1. Wordlist A-1 (abase – acumen)

2. abase Behave in a very humble way The new servant hated behaving in an abase manner in front of his royal employers.

3. abash Embarrass The writer felt abashed seeing the amount of attention he was receiving.

4. abate Subside Moderate By the next morning, the flood waters had abated considerably.

5. abbreviate Shorten Because she was running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

6. abdicate Renounce Give up He abdicated his entire estate and retired into the forests, spending the rest of his life in a log cabin.

7. aberration Abnormality Departure from the norm It remains the consensus among investors on Wall Street that current high oil prices are a temporary aberration and that we shall soon see a return to cheap oil.

8. abet Assist, usually in doing something wrong Encourage She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

9. abeyance Suspended action The storm showed no signs of abeyance.

10. abhor Detest Hate She abhorred all forms of flattery.

11. abject Wretched Lacking pride More than three million people in India are said to live in abject poverty.

12. abjure Renounce upon oath To save his skin, he simply abjured every statement they made.

13. ablution Washing It is the traditional custom to enter any religious place after our ablutions.

14. abnegation Renunciation Self-sacrifice The more they tried to make him confess, the more he sank into abnegation.

15. abolish Cancel Put an end to The Principal of the college refused to abolish the Physical Education requirement.

16. abominable Detestable Extremely unpleasant Very bad He is known for his abominable taste of dressing and etiquette.

17. aboriginal Being the first of its kind in a region Primitive Native Her studies of the primitive art forms of the aboriginal Africans were widely reported in the scientific journals.

18. abortive Unsuccessful fruitless Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully.

19. abrasive Rubbing away Tending to grind down The builder explained that the material was abrasive and hence would easily crumble to powder.

20. abridge Condense Shorten As the publishers felt that the public wanted a shorter version of ‘War and Peace’, they proceeded to abridge the novel.

21. abrogate Abolish Repeal It was Abraham Lincoln who took the initiative to abrogate slavery in America.

22. abscission Removed by sending off, as in surgery Separation Gangrene spreads so swiftly and is so potentially deadly that doctors advise abscission.

23. abscond Depart secretly and hide The clerk who absconded with the cash was not captured until someone recognized him from his photograph on ‘India’s Most Wanted’.

24. absolve Pardon an offense Forgive Acquit The priest put his hand on Ned’s head and said that he would pray to God and ask him to absolve him of all his sins.

25. abstain Refrain Withhold from participation On every Tuesday, Jim abstains from meat and alcohol.

26. abstemious Sparing in eating and drinking Concerned whether her son’s abstemious diet provided sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

27. abstinence Restraint from eating or drinking The doctor recommended total abstinence from salted food.

28. abstruse Obscure Profound Difficult to understand The abstruse content of the Shakespearean text completely baffled him.

29. abusive Coarsely insulting Physically harmful She has been coping for years with a drunk and abusive husband.

30. abut Border upon Adjoin Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

31. abysmal Bottomless The abysmal performance of the team in the recent tournament sorely disappointed the coach.

32. abyss Enormous chasm Vast, bottomless pit The hero of the film seized the evil terrorist and hurled him into the abyss.

33. accede agree If Jack accedes to the demand for blackmail, he’s afraid that he’ll be the victim of future demand.

34. accessible Easy to approach We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

35. accessory Additional object Useful but not essential thing Today, a trendy cell phone is not just a gadget but also a fashion accessory to flaunt in public.

36. acclaim Applaud Announce with great approval Her beautiful performance onstage was greatly acclaimed by the audience.

37. acclimate Adjust to climate or environment Adapt One of the difficulties of our present age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

38. acclivity Sharp upslope of a hill The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

39. accolade Award of merit In Hollywood, an ‘Oscar’ is the highest accolade.

40. accomplice Partner in crime Because she had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, she was arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

41. accord Agreement She was in complete accord with the verdict.

