Hindu Editorial with Vocabulary: Oct Month– Day 1

The Hindu English Vocabulary

1)  Despondent (verb) –

Meaning: In low spirits from loss of hope or courage; Having lost hope

Synonyms: forlorn, hopeless, futile, pointless, down, low, dejected, depressed, discouraged, downcast

Antonyms: cheerful, hopeful, buoyant, cheery

Usage:  Ephram is despondent when he is disinvited to a party by Amy’s popular friends, and Delia struggles with the school bully.

2) Smug (noun) –

Meaning: Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements; Being in a clean and tidy state

Synonyms: neat, tidy, orderly, trim, conceited, pompous, proud, vainglorious, egotistical, pious, religious, devout

Antonyms: egoless, humble, modest, uncomplacent

Usage: Never sanctimonious or smug, his art seems founded on a sense of rectitude.

3) Stupefy (noun) –

Meaning: To make (someone) unable to think or feel properly; To deprive of strength or efficacy

Synonyms: stultify, bore, deaden, dull, daze, befuddle, benumb, numb, stun, deaden

Antonyms: clarify, enlighten, expect, explain

Usage: Surgeons would attempt to stupefy the patient with alcohol, opium, or morphia, but with little effect.

4) Enchant (verb) –

Meaning: To delight, allure or attract in an almost magical manner; To call (an image) to the mind; To cast a magical charm or spell on

Synonyms: bewitch. Hex. Spell. Ensorcel, conjure, rouse, echo, evoke, captivate, charm, bewitch, fascinate, enthral

Antonyms: bore, repel, annoy, bear, bother, reject, rebuff, repel

Usage: Whisper sweet nothings in her ear, enchant her with roses and a serenade and woo her and make her swoon.

5) Intricate (noun) –

Meaning: Very complicated or detailed; Unintelligible or hard to understand

Synonyms: incomprehensible, unintelligible, impenetrable, complicated, complex, convoluted, elaborate, involved

Antonyms: simple, plain, straightforward, no-frills, noncomplex

Usage: I seem to remember my dreams in unusually intricate detail and twice as often as most people.

6) Limb (noun) –

Meaning: A large branch of a tree; Appendage of hand; To separate into pieces as a result of a collision, blow, shock, or strain

Synonyms: dismember, break, bust, disintegrate, finger, digit, thumb, forefinger bough, branch, offshoot sprig

Antonyms: whole, entirety

Usage: He notices a hawk resting in plain view on a tree limb a hundred yards distant.

7) Vying (noun) –

Meaning:  Contending for a title or championship in contention challenging competing contending contesting

Synonyms: competitive, ambitious, aggressive

Antonyms: apathetic, passive, unambitious, agreeing, aiding, assisting, collaborating

Usage: For months, China and Japan had been vying to determine the terminal of the proposed pipeline from Siberian oil fields.

8) Lumber (Noun) –

Meaning: To move clumsily or ploddingly; To burden, load or encumber with; To (excessively) exert oneself for a particular task, purpose or goal

Synonyms: strain, exert, overwork, exhaust, extend, burden, encumber, load, saddle, plod, shamble, shuffle, stumble, trudge, clump, stump

Antonyms: relieve, tiptoe, sail, idle, ignore, laze

Usage: The inspiration for designing and building my own lumber mill came strictly from a cost standpoint.

9) Vainglorious (noun) –

Meaning: With excessive vanity or unwarranted pride

Synonyms: conceited, pompous, egotistical, vain, proud,, pretentious, ostentatious, pompous

Antonyms: egoless, humble, modest, uncomplacent

Usage: Smith possessed a vainglorious streak to his character, but also showed great valour and judgement.

10) Errand (Adj) –

Meaning: A journey undertaken to accomplish some task; A trip or a set amount of traveling; An arrangement to meet someone at a particular time and place

Synonyms: kindness, benevolence, appointment, date, engagement, meeting, journey, adventure, campaign, job, commission, message, mission, task

Antonyms: break, breather, downtime, inactivity

Usage: She also pays the bills which the errand boy had been insistently presenting.

Seniors will appreciate an offer to write a letter for them, make a phone call or run an errand while you’re there.