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THE HINDU EDITORIAL

VOCABULARY BOOSTER
May 2019

FOR ALL BANKING AND

GOVERNMENT EXAMS
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

The Hindu Newspaper is considered the Bible by the various exam aspirants as it has the best
unbiased view on various current affairs, news and happenings in the world. Also, it helps
immensely if you are looking for daily dose of English reading and building your English
vocabulary.
Vocabulary based questions are often asked in all Banking and Government Exams. We have
been providing you with a daily dose of vocabulary to help you with overcoming your struggle
in this section. We have complied this E-Book the Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May
2019 for the month of May that contains all the words from the Hindu Editorial Vocabulary
Booster blogs. We hope it will help you in upcoming SBI PO, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS
SO, NIACL AO, RBI Grade B, SEBI, NABARD, RRB JE, SSC CGL, RRB
ALP, CWC, FCI, NTPC, IDBI, NHB exams as well. So, we at Oliveboard present to all our
viewers and Exam aspirants this eBook that has all the difficult words with their meanings and
the correct usage from the month of May.
Sample Questions:
Q. What is the meaning of accede?
1. Consent
2. Fallout
3. Confront
4. Anticipate
Ans. (1)
Q. Which of the following words is summarises “Self-evident or unquestionable”?
1. Diplomat
2. Envoy
3. Axiomatic
4. Consul
Ans. (3)
Preparing for more exams like FCI, CWC, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS SO, Railways RRB
ALP, RRB JE, SSC CGL, SSC CPO, SEBI Grade A, ESIC SSO, LIC HFL? Ace your exam preparation
with mock tests from Oliveboard. Also, refer to informative articles on Exam
preparation here.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019

Sr. No. Words Meanings Usage
1. Abandon Cease to support or look after Her mother had abandoned her
someone/something; at an early age.
Desert
2. Aberrant Departing from an accepted This aberrant behaviour of yours
standard; requires a written explanation.
Deviant, Divergent, Abnormal
3. Abrasive Harsh, Caustic, Cutting, Her abrasive and arrogant way
Grating, Biting, Acerbic, Vitriolic
of talking can only win her few
friends.
4. Abridged Of a piece of writing having been They listened to
shortened an abridged version of the Prime
Minister’s speech on tape.
5. Abstain Restrain oneself from doing or I am trying to abstain from
enjoying something sweets for my new diet.
6. Accede Agree to a demand, request, or The authorities did
treaty; not accede to the strikers’
Agree to, Consent, Accept, demands as they were highly
Assent to unreasonable.
7. Accountability The fact or condition of being Lack of accountability has
accountable; corroded public respect for
Responsibility, Answerability business and political leaders.
8. Acrimony Bitterness or ill feeling; We could avoid this acrimonious
Rancour, Resentment, Ill feeling situation altogether by agreeing
to disagree on the issue.
9. Ad hoc When necessary or needed; The mayor appointed an ad hoc
Impromptu, Extempore, committee to study the project.
Extemporary
10. Affinity A natural liking for and He had a special affinity towards
understanding of someone or horses
something;
A close similarity between two
things, or an attraction or
sympathy for someone or
something because of shared
characteristics
11. Affirmation Declare, State, Assert, Proclaim, The foreign affairs
Pronounce minister affirmed the country’s
commitment to peace.
12. Aggressive Ready or likely to attack or He’s very uncooperative
confront; and aggressive.
Hostile, Belligerent,
Assertive, Forceful, Competitive,
Insistent
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13. Agonise Undergo great mental anguish We are faced with

through worrying about an agonizing dilemma.
something;
Worry, Fret, Fuss, Upset oneself
14. Alchemist A person who transforms or She manages, by some
creates something through a extraordinary alchemy, to turn
seemingly magical process the most ordinary of ingredients
into the most delicious dishes.
15. Allegation A claim or assertion that The IAS officer has
someone has done something made allegations of corruption
illegal or wrong, against the administration.
typically, one made
without proof;
Claim, Assertion
16. Alliance A union or association formed We formed a
for mutual benefit, especially neighbourhood alliance to plan
between countries or events in our community.
organizations;
Association, Union, League
17. Ambitious Having or showing a strong She is a
desire and determination to ruthlessly ambitious workaholic.
succeed;
Aspiring, Determined, Forceful,
Pushy, Enterprising
18. Anomaly Something that deviates from Statistical anomalies can make it
what is standard, normal, or difficult to compare economic
expected; data from one year to the next.
Oddity, Peculiarity, Abnormality,
Irregularity
19. Anthropocene Relating to or denoting the Some geologists argue that the
current geological age, viewed Anthropocene began with the
as the period during which Industrial Revolution.
human activity has been the
dominant influence on climate
and the environment
20. Antipathy A deep-seated feeling of The author is a private man with
aversion; a deep antipathy towards the
Hostility, Antagonism, Animosity press.
21. Antithesis Being a direct opposite of His on-screen role was
someone or something else. an antithesis of his real life.
Opposite, Inverse
22. Antithetical Directly opposed or contrasted; His grandparents cannot
Mutually incompatible tolerate people whose religious
beliefs are antithetical to theirs.
23. Anxious Feeling or showing worry, She was
nervousness, or unease about extremely anxious about her
entrance exam.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

