started with basics p r o v i d i n g a s ol i d foundation and exposed to the tougher part of the subject. The vocabulary sessions conducted in the class were quite advantageous as it helped me retain words.
OBSESSED Adj. , OBSESSION consumed, dominated; fixed idea þ Syn. gri pped, fixed, passionate
¬ Ant . uninteres ted, indif ferent, aloof
@ The government seems obsessed by the need for secrecy.
OBSESSIVE – preoccupying, allconsuming þ Syn. addicti ve, f anati cal
¬ Ant. balanced, practical
@ Shyam is obsessive about his work; he never leaves the office before 10 at night.
OBSOLETE Adj.
out of use, outdated, antiquated, archaic þ Syn. out of date, outdated, past it
¬ Ant. uptodate, new , advance
@ The obs olete ideas of the clergy are the bigges t obstacles facing the women of the world.
OBSTETRICIAN N.
physician specialising in the delivery of children
@ An obstetrici an has s pecial trai ning i n caring for pregnant women and in helping with childbirth.
OBSTINATE Adj.
dogged, immovable, persistent, stubborn, adamant þ Syn. fixed, adam ant, persistent
¬ Ant. compliant, obedient, amenable
@ There is a thi n l ine between being determ ined and bei ng obs tinate.
OBSTREPEROUS Adj.
noisy, clamorous, unruly, boisterous þ Syn. hostile, defiant, sullen
¬ Ant. cheerful, joyful, in good sprits
@ The shop announced heavy discounts but failed to placate its obstreperous customers as the goods were sold out within an hour.
OBTRUDE V. OBTRUSION N.
become noticeable in an unwelcome or intrusive way
@ The sound of the boisterous laughter obtruded the silence of the temple.
OBTRUSIVE – pushy, too conspicuous þ Syn. noticeable, prominent
¬ Ant. unobtrus ive, inconspicuous
@ I think that huge portrait that you hung in the hall is a bit obtrus i ve.
OBTUSE Adj.
blunt, dull, insensitive
þ Syn. dullwitted, thick, slow
¬ Ant. intelligent, able, quick
@ Media always hype up the obtuse statements of controversial authori ties .
OBVIATE V.
to eliminate a difficulty
þ Syn. prevent, hinder, avert
¬ Ant. permit, let, sanction
@ A peacef ul s ol ution woul d obviate the need to s end a UN military force.
OCCLUDE V. , OCCLUSION N.
shut, close
@ Prejudice and bigotry occluded reason and common sense as the riots raged on.
OCCIDENT N.
the west
@ Globalisation have blended the cultures of the occident and the orient.
OCCULT Adj.
secret, hidden, esoteric
@ She cl aim s to have occult pow ers , gi ven to her by som e mysterious spirit.
OCULAR Adj. OCULIST N.
pertaining to the eye, optical, visual; physician who specialises in the treatment of the eyes
þ Syn. visual, optical
@ An ocular operation can correct the vision of a person.
@ An oculist is required to have a degree in ophthalmology.
IC : PTpntvb01 (128) of (188)
ODIOUS Adj. ODIUM N.
monstrous , disgracef ul, atrocious; detestation þ Syn. hatef ul, loaths ome, repulsive
¬ Ant. pleasant, amiable, charming
@ Henry Bavington plays the part of Mr. Gri mes, the odi ous headm as ter.
@ His trial has led to widespread public odium.
ODYSSEY N.
a long trip, a trip fraught with dangers
@ The film follows one man’s odyssey to find his mother from whom he was separated at birth.
OFFICIOUS Adj.
interfering, meddlesome þ Syn. bos sy, fussy, intrus ive
¬ Ant. submissive, docile, passive
@ He’s an officious little man and widely disliked in the company.
OFFSHOOT – branch þ Syn. side shoot, tendril
¬ Ant. trunk, bole
@ The company encouraged the growth of the small spare parts shops as offshoots of the main factory.
OGLE V.
to look at fondly, amorously þ Syn. look at, stare at, gaze at
@ His riches made people ogle at his balance sheet.
OLIGARCHY N.
government by a few, rule of elite
@ Do you think oligarchy is preferable to dictatorship?
OMINOUS Adj.
threatening, sinister, impending þ Syn. gloomy, menacing, warning
¬ Ant . reassuring, supportive, cheeri ng
@ There was an ominous silence when I asked for the renewal of my contract.
OMNIPOTENT Adj.
allpowerful, invincible
þ Syn. allpowerful, invincible, supreme
¬ Ant. powerless, toothless, immobilised
@ Even the omnipotent Hitler was finally defeated.