42. accost Approach and speak first to a person When the two young men accosted her, she was frightened because she thought they were going to attack her.

43. accoutre Equip The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply.

44. accretion Growth Increase Over the years Bob put on weight, because of this accretion of flesh, he went from size M to size XL.

45. accrue Comes about by addition You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.

46. acerbity Bitterness of speech and temper The meeting of the Parliament was marked with such acerbity that little hope of reaching a common consensus could be seen.

47. acetic Vinegary The pickle had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

48. acidulous Slightly sour Sharp Caustic James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

49. acknowledge Recognize Admit The greeting of the student was acknowledged by a curt nod of the professor.

50. acme Peak Pinnacle Highest point The actor’s success in receiving the Oscar award marked the acme of his career, never again did he achieve such acclaim.

51. acoustics Science of sound Quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in This auditorium is liked by music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

52. acquiesce Assent Agree passively Although she appeared to acquiesce to the employer’s suggestions, one could tell she had reservations about making the changes.

53. acquittal Deliverance from a charge His acquittal by the judge surprised those who had thought him guilty.

54. acrid Sharp Bitterly pungent The acrid odour of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

55. acrimonious Bitter in words or manner The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.

56. acrophobia Fear of heights A born salesman, he could convince someone with acrophobia to sign up for a membership in a sky-diving club.

57. actuarial Calculating Pertaining to insurance Statistics According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

58. actuate Motivate Jim failed to understand what actuated Lisa to reply to his letter so nastily.

59. acuity Sharpness In time, his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

60. acumen Mental keenness Her business acumen helped her to succeed where others had failed.

61. Wordlist A-2 ( adage-agrarian)

62. adage Wise saying Proverb There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

63. addendum Addition Appendix to a book This year, the company has put in a new addendum to the existing set of rules and regulations.

64. addle Muddle Drive crazy Ken became addled by all this talk because he just couldn’t understand what Dorothy was saying.

65. adept Expert at Stand up comedians are adept at the fine at of imitating others.

66. adhere Stick fast The accused said he would adhere to his statement until proven guilty.

67. adherent Supporter Follower The little puppy stuck to Jane like an adherent.

68. adjacent Adjoining Neighbouring Close by Philip’s best friend Jason lived in the adjacent house, just five feet away.

69. adjunct Something attached to, but holding an inferior position Lastly, the lawyer made another adjunct to the will on the advice of the client.

70. adjuration Solemn urging Broken hearted with the verdict, the captain decided to make an adjuration to a higher court.

71. adjutant Staff officer assisting the commander Assistant Jerry had secured a summer job as the chemist’s adjutant.

72. admonish Warn Reprove When her husband questioned her religious beliefs, Mary admonished him, declaring that she would worship as she pleased.

73. adorn Decorate Ornament Beautify Enhance Embellish The lady loved to adorn herself with gold and diamond jewellery.

74. adroit Skillful Clever Adept Dexterous Being an army officer’s daughter, she was quite adroit at all the physical exercises they asked her to do.

75. adulation Flattery Admiration By now, the film star was sick of all the adulation he was drawing.

76. adulterate Make impure by adding inferior substances It is a crime to adulterate food without informing the buyer.

77. advent Arrival Ever since the advent of mobile telephones, the world of communication has been completely revolutionized.

78. adventitious Accidental Casual That they would meet like this at a coffee shop after twenty years of being separated was too adventitious to believe.

79. adversary Opponent Enemy Foe One should never underestimate his adversaries.

80. adversity Poverty Misfortune We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

81. advert Refer to Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

82. advocacy Support Active pleading on behalf of someone or something No threats could dissuade Peter from his advocacy of the rights of the slum dwellers.

83. advocate Urge Plead for What was really shocking was that he advocated the use of violence in their protests.

84. aegis Shield Defense Under the aegis of the local trade union, a new community store was opened.

85. aerie Nest of a large bird of prey like an eagle or hawk The hunter was arrested for attacking an aerie of a bald eagle, as they are an endangered species.

