect
Example: Because of the traffic
congestion on the mainhighways,
she took a CIRCUITOUS route.
Mnemonic: DESULTORY can be
related to: Worse than going and
insulting people from place to
place is going around without a
plan of insulting.
Example: I wandered about in a
DESULTORY fashion
Mnemonic: Di - Away, Gress –
step. DIGRESS is to move away
from path. Due to Depression you
need DIGRESSion from that
matter.
Example: To follow it, we must
make a little DIGRESSion into the
history of Bolshevism
Root: Prefix DI- means ACROSS
Mnemonic: Cursive writing is not
at centre, it is diverting from one
side to another side.
Example: The DISCURSIVE style
of novel
 changes in subject that are
hard to follow.
Form: verb Something divergent is
moving away from what is
expected. Two divergent
paths are moving in opposite
DIVERGENT directions — away from each
other.
Tone: neg
Form: verb You ramble when your talking
or your walking goes on and
Tone: neg on and on. And on. You’re
RAMBLE
in no hurry to make a point or
get to your destination — if
there is one at all.
Form: adj Tangential refers to
something that's not part of
Tone: neg the whole. If you make a
TANGENTIAL comment that is tangential to
the story you're telling, it's a
digression. The story could
still be understood without it.
Mnemonic: Things that are
DIVERGENT are diverging —
moving away from a path or a
standard. A teacher who comes to
work in a clown outfit is being
DIVERGENT
Example: We went through high
school and college together, but
then our paths diverged.
Mnemonic: Amble is to walk,
RAMBLE is to walk aimlessly.
Example: They RAMBLEd through
the shops until closing time.
Mnemonic: TANGENTIAL is like a
Tangent
Example: Although interesting,
Christina's point was TANGENTIAL
to the discussion

TO SEE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To behold is to see. You could Mnemonic: To be holden by
behold the changing sky as someone, keep showing gratitude
the sun sets. It’s old- Feeling BEHOLDen (obligated) as
BEHOLD fashioned and fancy, so he is holding on
Tone: pos magicians like to use it, as in Example: BEHOLD breathtaking
“Behold! I shall pull a mountain views, while relaxing in
rabbit out of my hat!― a luxurious guestroom.
Form: verb If you can make out, pick out, Mnemonic: We placed the broken
or distinguish something, you disc's ashes in an urn to recognize
can discern it. This is a word it as distinct and different from all
DISCERN for recognizing and perceiving our other deceased records.
Tone: pos things. Example: It is possible to
DISCERN a number of different
techniques in her work.
Form: verb catch sight of. Mnemonic: ESPY is to SPY on
someone.
ESPY Tone: pos Example: Here from a window,
did she ESPY a Knight standing in
a woodman's cart?
Form: verb When we perceive something, Mnemonic: PERCEIVE is ti SEE.
Tone: pos we become aware of or notice Example: I PERCEIVEd a change
PERCEIVE it. Sometimes we perceive in his behavior.
things by using our senses of
sight, hearing, and smell.

TO KNOW
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: noun If you are cognizant of what's
Tone: pos going on at the table behind
you in the lunchroom, that
means you know they're
COGNIZANT
plotting to throw peas at your
head. If you are cognizant of
something, you are aware of
or informed about it.
Form: adj If you don't notice or aren't
aware, it means that the
adjective oblivious applies to
X you!
OBLIVIOUS
Tone: neg
ARTIFICIAL , PRETENSE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Pretended
AFFECTED
Tone: neg
Form: adj If you see something that
seems fake since it was too
perfectly planned out, call it
CONTRIVED contrived. If you can easily
Tone: neg predict the final minutes of a
made-for-TV movie, then call
it contrived.
Form: adj Something that's farcical is
Tone: neg ridiculously funny — absurd,
even. When you stumbled
onstage, tripping over your
FARCICAL
costume and pulling down the
backdrop, you brought a
farcical element to the serious
play.
Form: adj If your grandmother describes
you as mannered, she means
Tone: neg you are very formal,
observing all society’s
MANNERED
mandates. She might mean
this positively, approving of
your actions, or negatively,
thinking you too formal.
Form: verb If you're accused of posturing
Tone: neg though, that's a different
POSTURE
story — that means you're
behaving unnaturally to
Mnemonic: COG is to SEE.
Example: In the light of the new
evidence that the court can now
take cognizance of, the case is
dropped.
Root: Prefix COG- means to
KNOW.
Mnemonic: For example, Mr.
Magoo mistakes an airplane for a
theater and instead of watching a
movie, he takes a seat on a
departing airplane!
Example: You eventually became
oblivious to the noise
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: AFFECTED.....past
form of
affect....affect..af+fect(FACT).SO
SOMETHING which has nothing to
do with facts....or reality hence
ARTIFICIAL AND THE KEY WORD
HERE IS FACT...reality..and
opposite of it artificial
Example: I had been quite scared
by the dog but AFFECTED
carelessness.
Mnemonic: Con(not true, as in
con artist, con job)+Try --not
truly trying. Contri(ved) ie forced
, artificial, not spontaneous
Example: The book's happy
ending seemed CONTRIVED.
Example: It was a FARCICAL
trial.
Mnemonic: man in red is "not
natural"
Example: His prose style is far
too MANNERED and self-
conscious.
Example: The administration has
adopted an aggressive POSTURE
on immigration.
 impress someone.
Form: adj Use the adjective pretentious Mnemonic: PRETENTIOUS is
as a way to criticize people someone who is Pretending
Tone: neg who try to act like they are Example: It was just an ordinary
PRETENTIOUS
more important or house—nothing PRETENTIOUS.
knowledgeable than they
really are.

LIST 12

SMALL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Diminutive means small. A
diminutive person is short and
small. A diminutive word is a
DIMINUTIVE "cute" version of a regular
Tone: neut word, "Maggie" is the
diminutive of "Margaret."
Form: adj When it's incalculably small,
when teensy seems large
compared to it, then it is
Tone: neut infinitesimal. "The equipment
INFINITESIMAL
was so sensitive that even the
infinitesimal dust molecules
that swept in with the open
door altered the readings."
Form: noun When you think of
microcosm, picture your
Tone: neut home town inside a snow
MICROCOSM globe. The teeny tiny city is a
microcosm of the one you live
in. It is that place in
miniature.
Form: adj Miniscule is a variant of
minuscule, meaning “very
tiny.― Ants, grains of sand,
MINUSCULE Tone: neut and portion sizes at fancy
restaurants might all be
described as miniscule.
Form: adj If you have a slight build,
Tone: neut you're slim with small bones.
SLIGHT
A slight deviation from your
plan, is a tiny adjustment.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Dimin (sounds like
DIMINISH), when something
diminishes the effect becomes
lesser smaller.
Example: Jim and Jimmy are
DIMINUTIVEs of 'James'.
Root: Root MIN means SMALL.
Mnemonic: INFINITESIMAL is
infinitely small. Earth is
INFINITESIMAL in universe
Example: His statement has
INFINITESIMAL amount of truth
Mnemonic: Micro = small +
Cosmos = world…A small world
Example: The family is a
MICROCOSM of society.
Root: MICRO means SMALL
Mnemonic: Mini means
extremely small. as in the words
minimal and miniskirt.
Example: But what may seem
like a miniscule gain can affect
medal standings.
Root: Prefix MIN means SMALL.
Mnemonic: SLIGHT means Less.
Example: I woke up with a
SLIGHT headache.

HUGE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: noun You can call a massive
telecommunications company
a behemoth. The word means
something big and powerful.
BEHEMOTH
Tone: pos
Form: adj Colossal describes something
so large it makes you say,
"Whoa!" You might have a
COLOSSAL colossal amount of homework,
Tone: neut or see a colossal pyramid
while vacationing in Egypt.
Form: adj Whether you're talking about
your gargantuan appetite or a
gargantuan building, use the
GARGANTUAN Tone: neut word gargantuan to describe
something so big that big just
isn't, well, big enough to
accurately describe it.
Form: adj Gigantic is an adjective used
to describe something that's
really big, as though it were
GIGANTIC Tone: neut made for a giant. You might
call a skyscraper a gigantic
building, especially if it towers
over other buildings nearby.
Form: adj Something humongous is
really, really big. If you
experiment with greenhouses,
fertilization, and grow lights,
HUMONGOUS you can grow a humongous
Tone: neut
pumpkin.
Form: noun anything of immense size and
power.
LEVIATHAN
Tone: neut
Form: noun The adjective mammoth is a
great way to describe
something really, really big,
like those huge woolly
MAMMOTH elephants they’re still
finding in the melting glaciers.
Tone: pos
Form: noun When something is monolithic
it's big, and made of one
thing. A large piece of stone
MONOLITHIC Tone: neut jutting from the earth is a
monolith, and Detroit's
economy when it depended
entirely on the auto industry
Mnemonic: BEHEMOTH is big
like Mammoth Biblical creature
mentioned in the Book of Job The
word is most likely a plural form
of ???? (b?h?m?h), meaning
beast or large animal.
Example: Its tough for BING to
compete with the BEHEMOTH
search engines like Google.
Mnemonic: The colosseum - one
of the seven wonders of the
world, which was a huge theatre
in the olden days
Example: The singer earns a
COLOSSAL amount of money.
Mnemonic: Gargantua was a
huge, stout GIANT. We get the
name from that character.
Example: A GARGANTUAN
corruption scandal a marketing
event of GARGANTUAN
proportion.
Mnemonic: GIGANTIC soungs
like a GIANT. And so it is,
unusually huge.
Example: The problem was
beginning to take on GIGANTIC
proportions.
Mnemonic: HUMONGOUS sounds
like ENORMOUS OR
TREMENDOUS. When we describe
something very big will call it so.
Example: You may look a little
silly making phone calls, holding
the HUMONGOUS Galaxy Note up
to your ear.
Mnemonic: LEVIATHAN sounds
like a LIVING GIANT.
Example: the LEVIATHAN of
government bureaucracy
Mnemonic: MAMMOTH is big like
Behemoth Biblical creature
mentioned in the Book of Job The
word is most likely a plural form
of ???? (b?h?m?h), meaning
beast or large animal.
Example: This is a MAMMOTH
organization
Mnemonic: Mono - Single +
Lithic - related to rocks, so single
solid rock and unchangeable
Example: Knowing the
importance of appearing resolute,
the patriots sought to present a
MONOLITHIC front.
 was monolithic.
Form: adj Whether it's a monumental
effort requiring vast amounts
of strength or a monumental
cruise ship with eleven floors
MONUMENTAL and five sets of elevators, the
Tone: neut
word monumental describes
something imposing or
massive in size.
Form: adj Something exceptional,
substantial, or great is
prodigious. A blizzard includes
PRODIGIOUS prodigious wind and snow. A
Tone: pos prodigious writer is one who
can write a lot and do it well.
Form: adj If two rival football teams
played a close game that
went into overtime, it could
TITANIC be could be said that winning
Tone: pos it was a titanic struggle. This
means it took a large amount
of force and power to do so.
Form: adj of imposing height; especially
standing out above others
TOWERING
Tone: neut
Form: adj Consider that volume is a
measure of size. That will help
you understand that
VOLUMINOUS voluminous refers to
Tone: neut
something very large in size
or extent.
CANNOT BE DEFENDED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj not able to be protected
against attack
Tone: neg
INDEFENSIBLE
Form: adj If something is untenable, you
can't defend it or justify it. If
Tone: neut your disagreement with your
UNTENABLE teacher puts you in an
untenable position, you better
just admit you made a
mistake and get on with it.
TAKE CARE
Mnemonic: have you seen large
MONUMENTS, they are attractive
because of their look as well as
height or hugeness.
Example: Gibbon's
MONUMENTAL work “The Rise
and Fall of the Roman
Empire―
Mnemonic: Prodigy group is
PRODIGIOUS. Proud ji us:
because we are PRODIGIOUS
(extraordinary)
Example: He impressed
everyone with his PRODIGIOUS
memory
Mnemonic: Remember the HUGE
SHIP named TITANIC in the
movie with the same name. Its
meant to be huge and gigantic.
Example: This is a TITANIC
struggle between good and evil
Mnemonic: A Tower usually
stands tall and appears to be
huge.
Example: This was a TOWERING
performace.
Mnemonic: VOLUMINOUS
definitely comes from VOLUME
which in this case is great.
Example: There is VOLUMINOUS
literature on modernism and
post-modernism.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: In (NOT) and
Defensible. Cannot be Defeated
Example: The assemblyman was
accused of defending the
INDEFENSIBLE.
Root: Prefix IN means NOT
Mnemonic: Un + Tenable
Teenager is UNTENABLE
Example: I find your theory
UNTENABLE and must reject it
 Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To foster is to nurture
something for a little while.
Tone: pos She fosters creativity by
FOSTER providing crayons to every
student. You can also foster a
child, which means she lives
in your home for a time.
Form: verb If you plant a seed, water it
daily and give it lots of light,
you nurture it until it is ready
NURTURE Tone: pos to be transplanted outside.
When you nurture a person or
thing, you care for it and help
it to grow.
Form: adj Someone who acts as a
surrogate takes the place of
another person. In the middle
of a big Hollywood awards
SURROGATE ceremony, if a celebrity has to
Tone: neut go to the bathroom, a
surrogate will take his or her
place and fill the seat.
CAREFUL , PRECISE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If someone is conscientious,
that person strives to do
Tone: pos what's right and to carry out
CONSCIENTIOUS his duties. Conscientious
people show care and put in a
big effort.
Form: adj If you want to describe a
person who insists on
perfection or pays much
FASTIDIOUS
Tone: neut attention to food, clothing and
cleanliness, the right word is
fastidious.
Form: adj People who are meticulous
can be pretty annoying, what
with their extreme attention
to detail. But if that person is,
METICULOUS say, your surgeon or your
Tone: pos
accountant, you'll want them
to be meticulous.
Form: adj A punctilious person pays
attention to details. Are you
always precisely on time? Is
your room perfectly neat? Do
PUNCTILIOUS
Tone: pos you never forget a birthday or
a library book's due date?
Then you are one of the
punctilious people.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Poster is to FOSTER
your brand name.
Example: The club’s aim is to
FOSTER better relations within
the community; ..FOSTER Parents
Mnemonic: Dont torture but
please NURTURE a child, even if it
belongs to sombody else.
Example: These delicate plants
need careful nurturing.
Mnemonic: SURROGATE sounds
like :Sir, your gate is broken and
I will be the one to take the
responsibility for it even though
Bob did it.
Example: She adopted our
newest rescue and became a
SURROGATE mom to him this
year.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Conscious =
CONSCIENTIOUS
Example: CONSCIENTIOUS with
regard to his duties as examiner.
Root: Prefix CON means
TOGETHER
Mnemonic: FASTIDIOUS sounds
like: Fast + Tedious ie fast and
hardworking
Example: He was FASTIDIOUS
in his preparation for the big day.
Mnemonic: Someone who's
METICULOUS is afraid of what
will happen if they're not careful
enough to get every detail right.
Example: The lab technicians
must be METICULOUS in their
measurements to obtain exact
results
Mnemonic: Punctual person is
PUNCTILIOUS: very attentive.
Punctuation is right or not, said
the PUNCTILIOUS man.
Example: He was PUNCTILIOUS
about being ready exactly on
time
 Form: noun someone who insists on great
precision and correctness
PURISTS Tone: pos
Form: adj Scrupulous means very
Tone: pos careful to do things properly
and correctly, such as paying
SCRUPULOUS friends back for money
borrowed right away, or not
returning a pair of shoes after
they've been worn outdoors.
FUSSY `-`
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj You reject any vegetable that
isn't yellow. You like basmati
Tone: neg rice, but detest jasmine and
brown.You dine at one
FINICKY restaurant, and you always
order the same meal. You are
a finicky eater — that is, you
are quite particular about
food.
Form: noun be overly critical; criticize
NITPICKING Tone: neg minor details
Form: adj Persnickety is a lively, fancy
word for “fussy.― If
you've sent your salad back to
the kitchen three times, you
PERSNICKETY might be a persnickety eater.
Tone: neg
Form: adj If you fainted or threw up at
the sight of frog intestines in
biology class, you’re
SQUEAMISH Tone: neg squeamish — easily
nauseated or shocked by
unpleasant, icky things. No
horror movies for you!
Form: noun A stickler is someone who
insists that things are done in
a certain way. Say you’re
Tone: neg/neut getting married and want to
STICKLER write your own vows, but your
partner’s mother demands
that you have a traditional
ceremony. The mother is a
stickler for tradition.
CONCERNED ONLY WITH PLEASURE
Mnemonic: Purist is a person
who belongs in PURE usage of
everything.
Example: PURISTS may not
approve of the changes made to
the text of the play in this
production.
Mnemonic: Screw Plus (positive)
Example: He was SCRUPULOUS
about the choices he made;This
was a SCRUPULOUS performance
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Nicky is FINICKY,
FINICKY is Picky
Example: Even the most FINICKY
eater will find something to eat.
Example: Some readers will
surely perceive our critique as
NITPICKING Khan’s errors.
Mnemonic: The adjective
PERSNICKETY sounds prickly like
a porcupine, and PERSNICKETY
people can indeed be sharp and
prickly when they don't get things
precisely as they wish.
Example: “To be polite,
I’d call her PERSNICKETY,―
he told me.
Mnemonic: SQUEAMISH is like
"scream-ish". i.e., one who
screams for everything.
Example: This movie is not for
the SQUEAMISH.
Mnemonic: STICKLER sounds like
a person who is very sticky, that
sticks to one point only.
Example: To others it might
seem that you're being a
STICKLER for rules.
 Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Strictly speaking, hedonism is
the belief that pursuing
Tone: neg pleasure leads to the greatest
HEDONISM ethical good. In practice,
though, the ethical part
sometimes gets lost in the
pleasure part.
Form: noun If you know someone who's
totally addicted to luxurious
things and all of life's
Tone: neg pleasures, call them a
sybarite. Unless she's inviting
SYBARITE
you over for champagne
brunches and showering you
with gifts — in which case
you should keep your mouth
shut.
TO GUESS , INFER
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Can you guess what
conjecture means? It's a word
to use when you are not sure
CONJECTURE of something and have to
Tone: neut
"guess or surmise."
Form: verb If you interpret something or
make sense of it, you
Tone: neut construe its meaning. If the
new girl in your class asks to
CONSTRUE
sit with you at lunch, you
could construe that she wants
to be friends. You can never
have too many friends!
Form: verb To deduce is to figure
something out based on what
you already know. When you
Tone: neut see a person crying, it's easy
DEDUCE
to deduce that the person is
sad. Unless they're happy, of
course. Sometimes happy
people cry.
Form: verb When you extrapolate, you
use specific details to make a
general comment. For
example, if you travel to
EXTRAPOLATE Canada and encounter only
friendly, kind natives, you
Tone: neut might extrapolate that all
Canadians are friendly.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: HEDONISM would be
indulging in places like Las Vegas.
Example: the hedonistic
philosophy of “eat, drink and
be merry for tomorrow we
die!―
Mnemonic: SYBARITE a lover of
luxury always Say Bar is the right
place to go.
Example: Jared, who used to be
the epitome of Chicago's wealthy
SYBARITEs, went bankrupt in
December, 1997
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: A "CONGUESSTURE"
don’t make the complete
picture.
Example: The truth of his
CONJECTURE was confirmed by
the newspaper report.
Mnemonic: Construct true movie
by construing the true story
Example: CONSTRUEd according
to the laws of england and wales.
Mnemonic: de- means down,
ducere means lead; to 'lead down,
derive', figure out
Example: We can DEDUCE a lot
from what people choose to buy.
Root: Root DUC- means LEAD.
Mnemonic: Looking at your
current grade report for math and
how you are doing in class now,
you could EXTRAPOLATE that
you'll likely earn a solid B for the
year.
Example: The figures were
obtained by extrapolating from
past trends.
 Form: verb If you see the empty ice
cream containers, a kicked
can of Reddi-wip in the trash,
you can surmise what has
SURMISE
Tone: neut happened: Sundaes. To
surmise is to form an opinion
or make a guess about
something.
Mnemonic: Mice can SURMISE
where the cheese is kept even
though they do not know where
exactly it is kept.
Example: I SURMISE this is
needed to complete your
homework