OMNISCIENT – having infinite knowledge, allseeing þ Syn. allknowing, allwise
¬ Ant. ignorant, illiterate
@ Christians believe that because God is omniscient, they cannot hide their sins from Him.
OMNIVOROUS – eati ng everything, absorbing everything þ Syn. indiscriminate, undiscriminating
¬ Ant. discriminate, selective
@ She is an omnivorous reader, covering everything from comics to Premchand.
ONEROUS Adj.
burdensom e, oppres si ve
þ Syn. arduous, heavy, diffi cult
¬ Ant. easy, , simple, painless
@ To achieve 100 percent literacy is an onerous task.
ONOMATOPOEIA N.
words that sound like the noises they refer to.
@ “Hiss”, “buzz” and “squelch” are onomatopoeic words.
ONUS N.
burden, res pons ibil ity
þ Syn. respons ibility, burden, duty
@ The onus lies with the customer to check every detail before signing any contract.
OPALESCENT – iridescent, displaying colours þ Syn. multicoloured, prismatic
@ The infant, fascinated by the opalescent stone, stared at it for hours on end.
Mini Re vision Test
Match each word in the first column with its meaning in the second column.
1 . of ficious a . misleadingl y apparent
2 . onerous b . impossible to see through
3 . opa que c . annoyingl y helpful
4 . os tensible d . showing off
5 . os tentati ous e . burdensome
An sw er K ey M in i Re vis io n Te st
1.
(c ) 2.
(e ) 3.
(b ) 4.
(a ) 5.
(d )
IC : PTpntvb01 (129) of (188) OPAQUE – impervious to light, difficult to understand
þ Syn. nontrans parent, obscure
¬ Ant . trans parent, transl ucent
@ The heavy buildup of dirt and grime made the car windows almost opaque.
OPINE – to express an opinion þ Syn. think, suggest
@ The rude participant in the show opined that the guest was a pathetic excuse for a human being.
OPPORTUNE Adj.
very right or fit
þ Syn. fitting, apt, right
¬ Ant. inappropri ate, w rong, unsuitable
@ Be prepared to grab the opportune moment.
OPPORTUNIST – one who takes advantage of circumstances
@ Doz ens of opportuni sts travel l ed to the earthquakes truck region to sell food and water to the victims.
OPPROBRIOUS – disgraceful, contemptuous þ Syn. abus ive, scornful
¬ Ant. laudatory, prais ing
@ Despite his opprobrious addiction to gambling, the governor was reelected.
OPPROBRIUM N.
disgrace, infamy, ignominy
þ Syn. abuse, vituperati on, condemnation Ant. praise, accolade, encomium
@ The i nt erna ti on al co m m un i ty heap ed op prob ri um on the country after its unprovoked invasion of its neighbour.
OPULENT Adj. OPULENCE N.
wealthy, extravagant, cornucopi an, luxurious; extreme wealth, luxuri ousnes s, abundance
þ Syn. rich, welltodo
¬ Ant. poor, impoverished, desti tute
@ There is great irony in the opulent lifestyle of the socalled godm en.
ORACLE – person who foresees the future and gives advice þ Syn. prophet, fortune teller
@ Omar decided to consult an oracle when he could not make the decision on his own.
ORATOR – lecturer, speaker
@ The new profes sor's dull tone of voi ce and lack of energy make him a particularly poor orator.
ORACULAR Adj.
prophetic, hard to interpret, enigmatic þ Syn. predictive, prescient, prognos tic
@ The saint spoke in an oracular tone.
ORB – spherical body, eye þ Syn. spheroid, globe
¬ Ant. nonspherical, polygonal
@ Paramjeet sighed at the sight of the lantern orbs glowing like small moons above the tables in the restaurant.
ORCHESTRATE – to arrange music for performance, to coordinate þ Syn. to arrange, to organise
¬ Ant. to disorganise, to usurp
@ Though the president took all the credit, it was his wife who had actual ly orchestrated the enti re event.
ORDAIN V.
decree, manage, conduct
@ The counci l, in its w isdom, has ordained that all the local libraries will remain closed on Mondays.
ORDEAL N.
labour, nightmare, torment, tribulation
@ Travel by bus or train in India is really an ordeal.
ORGY N.
wild, drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence þ Syn. debauch, carous al, carouse
@ It was a night of wild orgy for them.
ORIENT Adj.
rising, as the sun, Eastern
@ The lore of the orient constantly attracts Western tourists.
ORNATE Adj.
el aborate, flori d, showy, decorated
@ The gates at the marriage reception pandals these days are ornate and gaudy.