something with an uncertain

outcome;
Worried, Concerned,
Apprehensive, Fearful, Uneasy
24. Apocalypse The complete final destruction Several leading scientists are
of the world; predicting an
An event involving destruction environmental apocalypse.
or damage on a catastrophic
scale;
Destruction, Holocaust, Havoc
25. Astound Shock or greatly surprise; The magician astounded the
Amaze, Astonish, Stagger, children with his latest tricks.
Surprise
26. Astute Ability to assess situations and She was one of the most astute
turning them to his/her people I have met in my life.
advantage.
Sharp, Shrewd
27. Axiomatic Self-evident or unquestionable, It seems axiomatic that
Undeniable everyone would benefit from a
better scientific education.
28. Blatant Bad behaviour done openly and I was shocked by
unashamedly; the blatant racism of his
Flagrant, Glaring, Obvious, remarks.
Undisguised
29. Brag Say something in a boastful He bragged that he was sure of
manner; victory of his team in the
Boast, Crow, Show off, football match.
Swagger, Swank
30. Brutal Savagely violent; The attack on the army was a
Savage, Cruel, Vicious particularly brutal and cowardly
attack.
31. Catapult Propel, Launch, Hurl, Hurtle, The explosion catapulted the car
Fling 30 yards along the road.
32. Ceasefire A temporary suspension of Both of the countries have
fighting; agreed to a ceasefire after three
a truce, Armistice, Peace years of conflict.
33. Chaotic In a state of complete confusion The political situation
and disorder; is chaotic in the state.
Disorderly
34. Coherent Logical and consistent; The Government failed to
Reasonable, Rational, Sound, develop a coherent economic
Cogent strategy.
35. Combat A fight, especially during a war The film explores the combat
between good and evil.
36. Commendable Deserving praise; Odisha government’s efforts is
Admirable, Praiseworthy, handling the cyclone
Laudable were commendable.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

37. Compliance The action or fact of complying The company said that it had
with a wish or command; always acted in compliance with
Obeying an order, rule, or environmental laws.
request
38. Condone Accept behaviour that is The college cannot condone any
considered morally wrong or behaviour that involves illicit
offensive drugs
39. Confront Come face to face with someone The new government
with hostile or argumentative was confronted with many
intent; profound difficulties.
Challenge, square up to,
Oppose, Resist
40. Consequence A result or effect, typically one I think we’re all aware of
that is unwelcome or the consequences.
unpleasant;
Result, Upshot, Outcome, Out-
turn
41. Contradict To challenge or oppose a The Opposition
statement made by someone. party contradicted the
Dispute, Refute statements made by the Prime
Minister.
42. Counterpart A person or thing that The Prime Minister held talks
corresponds to or has the same with his German counterpart for
function as another person or import of defence weapons.
thing in a different place or
situation;
Equivalent, Peer, Equal, Parallel
43. Credibility The quality of being trusted and He complained that his
believed in; colleague had tried to
Trustworthiness, Reliability, undermine his credibility within
Dependability, Integrity, the company.
Character
44. Criticise Indicate the faults of someone The opposition criticised the
or something in a disapproving government’s failure to
way; implement the GST properly.
Find fault with, Censure,
Denounce, Condemn
45. Crucial Decisive or critical, especially in Her work has been crucial to the
the success or failure of project’s success.
something;
Pivotal, Critical, Key, Climacteric,
Decisive
46. Culpability Responsibility for a fault or He was held culpable for all that
wrong; had happened.
Blame, Guilt, Fault,
Responsibility
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

47. Daunting Something difficult to deal with. He faces the daunting prospect
Intimidating, Formidable of up to three different exams in
one day.
48. Dearth having a lack of adequate supply There is no dearth of options in
of something. the fast bowling department for
Deficit, Scarcity the Indian Team.
49. Debacle A sudden and ignominious The collapse of the company
failure; Layman Brothers was described
A Fiasco, Failure, Catastrophe, as the greatest
Disaster, Disintegration financial debacle in US history.
50. Deceive Deliberately cause someone to I didn’t intend to deceive people
believe something that is not into thinking it was French
true, especially for personal champagne.
gain;
Defraud, Cheat, Trick, Hoodwink
51. Decisive Settling an issue; She had an image of being tough
Producing a definite result; and decisive.
Deciding, Conclusive,
Determining, Final
52. Deft Neatly skilful and quick in one’s He is very deft at handling
movements; awkward situations.
Skilful, Adept, Adroit, Dexterous,
Agile
53. Delineate Describe or portray something Ideally the law
precisely; should delineate and prohibit
Outline, Trace behaviour which is socially
abhorrent.
54. Deplorable Deserving strong condemnation; The children were raised
Completely unacceptable; in deplorable conditions.
Disgraceful, Shameful,
Dishonourable, Disreputable
55. Derision Contemptuous ridicule or Her speech was met with hoots
mockery; & howls of derision.
56. Desperate Having a great need or desire for He felt a desperate need for a
something; cigarette.
In great need of
57. Dignitary A person considered to be The guests included former
important because of high rank shareholders, local dignitaries,
or office; and many of the people directly
Grandee, Important person, VIP involved with the project.
58. Diktat An order or decree imposed by The coach issued a diktat that all
someone in power without team members must attend
popular consent; early-morning practice.
Rules & laws
59. Dilemma A situation in which a difficult The president is clearly in
choice has to be made between a dilemma over how to tackle
two or more alternatives; the crisis of food security.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