86. aesthetic Artistic Dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Alice’s aesthetic sense.

87. affable courteous Jim had seemed like an affable person to Veronica, but his neighbour said he was often rude to her family.

88. affidavit Written statement made under oath They made him sign an affidavit before releasing him.

89. affiliation Joining Associating with The local school seeked affiliation with a foreign educator for bringing in new innovations in the teaching methodology.

90. affinity Kinship Angel has an affinity for street dogs and puppies and often brings them home for caring.

91. affirmation Confirmation The audience were to signal their affirmation by waving a green card.

92. affix Attach or add on Fasten One has to affix stamps on the letters before posting them or else they would be returned back.

93. affliction State of distress Cause of suffering Even in the midst of her affliction, Jane tried to keep up the spirits of those around her.

94. affluence Abundance Wealth Even before entering the bungalow, the family’s affluence was clearly obvious by the number of imported cars parked outside.

95. affront Insult Offend The businessman considered it a personal affront when he was not seated in the front row at the programme.

96. agape Open-mouthed The crowd stared agape as the soldiers broke open the store and dragged out the shopkeeper.

97. agglomeration Collection Heap John’s post-nuptial party boasted an agglomeration of intellectuals, media barons, industrialists and the like.

98. aggrandize Increase or intensify Raise in power, wealth, rank or honor His migraine was aggrandized to a peak by the loud blaring music.

99. aggregate Gather Accumulate Many politicians have allegedly managed to aggregate great wealth because of their corrupt ways.

100. aghast Horrified She was aghast to hear that she had lost her job.

101. agility Nimbleness The agility of sportspersons is one of the prime factors for winning the match.

102. agnostic One who is skeptical (doubtful) of the existence of God or any ultimate reality There was no celebration for Christmas in their house because they were agnostics.

103. agog Highly excited Intensely curious The audience was all agog with curiosity, wanting to know more about the daily schedule of the film star.

104. agrarian Pertaining to land or its cultivation His ancestral home was located in an agrarian and rural part of the country.

105. Wordlist A-3 (alacrity – amputate)

106. alacrity Cheerful promptness Eagerness The children were excited to go for the picnic, and they packed their camping gear in the jeep with alacrity.

107. alchemy Medieval chemistry The old sage was skilled in alchemy and occult sciences.

108. alcove Nook Recess She sat quietly by the alcove with a book in her hands.

109. alias An assumed name His most commonly used alias was ‘Carlos’.

110. alienate Make hostile Separate Her very attitude seemed to alienate people instead of drawing them close to her.

111. alimony Payments made to an ex- spouse after divorce After the divorce, most of his income was taken up by the hefty alimony he had to send to his former wife.

112. allay Calm Pacify Their fear of the tiger attacking them was allayed when the zookeeper assured them that the animal was well-trained.

113. allege State without proof Later they even dared to allege that he had helped the prisoner to escape.

114. allegiance Loyalty The football fan maintained allegiance to the club he had been supporting since he was a child.

115. allegory Story in which characters are used as symbols Fable Gulliver’s Travels is an allegory wherein the Lilliputians are symbolic of the British government at that time.

116. alleviate Relieve The painkillers were unsuccessful in alleviating his stomach ache.

117. allocate Assign The group members were allocated different tasks according to their skills.

118. alliteration Occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words next to each other ‘Coca Cola’, is the best example of an alliteration.

119. allude Refer indirectly ‘Which example are you alluding to?’ asked the professor.

120. allure Entice Attract Jiah has a unique sense of charm and allure which makes her extremely popular among the men.

121. allusion Indirect reference She was perhaps making a reference or allusion to the incident that had taken place five years ago.

122. aloft Upward Beaming with pride, he held aloft the trophy and kissed it before the roaring crowds.

123. aloof Apart Reserved He stood by himself aloof from the crowd.

