Students appearing for competitive exams need to be quick with their thinking while solving questions to score well. To be able to communicate effectively, candidates need to be on top of their game when it comes to vocabulary.
Here’s a way to improve your vocabulary and communication skills. Check out the words for the day and a small quiz to push yourself to improve your word power and language skills.
Abrade (Verb)
Meaning: scrape or wear away by friction or erosion
Example: It was a landscape slowly abraded by a fine, stinging dust
Bogus (Adjective)
Meaning: not genuine or true (used in a disapproving manner when deception has been attempted)
Example: It was difficult to avoid the conclusion that the claims of fair trade are bogus
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Abstruse (Adjective)
Meaning: difficult to understand; obscure
Example: an abstruse philosophical inquiry
Consternation (Noun)
Meaning: a feeling of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected
Example: The central message of the book caused the most consternation
Conundrum (Noun)
Meaning: a confusing and difficult problem or question
Example: The last two days may have finally supplied an answer to that conundrum
Covetous (Adjective)
Meaning: having or showing a great desire to possess something belonging to someone else
Example: Red has a lot of qualities that I should think you’d be covetous of
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Demagogue (Noun)
Meaning: a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument
Example: A gifted demagogue with particular skill in manipulating the press
Denouement (Noun)
Meaning: the outcome of a situation, when something is decided or made clear
Example: The stage was now set for the final denouement in a two-handed drama
Egress (Noun)
Meaning: the action of going out of or leaving a place
Example: There are cobbled access roads to allow resident access and egress
Euthanasia (Noun)
Meaning: the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma
Example: The message for everyone is that the debate about euthanasia must be continued.
Put your thinking cap on and try to answer the following questions to understand how much you have grasped.
- This role was not excluded but fell outside the criteria of care for ____________. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Euthanasia, Egress)
- Can you think of some sentences using the words Egress, Denouement and Demagogue?
- Can you think of some synonyms for the word Covetous?
- Can you think of some antonyms for the word Consternation?
- The _________________ of the missing link was solved. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Conundrum, Abrade)
Also Read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: 10 English words you can learn and 5 questions to know how much you have grasped
Watch out for this space for your weekly update on improving word power.
(Definitions and examples are from Oxford Languages)