Quandary, Predicament,
Difficulty, Problem
60. Diligence Careful and persistent work or A few party members challenge
effort; his diligence as an MP.
Conscientiousness,
Assiduousness
61. Diplomatic Of or concerning diplomacy; The governments of the two
Involving diplomats or the countries have broken
management of the off diplomatic relations.
relationships between countries;
Acting in a way that does not
cause offence
62. Disclose Make secret or new information The company
known; has disclosed profits of over
Reveal, make known, Divulge $200 million.
63. Disconcerting Causing one to feel unsettled; Our boss had
Unnerving, Discomfiting, a disconcerting habit of offering
Disturbing jobs to people he met at dinner
parties.
64. Discord Disagreement between people; A note of discord has crept into
Strife, Conflict, Friction, Hostility relations between the two
countries.
65. Discrimination The unjust or prejudicial Asians are mostly the victims of
treatment of different racial discrimination in the
categories of people, especially Europe and Australian countries.
on the grounds of race, age, or
sex;
Prejudice, Bias, Bigotry,
Intolerance
66. Disenchantmen A feeling of disappointment Their
t about someone or something growing disenchantment with
you previously respected or the leadership of the party could
admired; be clearly seen.
Disillusionment,
Disappointment, Dissatisfaction,
Discontent
67. Disengage Remove, Detach, Disentangle I disengaged his hand from
mine.
68. Disillusionment A feeling of disappointment The high abstention rate at the
resulting from the discovery that election reflected the voters’
something is not as good as one growing disillusionment with
believed it to be politics.
69. Dislodge Knock or force out of position; The
Remove, Move, Shift, Displace earthquake dislodged stones
from the walls and the roof.
70. Dismantle Take a machine or structure to The engines were dismantled,
pieces; and the bits piled into a heap.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

Deconstruct, Disassemble, Break

up
71. Dispute A disagreement or argument; The credit disputes kept the
Debate, Discussion, Discourse person from paying his bill.
72. Dissent The holding or expression of When the time came to approve
opinions at variance with those the proposal, there were one or
commonly or officially held; two voices of dissent.
Disagreement, Lack of
agreement
73. Distinctive Characteristic of one person or Mars is sometimes called the
thing, and so serving to Red Planet because of
distinguish it from others; its distinctive colour.
Distinguishing, Characteristics,
Typical, Individual
74. Distress Extreme anxiety, sorrow, or She voiced her distress and
pain; anger in the article for
Anguish, Suffering Newsweek.
75. Divisive Tending to cause disagreement The highly divisive issue of the
or illegality of abortion was being
hostility between people; discussed in the Parliament.
76. Dovetail To cause something to fit exactly We tried to dovetail our plans
together; with theirs.
Joint, Join, Fit together
77. Downplay Make something appear less This report downplays the
important than it really is seriousness of global warming.
78. Egregious Outstandingly bad; The judge said it was the
Shocking, Appalling, Horrific, most egregious act he had ever
Horrifying seen.
79. Electioneering Take part actively and The election will not be lost or
energetically won as the result of a few weeks
in a campaign to be elected to of aggressive electioneering.
public office;
Campaign, Canvass
80. Ensue Happen or occur afterwards or Chaos ensued when 60 charter
as a result; schools run by one company
Result, Follow, Develop, Stem were all suddenly closed.
81. Envisage To He personally envisaged them
visualize/imagine/contemplate a staying together.
desirable scenario in future.
Foresee, Forecast
82. Epoch The beginning of a period in the The birth of Christ was the
history of someone or beginning of a major epoch of
something; world history.
Era, Age, Period, Time, Aeon, Sp
an
83. Equitable Fair and Impartial The equitable distribution of
resources is
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

very important in a just society.