ORNITHOLOGY N. , ORNITHOLOGIST N.
study of birds; scientific student of birds
@ Dr. Salim Ali was a famous ornithologist.
@ Bird watching is just a small activity under the discipline of orni thol ogy.
ORTHOGRAPHY N.
correct spelling
@ Until and unless you master English orthography, you cannot hope to be a good writer.
OSCILLATE – to move back and forth þ Syn. sway, swing
¬ Ant. rem ain s teady, be s edentary
@ The ancient oscillating fans did little to cool down the room.
OSSEOUS Adj. OSSIFY V.
made of bone, bony; change or harden into bone
@ The creature appeared to be os seous , yet very fl uid in i ts movements.
IC : PTpntvb01 (130) of (188)
OSTENTATION N. OSTENTATIOUSNESS Adj.
act of showing, boasting; showy þ Syn. pretension, di splay, affectati on
¬ Ant . modesty, diffi dence, reserve
@ Ostentation can only evoke envy not fri endship.
@ The ostentatious lifes tyles of Boll ywood stars evoke much interest among the public.
OSTENSIBLE Adj.
outwardly showing, apparent, likely þ Syn. apparent, suppose, seem ing
¬ Ant. real, actual, true, valid
@ He visited Pakistan ostensibly to visit his brother.
OSTRACISE V.
to boycott socially
þ Syn. exclude, banish, shun
¬ Ant. include, take in, contain
@ For centuries, lepers were ostracised by society and banished to remote colonies.
OUST V.
expel, drive out
þ Syn. expel, throw out, exile
¬ Ant. appoint, employ, hire, sign up
@ He has been ousted from the company for no mistake of his.
OUSTER – expulsion, ejection þ Syn. bani shment, debarment
¬ Ant. including, welcoming
@ After his insane behaviour at the meeting, the chairman faced ouster by his fellow board members.
OUTLANDISH Adj.
biz arre, peculiar, unconventional þ Syn. pecul iar, strange, odd
¬ Ant. run of the mill, average
@ Looking even further into the future, he expected designers to experiment with even more outlandish ideas.
OUTRAGEOUS Adj.
atrocious, barbaric, infamous, monstrous þ Syn. sham eful, shocking, offensive
¬ Ant. commendable, worthy, admirable
@ It i s outrageous that these bui l di ngs rem ai n em pty w hil e thousands of people have no homes.
OVATION N.
applause, enthus ias tic recepti on þ Syn. acclaim, applause, praise
¬ Ant. jeering, mocking, hissing
@ The royal bal let received a thunderous ovation w hen they performed here two months ago.
OVERT Adj.
open to view
þ Syn. open, clear, plain, evident
¬ Ant. hidden, unseen, unknown
@ His overt life showed him to be a very respectable and kind m an.
OVERSTATE – to embellish, exaggerate þ Syn. overdramatise, overemphasi se
¬ Ant. understate, play down
@ I do not want to overstate this, but I need you to understand the seriousness of the situation.
Linguist ics
The following are 10 words that are related to the topic mentioned a bo ve .
ASSONANCE : repetition of sounds, especially vowel sounds, in a word or phrase
DIALECTOLOGY : branch of linguistics concerned with dialects
ELOCATIVE : causing an emotional reaction in the listener ( or reader) INTONATION : the melodic pattern produced by the variation in pitch
of the voice during speech
LOCUTION : any utterance, expressi on, or phrase
PERORATION : th e c onc l u di n g p art of a pu bl i c a ddr es s o r s pee ch (especi ally, summing up and recapitulating key points and /or exhorting and uplifting the audience)
PHONETIC : based on sounds (e.g, th phonetic spelling of a word) REBUS : the representation of a word by pictures or symbols SEMA NTIC : involving sings (especially, words) and the things (ideas)
they are intended to signify
SYNTAX : construction of a sentence; arrangement of words in a s e nt en ce .
IC : PTpntvb01 (131) of (188)
“P”
PACHYDERM N.
an animal with a thick skin, such as an elephant, a rhinoceros or hippopotamus, also an insensitive person
@ Call a politician a pachyderm and he will probably take it as a compliment.
PAEAN N.
song of praise or joy
þ Syn. exal tation, panegyric, alleluia
@ I wonder if singing paeans to our freedom fighters once or twice a year is sufficient to instil patriotism in our children.
PA CIFIST
one opposed to war
þ Syn. peacel over, appeaser
¬ Ant. warmonger, belligerent
@ For one who claimed to be a pacifist, Dinesh was surprisingly fond of weapons of war.