HINT , INDIRECT REFERENCE

Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb When you allude to
something, you don't identify
it or mention it specifically. If
you allude to the fact that a
ALLUDE/ALLUSION
Tone: neut cop is sitting right behind you,
your friends might stop
talking about their plans to
rob a bank.
Form: noun During rehearsal, the actors
Tone: neut need to learn their cues to
CUE make sure their timing is
right. A cue can also be a clue
or reminder of something.
Form: noun A hint is a slight indication or
Tone: neut clue. Your mother might hint
at the fact that she
HINT doesn’t like your shoes,
while your grandmother will
just come right out and say
that they’re ugly.
Form: adj Use the adjective implicit
when you mean that
something is understood but
Tone: neut not clearly stated. You might
think you and your boyfriend
IMPLICIT
might have an implicit
understanding that you are
going to get married, but it's
probably better to talk it
through.
Form: noun Speaking in innuendo is when
you say something indirectly
— often of a hurtful or
sexual nature.
INNUENDO
Tone: neg
Form: verb Insinuate means you imply or
suggest something that may
INSINUATE or may not be true. If you say
things seemed to go wrong
about the time your brother
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Helen, a fitting
name for a woman of great
beauty, is an allusion to Helen of
Troy.
Example: Try not to allude to
this matter in his presence
because the topic annoys him.
Example: Temperature is often
a CUE to enter or emerge from
hibernation.
Example: He resented any HINT
that he might be to blame.
Mnemonic: IMPLICIT sounds
like Imply or Refer to something
and the opposite is EXPLICIT.
Example: IMPLICIT in his
speech was the assumption that
they were guilty.
Mnemonic: A worm is cut in two
so it has a new end: the old
worm head says a statement
that implies something bad
indirectly in the new end
Example: Because the movie is
full of sexual INNUENDOs, we
did not bring the children
Mnemonic: The girl has lost her
memory. The boy telling her -
This is the INStitute IN which
YOU ATE. He is trying to HINT,
IMPLY to her.
 Tone: neut took over, you insinuate that
he had something to do with
the decline.
Form: adj Something tacit is implied or
understood without question.
TACIT Tone: neut Holding hands might be a
tacit acknowledgment that a
boy and girl are dating.
Form: adj Something blatant is very
obvious and offensive. Don't
get caught in a blatant lie,
X BLATANT because you won't be able to
weasel your way out of it.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Anything explicit is very clear,
whether it's instructions or a
X EXPLICIT Tone: neut bad movie
Example: The article
INSINUATEd that he was having
an affair with his friend's wife.
Mnemonic: TACITly asked To
Sit
Example: She gave a TACIT
approval by smiling and winking
Mnemonic: Blatant is not latent.
Latent: hidden, dormant,
unexpressed. Latent is hidden in
tent (LA TENT), opposite is
Blatant which means OBVIOUS
Example: I am not sure why
Raki is always so blatant.
Mnemonic: Please sit: I will
make it explicit
Example: The plot of 9/11
attack was an explicit act of
violence.

FINE , DELICATE
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: noun Use nuance to refer to a very
small difference in color,
meaning, or feeling. What
makes singers brilliant is not
NUANCES
Tone: neut how loud they can sing a
note, but how many nuances
they can evoke through their
approach.
Form: adj Something that is subtle is
not obvious: a professional
food taster might be able to
perceive subtle differences of
SUBTLE flavor that most people don't
Tone: neut notice.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: It is always such a
nuisance to have to capture all the
subtle aspects of every new dance
we learn.
Example: He watched her face
intently to catch every nuance of
expression.
Mnemonic: SUBTLE is used for
things that are hard to describe
because of their complexity or
delicacy: a way of thinking,
arguing, or creating a work of art.
Example: The fragrance is a
SUBTLE blend of jasmine and
sandalwood.

LONG ESSAY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun If you use the word discourse, Mnemonic: Sounds like 'this
you are describing a formal Course'. I attended a DISCOURSE
DISCOURSE and intense discussion or on this course.
Tone: neut debate. Example: A DISCOURSE on
issues of gender and sexuality.
Form: noun A dissertation is a long piece Mnemonic: Dessert Station pe
of writing that uses research DISSERTATION di
Tone: neut to bring to light an original Example: He is currently writing
DISSERTATION idea. Don't go to grad school a DISSERTATION
unless you're prepared to
write, say, a 300-page
dissertation on some topic.
 Form: noun Rhetoric is speaking or writing
that's intended to persuade. If
your goal is to write editorial
RHETORIC columns for "The New York
Tone: neut Times," you should work on
your rhetoric.
Mnemonic: Our friend Ray
learned the art of discourse from
attending many tours held by
famous orators
Example: His offers of
compromise were mere RHETORIC

Form: noun A thesis is the most important Mnemonic: THESIS or a Treatise

or foundational idea of an
argument. If you write a
THESIS Tone: neut paper with the central thesis
that girls are yucky, you'll
need to back that up with
cooties-based research.
refer to a theory or statement put
forward for reasoning.
Example: Students must submit
a THESIS on an agreed subject
within four years.

DECEPTIVE REASONING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj argue over petty things Mnemonic: petti (small issues)
creating fight.
Tone: neg Example: Instinct is what drives
PETTIFOGGING
the best instant decisions – and
puts too much PETTIFOGGING
purity to shame.
Form: noun Sophistry is tricking someone Mnemonic: Soap History
by making a seemingly clever SOPHISTRY on soap history
Tone: neg argument, such as telling your Example: The judge rejected the
mom you must have candy local authority's argument as
SOPHISTRY
before dinner because if you mere SOPHISTRY
don't you'll die and then the
protein and vitamins won't get
eaten at all.

FRANK
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Straightforward and truthful
talk might be described with
the adjective candid. If you're
CANDID/CANDOR too candid in your personal
blog, a future employer might
Tone: pos discover your penchant for
nude skydiving.
Form: adj When a person is being
forthright, they're being
direct, clear, or even straight-
FORTHRIGHT
Tone: pos up. But we're not here to talk
about those. We're here to
talk about forthright.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Remember that TV
show Candid Camera? It was
called that because its hidden
cameras supposedly showed a
candid view of reality.
Example: To be candid, I can't
stand her.
Mnemonic: Fourth option Right
hai you said in FORTHRIGHT
manner.
Example: He was known for his
FORTHRIGHT manner

MISTAKE , ACT DONE CARELESSSLY

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb If you botch something, you Mnemonic: BOTCH can be
BOTCH
make a mess of it or you ruin rememberd as Black Patch
 Tone: neg it. If you totally botch your
lines in the school play, you
stammer and stutter your way
through the whole thing.
Form: verb Saying the wrong thing at the
wrong time, dropping
Tone: neg something, tripping and
BUNGLE
falling: these are some classic
bungles — and they’re
always embarrassing.
Form: noun If you misread a party
invitation and arrive in a
Tone: neg penguin costume, only to
realize that the other guests
FAUX PAS
are wearing elegant gowns,
you'll understand what it
means to commit a faux pas,
or an awkward social mistake.
Form: noun A gaffe is mistake that
embarrasses you in front of
others. If you run into a friend
Tone: neg out with her grey-haired
GAFFE
father, and you blurt out, "Oh,
hi, you must be Tara's
grandfather!" then you've
made a gaffe.
Form: noun A malapropism occurs when
you say one word but you
mean another, like instead of
Tone: neg saying a certain restaurant is
MALAPROPISM prosperous, you say it is
preposterous. As you can tell,
malapropisms are often
humorous, though sometimes
the joke is on the speaker.
Form: noun A misnomer is a wrong or
unsuitable name. It’s a
misnomer to call your
grandmother
“Grandfather,― the
MISNOMER
Tone: neg same way it’s a misnomer
to call a chair with four legs
that doesn’t move unless
you drag it across the floor, a
rocking chair.
Form: adj To be tactless is to either be
rude (without manners) or
TACTLESS inept (without finesse). Either
Tone: neg
way, it's awkward.
Form: noun Having finesse means you can
handle difficult situations with
diplomacy and tact, like the
X FINESSE Tone: pos finesse it takes to help two
friends work out their
differences — without taking
sides or alienating either one.
FREQUENT TRAVELLER
Example: The work they did on
the house was a BOTCHed job.
Mnemonic: Bangle seller bunged
his job by breaking bangles
Example: He was caught during
his BUNGLEd attempt to burgle
the bank.Â
Mnemonic: Faux Pa is a french
word meaning a false step.
Example: His outbursts and FAUX
PAS often triggered national
debates, but also made for
television gold.
Mnemonic: Disney character
Goofy who was always making
Blunders.
Example: He made some real
GAFFEs early in his career.
Mnemonic: Mal (negative) + Prop
(proper usage) .. improper usage
of words
Example: One of the things
George W. Bush is known for are
his MALAPROPISMs.
Root: Prefix MAL means BAD
Mnemonic: MIS means WRONG
OR HATE and NOMER can be
related to NAME. So a Name that
does not match at all with the
person's characterestics
Example: Villa was something of
a MISNOMER; the place was no
more than an old farmhouse.
Root: Prefix MIS- means HATE
Mnemonic: Without Tact would
be TACTLESS.
Example: It was TACTLESS of
you to comment on his hair!
Mnemonic: Finesse sounds like
FINENESS that is involved in
doing something.
Example: He used no
unnecessary finesse in stating his
ends.
 Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj An itinerant is a person who
moves from place to place,
typically for work, like the
ITINERANT itinerant preacher who moves
Tone: neut
to a new community every
few years.
Form: adj If you're reading this on a
treadmill or while taking a
walk, you may know about
the peripatetic, or walking,
philosopher Aristotle, who
PERIPATETIC taught while strolling with his
Tone: neut
students. Or, maybe you just
like being a peripatetic, a
walking wanderer.
SUPPORT , STRENGTHEN
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun When the battle is getting
long and the odds are getting
longer, retreat to your bastion
Tone: pos to regroup and prepare for
BASTION
the next round of fighting. A
bastion is a stronghold or
fortification that remains
intact.
Form: Verb When you cheer up a friend
who's feeling down, you
BOLSTER bolster them. To bolster is to
Tone: pos
offer support or strengthen.
Form: noun You can buttress an argument
Tone: pos with solid facts or your
financial portfolio with safe
investments. You may find
BUTTRESS
that giving compliments to
everyone you meet buttresses
your popularity. To buttress is
to sustain or reinforce.
Form: Verb If you add nutrients to
something you fortify it. Food
scientists have found ways to
FORTIFY
Tone: pos fortify cereal, but in addition
to vitamins C and D, they
usually add a lot of sugar.
Form: noun support
PROP
Tone: pos
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ITINERANT keeps
itinerary all the time as he always
travels from place to place
Example: The same day, an
ITINERANT preacher came to the
village
Mnemonic: Music teachers in
England rarely teach in one school
these days; they teach in several
and are described as PERIPATETIC
teachers.
Example: Her father was in the
army and the family led a
PERIPATETIC existence
Root: Prefix PERI- means
AROUND
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BASTION army
fighting from BASTION Army Base
station is BASTION
Example: There is a huge
BASTION on the side of the castle
to help protect it from the enemy.
Mnemonic: Boster sounds like
Bolt the sitar.
Example: These bolts on Sitar
are to BOLSTER the sitar.
Mnemonic: Butt-rest for a wall..
Example: Trees have wideÂ
BUTTRESS roots to support their
great height.
Mnemonic: If you turn your
couch into a fort you make it
stronger
Example: They fortified the area
against attack.
Mnemonic: Remember we used
to watch this dance show boogy
woogy where you have to dance
with a PROP (support the act)
Example: these are measures to
PROP up an unpopular
government.
 EXCLUDE , FORBID
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: verb If you banish someone or ignore
him, you ostracize him. When
the Iranian president claimed
OSTRACIZE that the Holocaust was a hoax,
Tone: neg he was ostracized by the
international community.
Form: verb declare illegal; outlaw
OUTLAW
Tone: neg
Form: noun A pariah is someone that has
been soundly rejected by their
community. Your constant
PARIAH gossiping might make you a
Tone: neg pariah on campus.
Form: verb To proscribe something is to
forbid or prohibit it, as a school
principal might proscribe the use
PROSCRIBE Tone: neg of cell phones in class.
Form: verb If you purposely stay away from
someone, you shun that person.
SHUN A sensitive baker may ask why
Tone: neg
you are shunning her cookies.
Form: noun Something considered taboo is
naughty, something society
considers a no-no. For example,
TABOO
Tone: neg it is taboo to ask people how
much money they earn or about
their sex lives.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ostRACISM .. racism
leads to groupism and excluding a
group from the public is to
OSTRACIZE.
Example: The ostrich was
OSTRACIZEd because of his big
mouth
Mnemonic: OUTLAW: without Law,
which is Illigal
Example: There are plans to
OUTLAW the carrying of knives
Mnemonic: Her pair of eyes had a
hard time looking in the same
direction so she became one who
was rejected by society
Example: Because of his religious
beliefs he became a PARIAH in the
village
Mnemonic: Doctor prescribes
medicines and PROSCRIBEs junk
food
Example: The new law
PROSCRIBEd drinking alcohol on
the street.
Root: Suffix SCRIBE is to WRITE
Mnemonic: SHUN sounds like SUN
so keep a distance from the sun.
Example: She has been SHUNned
by her neighbors
Mnemonic: TABOO its similar to
TAUBA(-->refrain oneself to do
somthing restricted in Islam)
Example: Death is one of the great
TABOOs in our culture.

PLACE SIDE BY SIDE

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb When something borders Example: His land ABUTs on to a
Tone: neut something else, it is said to road
abut it. The term is often
used in real estate to refer to
ABUT
a lot line. Wouldn’t it be
nice to have your back yard
abut a forest preserve or
park?
Form: adj Adjacent means close to or Mnemonic: Add scent ADJACENT
near something. You may to each other
ADJACENT consider the people up and
Tone: neut Example: The planes landed on
down your street to be ADJACENT runways.
 neighbors, but your next door
neighbor is the person who
lives in the house or
apartment adjacent to yours.
Form: adj Use the adjective contiguous
when you want to describe
one thing touching another
CONTIGUOUS thing, or next to it but not
Tone: neut
actually touching.
Form: verb If a waiter served you a
whole fish and a scoop of
chocolate ice cream on the
same plate, your surprise
JUXTAPOSITION might be caused by the
Tone: neut juxtaposition, or the side-by-
side contrast, of the two
foods.
TO DO RELUCTANTLY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb If you balk at your mother's
suggestion that you take on
Tone: neg more responsibility, you're
BALK
saying no to added chores. To
balk means to refuse to go
along with.
Form: adj If you do something in a
grudging manner (or
grudgingly), you do it with
GRUDGING Tone: neg reluctance. Doing homework,
paying taxes, and saying
sorry are all commonly done
in a grudging manner.
Form: noun Someone with alacrity shows
cheerful willingness and eager
Tone: pos behavior, like a kid whose
X ALACRITY mother has told him he can
buy anything in a candy
store.
Form: adj showing a cheerful
X OBLIGING Tone: pos willingness to do favors for
others
USED TO
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj When you habituate
something, you're helping it
to get accustomed to a new
HABITUATE home. Workers in zoos spend
Tone: neut/neg
a lot of time habituating
animals.
Root: AD- means TO or
TOWARDS.
Mnemonic: All states are
touching/adjacent (CONTIGUOUS)
or all states are continuous..
Example: The bruising was not
CONTIGUOUS to the wound.
Root: CON means TOGETHER.
Mnemonic: Imagine a funeral
mourner telling jokes graveside,
and you get the idea — the
JUXTAPOSITION in this case is
between grief and humor.
Example: In the exhibition,
abstract paintings are juxtaposed
with shocking photographs.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Dog barked to BALK
the thieves. Dog BALKed to bark.
Example: Many parents may
BALK at the idea of paying $100
for a pair of shoes.
Mnemonic: Imagine a grungy
teenager unwilling to help out
with chores
Example: The GRUDGING
acceptance of his opponent's
victory.
Mnemonic: All creativity requires
is alacrity
Example: He demonstrated his
eagerness to serve by his alacrity
in executing the orders of his
master.
Example: The obliging waiter was
in no hurry for us to leave.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: When it’s a habit
to do something you are
HABITUATEd.
Example: We have all become
HABITUATEd to thinking and
reacting in certain ways.
 Form: adj To be immune to something
is to be resistant to it. If you
IMMUNE had chickenpox as a child,
Tone: neut you should be immune to it
now.
Form: verb To inure is to get used to
something difficult or
Tone: neut/neg unpleasant. If after spending
INURE an hour in your brother's
room, you stop noticing the
stinky-sock smell, you have
become inured to the odor.
Form: adj If you're an inveterate
doodler, all your notebooks
Tone: neut are covered with drawings. If
INVETERATE you're an inveterate golf
player, you probably get
twitchy if you haven't been
out on a course in a week.
UNDERSTAND
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To apprehend is to capture or
arrest, as when the police try
to apprehend criminals and
bring them to justice. You
APPREHEND
Tone: pos also apprehend a concept
when you understand it,
grasping or capturing its
meaning.
Form: verb If you are trying to fit in, you
are trying to assimilate.
ASSIMILATE
Tone: pos
Form: verb To comprehend something is
to understand it, like when
you have to read a difficult
Tone: pos passage more than once in
COMPREHEND order to comprehend it.
Form: verb To fathom something is to
understand it thoroughly, and
is usually used in the
FATHOM negative, as in "I can't
Tone: pos fathom why he doesn't want
to go along with us."
Form: adj When your friend scribbles a
ILLEGIBLE
note to you and you can’t
Mnemonic: Vaccinations serve to
make people IMMUNE to certain
diseases.
Example: You'll eventually
become IMMUNE to criticism.
Mnemonic: To become INUREd
to bad life you get insured
Example: Doctors become
INUREd to death
Root: IN- means INTO
Mnemonic: Veter is a root which
means for a long time
Example: She is an INVETERATE
smoker and cannot break the
habit
Root: IN- means INTO
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: APPREHEND sounds
like Comprehend, and the
meaning remains the same: to
Understand.
Example: He was slow to
APPREHEND danger.
Mnemonic: ASSIMILATE has the
word similar within it and in fact,
means "to become like something
else."
Example: The committee will
need time to ASSIMILATE this
report.
Root: Prefix SIMIL- means SAME
Mnemonic: Com means together
and so it means to combine things
and understand the issue.
Example: COMPREHEND why
these meetings seem to be held in
secret.
Root: Prefix COM- means
TOGETHER.
Mnemonic: FATHOM sounds like
BOTTOM: To understand
something thoroughly is "to get to
the bottom of it."
Example: It is hard to FATHOM
the pain felt at the death of a
child.
Mnemonic: Not Legible, Not
understood.
 Tone: neg figure out what it says,
it’s because her
handwriting is illegible —
it’s unreadable.
Form: adj Use the adjective intelligible
to describe speech that is
loud and clear, like the
INTELLIGIBLE intelligible words of your
Tone: pos principal which, thanks to a
microphone, you were able to
hear.
THIN , TRANSPARENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If a dress is so see-through
Tone: pos/neut that light shines through it
revealing the things
unnecessarily, it's
DIAPHANOUS
diaphanous. Also known as
"sheer," "transparent," or just
plain" but diaphanous is so
much classier.
Form: adj You can describe weak, thin,
and fragile things as flimsy.
Onion smells are strong,
onion skins are flimsy.
FLIMSY Tone: neut/neg Blaming onions for making
you cry during a sad movie,
that's a flimsy excuse, when
there are no onions in the
theater.
Form: adj Something that is delicate
and fragile can be described
as frail. Grandma's favorite
FRAIL Tone: neut vase is probably too frail to
use for football practice;
some of us have learned that
the hard way.
Form: noun Gossamer is something super
fine and delicate — like a
GOSSAMER spider web or the material of
Tone: pos/neut
a wedding veil.
Form: adj You can't touch this word —
it is intangible. You can grasp
Tone: neut the meaning of the word in
INTANGIBLE your head, but you can't
close your hands around it;
you'll just put fingerprints on
your monitor.
Form: noun characterized by formation of
MEMBRANOUS Tone: neut a membrane (or something
resembling a membrane)
Form: adj If people can see through
Tone: neut/neg your shirt, it's sheer. This can
SHEER
also mean something steep,
like a cliff, or anything
Example: This is an ILLEGIBLE
signature
Root: Prefix IL- means NOT
Mnemonic: like if you have done
something by intelligence, it
would be INTELLIGIBLE that is
clear and easily understood...
Example: His lecture was readily
INTELLIGIBLE to all the students.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: DIAPHANOUS phone.
Example: The stain glass window
was very DIAPHANOUS I could
almost clearly see the clouds
outside
Root: Prefix DIA- means
THROUGH
Mnemonic: A FLIMSY object and
a FLIMSY objection or excuse are
both without weight and are easy
to knock down
Example: The evidence against
him is pretty FLIMSY.
Mnemonic: FRAIL - one who fails
in a subject is obviously WEAK in
it
Example: Mother was becoming
too FRAIL to live alone.
Mnemonic: +SAMMER(summer)
- we wear clothes of light fabric
Example: Nylon can be woven
into GOSSAMER or thick fabrics.
Mnemonic: INTANGIBLE is not
tangible
Example: The old building had an
INTANGIBLE air of sadness about
it.
Root: Prefix TANG- means to
TOUCH
Example: It also provides a clear
MEMBRANOUS touch-point for the
touchscreen.
Example: We were impressed by
the SHEER size of the cathedral.
 extreme, like sheer nerve.
Form: adj If something is tenuous it's
thin, either literally or
metaphorically. If you try to
Tone: neut learn a complicated
TENUOUS
mathematical concept by
cramming for 45 minutes,
you will have a tenuous grasp
of that concept, at best.
Form: adj When something is palpable,
you can touch or handle it,
even though the word is often
X PALPABLE used to describe things that
usually can't be handled or
Tone: neg/neut touched, such as emotions or
sensations.
Form: adj Something substantial is
large in size, number, or
amount: If you want to say
Tone: neut someone spent a lot of
X SUBSTANTIAL
money without being too
specific, you could say they
spent a substantial amount of
money.
Form: adj Tactile has to do with the
Tone: neut sense of touch. There's a
huge tactile difference
X TACTILE between smooth glass and
rough sandpaper.
PERTAINING TO RELIGION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun If someone believes they
cannot know whether or not
God exists, label them an
agnostic. A bad joke: Did you
AGNOSTIC hear about the dyslexic
Tone: pos/neut agnostic insomniac? He
stayed up all night wondering
if there was a dog.
Form: noun An atheist believes there is
no such thing as god, or any
other deity.
ATHEIST Tone: neut
Form: verb To proselytize is to try to
persuade someone to switch
PROSELYTIZE to your religious beliefs or
your way of living. "Like a
Mnemonic: Ten Of Us can fit in
this car, there is TENUOUS
chances.
Example: He holds a rather
TENUOUS position in history
Root: Prefix TEN means HOLD
Mnemonic: After touching the
PULP of fruit its obvious that
every one would be ABLE to
perceive whether the fruit is fresh
or not.
Example: The tension between
them is palpable
Mnemonic: Lots of Substance in
anything would be considered as
Substantial
Example: He ate a substantial
breakfast.
Root: Prefix SUB- means UNDER.
Mnemonic: This Tile is so tactile
Example: Different textures of
food are tactile — they feel
different in your mouth, aside
from how they taste.
Root: Prefix TACT- means TOUCH
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Imagine staring at a
hag (an ugly old woman) nose
and not being sure whether the
hag is a witch - you are unsure of
the existence of the supernatural
Example: She grew up in an
AGNOSTIC household.
Root: GNOS- means KNOWLEDGE
Mnemonic: THEIST means God
or believer in God, And the prefix
A means NOT. So ATHEIST does
not believe in God.
Example: Nearly one in five
Americans say they are ATHEIST,
agnostic or “nothing in
particular.―
Root: THEO - means GOD
Mnemonic: Pro sell ytize
(advertize): act of pros to sell and
advertize their gods and force
people to convert.
 Tone: neg true evangelist, Amber
proselytized about the
rewards of life as a devout
adherent of the faith."
Form: noun one who believes in the
THEIST existence of a god or gods
Tone: neut
Form: noun Theology is the study of
religion, plain and simple. Of
Tone: pos/neut course, religion isn’t
simple, so theology covers a
THEOLOGY
lot of subjects, like rituals,
divine beings, the history of
religions, and the concept of
religious truth.
WEAKEN
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb When you subvert something,
your words or actions criticize
or undermine the usual way
Tone: neg of doing something or
SUBVERT
common values. The girl who
wears a tuxedo to the prom
might subvert traditional
ideas about beauty.
Form: verb To undermine literally means
to dig a hole underneath
something, making it likely to
collapse. But we more often
use the word to describe
UNDERMINE sabotage or the act of
weakening someone else's
Tone: neg efforts.
Form: verb make secure underneath,
X UNDER GIRD lend moral support to.
Tone: pos
THEORY WITHOUT EVIDENCE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Everyone who has ever taken
a science class knows the
word "hypothesis," which
Tone: neut means an idea, or a guess,
HYPOTHETICAL that you are going to test
through an experiment. A
hypothetical is related to
that. It means something
based on an informed guess.
Example: Christian groups were
arrested for trying to
PROSELYTIZE people
Mnemonic: THEIST means God
or believer in God.
Mnemonic: Theo is know as GOD
in Greek.
Example: He got a a degree in
THEOLOGY
Root: Prefix THEO- means GOD
and suffix -LOGY means
STUDY/FIELD OF.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: SUBVERT sounds like
DIVERT, ie going the unusual way
and breaking laws
Example: This was an alleged
plot to SUBVERT the state.
Root: Prefix SUB means UNDER
Mnemonic: UNDEMINE has an
effect which is opposite of
UNDERLINE. We underline to
emphasise something that is
important and Undermining would
be to make something lesser
Important
Example: Our confidence in the
team has been seriously
UNDERMINEd by their recent
defeats.
Mnemonic: Under gird can be
related to 'guard' or secure
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Its nothing but
HYPOTHESIS, which lacks
EVIDENCE
Example: Let us take the
HYPOTHETICAL case of Sheila, a
mother of two…
Root: Prefix HYPO- means UNDER
 Form: verb When you speculate, you use
what you know to make a
prediction about an outcome,
like when you speculate that
SPECULATE the injury of two key players
Tone: neut/pos will prevent your favorite
team from going far in the
playoffs this year.
Form: adj If knowledge is empirical, it's
based on observation rather
Tone: neut than theory. To do an
X EMPERICAL empirical study of donut
shops, you'll need to visit
every one you can find.
SYMPATHY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun If someone shows kindness,
caring, and a willingness to
help others, they're showing
compassion.
COMPASSION
Tone: neut/pos
Form: noun Use empathy if you're looking
for a noun meaning "the
EMPATHY Tone: neut/pos ability to identify with
another's feelings."
Form: adj A humane person is one who
shows great compassion and
Tone: neut/pos caring for others, including
HUMANE
animals, and who tries
whenever possible to alleviate
another's suffering.
Form: adj A callous person is insensitive
Tone: neg or emotionally hardened. If
you laugh at your little sister
X CALLOUS
while she's trying to show
you her poetry, you're being
callous.
EXAGGERATED BEHAVIOR
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Anything that has to do with
actors or acting can be called
histrionic, like a Broadway
HISTRIONIC actor's histrionic voice
projection that would sound
strange in everyday life but is
perfect for the stage.
Mnemonic: a business owner
may SPECULATE that a brand-new
kind of frozen yogurt will be really
popular, so she buys a huge order
of it for her ice cream store.
Example: We all SPECULATEd
about the reasons for her
resignation.
Root: SPEC is to SEE
Mnemonic: Such claims need to
be tested empirically.
Example: There is enormous
empirical evidence for the law of
diminishing marginal returns.
Root: EM- means IN
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Com means together
and Passion is the zeal. So when
you have the passion and
willingness to help others its
COMPASSION.
Example: She was known as a
hard woman with no
COMPASSION, no emotion.
Mnemonic: EMPATHY and
Sympathy are similar in meaning.
Example: He has EMPATHY for
other people's situations
Root: EM- means IN
Mnemonic: Remember HUMANE
is nothing but Being Human.
Example: This is a a caring and
HUMANE society
Example: He had worked in the
hospital for so many years that he
was callous to the suffering in the
wards.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: describe a person
who in regular life is a little too
dramatic and even over-acts, like
your friend whose HISTRIONIC
rantings make a trip to the
grocery store seem like a matter
of life and death.
 Tone: neg
Form: adj If you're writhing on the floor,
howling in pain over the
Tone: neg splinter in your finger, you're
MELODRAMATIC
being a tad melodramatic,
that is, exaggerated,
affected, or histrionic.
FULLY SATISFIED
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To gratify is to give
satisfaction. So if you've
managed to get straight A's
GRATIFY in school, what you did was
Tone: pos gratify your parents — and
it probably felt pretty
gratifying to you too.
Form: verb Quench means to put out, put
an end to, or satisfy. If you're
Tone: pos stranded in the middle of the
QUENCH desert with nothing drink,
you're probably dreaming of a
nice big glass of ice water to
quench your thirst.
Form: adj Replete means full, often in a
satisfying way. "The library
was replete with bound first
REPLETE
Tone: pos volumes, and Lucy, a
bookworm, was happier there
than any place else."
Form: verb Sometimes you're so hungry
you feel like you could eat a
ten-course meal. Other times
SATE Tone: pos it takes just a small salad to
sate your appetite, or to
satisfy your hunger.
Form: verb If you just can't get enough
popcorn, even the jumbo tub
SATIATE Tone: pos at the movie theater may not
be enough to satiate, or
satisfy, your desire.
Form: verb The verb saturate means to
cause something to be fully
soaked to the point where it
can't take on anything else.
SATURATE
Tone: pos
Example: She was used to her
mother's HISTRIONICs.
Mnemonic: Extra Dramatic is
called MELODRAMATIC
Example: a MELODRAMATIC plot
full of deceit and murder
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: it would be really
GREAT IF I bring a score above
330 in GRE and I'll be able to
please the top notch universities
Example: He only gave his
consent in order to GRATIFY her
wishes.
Mnemonic: Drench and QUENCH
sounds similar
Example: Firemen tried to
QUENCH the flames raging
through the building.
Mnemonic: deplete, complete,
REPLETE all relate to the quantity
of something.
Example: Literature is REPLETE
with drama and excitement
Mnemonic: Â s-ate, so when we
have finished eating our food, we
are satisfied to the full.
Example: However many are
planned, I’ve had my curiosity
SATEd and will happily skip the
next.
Mnemonic: Â I SAT & ATE till I
was full!
Example: Protein and fat keep
you SATIATEd, so you don't want
another snack 30 minutes later.Â
Mnemonic: If you're a
workaholic, you might SATURATE
all your free time with work,
leaving no time to spend with
your family.
Example: The company had
SATURATEd the market for
personal organizers
 Form: verb When you slake something,
such as a desire or a thirst,
you satisfy it. A big glass of
lemonade on a hot summer
SLAKE day will slake your thirst.
Tone: pos
Form: verb To suffice is to be enough, in
either quality or quantity. If
SUFFICE Tone: pos may not be gourmet all the
time, but if your food is
healthy, it will suffice.
REMOVE , DESTROY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Killing ends when the thing
you are killing (your sworn
enemy, all hope, a gerbil) is
dead. Annihilate goes
ANNIHILATE farther—when you annihilate
Tone: neg
something, you wipe all trace
of it from the earth.
Form: noun Carnage is mass murder. If
you have seen news footage
of a village after a bomb has
CARNAGE been detonated, you probably
Tone: neg saw a scene of carnage.
Form: verb If something is drastically
reduced or killed, especially in
number, you can say it was
decimated. "The oil spill in the
DECIMATE Gulf of Mexico decimated the
wildlife along the coast."
Tone: neg
Form: verb If something is erased or
rubbed out, it has been
effaced. Teachers get
annoyed to find that someone
has effaced the blackboard
EFFACE — even the part clearly
Tone: neg marked, "Do Not Erase!"
Form: verb To eradicate something is to
ERADICATE get rid of it, to destroy it, and
to kiss it goodbye.
Mnemonic: Â focus on the 'lake'
part of this word..so you can say
that you want to satisfy your
thrist after seeing the water in
that lake .
Example: More through fatigue
than because his thirst was
SLAKEd, he stopped at last and
turned away from the lake.
Mnemonic: SUFFICE sounds like
SUFFICIENT.
Example: Generally a brief note
or a phone call will SUFFICE.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ANNIHILATE -
Eliminate; So to ELIMINATE
someone completely from your
life.. means to kill them.
Example: The human race has
enough weapons to ANNIHILATE
itself.
Root: AN- means WITHOUT.
Mnemonic: If under aged people
drive the car, there is a possibility
that he may kill people or animals
on the road.
Example: How can we reduce the
CARNAGE on our roads?
Root: CARN- means MEAT
Mnemonic: deci [means
10]mate[in ,chess mate means
killing a king]so it sound like
killing a king in every 10
people,so to kill a king you have
to kill 10 persons.
Example: The rabbit population
was DECIMATEd by the disease.
Root: DE- means DOWN/ AWAY
Mnemonic: Closely related to
"erase"..to rub out or we can
think in another way also, we
wash our face to remove the dust
from the surface of the
skin(ef+face)
Example: She tried her best to
EFFACE the memory of the
accident.
Root: E- means OUT OF/FROM
Mnemonic: You can also
ERADICATE corruption, poverty,
or diseases, rather ERASE it.
 Tone: neg
Form: verb To expunge is to cross out or
eliminate. After Nicholas
proved he had been in school
EXPUNGE Tone: neg on the day in question, the
absence was expunged from
his record.
Form: verb If your house becomes
infested with cockroaches,
mice, or even ants, you might
EXTERMINATE Tone: neg have to exterminate them. It
is certainly not a pleasant
process, but often quite
necessary.
Form: verb To fumigate is to spray
something with fumes,
usually to eliminate pests of
some kind.
Tone: neg
FUMIGATE
Form: verb When you see obliterate,
think of evil alien invaders
Tone: neg that zap a planet with a
destructive ray. In one blast,
OBLITERATE
the planet and all of the
people on it are vaporized.
The planet is truly obliterated,
or completely wiped out.
Form: verb Perish means to die, but it
Tone: neg suggests a slow, gradual,
nonviolent death. Starving to
PERISH
death is perishing. Getting hit
by a bus is just plain getting
killed.
Form: adj If something is indelible, you
better hope you never regret
Tone: pos it, like the indelible tattoo of
the name of your favorite
X INDELIBLE band or the indelible first
impression it might give
people you meet years from
now, especially if your taste in
music changes.
LIST 13
Example: Diphtheria has been
virtually ERADICATEd in the
United States.
Root: same as above
Mnemonic: EXPUNGE rhymes
with sponge..which is used to
remove dirt..
Example: Details of his criminal
activities were EXPUNGEd from
the file.
Root: EX- means OUT OF/ FROM
Mnemonic: AXE+TERMINATE(put
an end to)...when you use axe to
end someone, you EXTERMINATE
Example: Fur seals were nearly
EXTERMINATEd a few years ago.
Mnemonic: FUMIGATE sounds
like FUMES, and that’s the
meaning, used to draw away
insects.
Example: Carpets are best
FUMIGATEd on the floor, but
should afterward be removed to
the open air and thoroughly
beaten.
Root: OB- means AGAINST
Mnemonic: Â lets ' all-be-literate
' and destroy illiteracy completely
Example: Everything that
happened that night was
OBLITERATEd from his memory.
Example: Thousands PERISHed
at the hands of the invading
forces.
Mnemonic: indelible: in + delete
+ able- which can't be deleted
Example: Her unhappy childhood
left an indelible mark.
Root: IN- means NOT.
 HEALTHY LOOKING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Use the word cherubic to
describe someone with a
round face and an air of
sweetness, whether
CHERUBIC you’re talking about a
Tone: pos cute cooing baby or your
innocent-looking, round-faced
40-year-old brother.
Form: adj When people are red-cheeked
with good health they are
florid. Spending most of the
Tone: pos year in the college library can
FLORID give you a colorless, weary
face, but after a mountain
vacation, you'll be florid with
the reddish color that comes
from exercise and living
Form: adj having the pinkish flush of
health
FLUSHED
Tone: pos
Form: adj Ruddy is used to describe
something that is reddish —
RUDDY Tone: pos like the color of red hair,
tomatoes, or your cheeks on
a cold winter's day.
Form: adj Salubrious is a fancy way to
describe something that’s
good for you or is generally
SALUBRIOUS Tone: pos favorable to mind or body,
but it need not be limited to
describing healthy foods or
liquids.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CHERUBIC,
pronounced "CHAIR-uh-bick," is
used to describe someone who
looks like a cherub, a baby-like
angel
Example: With her cheerful smile
and rosy cheeks, she was a
particularly CHERUBIC child.
Mnemonic: FLORIDa mein
FLORID stalls and FLORID
(reddish) complexion girls.
Example: a FLORID style of
painting
Mnemonic: Flush sounds like
Blush. When you blush your face
turns pink and u looked FLUSHED
Example: Sam felt her cheeks
flush red.
Mnemonic: RUDDY complexion is
Reddy complexion.
Example: He had a naturally
RUDDY complexion.
Mnemonic: SALUBRIOUS sounds
like we salute each other with the
cheer, "To your health!"
Example: We had to move to a
house in a less SALUBRIOUS
area.

UNHEALTHY APPEARANCE
Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Form: adj When your best friend’s Mnemonic: Ash fans were
face drains of all color when ASHEN when Ash got married to
he hears that his favorite Abhishek
Tone: neg team traded its star player, Example: Her face was ASHEN
ASHEN
you can use the word ashen with fear.
to describe the pale, white
face of someone who is
shocked and upset.
Form: adj Santa looks a little pallid, Mnemonic: Pal had PALLID
meaning that he has a pale expressions which is like a lid.
Tone: neg complexion, from spending Example: His thin, PALLID face
PALLID too much time at the North broke into a smile
Pole. A few days in Hawaii
might do wonders to add color
to his pale, bearded face.
 Form: noun When you’ve got the flu,
that pale, sickly color of your
skin is called a pallor. Other
PALLOR causes of pallor include shock,
stress, or 10 days spent
Tone: neg indoors trying to beat your
new video game.
Form: adj Sallow means unhealthy in
Tone: neg appearance––often yellow
in color––and is almost
invariably used to describe
SALLOW someone's complexion. His
smile was as engaging as
ever, but from his sallow
complexion, I knew he was
sick.
Form: noun Someone who is wan is visibly
unwell and lacking in energy.
If you’ve had the flu for
WAN over a week, and you finally
Tone: neg get out of bed looking pale
and tired, your mother might
say that you look wan.
UNSTEADY WALK , HESITATE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Falter means to hesitate,
stumble, or waver, and
everything from faith to
Tone: neg/neut voices can do it. So if you
FALTER
want to keep your bride or
groom happy, it's best not to
falter when it's your turn to
say "I do."
Form: verb A flounder is a flat fish with
both eyes on one side of its
head; and, as a verb, to
FLOUNDER flounder is to wobble around
Tone: neg/neut like a fish out of water.
Form: verb to fail because of a particular
problem or difficulty
FOUNDER Tone: neg/neut
Form: verb If you're a football fan you
know all about the agony of
the fumble — the clumsy
handling of the ball that
FUMBLE
makes you drop it or lose
possession.
Tone: neg/neut
Mnemonic: PALLOR sounds like
Parlour. When we go to a party
we should look good and not
Pale, so going to the PARLOR may
help.
Example: Her cheeks had an
unhealthy PALLOR.
Mnemonic: SALLOW - Yellow
Example: She has SALLOW
complexion due to jaundice
Mnemonic: WAN rhymes with
maruthi van... she liked to travel
in a scorpio but she is traveling in
a van..so she is pale
Example: He looked WAN and
tired.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: FALTER sounds like
Fault When you FALTER you make
lots of Faults.
Example: As he neared the
house, he FALTERed
Mnemonic: FLOUNDER sounds
like Fly+under water is
accompanied with lots of struggle
and confusion
Example: He FLOUNDERed
helplessly on the first day of his
new job.
Mnemonic: FOUNDER sounds like
flounder with similar meaning.
Example: The peace talks
FOUNDERed on a basic lack of
trust.
Mnemonic: FUMBLE sounds like
Tumble. We generally Tumble
when we are not stable, so is to
FUMBLE (uncoordinated
movement that can involve your
entire body)
Example: She FUMBLEd in her
pocket for a tissue.
 Form: verb unsteady in gait as from Mnemonic: TOTTERING is being
infirmity or old age unsteady like TINY TOT, who
keeps TOTTERING because he is
TOTTERING small
Tone: neg/neut Example: The building tottered
and collapsed.
Form: adj inclined to shake as from Example: Only, unlike Apple,
WOBBLY Tone: neg/neut weakness or defect Facebook shares are on WOBBLY
footing at best.

