to torment, vex ; acutely painful or distressing, agonising þ Syn. torture
¬ Ant. comfort, ease
@ F o r e i g n t o u r i s t s , e s p e c i a l l y A m e r i c a n s , a r e f r e q u e n t l y harrowed in Islamic countries.
@ I find his firsthand accounts of torture too harrowing.
HA UG HTY
arrogant and condes cending þ Syn. vai n, conceited
¬ Ant. modest, humble
@ The teacher resented Sita’s haughty attitude and gave her a D grade for the semester.
HAUTEUR N.
arrogance, haughtines s
þ Syn. concei t, pride, overconf idence
¬ Ant . modesty, di ffidence, reticence
@ H e pr e s i de d o ve r t he f i rs t m ee ti n g w i t h hi s c us t om ar y detached hauteur.
HAVEN N.
a retreat or asylum
þ Syn. refuge, saf e pl ace, s anctuary
@ They wanted to provide a safe haven for the refugees.
HEADLONG Adv.
hasty, ras h
þ Syn. headfirs t, reckles sly
@ He involves himself headlong in the affairs of others.
@ In the headlong rush to buy houses, many people got into de bt .
HEADSTRONG Adj.
stubborn, wilful, unyielding þ Syn. determined, pigheaded
¬ Ant. docile, tractable, compliant
@ Everybody calls her headstrong but she is one of the boldest in her group.
HEATHEN
pagan, uncivilised and irreligious þ Syn. atheist, uncouth
¬ Ant. religious, devout
@ The missionaries considered it their duty to convert as many of the heathen natives as possible.
HECKLE V.
to harass with questions, challenges and gibes
@ The old inmates hackled the new one and that added to his w oes .
HEDONISM
pursuit of pleasure as a goal þ Syn. immoderation, affluence
¬ Ant . aversion, abhorrence
@ Sanjeev l ay on the couch eati ng cookies all day, claim ing hedonism was his philosophy of life.
HEGEMONY N., HEGEMONIC Adj.
leadershi p, preponderant infl uence þ Syn. domination, control, supremacy
¬ Ant . subs ervience, surrender
@ The three nations competed for regional hegemony.
HEINOUS
shocking, wicked, terrible þ Syn. atroci ous, reprehensible
¬ Ant. pardonable, adm irable
@ Nobody could believe that the babysitter had committed the heinous crime.
HENCHMAN N.
a servant, a right hand man, usually doing unl awf ul work f or s om eone
@ Like other politicians, he tried to distance himself from the dirty deeds carried out by his henchmen.
HERALD V.
to usher in, to proclaim
þ Syn. messenger, bearer of news, publicise
@ The silicon chip heralded a new era in computer technology.
HERCULEAN Adj.
very tough, arduous, superhum an þ Syn. phenomenal, prodigious, heroic
¬ Ant. normal, usual, standard, regular
@ Plagued by several crises and many recent electoral defeats, the party is requires nothing short of a herculean effort from its new leader to turn things around.
HERMETIC tightly sealed
@ The hermeti c s eal preserved the contents of the jar f or a long time.
HETERODOX Adj., HETERODOXY N.
unorthodox, unconventional
þ Syn. heretical, profane, sacrilegious
@ Famous for his heterodox ideas, Kabir was a darling of the m ass es .
HEW
to cut with an axe
þ Syn. chop down, hack down
@ Varun hewed down the trees in order to build a cabin.
HEYDAY N.
the best period in performance, vigour and prosperity þ Syn. prime, zenith, glory days
@ In his heyday, Jitendra was Bollywood’s most polished dancer.
HIATUS N.
a break in continuity, a gap, a lapse in action þ Syn. pause, interrupti on
@ Tourists are once again visiting Kashmir after a long hiatus caused by terrorism.
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HIDEBOUND
excessively rigid, dry and stiff þ Syn. conservative, orthodox
¬ Ant. liberal, broadminded
@ The hidebound old patriarch would not tolerate any opposition to his orders.
HIDEOUS Adj.
offensive to the senses, grotesque, gruesome þ Syn. ugly, repugnant, shocking
@ The new concrete s tructures l ook s o hideous next to the simple huts in the serene village.
HIEROGLYPHIC N.
picture writing
@ The hieroglyphics on the walls of the pyramid warned everyone of the danger inside.
HILARIOUS Adj., HILARITY N.
very funny, jolly, m erry
þ Syn. amusing, comical, entertaining
¬ Ant. serious , grave, weighty
@ Hilarity is improper on serious occasions.
@ He tries to flirt with women half his age, with hilarious results.