84. Erratic Not even or regular in pattern or In her study room, books were
movement; arranged erratically on chairs,
Unpredictable, Inconsistent, tables, and shelves.
Changeable, Variable
85. Ethos Mood, Feeling, Temper The new firm’s ethos is brash,
fiercely ambitious, and decidedly
cutting-edge.
86. Even- Fair and impartial in treatment He was very even-handed in the
handedness or judgement; way he treated his employees.
Just, Equitable, Impartial,
Unbiased
87. Evident Clearly seen or understood; The full extent of the damage
Obvious, Apparent, Noticeable, caused by the cyclone only
Conspicuous became evident the following
morning.
88. Exacerbate To make something worse than His presence exacerbated the
it already was. already tense situation.
Worsen, Aggravate
89. Exemplary Serving as a desirable model; Her behaviour was
Very good, Ideal often exemplary, with mature
responses to challenging
situations.
90. Exhaustion A state of extreme physical or Exhaustion took over as soon as
mental tiredness; her head hit the pillow.
Fatigue, Weariness
The action of using something
up or the state of being used up
91. Exuberance The quality of being full of She is an exuberant dancer.
energy, excitement, and
cheerfulness;
Ebullience
92. Fair Treating people equally without The drama group has
favouritism or discrimination; achieved fair and equal
Just, Equitable, Fair-minded, representation for all its
Open-minded members.
93. Fanatical Filled with excessive and single- Her husband
minded zeal; was fanatical about tidiness.
Zealous, Extremist, Extreme,
Militant, Dogmatic;
Obsessively concerned with
something
94. Fatal Causing death; Hepatitis is a
Deadly, Lethal, Mortal potentially fatal disease.
95. Ferocious Savagely fierce, cruel, or violent She has got a ferocious temper.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

96. Ferocity A state of being frightening and The ferocity of his attack
violent. (Ferocious) destroyed the opponent.
Fierce, Brutality
97. Feudal According to, resembling, or His view of patriotism was more
denoting the system of than old-fashioned—it was
feudalism; positively feudal.
Absurdly outdated or old-
fashioned
98. Fiasco A complete failure, especially a Because there was no food or
ludicrous or humiliating one; music at the party,
Disaster, Catastrophe, Debacle everyone said the event was
a fiasco.
99. Fiefdom A territory or sphere of A mafia boss has turned the
operation controlled by a town into his private fiefdom.
particular person or group.
100. Formidable Inspiring fear or respect through The girls had a large amount of
being impressively large, respect for their formidable
powerful, intense, or capable; grandfather.
Intimidating, Forbidding,
Redoubtable, Daunting
101. Fraudulent Obtained, done by, or involving He got the job of science teacher
deception, especially criminal by fraudulent means.
deception;
Dishonest
102. Grave Serious, Important, Profound, Global Warming is a matter
Significant of grave concern.
103. Grievance A feeling of resentment over He has a deep sense
something believed to be wrong of grievance against his former
or unfair; employer.
Complaint, Criticism,
Objection, Protestation
104. Gross Very obvious and unacceptable; A person’s gross income is the
Flagrant, Blatant, Glaring, money they earn before tax is
Obvious deducted from it.
105. Groundswell An increase in a particular His speeches garnered
opinion among a large section of a groundswell of support for his
the population. party.
106. Haven A place of safety or refuge; Swiss Banks are considered
Refuge, Retreat, Shelter safe havens for the Black
Money.
107. Heed Paying close attention to Ajay did not pay heed to Arun’s
something. suggestions.
Mindfulness, Notice.
108. Hegemon A supreme leader United States could lose out to
another global hegemon China
109. Helplessness Inability to defend oneself or to The worst of all is the feeling
act effectively; of helplessness.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

Inability
110. Hierarchy Pecking order, Ranking, Grading, He rose quickly through the
Ladder political hierarchy to become
party leader.
111. Hostility Hostile behaviour; The Germans show
Unfriendliness or opposition open hostility to the Asians.
112. Humongous Huge, Enormous This is
a humongous computation
which became more feasible
with the help of computers.
113. Illicit Something which is not allowed Abhay’s illicit dealings with the
as per the rules or laws. mob are the reason for his
Illegal, Illegitimate current problems.
114. Impartial Treating both parties of a The Judge has to be impartial in
dispute/scenario equally. his judgements.
Neutral, Fair
115. Imperative Of vital importance; It’s imperative to act now
Crucial, All-important, Vital, before the problem gets really
Crucial, Critical serious.
116. Impervious Unable to be affected by; As evidenced by the recent
Impermeable, Impenetrable bombings, not even the nation’s
capital is impervious to
terrorism.
117. Implicit Suggested though not directly Her words contained
expressed; an implicit threat.
Implied, Indirect
118. Impoverish Make a person or area poor The wars had impoverished the
Government of the country.
119. Inappropriate Not suitable or proper in the There are penalties
circumstances; for inappropriate behaviour in
Unsuitable, Unfitting, the camp.
Ill-suited, Unseemly
120. Inclusivity The practice or policy of The candidate who stood for the
including people who might municipal elections said she
otherwise be excluded or believed in inclusivity and she
marginalized valued the city’s gay community.
121. Incumbency The holding of an office or the During his incumbency as a
period during which one is held senior scientist he established
an epidemic warning system.
122. Indifference Lack of interest, concern, or Her indifference to sports
sympathy; bothered him.
Lack of concern about,
Unconcern about, Apathy
123. Indigenous Originating or occurring The cuisine of the indigenous
naturally in a particular place; people of Siberia is quite liked in
native originating or occurring other countries.
naturally in a particular place;
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Native, Aboriginal, Local

