Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist: 25th Nov'21

Nowadays the English section of Banking exams is full of surprises. In most of the topics, Vocabulary plays an important role and a good hold over it will help you score good marks. Also, Vocabulary helps in understanding the context of sentences while improving communication skills like speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Nobody can cram all the meanings of the words in one go. To help you out in this, we are providing you with the series, ‘Shape up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist’ which solely aims to enhance your vocabulary. The series will present the words used in newspaper editorials with the appropriate meanings, synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation, usage in the sentences, etc.

Today's article is from "The Hindu" newspaper. Understand the gist of the article using the meaning of the words given below and practice questions at the end of this article. 

Happy Reading!

Breaking the ice: On India-U.S. trade ties

Important Words from the Article

1. Word: Break the ice (चुप्पी तोड़ना)

• Part of Speech: Phrase 
• Meaning: To break down social formality and stiffness
• Synonyms: make things more comfortable, diffuse the tension, chill up
• Antonyms: Depose, Terminate
• Usage in a Sentence: After a long and awkward silence, he decided to break the ice by telling a joke.

2. Word: Vicious (अनैतिक)

• Pronunciation: vish-uh s/विशस
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: deliberately cruel or violent/immoral
  
• Synonyms: wicked, sinful, brutal
• Antonyms: kind, benevolent
• Usage in a Sentence: He suffered a vicious attack by a group of thieves.

 3. Word: Maiden (प्रथम)

• Pronunciation: meyd-n/ मेडन
• Part of Speech: Noun, Adjective
• Meaning:
  a. an unmarried girl or young woman (Noun)
  b. being or involving the first attempt or act of its kind (Adjective)
• Synonyms: inaugural, first, original
• Antonyms: latest, final, concluding, last, closing
• Usage in a Sentence: The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.

4. Word: Transpire (पता चलना)

• Pronunciation: tran-spahyuh r/ ट्रैन्स्पाइअर
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning: 
  a. to occur; happen; take place
  b. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves
  c. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores
  d. to be revealed or become known
• Synonyms: occur, happen, befall, take place
• Antonyms: vanish, remove, stop, quit
• Usage in a sentence: No one is willing to predict what may transpire at the peace conference.

5. Word: Convene (एकत्र करना)

• Pronunciation: kuhn-veen/ कन्वीन
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning: come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble. 
  
• Synonyms: assemble, gather, collect, muster
• Antonyms: adjourn, cancel, disperse, dismiss
• Usage in a Sentence: The supervisors may propose to convene temporary meetings of the board of supervisors.

6. Word: Tariff (सीमा-शुल्क लगाना)

• Pronunciation: tar-if/टैरीफ
• Part of Speech: Noun, Verb
• Meaning:
  a. an official list or table showing the duties or customs imposed by a government on imports or exports.
  b. the schedule or system of duties so imposed.
  c. any duty or rate of duty in such a list or schedule.
• Synonyms: tax, valuation, levy
• Antonyms: subsidy
• Usage in a Sentence: A general tariff was imposed on foreign imports.

7. Word: Barb (काँटा)

• Pronunciation: bahrb/ बार्ब
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: 
  a. a cluster of spikes on barbed wire.
  b. a deliberately hurtful remark.
• Synonyms: spike, spine, prickle, thorn, jibe
• Antonyms: blunt, compliment, praise
• Usage in a Sentence: A fish hook has a barb to prevent the fish from escaping after being hooked.

8. Word: Scuttle (बिगाड़ना/तीव्र गति)

• Pronunciation: skuht-l/ स्कटल
• Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
• Meaning:
  a. run hurriedly or furtively with short quick steps. [Verb]
  b. deliberately cause (a scheme) to fail. [Verb]
  c. a metal container with a handle used to fetch and store coal for a domestic fire. [Noun]
• Synonyms: hasten, wreck
• Antonyms: decelerate, resume
• Usage in a Sentence: The incident threatens to scuttle the peace process.

9. Word: Integration (अनुकलन)

• Pronunciation: in-ti-grey-shuhn/इन्टग्रेशन 
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: the action or process of integrating
• Synonyms: combination, mixture
• Antonyms: division, separation
• Usage in a sentence: The integration of several schools has decreased the number of academic options in our community.

10. Word: Posturing (दिखावा)

• Pronunciation: pos·tur·ing/ पास्चरिंग
• Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
• Meaning: 
  a. to place in a particular posture or attitude (Verb)
  b. to position, especially strategically (verb)
  c. to assume a particular posture (Verb)
  d. to assume affected or unnatural postures, as by bending or contorting the body.(Verb)
  e. behavior or speech that is intended to attract attention (Noun)
• Synonyms: dictation, imposition, enforcement, stance
• Antonyms: quest, petition, demand
• Usage in a sentence: His writing has been dismissed as mere intellectual posturing.

'Writer's Corner'

Based on the description of the words, we have some practice questions for you. Answer these questions in the comments section. Our team will review them at the earliest!

Exercise 1. Make your own Sentences.

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!

• break the ice
   
• vicious
   
• maiden
   
• transpire
   
• convene

Exercise 2: Match the columns.

Share your answers in the comment section. 

More from us:

For practice, attempt the quiz based on this daily wordlist from the link below to enhance your exam preparation: Vocabulary Quiz, Click here to attempt!

You can also check the wordlist articles for the previous days from the link below: Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist

That was your Vocabulary dose for the day. 

from BYJU'S Exam Prep