HINDSIGHT
perception of events after they happen
@ In hi ndsight, Hari sh realis ed that eating the entire box of chocolates was probably not a wise idea.
HINTERLAND N.
a region lying inland from the coast
@ The hinterland of our country is very fertile and produces a number of crops.
HIRSUTE Adj., HIRSUTISM N.
hai ry, rough, s haggy, bris tly þ Syn. bushy, furry,
¬ Ant. bald, hairless, receding, plain
@ The baby looked rather hirsute but the doctor ass ured the new parents that there was no cause for worry.
HISPANIC Adj.
of Spanish origin, of Spain and other Spanish speaking countries
@ The Hispanic culture is ancient and rich.
HISTRIONIC Adj.
d ra m at i c , a f f e ct e d, o f a ct i ng or dr a m a, s o m et i m e s ov e rl y dramatic, theatrical
þ Syn. theatri cal, exaggerated, insincere
¬ Ant . restrained, reserved, controll ed
@ Her histrionics, obviously borrowed from Hindi films, fooled no one.
HOA RY
very old, whitish or gray from age þ Syn. venerabl e, hackneyed
¬ Ant. original, young
@ The old man's hoary beard contrasted starkly with the new stubble of the teenager.
HOAX N.
a trick, practical joke, deception þ Syn. flimflam, humbug
@ Unfortunately some virus threats are a hoax and simply cause some panic with no real damage.
HOBBLE V., N.
to walk unsteadily or awkwardly þ Syn. limp, hop, shamble, totter
@ The beggar hobbling along the road presented a painful sight.
HOBSON’S CHOICE
an offer where you really have no alternative, the choice between a thing offered and nothing
@ When it came to food, the canteen off ered us a Hobson’s choi ce.
HOI POLLOI (Greek)
crowd, masses, general public þ Syn. rabble, commoners
¬ Ant. elite
@ Amitabh will be in the VIP lounge where he doesn’t have to mix with the hoi polloi.
HOLISTIC
emphasising importance of the whole and interdependence of its parts
@ Dr Anu Khanna believes in a holistic approach to healing.
HOLOCA UST
widespread destruction, usually by fire þ Syn. catas trophe, di saster
@ The city was utterly destroyed by the holocaust.
Mini Re vision Test
Match each word in the first column with its meaning in the second column.
1 . grandios e a . uniform
HOMA GE
public honour and respect þ Syn. tri bute, eulogy
¬ Ant. criticism, cynicism
@ Upon arriving at the village, the warriors paid homage to its chief.
HOMICIDE N.
mansl aughter, m urder þ Syn. killing, slaughter
@ The young man was arrested for homicide.
HOMOGENEOUS
composed of identical parts þ Syn. consistent, uniform
¬ Ant. heterogeneous, dissimilar
@ Finl and w as a very hom ogenous country unti l i m mi grants began to settle there several decades ago.
HOMONYM
w ord i denti cal i n pronunci ati on and s pel l i ng but di f ferent i n meani ng
@ "Right" as in the direction and "right" meaning "correct" are homonym s.
HONE to sharpen
þ Syn. strop, grind
¬ Ant. blunt, dull
@ You might want to hone your writing skills before filling out college applications.
HONORARIUM N.
a voluntary fee paid to a person for his professional services
@ W e us ual l y of fer our vi s i ti ng l ecturers an honorari um of Rs.500 per hour.
HOOLIGAN N., HOOLIGANISM N.
a young, violent, rude person
þ Syn. punk, gorilla, ruffian, hoodlum
@ The police warned the hooligan and let him go.
@ Hooliganism is the norm of the day when these rioting football fans meet.
HORDE N.
crowd
þ Syn. crowd, mass, gang, group, pack
@ Hordes of his admirers await his entry on the stage.
@ When they heard the concert was free, they came in hordes.
HORS D’OEUVRE
savoury like olives, sardines etc. to whet the appetite before a meal
@ The hors d’oeuvre tasted better than the main course at the di nn er.
HOUND V.
to chase and harass, hassle, intimidate, persecute þ Syn. purs ue, pester, persecute
@ All celebrities are hounded by the press.
HOVER V.
to hang fluttering in the air, wait nearby þ Syn. float, drift, linger
@ The plane kept hovering for an hour before landing.
HUBBUB N.
confus ed uproar
þ Syn. noise, racket, hullabaloo, din
@ I could hardly hear myself s peak above the hubbub in the res tro bar.
HUBRIS N.
arrogance, excessi ve s elf conceit
@ Humility can take you places but hubris often lands you in the debri s .
HUDDLE V.
to crowd together in disorder þ Syn. group, cluster, knot, bend
@ The frightened monkeys huddled in their cage.
HUMANE merciful, kindly
þ Syn. compas sionate, sympathetic
¬ Ant. cruel, inhumane
@ The cam p co m m ander ens ured that a l l pri s o ners of w ar received humane treatment.
HUMBUG N.
something designed to deceive or mislead, pretense þ Syn. hypocrisy, insincerity, lip service
¬ Ant . si nceri ty, honesty, authenti ci ty
@ The government’s claim that it did not know about the arms deal is a lot of humbug.
HUMDRUM Adj.
dull, monotonous
þ Syn. bori ng, routine, everyday
¬ Ant. exciting, thrilling, stirring
@ After the metropol is, he found life in the small town quite humdrum.
HUSBANDRY N.
f r u g a l i t y, t h r i f t , a g r i c u l t u r e , c a r e f u l u s e o f r e s o u r c e s , cons ervati on
@ Thanks to his husbandry, they were not short of food even when the war prolonged.
@ He gave a lecture on crop and animal husbandry.
HUTCH
pen or coop for animals, shack, shanty
@ The rabbits bred so rapidly that they outgrew their hutch in no time.
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HYGIENIC cl ean, s anitary
þ Syn. antiseptic, sterilised
¬ Ant. dirty, insanitary
@ Hygienic living conditions help to keep infections away.
HYMN (HIM) N.
a song of praise
þ Syn. song, chant, mantra, tune
@ The school choir sang the hymns very well at the festival.
HYPERBOLE N.
wil d exaggeration, often deliberate þ Syn. overstatem ent
¬ Ant . understatem ent, irony, dryness
@ The blurb at the back was full of the usual hyperbole, but the book was a disappointment.
HYPOCHONDRIA N.
morbid anxiety about health, imaginary illness
@ S h e w a s w o r r i e d t h a t h e r d o c t or w o u l d a c c u s e he r o f hypochondri a.
HYPOCRITE
person claiming beliefs or virtues he or she doesn't really possess þ Syn. phony, pretender
@ The docto r w ho advi s e d hi s pati e nts to s tay aw ay f rom tobacco was called a hypocrite when he was caught smoking.
Busine ss, Economics, a nd Finance
The following are 10 words that are related to the topic mentioned a bo ve .
ACCRUE : to accumulate over time (e.g., interest or money owing) BULLISH : characterized by rising share prices on Stock Exchange EMBA RG O : an official prohibition or restriction of foreign trade by
one nation against another
ESCROW : a temporary account established to hold funds pending the completion of investment or purchase transaction HEDGE : to of f s e t t he ri s k o f l os s ( e.g .; f ro m m ark et pri ce
fl uctuations) PECUNIARY : financial; monetary
RED HERRING : s om ething es pecial ly a cl ue, w hi ch is i ntented to be misleading or distracting
SCRIVENER : a professional or public copyist, scribe, or notary SURETY : one who guarantees the perf ormance (e.g., payment)
on behalf of another
USURIOUS : referring to an extremely high or unlawful rate of interest HYPOTHESIS
assumption subject to proof þ Syn. conjecture, supposition
@ It's an interesting hypothesis, but I'll need proof.
HYPOTHETICAL theoreti cal, s peculati ve þ Syn. conjectured, im agined
¬ Ant. real, actual
@ The of ficial claim ed that his radical forecast was based on hypotheti cal si tuati ons.
HYSTERIA N., HYSTERICAL Adj.
an outbreak of wild emotions, panic, chaos, frenzy þ Syn. panic, hysterics, frenzy, madness
¬ Ant. calm , sereni ty, quietness, peace
@ There is hysteria among teenagers and pop music lovers over the arrival of Michael Jackson.
@ There is always a hysterical crowd at the stadium during an IndoPak cricket match.
“I”
ICONOCLAST N., ICONOCLASTIC Adj.
a person opposing conventional beliefs, dissident, agitator þ Syn. misfit, maverick, nonconformist
¬ Ant . cons ervative, tradi ti onal, orthodox
@ Human civilisation largely owes its evolution to its iconoclastic members.
@ It must have been an iconoclast who conjured up the audacious dream of space travel.
IDEA LISM
pursuit of noble goals þ Syn. philosophy, principle
¬ Ant. materialism, cynicism
@ His idealism is admirable, but it will not be easy to support ten orphans .
IDEE FIXE N.
a fixed idea or belief, obsession
@ In thes e troubl ed ti m es characteri s ed by rapi d c hanges , managers s hould try and rid thems elves of every poss ible idee fixe.
