Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist:19th December, 2018

Nowadays, English section of Banking exams is filled with 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, It will help in understanding the context of sentences as well as improves the area of communication like, speaking, listening, reading and even 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. This will present the words used in newspaper editorial articles with the appropriate meanings, synonyms, antonyms, pronunciation, usage in sentences, etc.

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

Right prescription: the ban on retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin

GK Questions:

Q1. Where is the headquarter of WHO?

Q2. Who is the current judge of Himachal Pradesh High Court?

Important Words from the Article

1. Word: Absurdity (बेतुकापन)

Pronunciation: ab-sur-di-tee/ऐब्सर्डिटी
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: the quality or state of being ridiculous or wildly unreasonable.
Synonyms: ludicrousness, farcicality, risibility, silliness
Antonyms: rationality, prudence, sense, perception
Use in a Sentence: I find the man growing increasingly angry at the absurdity of the situation.

2. Word: Mystify (अस्पष्ट करना)

Pronunciation: mis-tuh-fahy/मिस्टफाइ
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning:

a. utterly bewilder or perplex (someone).
b. make obscure or mysterious.

Synonyms: puzzle, baffle, confuse, confound, bemuse, obfuscate
Antonyms: interpret, clarify, explain, enlighten
Use in a Sentence: The thing was shown with mystifying certitude.

3. Word: Clamp Down (कठोर नीति)

Pronunciation: klamp doun/क्लैम्प्डाउन
Part of Speech: Phrasal Verb of Clamp
Meaning:

a. suppress or prevent something in an oppressive or harsh manner.

Synonyms: suppress, prevent
Antonyms: bring up, extract
Use in a Sentence: The situation could worsen this year as the government continues to clamp down on credit.

4. Word: Damning (घातक)

Pronunciation: dam-ing/डैमिंग
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:

a. (of a circumstance or piece of evidence) strongly suggesting guilt or error.

b. extremely critical.

Synonyms: condemnatory, damnatory, denunciation
Antonyms: promising, blessing, propitious
Use in a Sentence: The author has delivered a damning counterblast to her critics.

5. Word: Compel (दबाव डालना)

Pronunciation: kuhm-pel/कम्पेल
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning:
a. force or oblige (someone) to do something.
b. bring about (something) by the use of force or pressure.
c. force to come or go in a particular direction.
Synonyms: pressure, impel, drive, press, push, urge
Antonyms: free, impede, deter, block
Use in a Sentence: His courage and skill compel our admiration.

6. Word: Sporadic (छिट पुट)

Pronunciation: spuh-rad-ik/स्पोरैडिक
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning:
a. occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.
Synonyms: occasional, infrequent, irregular, periodical
Antonyms: frequent, constant, ceaseless, seasonal
Use in a Sentence: There were reports of sporadic fighting in the streets.

7. Word: Quash (रद्द करना)

Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: reject as invalid, especially by legal procedure/put an end to
Pronunciation: kwosh/क्वॉश
Synonyms: put down, invalidate, destroy
Antonyms: validate, saction, formalise
Use in a Sentence: The greedy dog learn how to quash his hunger.

8. Word: Setbacks (असफलता)

Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning:

a. a reversal or check in progress.

Pronunciation: set-bak/सेट्बैक
Synonyms: problem, difficulty, issue
Antonyms: blessing, triumph, achievement
Use in a Sentence: His research has suffered a temporary setback.

9. Word: Arbitrary (इच्छाधीन)

Pronunciation: ahr-bi-trer-ee?आर्बिट्रेरी
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
Synonyms: irrational, inconsistent, freakish
Antonyms: reasonable, circumspect, objective
Use in a Sentence: Her supposition was arbitrary, based on no valid proof.

10. Word: Purport (उद्देश्य, आशय)

Pronunciation: per-pawrt/पर्पोर्ट
Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
Meaning:

a. appear to be or do something, especially falsely. [Verb]

b. the meaning or sense of something, typically a document or speech. [Noun]

Synonyms: implication, significance
Antonyms: hide, prohibiting
Use in a Sentence: The novel does not purport to be a complete history of the period.

11. Word: Ill-conceived (व्यर्थ)

Pronunciation: il-kuh n-seevd
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: not carefully planned or considered.
Synonyms: crazy, unwise, imprudent
Antonyms: wise, normal, balanced, careful
Use in a Sentence: The policy was ill-conceived and wrong-headed.

Practice Time

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

Exercise 1: