Vocabulary is part and parcel of many competitive exams like SSC, Banks, Railways, GRE, GMAT etc. Here we have tried to showcase the most useful English vocabulary words from competitive exam perspective. So let’s dive into that.
Abbreviations used in this blog are as follows: –
n – noun
v – verb
adv – adverb
adj – adjective
prep – preposition
int – interjection
sb – somebody
sth – something
Syn – Synonyms
Ant – Antonyms
Laconic (adj) – saying much in few words
# A laconic reply that spoke volumes.
Syn: concise, pithy, terse, succinct, taciturn, reticent
Ant: verbose, prolix, redundant, diffuse, tautological, turgid, garrulous, voluble
Prevaricate (v) – to speak in a way that is intentionally not clear and confusing to other people, especially to hide the truth
# He accused the minister of prevaricating.
Syn: quibble, equivocate, beat around the bush
Ant: veracity, verity
Note: Prevarication (n)
Futility (n) – pointlessness
Syn: Uselessness, vanity, worthlessness
Ant: Utility, advantage, profitability
Note: Futile (adj)
Rustic (adj) – relating to village or rural life
Syn: Rural, simple, rude, clownish
Ant: Urbane, polished
Rancid (adj) – (of food containing a fat such as butter or oil) tasting or smelling unpleasant because it is not fresh
Syn: Tainted, sour
Ant: Untainted, sweet
Note: Rancidity (n)
Sane (adj) – 1. (of a person) of sound mind; not mad or mentally ill
2. reasonable or sensible
# Hard work kept me sane.
Syn: Sound, healthy, sensible, reasonable
Ant: Unsound, confused, unreasonable, insane
Cloying (adj) – 1. too sweet and therefore unpleasant
2. too good or kind, or expressing feelings of love in a way that is not sincere
# He criticized the cloying sentimentality of the politician.
Syn: Drippy, mushy, saccharine, sappy
Ant: Unsentimental
Scrupulous (adj) – extremely careful, thorough, and attentive to details; meticulous
# Be scrupulous what you take from social media.
Syn: Careful, diligent, painstaking
Ant: unscrupulous
Savoury (adj-UK) [US savory] – 1. savoury food is salty or spicy and not sweet in taste
2. if you say that something is not savoury, you mean that it is not pleasant or socially acceptable
# a savoury dish/sauce/flavour
# savoury dumplings/pancakes
Syn: Tasty, palatable, spicy
Ant: Unsavoury, tasteless
Taciturn (adj) – less speaking person
# He’s a reserved, taciturn person.
# He was always quiet, reserved, and taciturn.
Syn: Close, reticent, uncommunicative
Ant: Unreserved, chatty, garrulous, loquacious, talkative, voluble
Lucrative (adj) – attractive in terms of money
# Joining to that MNC is definitely a lucrative offer.
Syn: Profitable, paying
Ant: Unprofitable, losing
Note: Lucrativeness (n)
Prolific (adj) – producing huge amount of something
# He was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation.
Syn: Productive, fruitful
Ant: Unproductive, barren
Note: Proliferation (n)
Jaundiced (adj) – showing negative feelings of sth
# a jaundiced eye
# He has a jaundiced view of life.
Syn: Biased, prejudiced, distrustful
Ant: Unprejudiced, unbiased, trusting, confident
Vogue (n) – a fashion or general liking, especially one that is temporary
Syn: Fashion, usage, trend
Ant: Unpopular, outdated
Palatable (adj) – 1. good to eat
2. agreeable
Syn: Tasty, appetizing
Ant: Unpalatable, tasteless
Dainty (adj) – 1. small, delicate, and pretty
2. pleasing to the taste (read more)
# A small dainty pink flower.
# a dainty morsel
Syn: delicious, palatable, nice, delicate, neat
Ant: unpalatable, inelegant, uncritical
Note: daintily (adv)
Obtrusive (adj) – noticeable in a way that is unpleasant or unwanted
# He made himself obnoxiously obtrusive.
Syn: intrusive, aggressive
Ant: unobtrusive
Note: Obtrude (v)
Incumbent (n) – an officeholder
Incumbent (adj) – obligatory
# The incumbent in an election.
# felt it incumbent to reply.
Syn: mandatory, imperative, binding, compelling
Ant: Unnecessary, non-compulsory
Alienate (v) – 1. make (someone) feel isolated or estranged
2. make (someone) become unsympathetic or hostile
# An urban environment which would alienate its inhabitants
Syn: estrange, isolate, detach, distance, transfer, desolation
Ant: unite, reconcile, recover
Note: Alien (n) — Alienation (n)
Rupture (v, n) – to (cause something to) explode, break, or tear
# While riding on bike her jeans raptured and creates a awkward moment for her.
Syn: Breach, break
Ant: Union, attachment
English Vocabulary Series
Part 1 —– Part 2 —– Part 3 —– Part 4
You may read this too.
Idioms and Phrases for competitive exams like SSC, CAT, GMAT, etc.
200+ One Word Substitution in English