Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist: 5th October 2020

In keeping with the idea of learning and scoring better in English, we bring to you our series, ‘Shape up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist’. A daily dose of this article acquaints you with commonly (and not so commonly) used English words. The series tries to feature every such word, with its meaning, contextual usage, pronunciation, synonym, antonym, proper use in sentences, etc., that could save you from sitting with a dictionary while reading. Ultimately, it facilitates smooth reading and better intake of the newspaper article.

Given below is an important editorial from the newspaper ‘The Hindu’.

Read it, understand the context and go through the meanings of words to boost up your learning.

Brawling in Cleveland: On Trump-Biden debate

Important Words from the Article

1. Word: Bonhomie (मिलनसारिता)

• Pronunciation: bon-uh-mee/ बानमी
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: cheerful friendliness; geniality.
• Synonyms: affability, amiability, sociability
• Antonyms: aloofness, coldness, ferocity
• Usage in Sentence: There was a casual bonhomie between the actors at rehearsals.

2. Word: Spectacle (प्रदर्शनी)

• Pronunciation: spek-tuh-kuh l/स्पेक्टकल
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning:  
  a. a visually striking performance or display.
• Synonyms: marvel, display
• Antonyms: humility, disguise
• Usage in a Sentence: The sunset was a stunning spectacle.

 3. Word: Undergird (सहारा देना)

• Pronunciation: uhn-der-gurd/ अंडरगर्द
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning:
  a. secure or fasten from the underside, especially by a rope or chain passed underneath.
  b. provide support or a firm basis for.
• Synonyms: support, reinforce, brace up, bolster, sustain
• Antonyms: undermine, contradict, disapprove, neglect
• Usage in a sentence: The theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology.

4. Word: Cognitive (संज्ञानात्मक)

• Pronunciation: kog-ni-tiv/काग्निटिव
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning:
  a. connected with thinking or conscious mental processes
  b. relating to or involving the processes of thinking and reasoning
• Synonyms: mental, cerebral, intellectual, experimental
• Antonyms: unreasonable, fat-headed
• Usage in a sentence: Studies show a connection between aerobic exercise and cognitive ability.

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5. Word: Disdain (तिरस्कार)

• Part of Speech: Noun, Verb
• Pronunciation: dis-deyn/डिस्डैन
• Meaning: 
  a. the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's consideration or respect. [Noun]
  b. consider to be unworthy of one's consideration. [Verb]
• Synonyms: contempt, scorn, deride
• Antonyms: praise, admiration, sympathy
• Usage in a Sentence: He turned his head away in disdain.

6. Word: Acerbic (कसैला)

• Pronunciation: uh-sur-bik/असर्बिक
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: 
  a. sour or astringent in taste
  b. harsh or severe, as of temper or expression
• Synonyms: bitter, caustic, tart, acrid
• Antonyms: sweet, genial, pleasant, bland, mild
• Usage in a sentence: After John heard his teacher’s acerbic comments, he was not motivated to complete his project.

7. Word: Penchant (रुचि)

• Pronunciation: pen-chuh nt/पेन्चन्ट
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: 
  a. a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.
• Synonyms: inclination, fondness
• Antonyms: indifference, aversion
• Use in a Sentence: A penchant for setting oneself apart and above mere mortals.

8. Word: Stalwart (निष्ठावान)

• Pronunciation: stawl-wert/ स्टॉल्वर्ट
• Part of Speech: Adjective, Noun
• Meaning: 
  a. loyal, reliable, and hard-working. (Adjective)
  b. a loyal, reliable, and hard-working supporter of or participant in an organization or team. (Noun)
• Synonyms: stout, courageous, sturdy, strong, valiant
• Antonyms: coward, shy, feeble, weak, frail
• Usage in a sentence: Once a moderate pro-union Republican, McConnell has become a stalwart defender of corporate interests.

9. Word: Segue (पालन करें)

• Pronunciation: सेगुए /sey-gwey
• Part of Speech: verb, noun
• Meaning:
  a. to move easily and without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another (verb)
  b. a movement without interruption from one piece of music, part of a story, subject, or situation to another (noun)
• Synonyms: transition, change, shift
• Antonyms: end
• Usage in a sentence: He stumbled over words and made awkward segues.

10. Phrase: Toe to toe (सामना करना)

• Pronunciation: tow-too-tow /टोए टू टोए  
• Meaning:
  a. (of two people) standing directly in front of one another, especially in order to fight or argue
• Usage in a sentence: We had a good candidate who stood toe to toe with the President and beat him in three debates.

'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!

• Toe-to-toe
• Bonhomie
• Spectacle
• Undergird
• Cognitive

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. 

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