IDIOSYNCRASY N.
peculiarity of temperament or mental constitution, eccentricity, oddi ty
þ Syn. abnormality, quirk
@ My grandfather had many lovable idiosyncras ies, one being his insistence that dessert be eaten after every meal, even af ter breakf as t.
IDYLLIC Adj.
simple, innocent, charming
þ Syn. peaceful, calm, tranquil, restful
@ Idyllic scenery of Manali allures thousands every year.
IGNOBLE Adj.
of low birth or common origin, plebeian þ Syn. lowborn base
¬ Ant. noble, dignified, highborn
@ Ignoble means to achieve success are despicable.
IGNOMINY N., IGNOMINIOUS Adj.
public or profound disgrace, insult þ Syn. humiliation, shame
¬ Ant. honour, respect, admiration
@ Not even the fear of ignomi ny dampens the s piri t of the crooked.
@ The ignominious mayor fled from the town, leaving behind a tangled financial mess.
ILLEGIBLE Adj.
not readable, indistinct, indecipherable þ Syn. scrawled, scribbled
¬ Ant. readable, comprehensi ble
@ I am afraid illegible handwriting is not the only qualification required to become a doctor.
ILLICIT Adj.
unl awful , unauthori sed, forbi dden, (esp. of substances) illegal or disapproved of
þ Syn. felonious, wrongful
¬ Ant. legal, lawful
@ Illicit liquor is the creation of prohibition.
ILLUSORY unreal , deceptive
þ Syn. delusory, notional
¬ Ant. genuine, real
@ The l ost travel ler was devastated to discover that the lake he had seen was illusory, just a mirage.
ILLUSTRIOUS famous , renowned
þ Syn. eminent, acclaimed
¬ Ant. obscure, unknown
@ The illustrious music composer produced one hit after another, much to the delight of his fans.
IMBECILE N.
a f ooli sh, unwi se, stupid pers on, a pers on w ho behaves i n a stupid way
¬ Ant. brilliant
@ Things have become so bad that only an imbecile can expect a politician to put country before self.
IMBIBE V.
to absorb, receive in the mind þ Syn. drink, down, swallow
@ Imbibing the ideals of the great men will be worth the effort.
IMBROGLIO N.
confusion, chaos, embroilment, full of trouble and problems þ Syn. entangl ement, em barrassm ent
@ The Sovi et Uni on becam e anxi ous to wi thdraw i ts sol diers from the Afghan imbroglio.
IMBUE
to infuse, dye, wet, moisten þ Syn. permeate, fill
¬ Ant. starve, block
@ Maithili struggled to imbue her children with decent values, a difficult task in this day and age.
IMMA CULATE Adj.
clean, spotless, pure, exquisite, unsullied þ Syn. clean and tidy, perfect, spick
¬ Ant. messy, untidy, muddled, chaotic
@ Dressed in an immaculate white chiffon Simi Grewal looked angeli c.
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IMMA TERlA L
inconsequential, not consisting of matter þ Syn. extraneous, nones sential
¬ Ant. important, tangible
@ For some people, the means are immaterial; results are all that matters.
IMMENSE enormous, huge
þ Syn. massive, gigantic
¬ Ant. minute, tiny
@ In the main hall of the museum, an immense dinosaur skeleton towered over the children.
IMMERSE
to bathe, dip, to engross, preoccupy þ Syn. subm erge, absorb
¬ Ant . dehydrate, dis tract
@ As the heat became unbearable, the tiger immersed itself in the zoo pool and stayed there till evening.
IMMINENT Adj.
o v e r h an g i n g , i m p en d i n g , t h re a t e n i n g , ( e s p . o f s o m e t h i n g unpleasant) likely to happen very soon
þ Syn. looming, depending, on the agenda
¬ Ant. distant, remote, outlying, far
@ The Prim e Mi ni s ter has strenuousl y deni ed reports that a general election was imminent.
IMMOBILE not moveable, still
þ Syn. motionless, stationary
¬ Ant. mobile, moving
@ Al though Ghans hyam's legs have been im mobi le s ince the accident, he gets around on his wheelchair.
IMMOLATE V., IMMOLATION N.
t o o f f er i n s a c ri f i c e, t o k i l l ( e s p. y ou r s e l f ) or t o d e s tr o y (something), usually by burning, esp. as an expression of anger
@ Students’ selfimmolation over the Mandal issue was tragic.
IMMUNE Adj., IMMUNITY N.
exem pt, f ree f rom danger or obl igation, protected agai nst a disease by substances in the blood
þ Syn. res istant, protected, impervi ous
¬ Ant. sus ceptible, vulnerable, prone
@ Politicians are immune to public criticism. before the exam s.