124. Inevitable Certain to happen; The accident was the inevitable
Unavoidable, Inescapable consequence of carelessness.
125. Integrity The quality of being honest and He is a gentleman of
having strong moral principles; complete integrity.
Honesty, Uprightness
126. Intent Determined to do something. Indian Team has a clear intent to
Purpose, Aim, Objective win the upcoming World Cup.
127. Intervention The action or process of A full-scale riot was prevented
intervening; by the timely intervention of the
Involvement, Intercession, police.
Interceding
128. Intimidate Frighten or overawe someone, The forts were designed
especially in order to make them to intimidate the invaders.
do what one wants;
Frighten, Menace, Terrify, Scare
129. Intransigence Refusal to change one’s views or He resigned from the company
to agree about something due to his boss’s
continuous intransigence.
130. Introspect Examine one’s own thoughts or What I don’t do
feelings is introspect much about the
reasons for my plight.
131. Intrusive Causing annoyance through The intrusive nature of the
being unwelcome or uninvited. tourists sometimes causes
Intruding, invasive trouble with the local tribes.
132. Irreparable Impossible to rectify or repair; The oil spill did irreparable harm
Irreversible, Irremediable to the sea and its biodiversity.
133. Irrevocable Not able to be changed, The Supreme court’s ruling is
reversed, or recovered; final; irrevocable.

Irreversible,
Irremediable, Irreparable
134. Laissez-faire The policy of leaving things to The problems began long before
take their own course, without he became CEO, but they
interfering; worsened with his laissez-
Free enterprise, Private faire attitude.
enterprise, Free trade,
Individualism, Non-intervention
135. Lapsed No longer valid. His gym membership
Expired had lapsed 2 weeks ago.
136. Lawlessness A state of disorder due to a There is a growing sense
disregard of the law; of lawlessness in border regions.
Anarchy, Disorder, Chaos
137. Laxity Lack of strictness or care Budget deficit is the result of
fiscal laxity by the present
government.
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138. Legitimate Conforming to the law or to People complained about

rules; excessive government intrusion
Legal, Lawful; into their legitimate activities.
Valid, Sound, Admissible
139. Leniency The fact or quality of being more The Election Commission has
merciful or tolerant than shown leniency towards the
expected; leaders of political parties who
Clemency, Mercifulness didn’t follow the election code
of conduct.
140. Mainstay Something which is very Rahul was the mainstay of the
important to a structure, group, College’s Drama Committee.
organisation, etc.; Centrepiece,
Linchpin
141. Materialize Something that happens or is He was emotional seeing his
made to happen. vision materialize during his
Occur, Transpire. lifetime.
142. Mismatch A failure to correspond or Inflation is seen when there is a
match; a discrepancy; huge mismatch between supply
Discrepancy, Lack of and demand.
congruence, Inconsistency;
Ill-assorted, Ill-
matched, Incongruous
143. Moratorium A temporary prohibition of an The Government has put a
activity; temporary moratorium on all
Embargo, Ban, Prohibition, nuclear testing.
Suspension
144. Morph Change smoothly from one The picture of a dog
image to another by small was morphed into a picture of a
gradual steps using computer cat.
animation techniques.
145. Mothballed A condition of protective The company spent a lot of
storage. money when
they mothballed the mine.
146. Multilateral Agreed upon or participated in Seven countries are taking part
by three or more parties, in the multilateral talks.
especially the governments of
different countries
147. Necessitate Make something necessary as a The cut that he got in his
result or consequence; leg necessitated eighteen
Entail, Involve, Mean, Require, stitches.
Demand
148. Negotiate Try to reach an agreement or The Government officials
compromise by discussion; refused to negotiate with the
Discuss terms, Hold talks Naxalites.
149. Nimble Someone who is spry, and quick She has a nimble mind and can
to move or understand; improvise in any situation.
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150. Notable Something of Importance, Shane Watson played a notable