124. altercation Noisy quarrel As per the eyewitnesses, the altercation between the two men started because of the lady accompanying them.

125. altruistic Unselfishly generous Concerned for others Because of his altruistic nature, he has no qualms about donating even millions to charity.

126. amalgamate Combine Unite in one body The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

127. amass Collect Over the years, she has managed to amass hordes of supporters for her political party.

128. ambidextrous Capable of using either hand with equal ease To be skilled at that game, you need to be ambidextrous and make use of both your hands at equal ease.

129. ambience Environment Atmosphere The restaurant had a relaxed ambience and feel to it, you couldn’t help but feel comfortable.

130. ambiguous Unclear or doubtful in meaning His ambiguous directions misled us ; we did not know which road to take.

131. ambivalence The state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

132. amble Moving at an easy pace Soaking in the lush greenery around them, they ambled along behind the guide on the long winding road.

133. ambrosia Food of the gods After weeks of eating bland, tasteless food, the dinner cooked by Zoya felt as good as ambrosia to Neil.

134. ambulatory Able to walk Being still in an ambulatory stage, Mr. Rogers will not resume duty for another fortnight or so.

135. ameliorate Improve It was his deep-seated desire to ameliorate and improve the condition of his poorer relations.

136. amenities Convenient features Even the most basic amenities were not available in that village.

137. amenable Readily managed Willing to be led Provided he finds the terms amenable, he will sign the document.

138. amend Correct Change, generally for the better After twenty years of bitter quarrel, the son now wanted to make amends and patch up with his father.

139. amiable Agreeable Lovable Lara has such a sweet, amiable personality.

140. amicable Friendly Jeremy seems to be an amicable person, as he is always smiling and cheerful.

141. amiss Wrong Faulty As soon as George entered the room and saw the broken glass pieces on the floor, he knew something was amiss.

142. amity Friendship After years of conflict, the two countries are now proceeding towards a feeling of amity and harmony.

143. amnesty Pardon On seeing the mayor arriving at the court, the prisoners begged for amnesty.

144. amnesia Loss of memory The doctor said that on account of the head injury, Sara was afflicted with amnesia so she wouldn’t remember anything for some weeks or maybe months.

145. amok In a state of rage The elephant ran amok among the stunned and fearful people on the city roads.

146. amoral Non-moral Clara was stunned to discover that her husband was such a corrupt, amoral man that he wouldn’t even hesitate to cheat his own best friend.

147. amorous Moved by love Loving The pretty young lady rejected the man’s amorous advances.

148. amorphous Shapeless Vague Indeterminate Joan was such a drab, amorphous character as compared to Vera.

149. amphibian Able to live both on land and in water Few people like to have an amphibian as a pet as they are tough to keep.

150. amphitheater Oval building with tiers of seats In Rome, their primary tourist attraction was the amphitheater.

151. amplify Enlarge The blaring music at the party was amplified even after repeated requests by the neighbours.

152. amputate Cut off part of body Jack’s leg had started to show signs of gangrene, so the surgeon decided to amputate his leg beyond the knee.

153. Wordlist A-4 (anachronism – aptitude)

154. anachronism Something or someone misplaced in time Shakespeare’s reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism, no clocks existed in Caesar’s time.

155. analgesic Causing insensitivity to pain The pain was so severe that Peter had to opt for an analgesic pill.

156. analogous Comparable She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

157. analogy Similarity Parallelism To explain the concept of writing a program in a simpler manner, Bob took an analogy of cooking a dish and listed out each step.

158. anarchist Person who rebels against the established order The country was soon becoming anarchist; it was so full of chaos and disorganization.

159. anarchy Absence of governing body The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

160. anathema Solemn curse Someone or something that is despised Taxes are anathema to most people.

161. ancillary Serving as an aid or accessory Auxilliary There was an ancillary clause in the will, which stated that unless she was married, she wouldn’t inherit the estate.