IMMUTAB LE
unchangeabl e, i nvari able þ Syn. perpetual , unshakeable
¬ Ant. transient, vari able
@ Poverty was an imm utabl e f act of l ife f or the unfortunate Arora family; every source of income had run dry.
IMPA IR
to damage, injure þ Syn. disable, cripple
¬ Ant. enhance, improve
@ Years of knitting in poor light had impaired Dora's vision.
IMPA SSE
blocked path, dilemma with no solution þ Syn. deadlock, stalemate
¬ Ant. breakthrough, resoluti on
@ With both leaders fail ing to budge, the peace process had reached an impasse and the mediator had to act fast.
IMPASSIONED with passion
þ Syn. s incere, f ervent
¬ Ant. half hearted, di spassi onate
@ The protesters made an impassioned plea for the life of the condemned man.
IMPASSIVE showing no emotion
þ Syn. apathetic, i ndif ferent
¬ Ant . excitable, expres si ve
@ The ki ng l ooked on i mpas si vely as the trai tor desperatel y pleaded for his life.
IMPEACH
to charge with misdeeds in public office, accuse þ Syn. arraign, indict
¬ Ant. discharge, acquit
@ The senators debated whether or not the president should be impeached for his felony.
Mini Re vision Test
Match each word in the first column with its meaning in the second column.
1 . iconocl ast a . illegal
2 . illicit b . flaw less
3 . impeccable c . pow erl es s
4 . impotent d . attacker of popular beliefs 5 . i naugurate e . begin officially
An
IMPECCABLE
flawless, without fault
þ Syn. unblemished, blameless
¬ Ant. imperfect, f aulty
@ The dress rehearsal was impeccable; everythi ng was ready for the actual perform ance.
IMPENETRABLE Adj.
n ot a bl e t o be p i er ce d o r en te re d , be yo n d un de rs t an di ng , impossible to enter or go through
þ Syn. impassable, opaque, enigmatic
@ Ocean’s mysteries are impenetrable.
IMPENITENT Adj.
not repentant, not sorry or ashamed about something bad you have done, not peni tent
þ Syn. not sorry, shameless
¬ Ant. remorseful, regretful, sorry
@ To this day she remains impenitent about her criminal past.
IMPERATIVE es sential, m andatory
þ Syn. indispensable, obl igatory
¬ Ant. unimportant, optional
@ It's imperative that you follow the instructions of the crew in the event of a crash.
IMPERIAL Adj.
royal, noble, aristocratic, grand, of an empire or the person who rules it
þ Syn. regal, imposing, majestic
@ All imperial palaces of Europe are tourist attractions.
IMPERIOUS Adj.
dom i neeri n g, tyr anni ca l , aut hori ta ti ve, di ctat ori al , haugh ty;
intensely compelling þ Syn. arrogant, s uperior
¬ Ant. submissive, obedient, compliant
@ Imperious government officials close their eyes to the plight of the public.
@ We need to find a solution to the imperious problems of new age gizmos like cellphone cameras.
IMPERTURBABLE Adj.
cal m , qui et, w hi ch cannot be perturbed or di s turbed, bei ng unusually calm and serene,
þ Syn. tranquil, serene, placid
¬ Ant . excited, frenzied, turbul ent
@ She was calmly competent and imperturbable in a crisis, just the ideal nurse.
IMP IOUS
not devout in religion þ Syn. unholy, irreligious
¬ Ant. holy, pious
@ The nun cut herself of f f rom her im pious f ami ly after s he entered the convent.
IMPLACABLE
inflexible, incapable of being pleased þ Syn. unpaci fiable, unyi elding
¬ Ant. mollifiable, forgiving
@ Hi s rag e at the betr ayal w as s o gr eat that he r em ai ned implacable for weeks.
IMPLANT(v)
to set securely or deeply, to instill (n) – transplant, graft
þ Syn. embed, lodge
¬ Ant. extract, draw out
@ The teacher tried to implant good virtues in his students.
IMPLICATE V., IMPLICATION N.
to involve, to entangle or connect; a possible si gni fi cance
þ Syn. associate, involve, connect, link
¬ Ant . cl ear, obvious, apparent, patent
@ The top brass of Global Trust Bank is implicated in the scam.
@ The book has political implications.
IMPLICIT
implied, not directly expressed þ Syn. unders tood, deduci ble
¬ Ant. explicit, direct
@ He never said so but it was implicit in Ravi’s behaviour that he wanted to terminate his relationship with Sapna.
IMPORTUNE V.
IMPORTUNE V.