significant, noteworthy innings in the IPL Final
151. Obligation An act or course of action to Beach operators do not have
which a person is morally or a legal obligation
legally bound; to provide against injury or drow
A duty or commitment; ning.
Duty, Commitment, Responsibili
ty
152. Offensive Causing someone to feel The allegations made against the
resentful, upset, or annoyed; family were deeply offensive.
Insulting, Rude, Derogatory
153. Offshoots A collateral branch. The Offshoots of ISIS have
Outgrowth, Sprout spread in South Asia.
154. Onus Something that is one’s duty or We are trying to shift
responsibility; the onus for passenger safety
Burden, Responsibility, Liability, onto the government.
Obligation
155. Optimistic Hopeful and confident about the Previous estimates of whale
future; numbers in the ocean may be
Positive, Confident, Hopeful, San wildly optimistic.
guine, Bullish
156. Optimum Most conducive to a favourable The plant grows within a range
outcome; of 68 and 78°F,
Best, Ideal, Perfect the optimum being 74°.
157. Oust Drive out or expel someone The rebels finally managed
from a position or place; to oust the government from
Drive out, Expel, Force out power.
158. Outbreak A sudden occurrence of The outbreak of the riot
something unwelcome, such as happened in this street where
war or disease; people were initially just
Eruption, Flare-up, Upsurge, protesting and chanting out
Outburst loud.
159. Overarch To form an arch over something; The overarching theme of the
government’s educational
reforms has been to enhance
opportunity for all pupils
regardless of background or
ability.
160. Oversight An unintentional failure to The Governing
notice or do something. body’s oversight was the main
Omission, Lapse reason for the prevalent
corruption.
161. Overwhelm Have a strong emotional effect Her dance performance got
on; an overwhelming response from
Overcome, Move, Stir, Affect, the audience.
Touch, Impress
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162. Paramount More important than anything The interests of the child are
else; of paramount importance while
Supreme choosing a career.
163. Perish Die, especially in a violent or A great part of the king’s
sudden way army perished of hunger and
disease.
164. Persistent Continuing firmly or obstinately He is one of the government's
in an opinion or course of action most persistent critics.
in spite of difficulty or
opposition;
Tenacious, Persevering, Determi
ned, Resolute
165. Persuade Induce someone to do It wasn’t easy, but
something through reasoning or I persuaded him to do the right
argument; thing.
Coerce, Influence, Sway, Prompt
166. Pervasive Especially of an unwelcome Reforms are
influence or physical effect being undermined by the all-
spreading widely throughout an pervasive corruption in
area or a group of people; the country.
Prevalent, Penetrating
167. Perverse Showing a deliberate and The serial killer found perverse
obstinate desire to behave in a pleasure in every murder he
way that is unreasonable or committed.
unacceptable;
Illogical, Irrational,
Unreasonable
168. Philanthropic Of a person or organization The old age homes have
seeking to promote the welfare received financial support
of others; from philanthropic bodies.
Generous and benevolent
169. Pit Set someone or something in You will get the chance
conflict or competition with; to pit your wits against the
Set against, Match against, Put world champions.
in opposition to
170. Pivotal Of crucial importance in relation Good customer service
to the development or success is pivotal to a successful
of something else; business.
Central, Crucial, Vital, Critical
171. Populist A person, especially a politician, The populist measures by the
who strives to appeal to Government such as providing
ordinary people who feel that farm loan waivers won’t work
their concerns are disregarded here.
by established elite groups
172. Preferential Of or involving preference or Preferential interest rates for
partiality; personal loans may be offered
to employees of the Bank.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

Constituting a favour or
privilege;
Special, Better, Privileged
173. Prejudice Preconceived opinion that is not English are prejudiced against
based on reason or actual foreigners.
experience;
Bias, Influence, Sway
174. Premature Occurring or done before the The excessive exposure to sun
usual or proper time; rays can
Too early, Untimely cause premature ageing.
175. Prerequisite A thing that is required as a prior The student must have
condition for something else to the prerequisite skills to enroll
happen or exist; in this course.
Precondition, Condition,
Essential, Requirement
176. Propensity An inclination or natural Men have a slight
tendency to behave in a increased propensity towards
particular way; baldness.
Tendency, Inclination,
Predisposition, Proneness
177. Prudent Acting with or showing care and No prudent money manager
thought for the future; would authorize a loan without
Wise, Well judged, Judicious, first knowing its purpose.
Sagacious
178. Psyche The human soul, mind, or spirit Her childhood made her want to
understand the
human psyche and to help
others.
179. Quell Put an end to, put a stop to, Extra police-force were called
End, Finish, Get rid of, Crush to quell the disturbance created
by the violent crowd.
180. Rapaciously Aggressively greedy or grasping; A decade
Avaricious of rapacious consolidation has
made JP Morgan Chase the
world’s largest bank outside
China.
181. Rapporteurs A person who is appointed by an The UN rapporteur were
organization to report on the banned to report in the state of
proceedings of its meetings J&K.
182. Rationale A set of reasons or a logical basis The CEO tried to explain
for a course of action or belief; the rationale behind the change
Reasoning, Thinking in the company policies.
183. Reassure Say or do something to remove The president hastened
the doubts or fears of someone; to reassure his people that he
To comfort someone and stop was in perfect health.
them from worrying
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