162. anecdote Short account of an amusing or interesting event Our old grandfather loved to tell funny anecdotes from his past and make us all laugh.

163. anemia Condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles The girl looked too pale, colourless and thin; the doctor suspected she suffered from anemia.

164. anesthetic Substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness Paul was so cold-hearted even about his own self that he refused an anesthetic before the surgery.

165. anguish Acute pain Extreme suffering Daisy’s sudden disappearance caused a lot of anguish to his family.

166. angular Sharp-cornered Stiff in manner Dan was tall, slim-built with an angular jaw and short brown hair.

167. animadversion Critical remark She resented the animadversions of her critics, particularly because she realised that they were true.

168. animated Lively Spirited The conversation at the party was lively and animated.

169. animosity Active enmity He confessed he did not bear any animosity towards his opponent.

170. animus Hostile feeling or intent Jim holds an unhealthy amount of animus and dislike towards his neighbours.

171. annals Records History The movement led by Mahatma Gandhi has found place in the annals of history.

172. anneal Reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling The metal was annealed before use in the production, for improving durability.

173. annex Attach Take possession of All the medieval kings increased the extent of their empires by waging wars against other countries and annexing their territories after winning them.

174. annihilate Destroy Filled with anguish and remorse at losing his only son in an auto accident, he swore to annihilate rash driving by promoting ‘If drunk, don’t drive’ campaign.

175. annotate Comment Make explanatory notes The book was filled with so many annotates that it distracted him from reading it.

176. annul Make void The business was annulled barely one month after its inception due to incompatibility of the partners.

177. annuity Yearly allowance The siblings began quarreling among themselves for their annuity from their dead father’s estate.

178. anodyne Drug that relieves pain Her acute pain was considerably reduced by taking the prescribed anodynes by her doctor.

179. anoint Make or declare something holy Officially make someone a bishop Consecrate The senior priest anointed John as the new bishop.

180. anomalous Abnormal Irregular She was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that she despised.

181. anomaly Irregularity Saying that Lance Armstrong, six-time Tour-De-France champion, doesn’t like cycling would be an anomaly.

182. anonymity State of being nameless On being assured anonymity, the prime witness confirmed seeing the minister visiting the party hosted by the accused.

183. antagonism Hostility Active resistance Emily showed her antagonism towards her new governess by turning her head away whenever she was addressed by her.

184. antecedents Preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later His rude behavior with his parents were antecedents to his decision to put them in an old age home.

185. antediluvian Antiquated Extremely ancient While exploring the abandoned and dilapidated house, they came across several antediluvian pieces of furniture and artifacts.

186. anthology Book of literary selections by various authors The anthology of literary lapses was compiled by

187. anthropoid Man-like The new-age scientists claim that there are anthropoids on Pluto.

188. anthropologist Student of the history and science of humankind Neil is extremely interested in the history of mankind and wants to become an anthropologist.

189. anthropomorphic Having human form or characteristics Scientists have discovered anthropomorphic features in certain fossils.

190. antic Extravagantly odd Because of her antics, they were extremely embarrassed and hence left the party hurriedly.

191. antidote Remedy to counteract a poison or disease An antidote has been prepared to combat the fast-spreading epidemic.

192. antipathy Aversion Dislike Jim’s severe antipathy for loud noises, not just make him stay away from parties but also from burial services and religious congregations.

193. antiquated Obsolete Outdated Everyone turned up in modern and trendy attire except Mr. Gomes who came in his brown, antiquated suit.

194. antithesis Contrast Direct opposite of The movie was a complete antithesis to the book from which it was inspired.

195. anvil Iron block used in hammering out metals The shoemakers use the anvil to make shoes and sandals.

196. apathy Lack of caring Indifference The young students were shocked to find the apathy of the citizens who didn’t bother to vote.

197. aperture Opening Hole The camera’s aperture was too small to admit sufficiently large amount of light.

198. apex Tip Summit At the apex of the shrine was a golden spire-like structure.

