VOCABULARY OF THE DAY - 31-03-2017
1). Accretion (noun)
Meaning: growth or
increase by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter.
Synonyms:
Accumulation, collecting, gathering, amassing,
cumulation.
Usage: The accretion of sediments in coastal mangroves.
2). Acumen (noun)
Meaning: the
ability to make good judgements and take quick decisions.
Synonyms:
Astuteness, awareness, acuity, sharpness.
Usage: A
gullible young man with little or no business acumen.
3). Ephemeral (adjective)
Meaning: lasting
for a very short time.
Synonyms:
Transitory, transient, fleeting, passing.
Usage: Fashions
are ephemeral: new ones
regularly drive out the old.
4). Garrulous (adjective)
Meaning:
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
Synonyms:
Talkative, voluble, chatty.
Usage: A garrulous old man who chattered like a magpie.
5). Fetter (noun)
Meaning: a chain
or manacle used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles.
Synonyms: shackles,
manacles, handcuffs, irons, leg irons, chains.
Usage: He lay bound
with fetters of iron.
6). Inure (verb)
Meaning: accustom
(someone) to something, especially something unpleasant.
Synonyms: Harden,
toughen, season, temper.
Usage: These
children have been inured to violence.
7). Pejorative (Adjective)
Meaning: expressing
contempt or disapproval.
Synonyms:
Disparaging, derogatory, denigratory.
Usage:
Permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term.
8). Tirade (noun)
Meaning: a long,
angry speech of criticism or accusation.
Synonyms: Diatribe,
invective, polemic, attack.
Usage: She
rounded on Nathan with a devastating tirade.
9). Yoke (noun)
Meaning: a wooden
crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the
plough or cart that they are to pull.
Synonyms: Harness,
collar, tackle, tack.
Usage: The
horses were loosened from the yoke.
10). Umbrage (noun)
Meaning: offence
or annoyance.
Synonyms: take
offence, be offended, take exception, bridle.
Usage: She took umbrage at his remarks.
11). Pique (noun)
Meaning: A feeling of irritation or resentment resulting
from a slight, especially to one's pride.
Synonyms: irritation, annoyance, resentment, anger,
displeasure
Usage: He left in a fit of pique.
12). Turgid (adjective)
Meaning: Swollen and distended or congested.
Synonyms: swollen, congested; in spate, in flood
Usage: A turgid and fast-moving river.
13). Multifarious (adjective)
Meaning: Having many varied parts or aspects.
Synonyms: diverse, many, numerous, various, varied
Usage: The multifarious local and ethnic traditions that are
found in the USA
14). Torpor (noun)
Meaning: A state of physical or mental inactivity;
lethargy.
Synonyms: lethargy, torpidity, sluggishness, inertia,
inertness, inactivity
Usage: He spent most of the journey in a state of torpor.
15). Audacious (adjective)
Meaning: Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold
risks.
Synonyms: bold, daring, fearless, intrepid, brave,
unafraid
Usage: The audience were left gasping at his audacious exploits.
16). Tenacity (noun)
Meaning: The quality or fact of being able to grip
something firmly; grip.
Synonyms: persistence, pertinacity, determination,
perseverance, doggedness
Usage: The tenacity with which he stuck to his story.
17). Apostate (noun)
Meaning: A person who renounces a religious or political
belief or principle.
Synonyms: dissenter, heretic, nonconformist; defector,
deserter
Usage: After 50 years as an apostate, he returned to the
faith.
18). Discomfit (verb)
Meaning: Make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.
Synonyms: embarrass, make uncomfortable, make uneasy,
abash
Usage: He was not noticeably discomfited by her tone.
19). Laconic (adjective)
Meaning: (of a person, speech, or style of writing)
using very few words.
Synonyms: brief, concise, terse, succinct, short,
economical, elliptical
Usage: His laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in
the topic.
20). Ossify (verb)
Meaning: Turn into bone or bony tissue.
Synonyms: turn into bone, become bony, harden, solidify,
stiffen
Usage: These cartilages may ossify.