184. Reciprocity The quality or state of being They gave assurances they
reciprocal; would press for reciprocity with
Mutual dependence, action, or Greece in the issuing of visas.
influence
185. Reckless Heedless of danger or the You mustn’t be so reckless with
consequences of one’s actions; your work assignments.
Rash or impetuous
186. Reconcile Restore friendly relations It is difficult to reconcile science
between and religion.
187. Redemption The action of saving or being The bonds will be redeemed at
saved from sin, error, or evil; 100% of their principal amount,
Saving; plus interest to the redemption
Retrieval, Recovery, date.
Reclamation, Repossession
188. Referendum A general vote by the electorate The king called for
on a single political question a referendum on the death
which has been referred to them penalty.
for a direct decision;
Public vote, Plebiscite, Popular
vote
189. Regime A government, especially an There are many ideological
authoritarian one; opponents of the
Government, System of current regime.
government, Rule, Reign
190. Reinvigorate to give new or renewed strength Return of Dhoni
or energy. has reinvigorated the spirit of
Rejuvenate, Regenerate entire team.
191. Reiterate Say something again or a The government
number of times, typically for has reiterated its refusal to
emphasis or clarity; compromise with terrorists.
Repeat, say again, Restate,
Retell, Recapitulate
192. Renege Go back on a promise, The government had reneged on
undertaking, or contract; its election promises.
Default on, fail to honour, Go
back on, Break
193. Replicate Make an exact copy of; It might be impractical
Reproduce, Copy, Reproduce, to replicate Eastern culture in
Duplicate the west.
194. Republicanism Support for a republican system The inhabitants of the island
of government; desired for republicanism and
A state in which supreme power local self-government.
is held by the people and their
elected representatives, and
which has an elected or
nominated president rather
than a monarch.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

195. Requisite Made necessary by particular The application for admission

circumstances or regulations; will not be processed until
Essential, Indispensable, Vital the requisite fee is paid.
196. Resilience The capacity to recover quickly He showed great courage
from difficulties; and resilience in fighting back
Toughness, Flexibility, Pliability from a losing position to win the
game.
197. Resort Turn to and adopt a course of Unlike you, I don’t need
action, especially an extreme or to resort to violence to win.
undesirable one so as to resolve
a difficult situation;
Have recourse to, fall back on,
Turn to
198. Restructure Organize differently; The
Managing and organizing government restructured the
coal industry before selling it to
private owners.
199. Retaliation Revenge, Vengeance, Reprisal, The bombings are believed to be
Retribution in retaliation for the trial of 15
suspects.
200. Revoke Officially cancel a decree, The judge revoked her driver’s
decision, or promise; license.
Cancel, Repeal, Rescind, Reverse
201. Rhetoric Oratory, Eloquence, Power of Political speeches often
speech use rhetoric to evoke emotional
responses in the audience.
202. Rivalry Competitiveness, Vying, There’s rivalry among his three
Opposition, Conflict, Strife, sons.
Feuding, Discord, Antagonism,
Enmity
203. Sanity The ability to think and behave I began to doubt my own sanity.
in a normal and rational
manner; sound mental health;
Soundness of mind, Mental
health
204. Scepticism A sceptical attitude; His insurance claims were
Doubt as to the truth of treated with scepticism.
something;
205. Setback A reversal or check in progress; The nuclear testing by the king
Problem, Difficulty, Issue, Hitch had a serious setback for the
peace process.
206. Shun Persistently avoid, ignore, or After the trial he
reject someone or something was shunned by friends and
through antipathy or caution; family alike.
Avoid, Evade, Eschew
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

207. Slackening Loosen, make looser, Release, The pace of

Relax, Loose trading slackened during the
Reduce or decrease in speed or winter months.
intensity
208. Sovereignty Supreme power or authority; The sovereignty of the
Jurisdiction, Supremacy, Parliament cannot be
Dominion, Power undermined.
209. Spruce Tidy and clean in appearance He looked spruce and handsome
in a clean white shirt.
210. Stand-off Deadlock, Stalemate, Impasse, The 16-day-old stand-
Standstill off between the protesters and
the state government was no
closer to being resolved.
211. Stark Severe or bare in appearance or There is a stark difference in
outline; both of their personalities.
Sharp, Distinct
212. Stocktaking The action of reviewing and The car maker will stop its
assessing one’s situation and production lines for three days
options; next week for stocktaking.
The counting of all the goods,
materials, etc. kept in a place
such as a shop
213. Strangle to suppress or hinder the rise, USA is trying to strangle the
expression, or growth of. Iranian Economy through
Choke, Stifle sanctions.
214. Surveillance Close observation, especially of The police have kept the
a suspected spy or criminal; nightclub
Observation, Scrutiny, Watch, under surveillance because of
View, Inspection suspected illegal drug activity.
215. Susceptible Likely or liable to be influenced Patients with liver disease may
or harmed by a particular thing; be susceptible to the smallest
Open to, Receptive to, infection.
Vulnerable to
216. Sustain To cause or allow something to The soil in this part of the world
continue for a period of time is not rich enough to sustain a
large population.
217. Sustainability The ability to be maintained at a The practices of that company
certain rate or level; do not entail
Avoidance of the depletion of environmental sustainability be
natural resources in order to cause they are cutting down
maintain an ecological balance trees at a rate which is quicker
than the rate at which the trees
replenish themselves.
218. Swagger Walk or behave in a very He swaggered along the corridor
confident and arrogant or self- showing off his wealthy
important way possessions.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