199. aphasia Loss of speech due to injury or illness The professor was diagnosed with aphasia, which meant he would not be able to speak and hence could not conduct any lectures.

200. aphorism A clear maxim or saying Jeff blindly followed the aphorism of “All is fair in love and war,” and behaved as he deemed fit, creating many enemies.

201. apiary A place where bees are kept Jim’s new profession is to produce honey from his apiary.

202. aplomb Poise Composure Shelly walked into the meeting with aplomb, full of confidence.

203. apocalyptic Prophetic Pertaining to revelations, especially of disaster Bad news started flowing in from all directions; it felt like an apocalyptic moment.

204. apocryphal Untrue Made up The means by which he had secured the driving license was in all probability, apocryphal.

205. apolitical Having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs The attitude of remaining apolitical by the young generation will lead to the decline of the democratic setup of the government.

206. apogee Highest point Sachin Tendulkar reached the apogee of his career when he scored 100 centuries, breaking all previous records.

207. apologist One who writes in defense of a cause or institution Being an apologist, the young leader had to face a lot of wrath of the governing body, as he directly blamed it for poverty in the country.

208. apostate A person who abandons a belief or principle After the priest’s death, many devout followers turned apostates.

209. apothecary druggist Harry was an apothecary, dealing with rare and life-saving medicines.

210. apothegm Clear, concise and compact saying Every sentence spoken by the great industrialist is so revered by all that they treated it as if it were an apothegm.

211. apotheosis Elevation to godhood A few years ago, David Beckham was the object of apotheosis, but now he’s just another fallen idol.

212. apparition Ghost Phantom Rumours have always been doing the rounds that every full moon night, apparitions are seen near The Taj Mahal, but no concrete proof has been found yet.

213. appease Pacify or soothe Relieve The father always tried to appease his son by gifting him expensive gadgets, to compensate his inability to give him time.

214. appellation Name Title Today, young children have to be taught the real appellation of Mahatma Gandhi.

215. append Attach It was decided by the college authorities to append the new clause of not wearing short clothes, to the existing rules and regulations.

216. apposite Appropriate Fitting Most women like to have apposite accessories for their outfits, especially when attending parties.

217. appraise Estimate value of To appraise the real value of the painting, the curator of a museum was called for.

218. apprehend Arrest a criminal Dread Perceive The culprit was apprehended minutes after the crime was detected as he had dropped his wallet which had his passport in it.

219. apprehensive Fearful Jane was apprehensive of her marriage to Steve as she barely knew him.

220. apprise Inform After being apprised of the danger of tsunami, the fishermen decided to stay away from the sea for some time.

221. approbation Approval He has gone out of town for some business on approbation by his physician as he is unwell.

222. appurtenances Subordinate possessions To set up their new home, the young couple decided to postpone the buying of appurtenances due to shortage of funds.

223. apropos With reference to Regarding Apropos the advertisement in the newspaper, there was a rush for booking of the seats.

224. aptitude Fitness Talent Her aptitude for dancing has helped her win many trophies and awards.

225. Wordlist A-5 (aquiline – azure)

226. aquiline Curved Hooked The culprit was recognised and arrested in a very short time, due to his distinctive aquiline features.

227. arabesque Style of decoration involving intertwined plants and abstract curves Janet loved the arabesque design of the carpet and insisted on buying it in spite of its high pricing.

228. arable Fit for ploughing The alluvial soil near the delta region is more arable for rice.

229. arbiter Person with power to decide a matter in a dispute Judge George acted as an arbiter in the bitter battle of child custody in case of divorces.

230. arbitrary Unreasonable Tyrannical In many countries, brides are still chosen on arbitrary grounds like fair complexion.

231. arboretum Place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited The college is planning to build a huge arboretum for botany students.

232. arcane Secret Mysterious The arcane matters of the government, discussed behind closed doors, were being leaked out.

