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.