WITHOUT REAL POWER

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun a person who is head of a Mnemonic: We are aware of the
group, company, etc., in title phrase "head of the Family" is
FIGUREHEAD but actually has no real applicable to a FIGUREHEAD.
Tone: neg/neut authority or responsibility Example: The president of the
club is not just a FIGUREHEAD.
Form: adj in name only, without Mnemonic: Nomi-nal sounds like
authority. Name, and that’s the
meaning. NOMINAL means IN
NAME ONLY.
NOMINAL Tone: neg/neut Example: He remained in
NOMINAL control of the business
for another ten years.
Root: NOMEN means NAME.
Form: adj You might say you’re the Mnemonic: TITULAR sounds like
boss man in your household, Title, and a person of Name and
but if everybody else in the Fame is always Titled. Title Ruler
family ignores you, 'boss man' TITULAR Ruler just have Title no
TITULAR is probably a titular position powers
Tone: neg/neut for you. In other words, Example: He is TITULAR head,
it’s just a title. There’s and merely signs laws
no power behind it. occasionally.

DISRESPECTING SACRED THINGS

Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb Consecrate means to make
Tone: pos holy or to dedicate to a higher
purpose. You need to
consecrate a building to turn
(X) CONSECRATE
it into a church, but you can
also consecrate a week in
New York City to the pursuit
of the perfect bagel.
Form: adj You might be enraged at the
idea of doing homework on a
Tone: pos Saturday if you consider your
(X) SACROSANCT weekends sacrosanct —
meaning they are too special
or important to interrupt.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Con + sacred
Example: Conscrate yourselves
for tommorrow the lord will do
wonders among you.
Mnemonic: Sacrosanct Sounds
like SACRED
Example: A church, for example,
might consider its Sunday service
to be sacrosanct — a very
important and holy ritual that
cannot be changed or canceled.
 Form: noun Saying offensive things about
God or religion is blasphemy.
Blasphemy can be used for
offensive ideas in other areas
BLASPHEMY too.
Tone: neg
Form: verb To desecrate means to treat a
sacred place or thing with
Tone: neg violent disrespect. The news
DESECRATE sometimes reports on vandals
who have desecrated
tombstones or places of
worship.
Form: adj To be impious is to be
disrespectful of god or duty.
When someone is being
Tone: neg impious they are doing things
IMPIOUS that their church, synagogue,
temple, mosque, school
principal, government or
parents would find
unacceptable.
Form: adj Profane is the sort of
language that gets bleeped on
TV but it's also whenever you
deeply offend people with how
PROFANE little respect you show
Tone: neg
something (usually religious).
Form: noun If you show up to an animal
rights rally with a bucket full
of fried chicken for lunch, you
SACRILEGE Tone: neg may be accused of
committing sacrilege. You are
violating a belief held sacred,
at least by some individuals.
NOT THOROUGHLY , SUPERFICIALLY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj No reason to get excited —
cursory has nothing to do with
bad language. Instead, it
Tone: neut means not paying attention to
CURSORY
details, like friends who are so
busy studying for a test that
they only give your new
haircut a cursory glance.
Form: adj Perfunctory means done as
part of a routine or duty. If
Tone: neut you give someone a gift and
PERFUNCTORY
they look at it like it's roadkill
and say nothing about it but a
perfunctory "thank you," you
Mnemonic: BLASPHEMY -
bless+famous...Famous people
are so proud of their success that
they often disrespect God- they
are never to be Blessed !
Example: To say that man is
precisely what God made him to
be is sheer BLASPHEMY.
Mnemonic: DESECRATE sounds
like De (NOT)-Sacred
Example: Please do not
DESECRATE the Monument or
surrounding area.
Root: DE means DOWN/AWAY.
Mnemonic: IMPIOUS can be split
as IM (NOT) + PIOUS
(RELIGIOUS)
Example: The IMPIOUS man
began to pray in an ungodly
fashion.
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: Propane gas: being
inextinguishable is not allowed in
holy places. Cannot use propane
for aarti
Example: Tourists are urged not
to PROFANE the sanctity of holy
places by wearing improper
clothes.
Mnemonic: SACRILEGE has its
roots in the sacr-, meaning
"holy."
Example: The cult of the Roman
emperor was SACRILEGE to Jews
and Christians.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Mouse is used to
move the cursor hastily without
going into minor details
Example: CURSORY reading of
new testament.
Mnemonic: Parai factory ko take
care in PERFUNCTORY way
Example: In his lectures he
reveals himself to be merely a
PERFUNCTORY speaker
 might not be giving them
another one anytime soon.

Form: adj done quickly; in a summary Example: the suspected spy was
SUMMARILY manner SUMMARILY executed.
Tone: neut

HEALING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj tending to cure or restore to Mnemonic: CURATIVE is nothing
health but Curing
CURATIVE
Tone: pos Example: the CURATIVE
properties of herbs
Form: adj Whether you’re talking Mnemonic: THERAPEUTIC is
about a therapeutic drug or a nothing bout Therapy
Tone: pos therapeutic exercise plan, Example: Painting can be very
THERAPEUTIC
something that is therapeutic THERAPEUTIC.
helps to heal or to restore
health.

PHYSICALLY STRONG
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj Use robust to describe a
Tone: pos person or thing that is healthy
and strong, or strongly built.
ROBUST This adjective also commonly
describes food or drink: a
robust wine has a rich, strong
flavor.
Form: adj Terrain that is broken and
uneven is called rugged. If
you want an easy hike, you
RUGGED Tone: pos should stay away from the
rugged coastline. That rocky
shoreline is definitely for the
more experienced hikers.
Form: adj Describe something that is
firmly constructed or strongly
made as sturdy. That house
you built was not sturdy at
STURDY
Tone: pos all. It blew down in the last
wind storm. Fortunately, it
was only a dog house and the
dog wasn't in it.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ROBUST Robot
Example: The candidate for the
football team had a ROBUST
physique.
Mnemonic: RUGGED can also
describe something that is steady,
sturdy, and strong.
Example: The countryside around
here is very RUGGED.
Mnemonic: Your grandmother is
pushing 80, but she is still pretty
STURDY if she can beat you at
tennis.
Example: The vehicle is STURDY
enough to withstand rough
terrain.

UNABLE TO DECIDE , FICKLE

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj Something that's arbitrary Mnemonic: ARBITRARY art
Tone: neg seems like it's chosen at Example: Hitler was an
random instead of following a ARBITRARY leader.
consistent rule. Team
ARBITRARY
members would dislike their
coach using a totally arbitrary
method to pick starting
players.
 Form: adj Capricious is an adjective to
describe a person or thing
that's impulsive and
CAPRICIOUS Tone: neg unpredictable, like a bride
who suddenly leaves her
groom standing at the
wedding altar.
Form: adj The adjective erratic describes
things that are unpredictable,
unusual, and that deviate
from the norm. An erratic
ERRATIC quarterback might completely
Tone: neg
confuse his receivers waiting
for a pass.
Form: adj Inconsistent describes
something that's varied or
irregular. So if you're
Tone: neg supposed to floss every day,
INCONSISTENT
but you only remember every
now and then, your
commitment to oral hygiene
could be called inconsistent.
Form: adj Irresolute describes someone
who feels stuck. A decision
must be made, a plan acted
IRRESOLUTE Tone: neg on, but the irresolute person
just doesn't know what to do.
Form: adj Mercurial describes someone
whose mood or behavior is
changeable and
Tone: neg unpredictable, or someone
MERCURIAL
who is clever, lively, and
quick. With a mercurial
teacher, you never know
where you stand.
Form: verb Oscillating means to vacillate
between differing
OSCILLATING opinions,conditions, etc
Tone: neg
Form: noun One who swings like a
Pendulum and is never stable
PENDULATING
Tone: neg
Form: adj If your moods change quickly
and dramatically, people
might describe you as
Tone: neg temperamental. If you
TEMPERAMENTAL
weren't so temperamental,
maybe your friends would
open up to you more. Did I
say something wrong?
Mnemonic: I like this one, but
other will look better on
me..CAPRICIOUS
Example: The storm was
CAPRICIOUS and changed course
constantly.
Mnemonic: This is ERRATIC
behavior: message says error at
the top and operation completed
successfully at the same time..
Example: Investors become
anxious when the stock market
appears ERRATIC.
Root: ERR means MISTAKE
Mnemonic: In (NOT) and
Consistent (CONSTANT). NOT
CONSTANT.
Example: The report is
INCONSISTENT with the financial
statements.
Mnemonic: IRRESOLUTE is not
resolute IRRESOLUTE don’t
know new year resolution
Example: She had no respect for
him because he seemed weak-
willed and IRRESOLUTE
Root: IR means NOT
Mnemonic: Mercury level in the
blood pressure testing device is
MERCURIAL when measuring B.P
Example: Advertising is a
MERCURIAL business
Mnemonic: Oscillate is like
Vacillate.
Example: Her moods oscillated
between depression and elation.
Example: In education, the
pendulum has swung back to
traditional teaching methods.
Root: PEND means to HANG OR
WEIGH.
Mnemonic: A TEMPERAMENTAL
air conditioner can make for a
long, hot summer.
Example: You never know what
to expect with her. She's so
TEMPERAMENTAL.
Root: TEMP means TIME
 Form: verb If someone can't make up
their mind, you can call that
person vacillating. A
VACILLATING vacillating student might not
Tone: neg know whether to commit to a
major in electrical engineering
or in art history.
Form: adj Watch out when a situation
becomes volatile — it is
likely to change for the worse
suddenly. You fight and then
VOLATILE make up with your partner
Tone: neg often if you two have a
volatile relationship.
Form: verb You might think of a waffle as
a grid-patterned pancake-like
food that's tasty with syrup,
WAFFLE and you'd be right. But the
Tone: neg word is also a verb that
means to avoid making a
definitive decision.
Form: verb the quality of being unsteady
and subject to changes
WAVERING
Tone: neg
Form: adj Whimsical means full of or
characterized by whims,
which are odd ideas that
Tone: neg usually occur to you very
WHIMSICAL
suddenly. If you decide at the
last minute to fly to Europe,
you could say you went there
on a whim.
Mnemonic: Vacillate sounds like
OScillate..so something which
moves from one position to
another position.
Example: His tendency to
vacillate makes him a poor leader.
Mnemonic: VOLATILE means
"fleeting, transitory" always gives
the sense of sudden, radical
change. Think of it as the opposite
of stable.
Example: A person who is
VOLATILE loses his or her temper
suddenly and violently.
Mnemonic: The word soon came
to mean "to talk foolishly" and
then eventually "to vacillate, to
change."
Example: She continues to
WAFFLE on honesty,and is
capitalizing on dishonesty
Mnemonic: Like a sea WAVE
going UP and DOWN in taking
decision: WAVERING
Example: He wavered in his
determination.
Mnemonic: Whims and Fancies
which are odd, because they
rarely come true.
Example: He was forced to
pander to her every WHIMSICAL
idea.

FIRM , UNCHANGING
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj If you can't change it, it's Mnemonic: IM (NOT) and
immutable. There are many MUTABLE (CHANGEABLE). Cannot
things in life that are change
IMMUTABLE Tone: pos immutable; these Example: This decision should
unchangeable things include not be seen as IMMUTABLE.
death, taxes, and the laws of Root: IM means NOT
physics.
Form: adj Use the adjective invariable to Mnemonic: In (NOT) Variable
describe something that's (changes or VARIES) Does not
unlikely to change, such as change or vary is INVARIABLE.
INVARIABLE
Tone: pos your invariable custom of Example: Her routine was
eating deep-dish pizza every INVARIABLE.
Saturday.
Form: adj Someone who is firm and Mnemonic: Steady Fast
Tone: pos determined in a belief or a Example: Let them thank the
STEADFAST position can be called Lord for his STEADFAST love, for
steadfast in that view, like his wondrous works to the
your mom when she thinks children of men
 you really shouldn’t wear
that outfit.
CARELESS , DIRTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj The meaning of disheveled
hasn't changed much from
the 16th and 17th centuries,
Tone: neg when it referred to disordered
DISHEVELED clothing or hair. If he were
coming in from the snow, you
could blame static and hat-
hair for his disheveled look,
but no, he just never uses a
Form: adj the quality of being rustic or
GAUCHERIE gauche
Tone: neg
Form: verb extremely disorderly
RUMPLED
Tone: neg
Form: adj The adjective shabby
describes something that is
threadbare or worn out. Your
last apartment was clean, but
SHABBY the furniture and carpets were
Tone: neg so shabby that you were
embarrassed to invite your
friends over.
Form: adj Shoddy refers to poor
materials or quality. Maybe
you passed on buying a house
because it leaned in an odd
SHODDY
Tone: neg way and various and sundry
parts were falling off. Sounds
like both the materials and
workmanship were shoddy.
Form: adj lacking neatness or order
SLOPPY
Tone: neg
Form: adj Slovenly is what your great
Tone: neg aunt Mehitabel might call you
if you came to high tea
without a necktie. It means
SLOVENLY
"messy or unkempt," but is a
word you probably won't hear
messy or unkempt people
using.
Form: adj Unkempt literally means
“not combed,― but use
UNKEMPT it to describe anything with a
Tone: neg
sloppy appearance. Your hair
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Dis + Shave A person
who don’t shave is
DISHEVELED
Example: He looked very tired,
DISHEVELED and very pale
Root: DIS means NOT
Example: a gauche
teenager/manner
Mnemonic: Heard of Crumbled
shirt, it looks disorderly and so is
RUMPLED.
Example: She RUMPLED his hair
playfully.
Mnemonic: If you spent your
whole childhood treating your
younger brother in a SHABBY
way, you can't expect him to be
your friend when you're older.
Example: The outside of the
house was beginning to look
SHABBY.
Mnemonic: Shody sounds like
Shady. She is showing SHODDY
emotions and he is looking at
SHODDY construction
Example: SHODDY business
practices; SHODDY behavior; a
SHODDY bookcase
Mnemonic: SLOPPY sounds like a
SLOw person who is CARELESS
about his career.
Example: Your work is SLOPPY.
Example: This, together with a
slack tie, creates a SLOVENLY
appearance
Mnemonic: Un (not) + Kept
UNKEMPT is not kept properly
Example: The beggar was dirty
and UNKEMPT.
 probably looks unkempt when Root: UN means WITHOUT
you roll out of bed in the
morning. Keep it that way if
you're going for the rock star
look.

DEADLOCK
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun When two huge semi trailers Mnemonic: Its impossible to pass
meet face-to-face on a one- this traffic, so it’s a traffic
lane mountain road, the IMPASSE.
Tone: neg drivers jumped out of their Example: The peace talks
cabs and exclaimed, "We're at reached an IMPASSE
IMPASSE
an impasse! We can't move
forward — we can only
reverse and go back in the
direction from which we
came."
Form: noun A stalemate is an impasse in a Mnemonic: Check-Mate
contest, a point where neither STALEMATE and check-mate in
player — usually in chess chess
STALEMATE — can win or lose.
Tone: neg Example: Talks between union
and management resulted in a
STALEMATE.

HARMLESS , KIND
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Someone or something that is
benign is gentle, kind, mild,
Tone: pos or unharmful: a benign soul
BENIGN wouldn't hurt a fly.
Form: adj If you want to reassure
someone that something isn't
Tone: pos harmful or likely to cause
INNOCUOUS injury, call it innocuous. Even
an innocuous letter from your
boyfriend is embarrassing if
your parents find it!
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: BENIGN sounds like
Be nice
Example: Its entirely BENIGN in
nature, you will be start working
in two days.
Root: BE means GOOD
Mnemonic: INNOCUOUS is
innoxious which is harmless
Example: An INNOCUOUS home
remedy; An INNOCUOUS remark

