Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist: 18th August 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. 

Lapsing into contempt: On punishing Prashant Bhushan

Important Words from the Article

1. Word: Ostensible (प्रत्यक्ष)

• Pronunciation: o-sten-suh-buhl/आस्टेन्सिबल
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: 
  a. appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else
  b. apparent, evident, or conspicuous:
  c. outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended
• Synonyms: apparent, seeming, outward, superficial
• Antonyms: genuine, profound, real, obscure
• Usage in a sentence: Their ostensible goal was to clean up government corruption, but their real aim was to unseat the government.

2. Word: Recourse (आश्रय)

• Pronunciation: ree-kawrs/रीकोर्स
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning:
  a. access or resort to a person or thing for help or protection
  b. a person or thing resorted to for help or protection
  c. the right to collect from a maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument
• Synonyms: expedient, resort, resource
• Antonyms: avoid, deflect
• Usage in a sentence: It is hoped that the dispute will be settled without recourse to litigation.

 3. Word: Scurrilous (अभद्र)

• Pronunciation: skur-uh-luhs/स्करलस
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: 
  a. expressing unfair or false criticism that is likely to damage someone's reputation
  b. rude and cruel, and sometimes damaging
  c. characterized by or using low buffoonery; coarsely jocular or derisive
• Synonyms: abusive, vulgar, offensive, opprobrious
• Antonyms: polite, courteous, opportunistic
• Usage in a sentence: She was often quite scurrilous in her references to me.

4. Word: Abrasive (कठोर/खुरदरा)

• Pronunciation: uh-brey-siv/अब्रेसिव
• Part of Speech: Adjective, Noun
• Meaning:
  a. rude and unfriendly (Adjective)
  b. An abrasive substance is slightly rough, and often used for cleaning surfaces (Adjective)
  c. a substance used for rubbing away the surface of something, usually to clean it or make it shiny (Noun)
• Synonyms: rough, harsh, caustic
• Antonyms: smooth, agreeable, pleasant, soft
• Usage in a sentence: She has a rather abrasive manner.
  
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5. Word: Perfunctory (असावधानी से किया हुआ)

• Pronunciation: per-fuhngk-tuh-ree/पर्फंगक्टरी
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning:
  a. done quickly, without taking care or interest
  b. performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial
  c. lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic
• Synonyms: cursory, superficial, casual, indifferent
• Antonyms: attentive, careful, prudent
• Usage in a sentence: His smile was perfunctory.

6. Word: Delineate (चित्रण करना)

• Pronunciation: dih-lin-ee-eyt/डिलिनीऐट
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning:
  a. to describe or mark the edge of something
  b. to describe something completely, including details
  c. to portray in words; describe or outline with precision
• Synonyms: outline, describe, draw
• Antonyms: distort, annotate, misrepresent
• Usage in a sentence: The main characters are clearly delineated in the first chapter.

7. Word: Stalwart (निष्ठावान/बलिष्ठ)

• Pronunciation: stawl-wert/स्टॉल्वर्ट
• Part of Speech: Noun, Adjective
• Meaning:
  a. loyal, especially for a long time; able to be trusted (Adjective)
  b. (especially of a person) physically strong (Noun)
  c. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust (Adjective)
  d. strong and brave; valiant (Adjective)
  e. firm, steadfast, or uncompromising (Adjective)
• Synonyms: sturdy, stout, strong, courageous
• Antonyms: coward, feeble, shy
• Usage in a sentence: She has been a stalwart supporter of the party for many years.

8. Word: Acquiescence (मौन सम्मति या समनुमति)

• Pronunciation: ak-wee-es-uhns/ऐक्वीएसन्स
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning:
  a. the act of accepting or agreeing to something, often unwillingly
• Synonyms: consent, assent, acceptance, concurrence
• Antonyms: rejection, defiance, refusal
• Usage in a sentence: I was surprised by her acquiescence to/in the plan.

9. Word: Reticence (अल्पभाषिता)

• Pronunciation: ret-uh-suhns/रेटिसन्स
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning:
  a. an unwillingness to do something or talk about something, for example because you are nervous or being careful
• Synonyms: reserve, restraint, taciturnity
• Antonyms: openness, honesty, alacrity
• Usage in a sentence: His reticence about his past made them very suspicious.

10. Word: Animadversion (टिप्पणी)

• Pronunciation: an-uh-mad-vur-zhuhn/ऐनमैड्वर्श़न
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning:
  a. criticism or a critical remark
  b. an unfavorable or censorious comment
• Synonyms: censure, criticism, stricture, calumny
• Antonyms: approbation, praise
• Usage in a sentence: She was being critical, but her animadversions were mild.

11. Word: Stellar (उत्कृष्ट)

• Pronunciation: stel-er/स्टेलर
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning:
  a. of or relating to the stars; consisting of stars
  b. like a star, as in brilliance, shape, etc.
  c. pertaining to a preeminent performer, athlete, etc.
• Synonyms: astral, leading, great
• Antonyms: inferior, substandard
• Usage in a sentence: The cellist gave a stellar performance before an enthusiastic audience.

12. Phrase: Shrug off (हटाना)

• Pronunciation: shrug-awf/श्रग ऑफ
• Meaning:
  a. to minimize the importance of; dismiss
  b. to get rid of
  c. to wriggle out of or push off (clothing)
• Synonyms: disregard, brush aside, overlook
• Usage in a sentence:  You're a father and you can't simply shrug off your responsibility for your children. 

'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!

• Ostensible
• Scurrilous
• Delineate
• Perfunctory
• Recourse
• Shrug off

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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