233. archaeology Study of artifacts and relics of early mankind In spite of being highly interested in archaeology, she chose to pursue management studies due to parental pressure.

234. archaic Antiquated The interiors of the house were archaic and not suitable for modern living.

235. archetype Prototype Primitive pattern Tim was the archetypal professor who refused to adapt his methodology to new and modern techniques that could interest today’s students.

236. archipelago Group of closely located islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

237. archives Public records Place where public records are kept The detective searched for the information in newspaper archives.

238. ardor Heat Passion Zeal The new recruit showed tremendous ardor for the project and completed it in two days instead of the designated time of ten days.

239. arduous Hard Strenuous Due to an arduous adult life, she now suffered from various ailments, both physical and emotional.

240. argot slang Both the children developed a new kind of argot so that their parents would not understand their secretive talks.

241. aria A song for a solo voice in an opera The opera began with an exquisite aria that moved people to tears.

242. armada A fleet of warships An armada of warrior ships was seen in the enemy waters, which alerted the fishermen who in turn reported to the authorities.

243. aromatic Fragrant Aromatic oils are very effective to combat stress -related diseases.

244. arraign Charge in court Indict Hardly a few days after reconciliation with his estranged wife, Jeremy was arraigned for domestic violence.

245. array Draw up in order Clothe Adorn She was stunned at the beautiful array of gowns at the new boutique.

246. arrears Being in debt He was in deep depression as he was stressed due to heavy arrears incurred because of losses in his business.

247. arroyo gully Feeling nostalgic, Tom went near the arroyo behind his old house where he had spent many hours playing with his friends.

248. arrythmic Lacking rhythm or regularity The doctors feared his arrythmic heart beats might be the symptom of a possible heart attack.

249. arsenal Storage place for military equipment Our soldiers discovered an arsenal at the outskirts of the enemy territory and destroyed it.

250. articulate Effective Distinct Being very articulate in her speech, she was selected to represent her school at the international debate competition.

251. artifact Products of primitive culture Whenever they visit different countries, they collect artifacts and the collection has kept growing.

252. artifice Deception Trickery Mary decided to call off their relationship as it was based on artifice; Tom was already married.

253. ascribe Refer Attribute Assign The decline of the historical dynasty can be correctly ascribed to the wayward lifestyle of the last emperor.

254. aseptic Preventing infection Having a cleansing effect The aseptic atmosphere of the house made it feel like a hospital.

255. ashen Ash coloured Deadly pale Her ashen face worried her family and made her undergo a complete medical check up.

256. asinine Stupid Though she was beautiful, her reply seemed very asinine to the judges and dismissed her from the beauty contest.

257. askance With a sideways or indirect look Freida looked askance at Peter, wondering how he would accomplish the difficult task.

258. askew Crooked Slanted At an angle The superstar had the habit of wearing his cap askew, adhering to the latest fashion trend.

259. asperity Sharpness of temper It was not right on Susan’s part to use such asperity while scolding Fiona; the child was close to tears.

260. aspersion Slanderous remark The manager cast aspersions on his character, which led him to give in his resignation.

261. assail assault The controversial socialite was assailed with all kinds of questions at the grand party hosted by her.

262. assent Agree Accept Henry waited impatiently for her assent in response to his proposal.

263. assert State strongly or positively Insist on He strongly asserted himself while voicing his argument against the rules imposed by the authorities.

264. assimilate Absorb Cause to become homogenous Maria takes twice as much time as others her age to assimilate the facts presented to her.

265. assuage Ease or lessen pain Satisfy hunger Soothe anger He tries to assuage the guilt of not spending enough time with his children by giving them expensive gifts all the time.

266. astigmatism Eye defect that prevents proper focus After the complaint of double vision, she was tested by an opthalmologist who diagnosed her with astigmatism.

267. astral Relating to the stars The man claimed that he had seen an astral body floating over his field.

268. astronomical Enormously large or extensive The new price of the air tickets are astronomical, thus leading to displeasure of the commuters.