RESTRICT , STOP , PREVENT

Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun A barricade is anything that Mnemonic: BARRICADE sounds
prevents people or vehicles like Barrier.
Tone: neg from getting through. Example: The police stormed the
BARRICADE
Construction workers often BARRICADEs the demonstrators
barricade a street to block put up.
traffic.
Form: verb As a noun: the act of Mnemonic: We sometimes tell a
restraining power or action rowdy guy "Hey CHECK your
CHECK action" urging him to keep a
CHECK on what he does
 Tone: neg
Form: verb Deter means to discourage.
Many believe that the use of
Tone: neg capital punishment deters
DETER
people from committing
murder. Others think that is
hogwash.
Form: noun An eddy is a whirlpool —
what you stare at as a kid
EDDY Tone: neg when the water is draining
out of the bathtub.
Form: verb to prevent the success of
something.
FOIL
Tone: neg
Form: verb It takes a bit of planning to
forestall something, meaning
stop it from happening. To
forestall the effects of aging,
FORESTALL exercise and take care of your
Tone: neg health all your life.
Form: verb self explanatory
FRUSTRATE
Tone: neg
Form: verb The verb hinder means to
Tone: neg block or put something in the
way of, so if you’re in a
HINDER high-speed car chase with the
police, they might put up a
blockade to hinder your
progress.
Form: verb To impede something is to
delay or block its progress or
movement. Carrying six
heavy bags will impede your
IMPEDE progress if you're trying to
Tone: neg
walk across town.
Form: verb When you inhibit something,
Tone: neg you block it or hold it back. If
you put plants in a dark room,
you inhibit their growth. A
INHIBIT teacher who mocks their
students for giving wrong
answers inhibits their
willingness to speak up in
class.
Example: The government is
determined to CHECK the growth
of public spending.
Mnemonic: DETER sounds like
DETERmined.
Example: This is equivalent to a
DETERminate sentence of 20
years.
Mnemonic: EDDY current/wind:
where current flows
Example: Caught in an EDDY, the
polythene bag flew high over the
trees
Mnemonic: Silver FOIL prevents
bacteria getting successful in
decaying food
Example: Loyal troops FOILed his
attempt to overthrow the
government.
Mnemonic: Fore = before, Stall =
stop. FORESTALL is to stop before
happening I put for stall to
FORESTALL crowd pushing when
one stall
Example: Some research shows
that doing crossword puzzles daily
may FORESTALL Alzheimer's
disease
Mnemonic: a political situation
that HINDERs economic growth
Mnemonic: IMPEDE sounds like
Compete .You IMPEDE when you
compete. You try to obstruct so
they cant win.
Example: Do they assist or
IMPEDE the flow of learning in the
course?
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: INHIBIT is to prohibit
Example: I need to INHIBIT
myself from eating too many
cookies.
 Form: noun Interdict means to forbid, to
nix, to veto. If your parents
find out you're planning a
party for a time when they're
INTERDICT Tone: neg away , they will interdict it.
Form: verb When you obstruct
something, you block it. If
you’re gobbling down your
pizza, a chunk of crust you
OBSTRUCT didn’t chew so well might
Tone: neg obstruct your airway and
you'll choke.
Form: verb If you want to be rude, you'll
obtrude, or thrust yourself to
OBTRUDE Tone: neg the front of a line without
waiting.
Form: verb Occlude means to obstruct, as
with an opening. You hear this
Tone: neg a lot in a medical context.
OCCLUDE Heart surgeons are looking for
occlusions in blood
vessels––things that
occlude the flow of blood.
Form: verb To preclude something is to
prevent it from happening. A
muzzle precludes a dog from
PRECLUDE Tone: neg biting.
Form: verb To retard something is to slow
Tone: neg it down. This is also a mean
RETARD
and inappropriate word for
someone who's mentally slow.
Form: noun A stockade is an enclosed pen
used to herd cattle and other
Tone: neg livestock. Stockades can also
STOCKADE house men, in the sense of a
penal camp. In both cases,
the treatment tends to be on
the rough side.
Form: verb The verb stymie means to
obstruct or hinder. Constantly
texting with your friends will
STYMIE stymie your effort to finish
Tone: neg
your homework.
Form: verb A villain's worst nightmare is
THWART
the superhero who always
Mnemonic: Inter (between) Dict
(Speak) So if you speak in
between you prohibit someone
else from speaking
Example: Civilized nations must
INTERDICT the use of nuclear
weapons if we expect out society
to live
Root: IN means NOT
Mnemonic: Ob means AGAINST
and Struct can be related to
structure. Remember
OBSTRUCTion (something that
prevents)
Example: He was arrested for
OBSTRUCTion of a police officer in
the execution of his duty.
Root: OB means AGAINST
Mnemonic: OBTRUDE is similar
to Intrude, enter forcibly
Example: She tried to OBTRUDE
the wedge through the door
Root: OB means AGAINST
Mnemonic: OCCLUDE is to
Exclude
Example: A blood clot OCCLUDEd
an artery to the heart.
Mnemonic: PRECLUDE - Exclude
opposite of include. I had no pre-
clue that I will be PRECLUDEd
Example: His physical disability
PRECLUDEs an athletic career for
him.
Root: PRE means BEFORE
Mnemonic: The progression of
the disease can be RETARDed by
early surgery.
Mnemonic: Stock Ate STOCKADE
to prevent stock ate from cow
Example: When he returns to the
old STOCKADE, he has a surprise
waiting for him.
Mnemonic: STYMIE rhymes with:
Tie me, so you cant move and
it’s a STYMIE (obstacle)
Example: A problem in
thermodynamics that STYMIEd
half the class.
Mnemonic: War THWART my
plans
 Tone: neg seems to thwart his efforts, Example: They were doing all
preventing him from carrying they could to THWART the
out his plans to take over the terrorists.
world.
Form: verb to limit someone's freedom of Mnemonic: The tram mall is
movement or activity _restrict_ed to shops selling trams
TRAMMEL and tram accessories
Tone: neg Example: He felt himself
TRAMMELed by convention.

ACTIVATE , SPEED UP
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun A catalyst is an event or Mnemonic: Raju acts as a
person causing a change. CATALYST in our fights, when you
Getting kicked out of your least expect it.
CATALYST Tone: pos parents' house might be a Example: His imprisonment by
catalyst for becoming more the government served as the
independent. CATALYST that helped transform
social unrest into revolution.
Form: verb Engender is a fancy way of Mnemonic: When genders get
saying "to make happen," like together they cause, produce, and
when you engender the spirit give rise to children, that is
ENGENDER of teamwork and cooperation ENGENDER.
Tone: pos by encouraging others and Example: Hatred ENGENDERs
doing your share of the violence.
group's work.
Form: noun The adjective expedient Mnemonic: Expedited delivery is
describes something that (EXPEDIENT) suitable when
provides an easy way to sending your GRE scores to
achieve a goal or result, but universities
EXPEDIENT Tone: neut it's not necessarily a moral Example: A pragmatic politician,
solution. he was guided by what was
EXPEDIENT rather than by what
was ethical.
Root: EX means OUT OF/ FROM
Form: verb To facilitate means to make Mnemonic: FACILITATE calls for
something easier. If your best facilities
FACILITATE Tone: pos friend is very shy, you could Example: The new trade
facilitate her efforts to meet agreement should FACILITATE
new people. more rapid economic growth.
Form: verb to excite; stir up or set going. Mnemonic: KINDLE the Candle.
Amazon KINDLE, KINDLEs
(inspires) the world of books
KINDLE
Tone: pos Example: The soft music and dim
lights in our favorite restaurant
always KINDLE romance
Form: verb Precipitate usually means Mnemonic: Pre + anticipate: you
"bringing something on" or anticipate before thinking
PRECIPITATE "making it happen" — and (sooner) or hasten anticipation
Tone: neg not always in a good way. Example: I don't think we should
make any PRECIPITATE decisions.
Form: verb A teacher might use a verbal Mnemonic: Rod: PROD (stir up)
PROD
prod when students aren't with rod
 Tone: pos/neut participating in class. A prod
is an encouragement, like the
threat of a quiz.
Form: adj A prompt is a cue that gives
forgetful actors a hint for their
next line, or students the
topic of the essay they will
PROMPT Tone: pos write. It can also be the act of
inspiring action, like your
letter to the editor that
prompts others to join your
cause.
Form: verb To propel is to push or drive
forward, like a sheep dog
nipping at the heels of his
PROPEL Tone: pos flock to keep them moving.
Form: noun To spur something on is to
get it going, to encourage it,
to hasten it or stimulate.
SPUR Tone: pos Cowboys wear spiky metal
tools called spurs on their
boots to kick their horse, and
spur them to greater speed.
Form: verb If the economy is starting to
stall, the president can't just
sit there. He has to
stimulate—turn it on, bring it
to life, perk it up. You can
STIMULATE stimulate practically anything:
a person, a conversation, a
Tone: pos mind, or even the growth of a
plant.
MUTUAL AGREEMENT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun When there's a consensus,
everyone agrees on
something. If you're going to
CONSENSUS a movie with friends, you
Tone: pos need to reach a consensus
about which movie everyone
wants to see.
Form: adj When a group or a decision is
unanimous, it means that
Tone: pos everyone is in total
agreement. Just imagine if
UNANIMOUS
you let third graders vote on
what to serve at lunch: Pizza
and candy would be the
unanimous choice!
Example: I PRODded him with
my elbow.
Mnemonic: Pro empty: pro
empty response is PROMPT
because you don’t need to do
much. Command PROMPT
Example: A noise PROMPTed the
guard to go back and investigate.
Mnemonic: PROPEL sounds like
Compel, that is force or drive
something to happen.
Example: The development of
our missile program has forced
our scientists to seek more
powerful PROPELlants.
Mnemonic: Economists talk of
lowering interest rates to SPUR
spending.
Example: His speech was a
powerful SPUR to action.
Mnemonic: Say, for example,
that I'm trying to sell my new
song CD. In order to STIMULATE
interest, I need to send out a
sample song to all my friends.
Unless, of course, my songs are
not good.
Example: The article can be used
to STIMULATE discussion among
students.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Con (common)
sensus (sense): it’s a common
sense for a group to reach
CONSENSUS to resolve the issue
Example: CONSENSUS decision
making leads to paralysis
Mnemonic: UNANIMOUS sounds
like UNION.
Example: UNANIMOUS
agreement must be reached for
this plan to go ahead.
 Form: noun A veto is a no vote that blocks Mnemonic: Vetoes block or forbid
a decision. The President can something, and the word is also
X VETO veto some bills that pass his used more loosely.
Tone: neg desk. Example: The governor used his
veto to block the proposal.

HELPFUL
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj Though officious sounds like
official, it means being
Tone: neg annoyingly eager to do more
than is required. "The officious
OFFICIOUS (-) lunch lady made everyone's
food choices her business, and
made nasty comments when
students chose cookies over
carrots."
Form: adj When you hear the word
solicitous, think of your mom
— attentive, caring and
concerned. It's nice when your
SOLICITOUS waiter gives you good service,
Tone: pos but if he or she is solicitous, the
hovering might annoy you.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Office mein Officious
person.
Example: The officious man
didn't realize that his help was not
needed.
Mnemonic: Solicit means to
request earnestly for something,
but if you have to wait for it to
happen then you are liable to
become SOLICITOUS
Example: The son was
SOLICITOUS about his father's
health.

CONFIRM , SUPPORT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To affirm something is to give Mnemonic: AFFIRM rhymes with
it a big "YES" or to confirm Confirm and so is the meaning.
AFFIRM Tone: pos that it is true. Example: Both sides AFFIRMed
their commitment to the cease-
fire.
Form: verb settle conclusively Example: They CLINCHed the
CLINCH deal.
Tone: pos
Form: verb make sure Mnemonic: CONFIRM rhymes
with Affirm and so is the
CONFIRM meaning.
Tone: pos Example: Rumors of job losses
were later CONFIRMed.
Form: noun To corroborate is to back Mnemonic: CORROBORATE
someone else’s story. If sounds like Collaborate (work
you swear to your teacher with other) and CORROBORATE
that you didn't throw the (support and strengthen).
Tone: pos/neut spitball, and your friends Example: We need to
CORROBORATE
corroborate your story by CORROBORATE the findings.
promising that you were
concentrating on math
homework, she might actually
believe you.
Form: verb To endorse is to give support Mnemonic: When someone
to someone or something. "I ENDORSEs a product in a
ENDORSE endorse this!" means "I think commercial, it means "Go buy
this is a good thing, and so this!
 Tone: pos should you."
Form: verb To ratify a treaty or contract
is to officially approve it by
signing or voting for it. You
Tone: pos and your brothers and sisters
RATIFY
might devise a plan for a
family vacation to Disney
World, but it would need to be
ratified by your parents.
Form: verb To substantiate is to give
support to a claim. We’d
really like to believe in the
Tone: pos Tooth Fairy; however, more
SUBSTANTIATE
evidence is needed to
substantiate her existence
(besides that quarter in your
pocket).
Form: verb To testify is to make a
statement or provide
evidence, usually in court.
Witnesses testify for the
TESTIFY prosecution or defense.
Tone: pos
Form: verb To validate is to prove that
something is based on truth
Tone: pos or fact, or is acceptable. It
VALIDATE
can also mean to make
something, like a contract,
legal.
Example: he world leaders
ENDORSEd a ban on land mines.
Mnemonic: Rat And Cat never
RATIFY. Rectify the mistake in
document to RATIFY it.
Example: They have yet to
RATIFY the treaty.
Mnemonic: SUBSTANTIATE is
related to the word substantial,
which means "solid."
Example: The results of the tests
SUBSTANTIATEd his claims.
Mnemonic: If you've ever seen a
TV show about lawyers, you've
probably seen someone
TESTIFYing: putting their hand on
the Bible, sitting in the witness
seat, and telling what they know
about a case.
Example: She refused to
TESTIFY against her husband.
Mnemonic: VALIDATE is to make
something VALID.
Example: to VALIDATE a theory

LEFT-OVER
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun If you want to describe a Mnemonic: MODICUM sounds
small amount of something, like Moderate or medium and so
try modicum. If you have a is the meaning.
MODICUM Tone: neut modicum of interest in Example: He does not have a
something, you are a little bit MODICUM of sense. She always
interested. discarded all garments that were
no longer modish.
Form: noun A remnant is something that's Mnemonic: REMNANT is
left over, once the rest is remaining part.
Tone: neut/neg used up. If you plan to sew a Example: The shop is selling
REMNANT
shirt using only a remnant, it REMNANTs of cloth at half price.
might have to be a midriff
shirt.
 Form: verb A trace of something is just a
hint or suggestion of it, a very
small amount left behind —
like the sad cookie crumbs at
the bottom of an empty
TRACE cookie jar.
Tone: neut
Form: noun Vestige is an elegant word.
It's all about shadows, and
Tone: neut gives us a way to talk about
VESTIGE traces or reminders of
something that has
disappeared or is
disappearing.
SHINING , DECORATIVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To adorn is to dress
something up by decorating
it. You might adorn your
ADORN Tone: pos poncho with fringe or your
poodle's dog collar with
rhinestones.
Form: adj Something baroque is overly
ornate, like a paisley red
velvet jacket with tassels, or
music that has a lot going on.
BAROQUE
Tone: pos
Form: adj Something effulgent radiates
light. On a clear day the sun
EFFULGENT can be quite effulgent. You
Tone: pos might need a pair of shades.
Form: verb The word "bell" shows up in
the middle of embellish, and
bells are something that
decorate, or embellish
EMBELLISH Tone: pos something, making it more
attractive. If you embellish
speech, though, it can get
ugly if you add a lot of details
that aren't true.
Form: adj When people are red-cheeked
FLORID with good health they are
florid. Spending most of the
Mnemonic: There are more
meanings we can TRACE to this
word. So you could say that
Sherlock Holmes TRACEd
criminals throughout London,
following even the smallest
TRACEs of evidence and tracing
copies of the villain's notes for his
files.
Example: We finally TRACEd him
to an address in Chicago.
Mnemonic: VESTIGE sounds like
Wastage. VESTIGE of Wastage
Example: We discovered
VESTIGEs of early Indian life in
the cave.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Add orn
(ornaments), add on add on... to
ADORN
Example: He said add on, add
ornaments to ADORN the room
for her birthday party
Root: AD- means TO/TOWARDS
Mnemonic: Music from late
16th century to the early 18th
century Play BAROQUE music
piece.From 16th century
Broke..BAROQUE music was
played from broken record
Example: BAROQUE music is
considered to be in many waysÂ
more BAROQUE (showy)Â than
classical.
Mnemonic: Eff (Efficient)+ full+
gen(gem)= an efficient full gem
shins brightly
Example: Love these EFFULGENT
daffodils.
Mnemonic: EMBELLISH has a
BELL in the middle of the word
which talks about decoration
especialy in Christmas.
Example: The artist EMBELLISH
his painting to make it look more
real
Root: EM- means IN
Mnemonic: FLORIDa mein
FLORID stalls and FLORID
(reddish) complexion girls.
 Tone: pos year in the college library can
give you a colorless, weary
face, but after a mountain
vacation, you'll be florid with
the reddish color that comes
from exercise and living
Form: verb A garnish is a decoration or
embellishment, often used
with food. It is also the verb
GARNISH Tone: pos that means to do the
decorating: you can garnish a
baked fish with a garnish of
lemon slices and parsley.
Form: noun The noun intricacy means a
quality of being complex or
Tone: neut elaborately detailed. You
INTRICACY
could compliment the
intricacy of your friend's
complicated hairdo.
Form: adj If something is ornate —
whether it's a ball gown, a set
Tone: pos of dishes, or a poem — it
ORNATE
seems to be covered in
ornaments. It's lavish,
flowery, or heavily adorned.
Form: adj Someone or something that is
resplendent has great beauty
Tone: pos and is a pleasure to behold.
RESPLENDENT
"She was there, at the base of
the stairs, resplendent in her
flowing gown and jewels."
Form: adj Spectacular is both a noun
and an adjective. The noun
spectacular refers to a big,
SPECTACULAR Tone: pos beautiful production, like a
play or musical performance
that has a huge cast and
many dance numbers.
Example: The bride had a
FLORID dress.
Mnemonic: Garden is
GARNISHed with new plants and
gorgeous flowers
Example: GARNISH the chicken
with almonds.
Mnemonic: Intricate sounds like
DELICATE and so is the meaning
Example: an intricate network of
loyalties and relationships
Mnemonic: Ornaments are
ORNATE in nature and look.
Example: This style is a little too
ORNATE for my taste.
Mnemonic: This pendant is
RESPLENDENT
Example: Mary looked
RESPLENDENT in her royal blue
velvet prom dress.
Mnemonic: SPECTACULAR
sounds like Miraculous and so is
the meaning.
Example: Messi scored a
SPECTACULAR goal.
Root: SPEC- means to SEE

SIMPLE , PLAIN , BORING

Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: adj Want to live an ascetic
lifestyle? Then you better
ditch the flat panel TV and
ASCETIC
Tone: neg fuzzy slippers. To be ascetic,
you learn to live without; it's
all about self-denial.
Form: adj The adjective austere is used
to describe something or
someone stern or without any
AUSTERE decoration. You wouldn't want
Tone: neg
someone to describe you or
your home as austere.
Form: adj When you have a nasty cold
BLAND and you’re very
congested, food can taste
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: someone who leaves
all AESTHETICs (art of beauty)is
an ASCETIC
Example: Only real saints and
sages are ASCETIC in nature.
Mnemonic: Aus tere: Austrailian
live AUSTERE life and practice
that’s why they do good.
Example: It is a monk’s
AUSTERE life; AUSTERE grandeur
of the cathedral.
Mnemonic: divide it into B and
LAND.in a B-barren LAND you
dont get tasty food to eat.
 Tone: neg unappealingly bland. That
means dull, flavorless, or just
plain “blah.―
Form: adj Dull, dreary, dingy,
depressing: These adjectives
Tone: neg capture the sense of drab,
DRAB whether the word is used to
describe a muted color, a
miserable mood, or an
oppressively boring existence.
Form: adj Some insipid is lacking in
flavor or interest. You'll
INSIPID probably find the generic
Tone: neg poems inside of greeting
cards insipid.
Form: adj Prosaic means ordinary or
dull. Most of us lead a prosaic
everyday life, sometimes
interrupted by some drama or
PROSAIC crisis.
Tone: neg
Form: adj extremely simple or plain
STARK
Tone: neg
Form: adj Reserve the adjective vapid
for the airhead in your office
that brings nothing to the
table, except maybe the
VAPID
Tone: neg doughnuts. (And be careful to
mutter it behind her back; it's
much too vicious for a casual
dig.)
Example: An elevated threshold
for taste may make food taste
BLAND or boring.
Mnemonic: Crab is a DRAB
creature.
Example: a cold DRAB little office
Mnemonic: INSIPID coffee, so
you don’t sip it INSIPID
people are Stupid
Example: This is a cup of
INSIPID coffee
Mnemonic: mosaic -beautiful
artistic work with full of vibrant
colours.....PROSAIC ...opposite of
that ...dull
Example: The guitars feel fairly
PROSAIC to me, there's nothing
complex or amazingly new going
on.
Mnemonic: A barren desert or a
room with no furniture or curtains
is STARK. It can also mean
"severe, stern, or austere," like
the STARK beauty of the rocky
cliffs in the west of Ireland.
Example: the STARK interior of
the place did not attract people
looking for flamboyance
Mnemonic: VAPID sounds like
Rapid If you cook food rapidly
then it will be VAPID WAP seminar
is VAPID
Example: The VAPID
conversation bored her.

