Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist: 28th December, 2018

Vocabulary is the most important tool which can enhance your command on the English language. Now, the question arises, how one can learn the infinite number of words with meanings in one go? It is not possible to cram several words in a day. This is a regular process. You have to understand the meaning of words which you encounter while reading. Reading magazines, newspapers, books will help you out in learning new words on daily basis.

Our series, ‘Shape up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist’ aims to help you understand the different aspects of the commonly used words, ranging from their meaning, pronunciation, synonym, antonym, proper use in sentences, etc.

Here is an important editorial article from ‘The Hindu Businessline’, followed by important words from the same, to help you strengthen your vocabulary.

Bank Bailout

Important Words from the Article

1. Word: Fool-hardy (दुःसाहसी)

Pronunciation: fu-l-har-di/फूल-हार्ड-इ
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. brave in a silly way, taking unnecessary risks
Synonyms: reckless, rash, incautious, careless, heedless
Antonyms: careful, cautious, fearful, meek
Use in a Sentence: It is foolhardy to sail the Atlantic in such a tiny boat.

2. Word: Lacklustre (मंद)

Pronunciation: lack-lus-tre/लैक-लस-ट-र
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. lacking in vitality, force, or conviction;
b. uninspired or uninspiring.
Synonyms: dull, uninspired, uninteresting.
Antonyms: Bright, lively, revitalizing
Use in a Sentence: No excuses can be made for the team's lacklustre performance.

2. Word: Specious (दिखावटी)

Pronunciation: spee-shuh s/स्पीशस
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
b. misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive.
Synonyms: deceptive, apparent
Antonyms: valid, credible
Sentence: They wouldn't accept his specious claim.

3. Word: Peg up (बढाना)

Pronunciation: peg-up/पेग-अप
Part of Speech: Idiom
Meaning:

a. To raise the value, amount, rate, etc., of something, especially very quickly or suddenly
Synonyms: enhance, gain, improve, grow, inflate
Antonyms: decrease, lessen, depreciate, disparage
Use in a Sentence: The price for wheat has been pegged up to a staggering $17.45 USD, the highest it has ever been in the history of the United States.

4. Word: Paper-over (एक अप्रिय स्थिति को छिपाना)

Pronunciation: pay-par-o-var/पे-पर-ओ-वर
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning:

a. meaning in this article: to hide an unpleasant situation, especially a problem or disagreement, in order to make people believe that it does not exist or is not serious.
b. to glossover, explain away, or patch up (differences, disparities, etc.) especially in order to maintain a semblance of unity or agreement.
Synonyms: Cover, conceal, mask
Antonyms: open, release, reveal, uncover, bare
Use in .a Sentence: He tried to paper over the country's deep-seated problems. Hiding and disguising.

5. Word: Precarious (अनिश्चित)

Pronunciation: pri-kair-ee-uh s/प्रिकेरीअस
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. dependent on chance; uncertain
b. not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
Synonyms: hazardous, perilous, insecure
Antonyms: strong, secure, stable, certain, definite
Use in a Sentence: If you think the weather is bad now, see how precarious conditions will be when the hurricane makes landfall.

6. Word: Brisk (तेज , फुर्तीला )

Pronunciation: bri-esk/ब्रि-स्क
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. active and energetic.
Synonyms: quick, rapid, fast, swift, speedy, fleet-footed
Antonyms: sluggish, slow, quiet
Use in a Sentence: Since I wanted to burn calories, my personal trainer had me walk the treadmill at a brisk speed.

7. Word: Undermine (क्षीण करना)

Pronunciation: uhn-der-mahyn/अन्डर्माइन
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning:

a. meaning in this article: lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of, especially gradually or insidiously.
b. erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation).
Synonyms: threaten, weaken, compromise, diminish
Antonyms: strengthen, bolster, boost
Use in a Sentence: High-income tax can undermine work incentives.

8. Word: Mammoth ( विशाल)

Pronunciation: mai-math/मैमथ
Part of Speech: Adjective, Noun
Meaning:

a. meaning in this article: huge, very large (Adjective)
b. a large extinct elephant of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long curved tusks. (Noun)
Synonyms: enormous, gigantic, giant, colossal, massive, vast
Antonyms: tiny, small, minute
Use in a Sentence: Jeff works for a mammoth-sized corporation that hires lakhs of employees all over the world.

9. Word: Intent (इरादा )

Pronunciation: in-tent/इन्टेन्ट
Part of Speech: Noun, Adjective
Meaning:

a. intention or purpose. [Noun]

b. determined to do (something). [Adjective]

c. (of a look or expression) showing earnest and eager attention. [Adjective]

Synonyms: purpose, objective, goal
Antonyms: unorganized, irresolute
Use in a Sentence: He was intent on pursuing a career in business.

10. Word: Barely (केवल)

Pronunciation: bair-lee/बेर्ली
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning:

a. only just; almost not
b. in a simple and sparse way.
Synonyms: hardly, scarcely, just
Antonyms: completely, easily
Use in a Sentence: The act was barely justified by the circumstances.

11. Word: Deteriorate (बिगाड़ना)

Pronunciation: dih-teer-ee-uh-reyt/डिटिरीअरैट
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning:

a. become progressively worse.
Synonyms: worsen, degenerate, languish
Antonyms: improve, ameliorate, progress
Use in a Sentence: If the eatables are kept for too long, its taste will deteriorate and it may

Practice Time

Exercise 1:

Based on the above article, we have some practice questions for you. Try to answer these questions in the comments section & our team will review them at the earliest!

Here are some of the words from the above article. Try to frame sentences from them in your own words and share them with us in the comments section!