269. astute Wise Shrewd Despite Aryan’s young age, he was very astute in all his dealings.

270. asunder Into parts Apart The big, joint family was divided asunder when a bitter quarrel ensued between them on a trivial matter.

271. atavism Resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents Throwback Suddenly, there was an atavism of good fortune and he became extremely successful in his career, rising from the rank of a clerk to a manager.

272. atheistic Denying the existence of God Derek has shown an atheistic bend of mind when he refused to participate in the religious ceremonies.

273. atone Make amends for Pay for The notorious dacoit wanted to atone for his sins, so he decided to surrender himself to the police.

274. atrocity Brutal deed The island of Andaman was infamous for the atrocities incurred on the prisoners.

275. atrophy Wasting away Certain steroids cause skin atrophy, leading to severe pain and discomfort to the patients.

276. attentuate Make thinner Weaken or lessen The recent recession attentuated the cash flow to a mere trickle.

277. attrition Gradual wearing down A large number of network marketing companies are facing attrition and are losing their consultants every day.

278. audacious Daring bold The conservative party members squirmed at the audacious remarks passed by the young politician who was unaware of the tricks of the trade.

279. augury Omen Prophecy His sense of augury is so pronounced that he can even predict events that would occur hundred years later.

280. august Impressive Majestic The pandemonium immediately fell to a murmur when the audience felt the august presence of the Queen.

281. augment Increase Kevin was desperately looking for ways to augment his income as his family was continuously facing one health problem after the other.

282. aureole Sun’s corona Halo The devotees were so mesmerized by the speech of the saint that they sensed an aureole around his head.

283. auroral Pertaining to the aurora borealis There was an auroral glow in the skies as they stared with wonder and amazement at the beautiful spectacle.

284. authenticate Prove genuine The judge asked Peter to authenticate himself when he declared in the court that he was the rightful claimant to the dead man’s property.

285. authoritarian Favoring or exercising total control Non-democratic As Fiona’s father was a strict authoritarian, he refused to acknowledge her marriage to Sam, on the grounds of social disparity.

286. autocrat Having absolute, unchecked power Dictatorial The autocratic government failed to create a peaceful environment to its citizens, rather it caused discontent and discord.

287. automaton Mechanism that imitates actions of humans The scientists are hell-bent on building an automaton as availability of human labour is continually on the decline.

288. autonomous Self-governing As the college is autonomous, it could bring in revolutionary ideas to educate young minds.

289. autopsy Examination of a dead body Postmortem An autopsy needs to be conducted to ascertain the cause of the untimely death of Jane.

290. auxiliary Offering or providing help Additional or subsidiary They have added an auxiliary department to the main store.

291. avalanche Great mass of falling snow and ice They were caught in an avalanche and somehow managed to survive till help came.

292. avarice Greed for wealth Avarice is the sole reason for his treachery.

293. avenge Take vengeance for something ( or on behalf of someone) Tom vowed to avenge his father’s brutal murder.

294. aver Assert confidently Declare The Principal averred that the new regulation of daily compulsory attendance has been scrapped.

295. aversion Firm dislike Dorothy had a strong aversion towards flowers.

296. avert Prevent Turn away Clint tried to avert the accident by turning his car to the extreme left.

297. aviary Enclosure for birds Jeremy has built a beautiful aviary in his garden.

298. avid Greedy Eager for Dave is an avid admirer of horror movies.

299. avocation Secondary or minor occupation Playing guitar is her favourite avocation.

300. avuncular Like an uncle Because of his avuncular nature, Prof. Gordon attracts many young students.

301. awry Distorted Crooked Fred held his head awry, wondering at the weird decoration at the party.

302. axiom Self-evident truth requiring no proof Strongly believing in the axiom of “Practice what you preach”, Henry always spent his days doing hard work.

303. azure Sky blue The beauty queen’s azure eyes captivated the whole world.