BLAMEWORTHY , GUILTY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If a child tells his mother he
was not to blame for the
cookie jar being broken, she
CULPABLE Tone: neg could still find him culpable if
he was the only one home.
Culpable means to be at fault.
Form: adj Reprehensible means
deserving of blame or strong
REPREHENSIBLE Tone: neg criticism. It is a strong
word––your mother might
forgive you for doing
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: culp( culprit)...so a
culprit is always DESERVING OF
BLAME FROM EVERYONE.
Example: The accident was the
result of a CULPABLE failure to
consider the risks involved.
Root: CULP- means GUILT
Mnemonic: REPREHENSIBLE is
Blamable.
Example: His conduct was
thoroughly REPREHENSIBLE.
Root: RE means to REPEAT
 something bad, but
something reprehensible?
That's worse.
TO BLAME , ACCUSE , CHARGE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb If you accuse someone of
committing a crime but the
proof of the wrongdoing isn't
yet found, use the verb
ALLEGE Tone: neg allege. You might allege that
your sister broke a vase, just
because no one else was
home when you heard the
crash.
Form: verb The verb implicate means "to
connect or involve in
something." For example,
IMPLICATE your cousins might implicate
Tone: neg
you in the planning of a big
party for your grandparents.
Form: noun The verb impute can be used
to blame someone for doing
Tone: neg something bad, give credit for
IMPUTE good work, or just tell it like it
is, like when you impute your
lateness to my not telling you
where to meet me.
Form: verb Is your homework in shreds
and the dog chewing
something? Then you can
incriminate poor Fido for
eating your homework. To
incriminate someone (or
INCRIMINATE some dog) of a crime, is more
than just accusing them; it's
offering some evidence
they're guilty.
Tone: neg
Form: verb If you accuse someone of
committing an offense, you
Tone: neg indict them. A book that
INDICT indicts the entire education
system might lay out all the
reasons that schools are
failing kids.
Form: verb return an accusation against
someone or engage in mutual
accusations; charge in return
RECRIMINATE
Tone: neg
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ALLEGE - eligible; so
if you are eligible for voting, you
have to show a certificate proving
that you are above 18 years old.
Example: The prosecution
ALLEGEs (that) she was driving
carelessly.
Mnemonic: IMPLICATE implies
Incriminate are synonyms,
involved in crimnal activity
Example: He tried to avoid
saying anything that would
IMPLICATE him further.
Mnemonic: im(put)e... put the
blame to somebody
Example: I denied the motives
that my employer was imputing to
me.
Root: IM means NOT
Mnemonic: here we need to
remember two things the prefix
IN intensifies or strengthen the
suffix added to it. suffix here is
criminate= to make some one
criminal in-criminate = make
someone further a criminal thus
we we accuse someone who had a
previous record.
Example: They were afraid of
answering the questions and
incriminating themselves.
Mnemonic: Â Rhymes with
VERDICT
Example: She was INDICTed for
murder.
Mnemonic: RE means REPEAT/
RETURN and CRIMINATE sounds
like CRIMINAL. So when someone
accuses you in RETURN , because
you had accused him someday, its
recriminating.
Example: They must not come to
recriminating each other.
 PUNISH
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb You can condemn, or openly
criticize, someone who is
behaving inappropriately. If
you are an animal rights
CONDEMN activist, you would probably
Tone: neut/neg condemn someone for
wearing fur.
Form: verb A convict is a person who has
Tone: Neg been found guilty —
CONVICT convicted — of a crime and
is serving a sentence in
prison.
Form: verb When you immure someone
or something, you put it
behind a wall, as in a jail or
IMMURE some other kind of confining
Tone: Neg space.
Form: verb Use the verb incarcerate
when you need to put
someone behind bars in a big
way, meaning, send them to
INCARCERATE
prison, like those who, after
Tone: Neg being found guilty of a crime
and sentenced, become
incarcerated.
Form: noun If you receive a lengthy
Tone: neg prison sentence, you will
SENTENCE certainly feel it.
Form: noun Amnesty can mean a pardon
for a wrongdoing, or it can
also signal a government's
willingness to overlook
X AMNESTY something.
Tone: pos
Form: verb If you condone something,
you allow it, approve of it, or
at least can live with it. Some
teachers condone chewing
X CONDONE Tone: pos gum, and some don't.
Form: verb A reprieve is a break in or
X REPRIEVE
cancellation of a painful or
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: You may see
politicians CONDEMN each other
in political ads during a campaign
in hopes of improving their
chances of winning an election.
Example: The government issued
a statement CONDEMNing the
killings.
Example: He was CONVICTed of
fraud.
Mnemonic: Funny way of
remembering it will be: IMMURE
like I M YOURS....please enclose
me within the walls of your heart
Example: At the age of 86 he
was IMMUREd in his house by
infirmity.
Mnemonic: Â IN + CAR +
CIGARETTE - due to a ban on
smoking, if you smoke cigarettes
even in the car, you may be
IMPRISONed.
Example: Thousands were
INCARCERATEd in labor camps.
Mnemonic: Sent to Jail
Example: The prisoner has
served (= completed) his
SENTENCE and will be released
tomorrow.
Mnemonic: Â amnesty - am + ne
(not) + sty (stay); Imagine a
prisoner saying "I am not going to
stay in this prison anymore as
judge granted amnesty to me."
Example: The president granted
a general amnesty for all political
prisoners.
Mnemonic: When you tell
someone that "THIS CAN BE
DONE" (condone) you are
approving of something.
Example: The college cannot
condone any behavior that
involves illicit drugs.
Root: CON- means WITH/
TOGETHER
Mnemonic: Reprieve sounds like
relieve and means the same
 Tone: pos otherwise lousy situation. If
you're being tortured, a
reprieve is a break from
whatever's tormenting you.
FREE FROM BLAME
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To be absolved is to be let off
the hook, to be set free from
a certain obligation or to be
forgiven for a wrongdoing.
ABSOLVE The Church may absolve you
Tone: pos of your sins, but that won't
absolve you of the need to
attend mass.
Form: verb To acquit someone is to clear
them of charges. Acquitting
also has to do with how you
carry or present yourself.
ACQUIT
Tone: pos
Form: verb To exculpate means to find
someone not guilty of criminal
charges. If you've been
wrongly convicted of robbery,
EXCULPATE Tone: pos you better hope a judge will
exculpate you, unless you
want to go to jail because
you've heard prison food is
amazing.
Form: verb To exonerate someone is to
declare him not guilty of
criminal charges. This word is
pretty much only used in
EXONERATE reference to proceedings in a
Tone: pos court of law. A word with a
similar meaning that might be
familiar is “acquit.―
Form: verb Vindicate means to justify,
prove, or reinforce an idea
— or to absolve from guilt. If
your family thinks you hogged
the last piece of pie on
VINDICATE Thanksgiving, you'll be
vindicated when your younger
Tone: neut brother fesses up.
Example: He is a a reprieved
murderer.
Root: RE- is to REPEAT
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ab + solve : if you
can solve this problem, I can
ABSOLVE your sin from the
accusation of cheating in exam. (a
teacher said to his student)
Example: The court ABSOLVEd
him of all responsibility for the
accident.
Mnemonic:
AC(accused)+QUIT.....when you
are under any kind of criminal
charge and the court quits the
charge, it means that you are free
from a criminal charge by a
verdict of not guilty...hence
ACQUIT
Example: The jury ACQUITted
him of murder.
Mnemonic: EXCULPATE sounds
like ex-culprit = culprit...but now
he has been cleared of the
charges.
Example: The defendant was
able to EXCULPATE himself from
liability.
Root: EX- is OUT OF/FROM
Mnemonic: EXONERATE - break
it as EX (gone) HONOUR (pride) -
to bring back your gone or fallen
honour by getting the blame off
you.
Example: The police report
EXONERATEd Lewis from all
charges of corruption.
Root: EX- is OUT OF/FROM
Mnemonic: vidicate....split it like
vin(WIN) + di(the) +
cate(case)....so when you win a
case IN a COURT...it means you
are freed FROM ACCUSATION
AND CHARGES...you are freed
from blame.
Example: There was not enough
evidence against him, so the court
VINDICATEd him.
 LIST 14
HARSH , BITING , SHARP
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If you say something acerbic,
or harshly bitter, to someone,
it can leave a bitter taste in
your own mouth that lingers,
ACERBIC
Tone: neg and the acerbic, or acidic,
words can eat away at the
person on the receiving end
too.
Form: adj Locked in a mean-spirited,
bitter argument? That's an
acrimonious situation that
ACRIMONIOUS might result in fists flying
Tone: neg
unless you and your opponent
can cool down.
Form: adj Use the adjective caustic to
describe any chemical that is
able to burn living tissue or
other substances, or,
CAUSTIC figuratively, a statement that
Tone: neg
has a similarly burning effect.
Caustic in this sense means
harshly critical.
Form: adj The adjective incisive
describes something that is
sharp, decisive, and direct. A
INCISIVE Tone: neg comment that cuts right to
the bone can be just as
incisive as an actual knife.
Form: adj If you're trenchant, it means
you think or say smart,
sharply worded things that
cut right to the heart of the
Tone: neg matter. A trenchant
TRENCHANT
observation is one that makes
people scratch their chins
thoughtfully, or wince with
embarrassment for whomever
you're talki
TO BURN
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb start to burn or burst into
flames
COMBUST
Tone: neut
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: ACERBIC speech is
like acidic, because it is sour and
corrodes, or weakens,
relationships.
Example: The letter was written
in her usual ACERBIC style.
Mnemonic: ACRIMONIOUS
sounds like Ominous. Both has to
do with a bad or wrong doing.
Example: His parents went
through an ACRIMONIOUS
divorce.
Mnemonic: CAUSTIC is
CAUSTIC soda, it burns and is
bitter and acidic, so is a person
who is called CAUSTIC.
Example: The critic's CAUSTIC
remarks angered the hapless
actors who were the subjects of
his sarcasm.
Mnemonic: Incisor teeth are
INCISIVE. Very sharp and used
to cut food.
Example: Both sides had their
chances but the visitors looked
more INCISIVE in attack.
Root: IN means NOT
Mnemonic: The people on the
train-chant in an energetic and
vigorous fashion when they see
their family waiting.
Example: He was shattered by
the TRENCHANT criticism
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: COMBUST sounds
like CAN BURST INTO FIRE
anytime
Example: Never place candles
on top of tv or other plastic
COMBUSTible surfaces.
 Form: verb See incinerate and think:
"burn, dear, burn!" Whether
it’s an old love letter that
INCINERATE Tone: neut makes you sad or a terrible
picture of yourself, it might be
better just to incinerate it,
meaning, you burn it.
Form: verb When you start a fire burning,
you can say you kindle the
Tone: neut fire. Knowing how to kindle a
campfire is an important
KINDLE
survival skill. It can help keep
you warm at night, and keep
you from eating cold beans
for dinner.
Mnemonic: You will be
INCINERATEd if you smoke
excessive cigarette.
Example: Holland has a very
good recycling record and
INCINERATEs much of its waste,
like Germany.
Mnemonic: A CANDLE can be
KINDLEd.
Example: We watched as the
fire slowly KINDLEd.

DESTROY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb If a storm devastates your Mnemonic: DEVASTATE can be
town, it comes pretty close to remembered in this way: A VAST
destroying it. To devastate is area was WASTED in Japan,
to cause destruction to or because of the destruction caused
DEVASTATE overwhelm. by Tsunami.
Tone: neg Example: The bomb
DEVASTATEd much of the old
part of the city.
Form: verb Raze means to tear an object Mnemonic: RAZE = Erase Which
down to the ground. Before means to remove or clean
Donald Trump can raze that completely.
RAZE
Tone: neg family's home to build another Example: Dozens of villages
skyscraper, he's going to have have been RAZEd due to floods.
to cut them a big check.

EXCLUDE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb To banish is to get rid of. Mnemonic: Vanishing oneself
Think very carefully before from power is BANISH ; hand
you banish someone from over
BANISH your group. Someday, you
Tone: neg Example: He was BANISHed to
may want that person around Australia, where he died five
again. years later.
Form: verb expel from a country Mnemonic: DEPORT = depart
DEPORT Tone: neg moving from one place to
another from india to us
Form: verb to exclude or expel from Mnemonic: When you stop
membership or participation communicating with your EX-,
in any group, association, etc. you generally exclude them
from your friend list as well.
EXCOMMUNICATE Tone: neg Example: They were
threatened with
excommunication.
Root: EX- means OUT OF/
FROM
Form: verb Getting expelled from a school Example: She was EXPELled
EXPEL
is a step beyond suspension. from school at 15.
 Tone: neg It means that you are asked
to leave and never come
back. In other words, you
have been kicked out.
Form: verb hand over to the authorities of
another country
EXTRADITE
Tone: neg/neut
Root: EX- means OUT OF/
FROM
Mnemonic: X-TRAitor....the X-
traitor of a particular country
was EXTRADITEd to the country
soon after he left the country
Example: The government
attempted to EXTRADITE the
suspect from Canada to the U.S.

PLACE OF SAFETY
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Any mom taking care of the
kids day in and day out is
probably more than ready to
seek asylum, or refuge, at a
ASYLUM local spa.
Tone: pos
Form: noun A harbor is a safe place
providing refuge and comfort.
If you're traveling, the harbor
provided by a warm hotel is
HARBOR welcome. For ships, a harbor
Tone: pos
is a sheltered port area
shielded from waves, where
it's safe to dock.
Form: noun Need to find shelter, from the
weather or from other
troubles? Then you need a
HAVEN haven.
Tone: pos
Form: verb To persecute is to make
someone suffer or to keep
them in bad circumstances. In
Tone: neg some parts of the world
PERSECUTE (X) governments or military
groups persecute, or punish,
people for religious beliefs,
often sending them to prisons
or work camps.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Amanda, the silent
lamb, sought refuge and
sanctuary from the bullying rams
out in the cow pastures, where
she was greeted with warmth and
kindness.
Example: There was a nationwide
debate on whether the ASYLUM
laws should be changed.
Mnemonic: HARBOR is a place
where ships stand, in Mumbai,
most of the criminals and REFUGE
find SHELTER there
Example: The church HARBORed
aliens who were political refugees.
To HARBOR the negative
thoughts.
Mnemonic: HAVEN sounds like
Heaven -> a place which is always
safe.
Example: The new floral beds,
formally opened in July 2002,
enhance this peaceful HAVEN
Mnemonic: If you 'Persistently'
tell someone 'Cute' he/she wil be
irritated.
Example: Throughout history,
people have been persecuted for
their religious beliefs.

VILLAGE - LIKE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: adj As an adjective, bucolic refers Mnemonic: BUlls and COLI
to an ideal country life that (collie, a sheep dog) Country --
BUCOLIC
many yearn for. If your rustic and pastoral places, people,
parents wanted to raise you in and songs.
 Tone: neut a bucolic environment, you
may find yourself living 45
minutes away from the
nearest movie theater or
person your age. Not ideal.
Form: adj Pastoral refers to the
Tone: neut countryside, particularly an
idealized view of the country.
If you draw cheery pictures
PASTORAL
with lush grassy fields, calm
skies, a farm animal or two,
and some flowers, you draw
pastoral scenes.
Form: adj When you think of the word
rustic, think of the rural
country. This word can be
given a positive or a negative
spin depending on how you
RUSTIC
use it; a rustic inn, for
Tone: neut example, might be quaint (old
and strange) or it might be
virtually uninhabitable (cannot
st
Example: a stream winding
through tranquil parks and
BUCOLIC meadows
Mnemonic: PASTORAL is Rural
Example: In these stories of
PASTORAL life, we find an
understanding of the daily tasks of
country folk
Mnemonic: Think of RUST, which
reminds us of something which is
old or has worn out, hence
country people are old fashioned,
rural or slightly backwards:
RUSTIC.
Example: This is a typical an old
cottage full of RUSTIC charm

REVENGE
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun Retribution is the act of taking Mnemonic: Ratri at tuition and
revenge. If you pull a prank teacher scolded her and she got
on someone, expect her RETRIBUTION.
RETRIBUTION retribution.
Tone: neg Example: People are seeking
RETRIBUTION for the latest
terrorist outrages.
Form: noun If someone hurts you, you Mnemonic: Â 'venge'ance, add
might be inspired to plan an re- in beginning, it becomes
act of vengeance: some type revenge, so it means taking
of payback in order to settle revenge
VENGEANCE
Tone: neg the score. Be careful, though, Example: He swore VENGEANCE
because you might inspire on his child's killer.
someone to take vengeance
on you in return.
Form: adj It is no fun hanging out with Mnemonic: He accused her of
Tone: neg vindictive people, who are being VINDICTIVE.
forever out to get back at
people they think have hurt
VINDICTIVE
them. If you forget to say
hello to them one day in the
hall, they will carry a grudge
against you into next week.

AFTER-EFFECTS
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun A ramification is an accidental Mnemonic: Amplification (Ramify
consequence that complicates ? Amplify) Amplify is to increase
RAMIFICATION things. Remember that time and ramify is to divide into parts
you borrowed your father's and hence increase.
 Tone: neut car without asking? The
ramification was that Dad
missed an important meeting,
his company went under, and
he had to sell the car.
Form: noun A repercussion is something
that happens because of
another action. You could quit
paying your rent, but getting
REPERCUSSION evicted from your apartment
might be the repercussion.
Tone: neut
Example: These issues have
powerful personal and political
RAMIFICATIONs.
Mnemonic: Â very simple !!
concentrate on CUSSION(I mean
cushions) ... cushions are so soft
..bouncy bouncy (rebound
property)...similarly
REPERCUSSION --> rebound
Example: The REPERCUSSIONs
of the quarrel were widespread.

NOBLE , SPIRITUAL , `X` EARTHLY

Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Form: noun morally low; without Mnemonic: BASE is waste (very
estimable personal qualities. bad quality)
BASE
Tone: neut Example: She was upset to see
his BASE behavior
Form: adj In common use, sublime is an Mnemonic: once u
adjective meaning "awe- sublimate(purify) your earthly
inspiringly grand, excellent, or pleasures you will be
SUBLIME impressive," like the best SUBLIME(noble)
Tone: pos chocolate fudge sundae Example: The location of the
you've ever had. hotel is SUBLIME.

INDEPENDENCE , FREEDOM
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Autonomous describes things
that function separately or
independently. Once you
AUTONOMOUS Tone: pos move out of your parents'
house, and get your own job,
you will be an autonomous
member of the family.
Form: noun Use the word latitude to
describe how much freedom
you have in making choices.
For example, if a teacher
LATITUDE gives you latitude in writing
Tone: pos your paper, you might get to
choose the topic and how
many sources to include.
Form: adj,n having complete power,
freedom or authority
SOVEREIGN
Tone: pos
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: auto(self) +
nomous(operation) = self
operating
Example: AUTONOMOUS
provinces which make their own
laws.
Root: AUTO- refers to SELF
Mnemonic: LATITUDE:can be
interpreted as lasting
attitude,...and any one who's got
a good atitude will always be free
from narrow thoughts
Example: Skating officials have
LATITUDE in the selections, which
will be announced Sunday.
Mnemonic: India is a
SOVEREIGN, Secular,socialist,
Democratic and republic country.
Example: an autonomous
judiciary, a SOVEREIGN state

VARIETY
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
 Form: noun When there's diversity,
there's variety. Often, this
Tone: pos word is used for diversity of
DIVERSITY race, class, or gender.
Form: adj She listens to hip-hop,
Gregorian chant, and folk
music from the '60s. He's
been seen wearing a
ECLECTIC
Tone: pos/neut handmade tuxedo jacket over
a thrift-store flannel shirt.
They both have eclectic
tastes.
Form: adj If you've encountered the
word motley, it's most likely
in the phrase "motley crew,"
Tone: neut which means a diverse and
MOTLEY poorly organized group. Think
of a band of pirates, or the
assorted characters who
became The Fellowship of the
Ring.
Form: adj Multifaceted means having
many aspects or sides.
Diamonds are usually cut to
MULTIFACETED Tone: pos be multifaceted, that is, with
many angled flat surfaces,
because this increases their
ability to reflect light.
Form: adj A person or thing with many
sides or different qualities is
multifarious. The Internet has
multifarious uses, museums
MULTIFARIOUS Tone: pos are known for their
multifarious art collections,
and Hindu gods are
associated with multifarious
incarnations.
Form: adj Pied means colorfully
jumbled. If you're looking at
Tone: pos kittens, you may see solid
PIED black ones, solid white, or
ones with lots of different
patches of color. You'd call a
patchy one pied.
Form: adj A woman emptying out her
purse after many years might
Tone: pos find an old stick of gum, a
pair of broken sunglasses, a
SUNDRY few movie tickets, and sundry
items, meaning that that her
purse was filled with a
random collection of unrelated
things.
Form: adj make something more diverse
VARIEGATE
and varied
Mnemonic: We are all aware of
the phrase Unity is DIVERSITY.
Example: There is a need for
greater DIVERSITY and choice in
education.
Root: DI means TWO
Mnemonic: ECLECTIC or elect
means, choosing the best from
many sources which is the
meaning of the word ECLECTIC
Example: The ECLECTIC
collection of furniture did not
match
Mnemonic: Imagine a motel
made of junk, made up of diverse
parts
Example: The room was filled
with a MOTLEY collection of
furniture and paintings.
Root: MOT- means MOVE
Mnemonic: Multi means Many
and Faceted can be equated to
Faces. SO Many Faces.
Example: This is a a complex and
MULTIFACETED problem
Root: MULTI- means MANY
Mnemonic: Multi means MANY
and Farious relates to variety. So
many varieties calls for
MULTIFARIOUS
Example: the MULTIFARIOUS life
forms in the coral reef
Mnemonic: PIED bird Pie chart:
multicolored pie
Example: In the early hours of
the day, bird with PIED markings
can be seen in the park.
Mnemonic: SUNDRY contains
SUNDRY items in purse
Example: On what basis will
these SUNDRY expenses be met?
Mnemonic: VARIEGATE is
nothing but VARIETY
 Tone: pos
Form: adj To describe a person or thing
that can adapt to do many
things or serve many
VERSATILE functions, consider the
Tone: pos
adjective versatile.
Example: This is a a plant with
VARIEGATEd leaves
Mnemonic: "Various Attires" or
"Various Styles" ...means many
forms and tahts being VERSATILE.
Example: He's a VERSATILE actor
who has played a wide variety of
parts.

INACTIVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj That old dog was dormant for
so long he was confused for a
furry doormat, but a doormat
is likely to stay dormant, or
DORMANT inactive, because it is lifeless:
that old dog has some life in
him yet.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Latent is an adjective that you
use to describe something
LATENT that is capable of becoming
Tone: neg active or at hand, though it is
not currently so.
Form: adj The adjective quiescent
means "being quiet and still,"
QUIESCENT Tone: neg like the quiescent moments
lying in a hammock on a
beautiful summer Sunday.
Form: adj There is a tone to the word
stagnant that sounds like
what it is: lacking movement,
stale, and inactive, especially
STAGNANT with exaggerated
pronunciation, "staaaagnant."
Tone: neg
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Volcanoes are
described as DORMANT when they
stay cool for a long time, without
spewing hot lava and ash. They
may have the ability to come to
life, but they remain DORMANT, or
inactive.
Example: During the winter the
seeds lie DORMANT in the soil.
Mnemonic: Talent Regroup
LATENT as Talent. Talent is
LATENT.
Example: These children have a
huge reserve of LATENT talent
Mnemonic: QUIESCENT - quies -
quiet > motionless
Example: The QUIESCENT
melancholy of the town enchants
me.
Mnemonic: Nelson, the retired
station agent, stood patiently on
the platform everyday, waiting for
the trains to begin moving again,
like the still, unchanging puddles
of water that would never do
anything but sit idly there.
Example: Few fish survive in the
STAGNANT waters of the lake.

COUNTER-ATTACK
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: noun A reprisal is an act of Mnemonic: If you escape from
retaliation, especially one jail and are caught they will re-
committed by one country prison you as an act of retaliation
REPRISAL Tone: neg against another. If you attack Example: They did not want to
your enemy's village and give evidence for fear of
cause lots of damage, expect REPRISALs.
a reprisal. Root: RE- is AGAIN/ BACK
 Form: verb To retaliate means to get back
at someone, usually through a
counterattack. “Ned got
hit with a cream pie, then he
RETALIATE retaliated by throwing a
bucket of Jell-O at his
attackers.―
Tone: neg
SELF-CONTRADICTION
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Reserve irony for situations
where there's a gap between
reality and expectations,
especially when such a gap is
created for dramatic or
IRONY humorous effect.
Tone: neg
Form: noun Here's a mind-bender: "This
statement is false." If you
think it's true, then it must be
PARADOX Tone: neg false, but if you think it's
false, it must be true. Now,
that's a paradox!
HIDE , REVEAL `X`
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: verb When you conceal something,
you are keeping it from being
discovered: “To avoid
another argument with his
CONCEAL
cousins, Jonathan worked
Tone: neg/pos hard to conceal his
disappointment at the
outcome of the race.―
Form: verb If you've been sneaking
around with your best friend's
boyfriend, that's probably one
secret you don't want to
DIVULGE divulge, because revealing
Tone: neg that tidbit of information will
probably cut your friendship
short.
Form: verb Secrete is all about secrets. It
Tone: neg means both "to hide" and "to
SECRETE release."
Mnemonic: RET called ALI and
they both ATE Pizza and didn't
study at all for the exam because
they wanted to repay her mother
the agression she showed in
making them learn things at the
last moment.
Example: The boy hit his sister,
who RETALIATEd by kicking him.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â Remember Ironic
as Iron. Imagine that people were
mining a new place in that place
they were amazed that
unexpectedly they found Iron but
no one were sure either it was
Iron or not. So it was contrary
outcome.
Example: The IRONY is that
when he finally got the job, he
discovered he didn't like it.
Mnemonic: you are unique but
"everybody is unique" .this is a
PARADOX
Example: It is a curious
PARADOX that professional
comedians often have unhappy
personal lives.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CONCEAL sounding
like SEAL.. you seal something
which you don't like to be
exhibited.. ! So hide or prevent
from being discovered
Example: She CONCEALs her
anger well
Mnemonic: When Sally revealed
the secret that if you put fudge on
you face, pimples will disappear,
Amy dived into a pool of dive
fudge
Example: Police refused to
DIVULGE the identity of the
suspect.
Mnemonic: SECRETE is secret
Example: The drugs were
SECRETEd in the lining of his
suitcase.
 EXAGGERATE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun Praising your favorite sports
team is one thing, but if you
Tone: neg call the team the most
HYPERBOLE incredible group of humans
ever to walk the earth, then
you're going overboard and
indulging in hyperbole.
Form: verb to understate or de-
X UNDERPLAY Tone: neg emphasize; downplay
Form: verb represent as less significant or
important
X UNDERSTATE
Tone: neg
REMOVE `X` , SPREAD
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Diffuse mean spread out, or
the action of spreading out. If
lots of people in school
believe invisible angels are
DIFFUSE everywhere, you could say
Tone: neut
that opinion is diffuse. You
might even think angels are
diffuse as well.
Form: verb Disseminate means to spread
information, knowledge,
opinions widely. Semin-
derives from the Latin word
DISSEMINATE for seed; the idea with
disseminate is that
Tone: neut information travels like seeds
sown by a farmer.
Form: verb To promulgate is to officially
put a law into effect. Your
state may announce a plan to
promulgate a new traffic law
on January 1st.
PROMULGATE
Tone: neut
Form: verb To propagate is to be fruitful
and multiply, by the usual
PROPAGATE routes of reproduction, or by
spreading something around
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Hyper - Beyond the
limit
Example: The film is being
promoted with all the usual
HYPERBOLE. He’s not usually
given to HYPERBOLE
Example: The coach is
underplaying the team's poor
performance.
Mnemonic: Calling washington dc
an under state is to describe it as
less important than it actually is
Example: It would be a mistake
to understate the seriousness of
the problem.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Bulb fuse and gas
DIFFUSE. Suffuse – liquid, color
or light spread all over. Suffuse
and DIFFUSE.
Example: The active ingredient
DIFFUSEs slowly through the
coating giving good residual
control.
Mnemonic: dis + seminate:
seminate could be taken as
seminar, so for a seminar people
gather at a place. Hence
disseminar could be understood as
the scattering of people.
Example: Their findings have
been widely DISSEMINATEd.
Mnemonic: By legend Romulus is
the founder of Rome. Let's
imagine he lays the foundation of
some gate in Rome and says:"I
PROclaim this is ROMULus GATE!"
(P-ROMUL-GATE) He's the
founder, right? So he's already
broadcasted a decree!
Example: The new constitution
was PROMULGATEd in 2006.
Mnemonic: Scientists are now
studying how best to PROPAGATE
fresh vanilla, as demand for the
flavour grows.
 Tone: neut — like a rumor.
Form: verb The verb extirpate originally
literally meant "to weed out
by the roots." Now you'd use
X EXTIRPATE
Tone: neut it when you want to get rid of
something completely as if
pulling it up by the root.
HESITATE ON MORAL GROUNDS
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: noun When you feel compunction
you feel very, very sorry,
usually for something you did
COMPUNCTION to hurt someone or mess
Tone: pos something up. When you feel
no compunction, you're not at
all sorry.
Form: noun If you have misgivings about
something, it means you're
worried that it's not a good
idea. Trying to fall asleep the
MISGIVINGS night before a test, you might
Tone: pos have misgivings about having
studied so little.
Form: noun A qualm is a feeling of
uneasiness, or a sense that
something you're doing is
wrong, and it sounds almost
QUALMS Tone: pos like how it makes your stomach
feel. If you had qualms about
taking candy from the bulk bins
at the store, your conscience
probably told you to go ba
Form: noun Your scruples are what keep
you from doing things you
Tone: pos consider to be morally or
ethically wrong. Your scruples
SCRUPLES
won't allow you to cheat on a
test, or steal from your
brother's Halloween candy
stash.
MALICIOUS SELF-SATISFACTION
Words Relation to Group Meaning
Form: verb If you gloat, you express great
satisfaction at the misfortune of
others. If your team scores a big
GLOAT win, it would be better not to
Tone: neg gloat. Be happy for your win, but
don't laugh at their loss.
Example: Television advertising
PROPAGATEs a false image of the
ideal family.
Mnemonic: Imagine that you
destroy someone's wig by
throwing eggs and turps on it
Example: Indian extirpated the
British after a long struggle.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: compuncture sounds
like compensation..when you hav
done a wrong thing you regret and
offer victim the compensation..
Example: She felt no
COMPUNCTION about quitting her
job.
Mnemonic: Mis(not)+Giving....I
am not giving the keys of my locker
to you because I have some
doubts,anxiety in my mind about
you.
Example: I had grave MISGIVINGS
about making the trip.
Mnemonic: Â QUALM = QUAL +
M(S) = QUALIFICATION + MS, you
are in doubt whether MS as
qualification is right for you or not.
Example: He had been working
very hard so he had no QUALMS
about taking a few days off.
Mnemonic: SCRUPLE and
PRINCIPLE sounds alike.
Example: He had no SCRUPLES
about spying on her.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: g+loat....LOOT...so
think of dacoits who express their
evil satisfaction after looting
houses of people.
Example: She was still GLOATing
over her rival's disappointment.
 Form: verb A smirk is specific kind of smile,
one that suggests self-
satisfaction, smugness, or even
SMIRK pleasure at someone else's
Tone: neg unhappiness or misfortune.
Form: adj A smug person is self-satisfied.
You can usually recognize
someone who is pleased with
SMUG himself by his smug little smile
Tone: neg and self-righteous remarks.
INEFFECTIVE
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj If a newspaper editorial
describes a politician as
feckless, you might wonder,
Tone: neg "What is feck, and why
FECKLESS doesn’t he have any?―
In fact, the columnist is
accusing the politician of
being irresponsible and
incompetent.
Form: adj If you are a coach with a
losing team that doesn't
listen to you, don't be
INEFFECTUAL Tone: neg surprised if you are called
ineffectual. It means too
weak to produce the desired
effect.
Form: noun The degree to which a
Tone: pos method or medicine brings
about a specific result is its
X EFFICACY efficacy. You might not like to
eat it, but you can't question
the efficacy of broccoli as a
health benefit.
LYING DOWN , RESTING
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Bikes on which you recline
rather than sit upright are
recumbent. Recumbent
RECUMBENT means to leaning back in a
Tone: neut reclining position.
Form: noun Repose is a formal or literary
term used to mean the act of
REPOSE Tone: neut resting, or the state of being
at rest. Repose is also a state
of mind: freedom from worry.
Mnemonic:
SMIle+IRK....meaning SMILE IN
AN IRKY MANNER OR IRRITATED
MANNER
Example: He SMIRKed
unpleasantly when we told him
the bad news.
Mnemonic: SMUG can be
remembered as when we drink a
MUG of some drink,we feel SELF-
SATISFIED
Example: He smiled SMUGly as
the results were announced.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: think of FECk-LESS
as afFECting LESS because it is so
useless.
Example: She had lost the
FECKLESSness of youth and
settled down.
Mnemonic: IN = Not, effect
sounds like effective. Thus,
INEFFECTUAL = ineffective .
Example: This is an
INEFFECTUAL attempt to reform
the law
Mnemonic: Efficacy is EFFECTIVE
Example: to evaluate the efficacy
and safety of the treatment
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: recum+bent - sounds
similar to become+bent. you
become bent while sitting means
you lie down.
Example: Doctor advised him to
assume RECUMBENT posture
Mnemonic: REPOSE = resting
pose
Example: The first rays of
morning sun disturbed their
REPOSE.
 Form: adj One can be described as Mnemonic: Spine Lying on Spine
supine when lying face up is SUPINE
Tone: neut ("his favorite yoga poses Example: Clare remained
were always the supine SUPINE, her eyes closed.
SUPINE
ones"); or, if one is very
passive or lethargic ("supine
in the face of their threats
and insults").

LOWER IN RANK
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb assign to a lower position; Mnemonic: DEMOTE can be
reduce in rank remembered as DEMOTION, which
is opposite for PROMOTION
DEMOTE
Tone: neg Example: She was DEMOTEd
because she always speaks up
Root: DE means DOWN/AWAY
Form: verb Relegate means assign to a Mnemonic: divide it like
lower position. If the rail+gate. Earlier station Master is
quarterback of the football now appointed as a watcher of rail
team stops making decent gate. so, in worse position.
RELEGATE Tone: neg throws he might be relegated Example: She was then
to the position of RELEGATEd to the role of
benchwarmer, while another assistant.
kid is given the chance to
play.

GIVE OUT
Relation to
Words Meaning Mnemonic/Example
Group
Form: verb When you use the word Mnemonic: relate it to
emanate, you're usually emit/illuminate. HE-MAN ATE and
talking about lights, sounds come out (EMANATE) from his
or unseen forces coming out home
EMANATE Tone: neut of a specific source. If you Example: He EMANATEs power
hear creepy sounds and confidence.
emanating from an old
house, that might mean it's
haunted.
Form: verb To emit means to give off or Mnemonic: Lots of things can be
let out, and it usually has a EMITted: body heat from your
lot to do with gases, smells hands, high pitched sound waves
and noises. All of which could from a dog whistle, nasty odors
EMIT be potentially embarrassing, from your mouth after a garlic-
depending on where they're heavy lunch
Tone: neut coming from. Example: The metal container
began to EMIT a clicking sound.
Form: verb When something radiates, it Mnemonic: Imagine you are on a
sends out waves or rays. The ray diet that causes you to emit
RADIATE sun radiates light and energy in the form of rays
Tone: neut warmth. Example: He RADIATEd self-
confidence and optimism.