219. Symptomatic Serving as a symptom or sign, Jealousy within a relationship is

especially of something usually symptomatic of low self-
undesirable; esteem in one of the partners.
Indicative, Signalling, Warning,
Characteristics
220. Tacit Understood or implied without The tacit agreement between
being stated. the Police and the Goons of the
Implicit, Inferred. area was well known.
221. Tenet A principle or belief, especially It is a tenet of contemporary
one of the main principles of a psychology that an individual’s
religion or philosophy mental health is supported by
having good social networks.
222. Testify Give evidence as a witness in a He testified in the court against
law court; his own family member.
Give evidence
223. Transnational Extending or operating across More large companies
national boundaries nowadays operate on
a transnational basis.
224. Transparency The condition of being He says that there needs to be
transparent; more transparency in the way
Translucency, Lucidity the government operates.
225. Tremendous Very great in amount, scale, or She's been a tremendous
intensity; help to me over the last
Huge, Enormous, Immense, Colo few months.
ssal, Massive
226. Triumphalism Excessive exultation over one’s An air of triumphalism reigns in
success or achievements the present government’s
(used especially in a political administration.
context)
227. Truce Ceasefire, Armistice After years of rivalry between
the two companies have agreed
to a truce.
228. Tussle A vigorous struggle or scuffle, The children began
typically in order to obtain or to tussle over a toy, and the
achieve something; preschool teacher had to step in
Scuffle, Fight, Struggle, Skirmish to break up the fight
229. Ultimatum A final proposition, condition, or He gave me an ultimatum:
demand either to leave or improve the
quality of work.
230. Unanimous Fully in agreement; The doctors were unanimous in
United their diagnosis of the disease.
231. Uncertainty The state of being uncertain; Times of uncertainty and danger
Unpredictability, Unreliability prevail after the wars end.
232. Unease Anxiety or discontent The security lapses have caused
widespread unease amongst air
passengers.
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

233. Unequivocal Leaving no doubt; An unequivocal answer was

Unambiguous expected out of the questions
asked in the inquiry against the
firm.
234. Unflinching Not showing fear or hesitation in He has
the face of danger or difficulty; shown unflinching determinatio
Resolute, Determined, Single- n throughout the campaign.
minded, Dogged, Decided
235. Uninhabitable Unsuitable for living in The house had been declared
uninhabitable after the tremors
of earthquake.
236. Unmistakable Not able to be mistaken for There was
anything else; an unmistakable smell of
Very distinctive incense in the air.
237. Unpatriotic Not patriotic If it was unpatriotic to question
the government, then it cannot
be called a democracy.
238. Unprecedented Never done or known before; The government took
Unparalleled, Unequalled, the unprecedented step of
Unmatched, Unrivalled releasing confidential reports on
tax evaders.
239. Unreasonable Not guided by or based on good She knew she was
sense; being unreasonable, but I had to
Uncooperative, Obstructive, agree anyhow.
Unhelpful, Disobliging
240. Unveil Show or announce publicly for The Home Secretary
the first time; has unveiled his plans to crack
Reveal, Present, Disclose, down on crime.
Divulge
241. Usurp Take a position of power or Local control is being usurped by
importance illegally or by force; the central government.
Seize, take over, Expropriate
242. Venality Ability of getting corrupted The Top brass of the
especially through bribery. organisation was filled
with venality.
243. Vital Absolutely necessary; A strong opposition is vital to a
Essential, Indispensable, Crucial, healthy democracy.
Key
244. Vitiate To destroy or damage Cyclone Fani vitiated the
something. infrastructure on the coast of
Ruin, Wreck Odisha.
245. Volatile Ability of sudden change of The Situation ins Syria is
state, tending to erupt into very volatile.
violence.
Unstable, Temperamental
The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Booster May 2019 Free vocabulary e-book

246. Vulnerable Exposed to the possibility of Children are the

being attacked or harmed, most vulnerable members of
either physically or emotionally; society.
Endangered, Unsafe,
Unprotected
247. Waiver An agreement that you do not Farm loan waivers given to
have to pay or obey something farmers is a populist measure by
the state governments.
248. Withdraw To remove something from a A person can withdraw only
place/position. ₹10,000 from an ATM at once.
Extract, Remove
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