PALATABLE Adj. Palate N.
tasteful, nice to eat, appetising, delectable, agreeing with your taste buds or your mind, pleasing
þ Syn. edi ble, pleasant, tasty
¬ Ant. bland, tasteless, dull
@ The m eal w as barely palatable – i n f act, I thought i t w as di sgusting.
P ALA TIA L
like a palace, magnificent þ Syn. luxurious , opulent
¬ Ant. modest, humble
@ After living in a oneroom flat for five years, Amrita thought the modest onebedroom house looked downright palatial.
PALEONTOLOGY N. PALEONTOLOGIST N.
the study of fossils
@ Paleontology has revealed a lot about the evolution of life on pl anet E arth.
PALETTE N.
a thin board used by artists to mix colours
@ She m ixes her col ours on the canvas rather than on the pal e tte.
PALINDROME N.
a word or phrase which is spelt the same backwards and forwards
@ The word Malayalam is a palindrome.
@ You can cage a swallow, can’t you but you can’t swallow a cage, can you? (Try readi ng the sentence backwards, l ast word first.)
PALLIATE V. PALLIATION N.
ease pain, make less severe or offensive
@ We should palliate the suffering of the poor affected by the lands lide.
PALLID Adj.
weak, pale, without colour þ Syn. pale, white, ashen
¬ Ant. colorful, pink, rosy
@ A pallid complexion could be the symptom of a disease.
PALPABLE Adj., PALPITATION N.
tangible, obvious , detectabl e, noti ceable þ Syn. bl atant, flagrant, overt
¬ Ant. covert, hidden
@ The sense of excitement among the crowd was palpable.
PA LTRY Adj.
insignificant; petty
þ Syn. worthless, measly, trivial
¬ Ant. subs tantial, large, considerable
@ The company offered Jeremy a paltry sum which he refused.
PAN V.
criticise harshly
þ Syn. censure, attack, lambaste, condemn
¬ Ant. praise, commend, applaud
@ Sulman Rushdie’s latest book has been panned by critics.
PANACEA N.
the ultimate cure for everything, remedy, cure þ Syn. cureall, solution, answer
@ Education is a panacea for India’s problems.
PANACHE N.
flair, flamboyance, behavi our, speech, dash or verve þ Syn. flamboyance, flai r, style
¬ Ant. clumsiness, awkwardness
@ The solo passages were played with great panache.
PANDEMIC Adj.
widespread, prevalent over a whole country or the world.
þ Syn. pervas ive, rif e, rampant
¬ Ant. Sporadic, intermittent, scarce
@ The WHO fears that the AIDS epidem ic w ould s oon reach pandem ic proportions.
PANDEMONIUM N.
a great uproar and confusion, chaos, indiscipline þ Syn. chaos, mayhem, bedlam, racket
¬ Ant. peace, calm, order
@ Pandemonium broke out in the burning pandal.
IC : PTpntvb01 (132) of (188)
PANDER V.
cater to the low desires of others
@ Hol l yw ood f i l m producers pander to the m as s es through violence and sex.
@ Political leaders almost inevitably pander to big business.
PANEGYRIC N.
a speech in great praise of someone þ Syn. eulogy, encomium, accolade
@ She delivered a panegyric on the Presidentelect.
PANORAMA N. PANORAMIC Adj.
complete view or picture of a subject; denoting an unobstructed and a comprehensive view
þ Syn. view, scene, vista, landscape
@ This book promises to be a panorama of Indian culture.
PANTOMIME N.
acting or making gestures without speech
@ She did a pantomime of opening a lock and finally I understood that she wanted her room key.
PARADIGM (PARADYME ) N. PARA DIGMATIC Adj.
model, pattern, an extremely fine model or example of a type, ar ch et yp e
þ Syn. example, model, pattern
@ Tatas, Birlas and Ambanis are the paradigms of great success in business.
PARADOX N.
a thing which seems to contradict itself but may actually be true, a statement that appears to contradict itself but may be true þ Syn. enigma, incongruity, mystery
@ Paradoxically, Ravi ate so much but never put on weight while Ajay bloated on a starvation diet.
PARAGON N.
a perfect m odel of virtue, excellence etc., treasure, gem , the ideal
þ Syn. model, ideal, epitome
@ After hearing repeatedly that our cousin Amy was a paragon of virtue, we lost all interest in meeting her.
PARAMOUNT Adj.
supreme, extreme, above all þ Syn. dominate, chief, principal
¬ Ant. marginal, peripheral, minimal
@ Character and ethics are paramount in whatever you do.
PA RAMOUR N.
a term used for an unlawful lover
@ The paramour was thrashed by the husband.