FASHION
Words Relation to Group Meaning Mnemonic/Example
 Form: noun Something that's faddish is in
style, often for a brief length
of time.
FADDISH
Tone: pos
Form: noun If something is the latest
vogue, it is the latest fashion.
When your new hairstyle
VOGUE catches on, it's in vogue —
or if it becomes unpopular,
Tone: neut it’s not.
UNIVERSAL
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun When capitalized, Catholic
refers to the Catholic Church.
With a lower-case "c,"
catholic means "universal"
CATHOLIC
Tone: neut and "inclusive." If you listen
to anything from hip-hop to
Baroque, you have catholic
taste in music.
Form: adj Generic refers to the
members of a whole class of
things — like "tissue," a
GENERIC generic word for any soft, thin
Tone: neut
piece of paper that's good for
wiping runny noses.
Form: adj Universal describes
something for everything or
everyone. Universal design is
architectural design that
Tone: neut accommodates every person.
UNIVERSAL
A universal remote can
change the stations on all
your home entertainment
systems, but hopefully not at
once.
EMBARRASS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: adj Although abash sounds like a
big party or what fire fighters
Tone: neg do to get through a locked
door, abash is, in fact, a verb
ABASH
that means you have caused
another person to feel
awkward, bashful,
embarrassed, or ashamed.
Mnemonic: Â f+ add+ish =
f(follow) add = advertisements -
fashion
Example: Timelessness is key--
so watch out for FADDISH
designs.
Mnemonic: VOGUE and
provoke...sometimes fashion
trends (in VOGUE) provoke
(anger) a certain class of
conservative people.
Example: Sixties music has come
back into VOGUE.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: CATHOLIC Christians
are found everywhere in the
world....so they are present
universally.
Example: Unlike his father, Tom's
judgments are CATHOLIC
(universal)in nature.
Mnemonic: (gene)ric...in
genes...so it is a characteristic of
the entire class/species
Example: “Broadband― is
a GENERIC term for any high-
speed connection to the Internet.
Mnemonic: UNIVERSAL and
General sound the same and both
words refer to something that is
present everywhere, is common.
Example: Such problems are a
UNIVERSAL feature of old age.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â A=ALWAYS
B=BRINGS a S=SHAME
Example: I was ABASHed by the
magnitude of the others’
generosity so I donated twenty
thousand more
 Form: verb To discomfit someone is to
make them feel
uncomfortable or upset. An
easy way to discomfit another
person is to use the age-old,
DISCOMFIT childish trick of ignoring
them. (Of course, we’re
sure you would never do that,
right? Right?)
Tone: neg
Form: verb To mortify someone is to
cause them extreme
embarrassment. Your mother
may not have been trying to
mortify you when she showed
MORTIFY up at your senior prom with a
bunch of unicorn balloons, but
Tone: neg she did.
TO STIR UP , REVOLT
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: verb To incite is to cause to act or
occur. Violent words can
INCITE incite violent actions which, in
Tone: neut turn, might incite public
outcry against violence.
Form: verb When you instigate
something, you start it, but
the word carries conflict with
it. If you are suspended for
INSTIGATE
Tone: neg wearing a political t-shirt, the
incident might instigate days
of protest by students and
faculty.
Form: verb Anything that brings about a
strong reaction can be said to
provoke. You can provoke
that lion if you want. But if he
PROVOKE responds by attacking, don't
come running to me.
Tone: neg
Form: noun Sedition is the illegal act of
inciting people to resist or
rebel against the government
SEDITION
Tone: neg in power. It's what the
southern states did at the
start of the Civil War.
RULE , LAW , PRINCIPLE
Words Relation to Meaning
Mnemonic: DISCOMFIT-
resembles discomfortable, when
you are uncomfortable ,you tend
to get frustrated and defeated. If
you can check the word Fit ,you
can add a meaning ,by assuming,-
if you are not fit(disfit) you are
defeated and put to
embarrasment.
Example: He was not noticeably
DISCOMFITed by the request.
Mnemonic: where mor (peacock)
compares itself with other birds
and talks proudly about it
wings..and its beautiful body..but
when other birds remind it of its
ugly legs...mor (peacock) feel
embarrassed and humiliated.
Example: She was mortified to
realize he had heard every word
she said.
Root: MORT- means DEATH
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: INCITE rhymes with
excite which also means arouse to
action.
Example: They were accused of
inciting the crowd to violence.
Mnemonic: Â I am always
motivated whenever I see the
Institute gate (relate to
INSTIGATE) of "MIT".
Example: They were accused of
instigating racial violence.
Mnemonic: The sales man in
provogue showroom started
argumenting instead of changing
the defective shirt. It annoyed me
badly. They PROVOKEd me to get
irriated.
Example: The announcement
PROVOKEd a storm of protest.
Mnemonic: seidition =
said+i+shun he said i will shun u..
reisitance 2 authority
Example: Two journalists were
charged with SEDITION
Mnemonic/Example
 Group
Form: noun An axiom is a statement that
everyone believes is true,
Tone: neut such as "supply equals
AXIOMS demand" or "the only
constant is change."
Mathematicians use axiom to
refer to established proofs.
Form: noun Canon is all about
authoritative standards—for
literature, sainthood, or
behavior. Don't confuse it
CANONS with cannon with two n's, the
Tone: neut big gun that shoots bowling-
size balls at the enemy.
Form: noun "You are what you eat" is a
dictum, and so is a law
requiring you to curb your
Tone: neut dog. A dictum is a formal
DICTUM
pronouncement, a rule, or a
statement that expresses a
truth universally
acknowledged.
Form: noun Doctrine means a belief or set
of beliefs. The idea that a
man named Jesus was the
DOCTRINE son of God is part of the
Tone: neut
Christian doctrine.
Form: noun Dogma means the doctrine of
belief in a religion or a
political system.
DOGMAS
Tone: neut
Form: noun A mandate is like an official
command or a go-ahead.
When a politician wins an
MANDATE election by a lot, that's a
Tone: neut
mandate for their ideas.
Form: noun A tenet is a principle or belief
honored by a person or, more
often, a group of people.
TENETS "Seek pleasure and avoid
Tone: neut pain" is a basic tenet of
Hedonism. "God exists" is a
tenet of most major religions.
MISC.
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Mnemonic: Axi OM: Axiom is like
OM. Universally believed
Example: the old axiom that you
can only succeed through hard
work
Mnemonic: College students
used to read what was called the
"literary canon," until they noticed
that they were written by dead
white men.
Example: "The House of
Mirth― is a central book in the
canon of American literature.
Mnemonic: Dictator is
authoritarian and DICTUM is
authoritative statement
Example: He cites Augustine's
DICTUM that 'If you understand it,
it is not God
Mnemonic: They have something
called Doctor Medical DOCTRINE
for doctors
Example: He was deeply
committed to political DOCTRINEs
of social equality.
Mnemonic: Â If you try to read
"dogmatic" from back to front,
you will get "i am god". the
person who think that he is a god
is arrogant and stubborn
Example: There is a danger of
becoming too dogmatic about
teaching methods.
Mnemonic: man+date man(boss)
orders you to finish your work on
date.
Example: The presidential
MANDATE is limited to two terms
of four years each.
Mnemonic: A volleyball team
always carries ten nets with it -
ten net is a watchword held as
true by a group
Example: Non-violence is the
central tenet of their faith
Mnemonic/Example
 Form: verb To accost is to approach
someone aggressively or
confront them in an
inappropriate way.
ACCOST
Tone: neg
Form: noun A short, amusing true story is
an anecdote. You might come
back from a crazy spring
ANECDOTE break with a lot of anecdotes
Tone: neut to tell.
Form: verb To bask in something is to
take it in, receive its warmth,
Tone: pos or bathe in its goodness. On
the first warm day of the
BASK
spring, you may bask in the
sunshine. When you win the
Pulitzer, you bask in your own
glory.
Form: verb As a verb, broach means to
bring up or introduce a
sensitive issue. As a noun, a
Tone: neut broach is one of those dowdy
BROACH
pins your Great Aunt Edna
wears. Telling her not to wear
it is a subject you should
probably not broach.
Form: verb If your mom can magically
conjure up the most delicious
Tone: neut meals from the most random
CONJURE
ingredients in the kitchen, she
might just be the best cook in
the neighborhood.
Form: adj Use the adjective corporeal to
describe something that has
to do with the body, like when
your teacher catches you
CORPOREAL daydreaming and says you
Tone: neut need to bring your mental
sharpness, not just your
corporeal presence to the
classroom.
Form: noun Pardon me, but when a polite
term is substituted for a
blunt, offensive one, you
should call it a euphemism.
EUPHEMISM
Tone: pos
Form: noun Green, orange, yellow, and
HUES
blue — each of these is a
Mnemonic: Â
ACCOST=Ac(Acclerating)+Cost-
When cost shoots up in a shop,
we as a person speaks with the
shopkeeper to reduce the
cost.Hence we initiate the talk
Example: She was ACCOSTed in
the street by a complete stranger.
Mnemonic: The word's original
sense in English was "secret or
private stories" — tales not fit
for print, so to speak.
Example: The book is a rich store
of ANECDOTE.
Mnemonic: BASKetball player
Michel Jordan lives luxury life.
Example: We sat BASKing in the
warm sunshine.
Mnemonic: When a Boy
appROACH a girl for the first
time,he needs to BROACH.
Example: She was dreading
having to BROACH the subject of
money with her father.
Mnemonic: To con a jury you
need magical power
Example: He could CONJURE
coins from behind people's ears.
Mnemonic: Corp o real:
Corporate o real: always target
the material aspect of customer,
don’t care about the spiritual
part
Example: CORPOREAL reality as
the goddess herself appeared.
Root: CORP- means BODY
Mnemonic: Assuming: females
are milder than males as they are
more emotionally inclined. It
reads like E(xpress) U(yourself)
Phemism(like feminism).
Example: “User fees― is
just a politician's EUPHEMISM for
taxes.
Root: EU- means GOOD
Mnemonic: blUE(HUE)...blue is a
color
 Tone: neut hue, a color or a shade that's
true. A rainbow shows the
melting of one hue into
another, from red to violet,
and all shades in between.
Form: adj When you find something
hard to express or difficult to
pin down, it's ineffable. The
feeling when you get a new
puppy is ineffable — too
INEFFABLE strange and wonderful to
Tone: pos define.
Form: adj If something is inevitable, it
will definitely happen, like
death or tax season.
INEVITABLE
Tone: neut
Form: adj If you've done something so
much that it doesn't excite
you anymore but just leaves
JADED Tone: neg you tired, consider yourself
jaded. If someone says you
look a little jaded, it just
means that you look tired.
Form: noun Literally, a linchpin is the pin
that goes through the axle of
Tone: pos a wheel to keep it in place,
LINCHPIN but linchpin can be used to
mean an important part of
anything, the thing that holds
it all together.
Form: adj Lofty is a good word for
describing something that's
LOFTY high above the ground, or
Tone: pos/neg someone who acts like she's
high above everyone else.
Form: noun You might not want to call a
mercenary a "hireling" to his
face, but a mercenary is, after
all, a soldier who gets paid to
MERCENARY
Tone: neg/neut fight where needed,
sometimes taking a heroic
stand and other times just
wanting payment for fighting.
Example: Her paintings capture
the subtle HUES of the
countryside in the fall.
Mnemonic: Â in+ef+ fable. fable
means story. story can be told.
in-fable means something which
can not be uttered such as the
name of Lord Voldemort (from
Harry Potter).
Example: Professional women
gained ground in the INEFFABLE
but vital world of informal
networks.
Mnemonic: Remember
INEVITABLE sounds like IN-
EVERY-TABLE( what is
UNAVOIDABLE in every table?
Answer is food) Food is
unavoiadable in
every(dinning)table.So
ineveitable=unavoidable
Example: It seems INEVITABLE
that interest rates will rise.
Root: IN means INTO
Mnemonic: JADED sounds like
faded.. which means WORN OUT,
WEARIED, TIRED
Example: It was a meal to tempt
even the most JADED palate.
Mnemonic: eating well is the
LINCHPIN to staying healthy.
Example: Nurses are the
LINCHPIN of our health center.
Mnemonic: LOFTY sounds like
HEFTY (big/ large). He played a
lofted shot in the air
Example: A towering mountain
can be called "LOFTY."
Mnemonic: MERCENARY sounds
like: merce - mercy + na - no; no
mercy.He can kill anybody for
money or gain
Example: Lila was suspicious that
Joe had jumped at the chance
only for MERCENARY reasons
 Form: noun Use the word nemesis to
describe someone or
something that always causes
you major problems, like the
NEMESIS runner on another school's
Tone: neg track team who, for years,
has been beating your time
by a fraction of a second.
Form: adj If a police officer falls in love
with a witness in a case, it
might be hard for him to stay
OBJECTIVE Tone: pos objective — that is, looking
at things in a detached,
impartial, fact-based way.
Form: noun Pathos is a quality that stirs
emotions. A song with a lot of
PATHOS pathos hits you right in the
Tone: neut
heart.
Form: noun A purveyor is someone who
supplies goods — often of
food or drinks. If you're a
seafood purveyor you will
PURVEYOR always smells a bit fishy,
which is no surprise,
Tone: neut considering that you sell cod
and haddock all day long.
Form: verb Use the verb rhapsodize to
describe something spoken
about with extreme
enthusiasm — and often at
RHAPSODIZE
Tone: neut great length, like that friend
who tends to rhapsodize
about her favorite movie for
twenty minutes straight.
Form: adj Things that are subjective are
open to interpretation. If you
go see a movie about a jewel
SUBJECTIVE thief, the topic is not
Tone: neut subjective. But whether it's a
good movie or not is
subjective.
Form: adj If something is vicarious, it
delivers a feeling or
experience from someone
VICARIOUS else. If your child becomes a
Tone: neut big star, you might have a
vicarious experience of
celebrity.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
Relation to
Words Meaning
Group
Form: noun That little nod to a Dylan
ALLUSION Thomas poem that you
sneaked into your PowerPoint
Mnemonic: NEMESIS can be
remembered in this way:
not+my+sis hence wants to take
revenge..my sister wouldn't have
been the cause of my downfall.
Example: The football team
seeks NEMESIS of previous lost
on Saturday.
Mnemonic: You are not
influenced by emotions when you
need to fulfill your OBJECTIVE
Example: These figures give a
reliable and OBJECTIVE indicator
of changing trends in people's
lifestyles.
Mnemonic: PATHOS is related to
SYMPATHY, EMPATHY.
Example: The scene was full of
PATHOS.
Mnemonic: remember conveyor
which means supplying
something..PURVEYOR= person+
conveyor. A person who does a
job of conveyor by supplying
something to others.
Example: Brown and Son,
PURVEYORs of fine wines
Mnemonic: WRAP+SODA+ICE-I
wrapped soda in ice which is a
miracle.......I was telling this to
my friends enthusiastically
Example: "He RHAPSODIZEd
about his new project for an hour"
Mnemonic: SUBJECTIVE sounds
like Subject, which seems to be
related to a particular Subject
only.
Example: Everyone's opinion is
bound to be SUBJECTIVE.
Mnemonic: If you're mad at your
wife but you take it out on your
dog, that's VICARIOUS
punishment.
Example: He got a VICARIOUS
thrill out of watching his son score
the winning goal.
Mnemonic/Example
Mnemonic: Â it is similar to
"illusion" which is done by
showing things not there,
 presentation? That was an
allusion, a quick reference to
something that your audience
Tone: neut will have to already know in
order to "get."
Form: verb Your friend wants to go to the
Death Metal Forever concert,
but you hesitate: you demur.
DEMUR Whether you strongly object,
politely disagree, or hesitate
Tone: neut/neg to agree, you demur.
Form: adj A demure woman or girl can
be described as polite and a
little shy. A demure outfit is a
modest one––think high
DEMURE neckline and low hem.
Tone: pos
Form: verb The verb disassemble means
to take something apart. It's
one thing to disassemble a
DISASSEMBLE computer; it's a whole other
Tone: neg thing to put it back together
again.
Form: adj Discreet describes someone
or something that is
appropriately quiet, prudent,
Tone: pos and restrained. If you are
DISCREET
wearing a discreet gray suit,
it is unlikely that anyone at
that business meeting will
notice you.
Form: adj Discrete means separate or
divided. A discrete unit is a
separate part of something
larger. A room is a discrete
DISCRETE space within a house, just as
Tone: neut the transmission is a discrete
part of a car engine.
Form: verb To dissemble is to hide under
a false appearance, to
deceive. "When confronted
DISSEMBLE Tone: neg about their human rights
record, the Chinese
government typically
dissembles."
Form: verb If you add nutrients to
FORTIFY something you fortify it. Food
scientists have found ways to
indirectly
Example: His statement was
seen as an ALLUSION to the
recent political unrest.
Mnemonic: Â sounds a little like
Damn you are wrong!! I object! If
Aunt Tilly offers to knit you a
sweater, you might politely
DEMUR, being reluctant to accept.
Example: At first she DEMURred,
but then finally agreed.
Mnemonic: DEMURE is a word
you don't hear a lot these days,
but it used to be a huge
compliment for a woman or a girl,
for them to be considered shy and
quiet and modest.
Example: She is a DEMURE
young lady.
Mnemonic: DIS is not and
ASSEMBLE is to arrange. So
DISASSEMBLE means to spoil the
arrangement of something.
Example: We had to completely
DISASSEMBLE the engine to find
the problem.
Mnemonic: DISCREET-
diSECRET. "You must be
DISCREET about our SECRET."
Example: You should ask a few
DISCREET questions before you
sign anything.
Mnemonic: Â if u can remember
the DISCRETE maths ,you can see
that one topic is separated from
the other and subtopics also
unconnected to each other.
Example: The organisms can be
divided into DISCRETE categories.
Root: DIS- means APART
Mnemonic: The word sounds like
"resemble"...the person/ a thing
of that type can be in disguise
Example: She was a very honest
person who was incapable of
dissembling.
Root: DIS- is APART/ NOT
Mnemonic: A fort that’s
stands straight and strong is a
symbol of Support and strength.
 Tone: pos fortify cereal, but in addition
to vitamins C and D, they
usually add a lot of sugar.
Form: noun An illusion is something that
isn't real. It may look real,
but it's actually fake — just
a crafty construction or
ILLUSION
Tone: neut fantasy. Like the old rabbit-
out-of-the-hat trick practiced
by magicians around the
globe.
Form: verb When you immure someone
or something, you put it
behind a wall, as in a jail or
IMMURE some other kind of confining
Tone: neut
space.
Form: adj If something is inane, it's silly
or senseless. If you just want
to space out, you won't mind
INANE the inane chatter on TV, as
Tone: neg long as it's on.
Form: noun An incumbent is an official
who holds an office. If you
want to run for congress,
INCUMBENT you're going to have to beat
the incumbent.
Tone: neut
Form: adj If a characteristic or ability is
Tone: neut already present in a person or
animal when they are born, it
INNATE
is innate. People have the
innate ability to speak
whereas animals do not.
Form: verb To inure is to get used to
something difficult or
Tone: neg unpleasant. If after spending
INURE an hour in your brother's
room, you stop noticing the
stinky-sock smell, you have
become inured to the odor.
Form: adj If you are loath to do
something, you really don't
want to do it. If you are
reluctant to go swimming,
LOATH
people will say you are loath
Tone: neg to swim, but if they are really
mean — they may throw you
in anyway.
Form: verb If you loathe someone or
something, you hate them
LOATHE very much. You might not
choose to eat raw carrots if
Example: They fortified the area
against attack.
Mnemonic: ILLUSION sounds like
ILL-VISION. When something is
not real and you still manage to
see it, your eyes are tricking you.
Example: She's under the
ILLUSION that she'll get the job.
Mnemonic: sounds like I M
YOURS....please enclose me
within the walls of your heart...
Example: At the age of 86 he
was IMMUREd in his house by
infirmity.
Mnemonic: Remember the word
insane. Insane person doesnt
have a mind to think and
understand and hence he is void.
Example: Surely there never had
been written anything so INANE
and silly.
Mnemonic: INCUM + BENT -
OFFICIALS are BENT
on(determined) to bring an
INCUM home, as it is NECESSARY
to survive
Example: it is INCUMBENT on
them to pay their own debts
Mnemonic: Since Birth is INNATE
Example: He never lost his
INNATE sense of fun.
Mnemonic: INUREd means its 'in'
'your' system…your used to it...
Example: The prisoners quickly
became INUREd to the harsh
conditions.
Mnemonic: l+oath..oath..so if
you have taken a oath of not
doing what your dad guides you...
you are very unwilling and
reluctant to listen him.
Example: He was LOATH to
admit his mistake.
Mnemonic: Loa-the can be
related as Low thought...So
having a low thought of someone
else implies hate or detest
 Tone: neg you dislike them, but if you
loathe them, you might have
a hard time even having them
on your plate.
Form: verb To mortify someone is to
cause them extreme
embarrassment. Your mother
Tone: neg may not have been trying to
MORTIFY
mortify you when she showed
up at your senior prom with a
bunch of unicorn balloons, but
she did.
Form: adj Bikes on which you recline
rather than sit upright are
recumbent. Recumbent
means to leaning back in a
RECUMBENT Tone: neut reclining position.
Form: verb To testify is to make a
statement or provide
evidence, usually in court.
Witnesses testify for the
prosecution or defense.
TESTIFY
Tone: neg
Form: adj You might feel a bit testy
before taking a test, but test
and testy are unrelated.
TESTY Feeling testy is like being
peeved, annoyed, or irritated.
Tone: neg
Form: adj Someone with venal motives
is corrupt and maybe a little
VENAL evil. Nobody wants to be
Tone: neg thought of as venal.
Form: adj Some crimes are
unforgivable. Others are
venial — venial crimes and
VENIAL Tone: neut sins are excusable. They're
not a big deal.
Example: They LOATHE each
other.
Mnemonic: MORTIFY can be said
as moti fy means calling someone
moti(fat) which is embarrasing.
Example: She was mortified to
realize he had heard every word
she said.
Mnemonic: recum+bent- sounds
similar to become+bent. If you
become bent while sitting it would
mean you want to lie down.
Example: In a few minutes the
watchers observed a warm,
healthy flush spread over the
white face and limp hands of the
RECUMBENT boy.
Mnemonic: If you've ever seen a
TV show about lawyers, you've
probably seen someone
TESTIFYing: putting their hand on
the Bible, sitting in the witness
seat, and telling what they know
about a case.
Example: There are several
witnesses who will TESTIFY for
the defense.
Mnemonic: Â If someone has
described you as SHORT-
TEMPERED in the
TESTY(testimonial), then you will
get IRRITATED looking at it.
Example: The old man sounded
TESTY.
Mnemonic: ve + nal = we null
....we can be easily bribed when
we are null in terms of money ...
Example: We have these bunch
of VENAL journalists
Mnemonic: key word is menial.
We forgive someone for menial
(small) mistakes.
Example: The confidence of
ignorance, however VENIAL in
youth, is not altogether so
excusable, in full grown men.
 Form: verb Vindicate means to justify,
prove, or reinforce an idea
— or to absolve from guilt. If
your family thinks you hogged
the last piece of pie on
VINDICATE Thanksgiving, you'll be
vindicated when your younger
Tone: neut brother fesses up.
Form: adj It is no fun hanging out with
vindictive people, who are
forever out to get back at
people they think have hurt
VINDICTIVE
Tone: neg them. If you forget to say
hello to them one day in the
hall, they will carry a grudge
against you into next week.
Form: noun If you have a vision of your
grandfather just before he
Tone: neg passes away, you have seen a
WRAITH wraith or a ghostly image.
Wraith can also mean
something thin, wispy, or
ghost-like.
Form: noun Wrath is great anger that
expresses itself in a desire to
punish someone: Noah saw
the flood as a sign of the
WRATH wrath of God.
Tone: neg
Mnemonic: vidicate....split it like
vin(WIN) + di(the) +
cate(case)....so when you win a
case IN a COURT...it means you
are freed FROM ACCUSATION
AND CHARGES...you are freed
from blame.
Example: I have every
confidence that this decision will
be fully VINDICATEd.
Mnemonic: Â VINDICTIVE-
win+addictive obsessed about
winning ...so always having ill will
against others
Example: He accused her of
being VINDICTIVE.
Mnemonic: Those who have faith
, dont believe in WRAITH
Example: He has a a WRAITH-
like.
Mnemonic: Remember rath(s)
means chariots in mahabharata.
when kings are angry and furious,
they come on their rath(s) to
fight.
Example: Nobody wanted to face
the WRATH of their teacher and
so came well prepared for the
class.