PARANOIA N.
ty pe o f a p s y cho l o gi cal d i s eas e w h ere a p ers on f eel s th at everyone is against him
þ Syn. fear, suspici on, obsession
@ In his last days, Hitler suffered from paranoia.
PARAPHERNALIA N.
equipment; odds and ends
þ Syn. apparatus, kits, implements
@ H e r p u r s e c o n t a i n e d c o m b s , g l o s s a n d o t h e r p e r s o n a l paraphernal i a.
P ARAP HRASE
to reword, usually in simpler terms þ Syn. rephras e, res tate
@ In paraphrasing the poet, she lost the eloquence of his style and the punch of his message.
Lit e r a t ure
The following are 10 words that are related to the topic mentioned a bo ve .
APOCRYP HAL : of unknown authorship or doubtful integrity BA LLAD : a narrative poem meant for recitation or singing COLOPHON : a p ub l i s h er ’ s a nd / o r pr i n t e r’ s d i s t i n c t i v e e m bl e m ,
monogram or cipher
DENOUEMENT : the f i nal unf oldi ng or a plot; the f i nal res ol uti on or outcome following the climax
DOGGEREL : p o e t i c v e r s e o f g e n e r a l l y p o o r q u a l i t y ; v e r s e characterized by a crude, rough, irregular, or burlesque s tyl e
EUPHEMISM : a pleasant or complimentary word or phrase used instead o f on e th a t i s h a rs h or d e ro ga to r y to p re v en t th e conveyance of a bluntly honest opinion
FIGURATIVE : metaphoric; not to be interpreted literally MISSIVE : a letter, usually formal or official
ODE : a literary or musical work
P LA GIARISM : the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own
IC : PTpntvb01 (133) of (188) P ARA SITE
person or animal that lives at another's expense þ Syn. scrounger, leech
@ Sameer was a parasite wasting his wife’s money in drinking and gambling.
PARIAH N.
a person ostracised by civilisation, an outcast of society þ Syn. exile, outsider, recluse
@ For his beliefs, Vidyasagar was initially declared a pariah.
PARITY – equality
þ Syn. equival ence, congruence
¬ Ant. disparity, inequality
@ Mrs . R am anna tri ed to m ai nt ai n pari ty betw een h er tw o children, although each claimed she favoured the other.
PARLANCE N.
a special way of talking or conversing, expression, verbiage þ Syn. idiom, phrasing, dialect
@ Campus parlance often shocks parents.
PARLEY N. V.
conference (also v)
þ Syn. meeting, discussion, confab
@ The parl ey between the two countries conti nues but there not much hope of an agreement.
PAROCHIAL Adj.
a restricted, narrow viewpoint; ignorant, unsophisticated þ Syn. narrow, provincial, insular
@ The parochi al boundari es of cas te and col our have been detrimental to our growth.
PA RODY
humorous imitation þ Syn. satire, lampoon
@ Shahana's new play is a thinly veiled parody of corruption in the governm ent.
PAROLE N.
conditional release of a prisoner before his sentence is actually o v e r
@ The crime was committed while the prisoner was out on parole.
PAROXYSM N.
a wild, uncontrollable fit of anger; rage, wrath þ Syn. convulsion, fit, outburst, spasm
@ These proposals have thrown many people into paroxysms of ra ge .
PARRY V.
ward off a blow, deflect
þ Syn. avert, block, counter, evade
@ The boxer ducked and parried the blow.
PA RODY
humorous imitation þ Syn. satire, lampoon
@ Shahana's new play is a thinly veiled parody of corruption in the governm ent.
PARSIMONIOUS Adj. PARSIOMY N.
miserly with money, stingy, thrifty þ Syn. economical, frugal, saving
¬ Ant . wastrel, s pendthrif t, squanderer
@ His parsimonious attitude denied him of friends.
PARSIMONY sti nginess
þ Syn. thrift, miserliness
¬ A nt . extravagance, generos ity
@ Ethel gained a reputation for parsimony when she refused to pay for her daughter's college education.
PARVENU N.
a person who has recently acquired riches
@ Rich tastes cannot be expected of a parvenu.
PASSE Adj.
not in current use, oldfas hioned, outdated, obsolete
@ Manual typewriters are pas se.
PASTICHE N.
imitation of another’s style in musical composition or in writing þ Syn. take off, imitation, spoof
@ The critic wrote that the author’s l atest work was a mere pastiche and lacked originality.
PA STORA L Adj.
rel ated to a calm, peaceful village l ife, of the country, rustic,
rel ated to a calm, peaceful village l ife, of the country, rustic,