Vocab For Banking Examinations From The Hindu Newspaper

Vocab For Banking Examinations From The Hindu Newspaper

Dear Readers,



Vocabulary is an important part of English that helps you deal with all kinds of questions in objective as well as descriptive papers of various exams. You can learn new words daily from our Daily Word List. Learn the words and make your own sentences on the basis of the given word list. Here are a few words from The Hindu.

Many will agree that academic research in India needs to be internationally competitive and our institutions feature in rankings lists. Global research and competition are now increasingly diverse and in this scenario, India rightfully wants to be an important player. In pedagogy(1) too, we face a situation of enhanced expectations. There has been a rapid expansion with the setting up of more Central and State universities which includes more focussed institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Indian Institutes of Management and National Institutes of Technology, enhancing the opportunities for high-quality teaching. Despite the impressive job being done, there is considerable room for improvement.

But what is still holding our nation back(2) from achieving large-scale global academic excellence which is commensurate(3) with our intellectual heritage and caliber(4)? Beyond blaming the government and the bureaucracy, the usual suspects, it is important to look inward and ask whether our academics display an adequate ethical(5) commitment to excellence.

It is rarely appreciated that excellence is an ethical issue. We think of it as something arising from people of calibre coupled with sufficient resources. But how do successful nations spot such people and resources and enable them to achieve their potential? The answer: there is a sincere and stated commitment to cultivating excellence as a goal. Contrasting this with the academic ethos(6) in India raises uncomfortable questions.

Consider this advertisement put out by Stanford University recently: “We seek exceptional individuals who can develop a world-class program of research, and have a strong commitment to teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.” In such institutions, once an excellent candidate is identified, the institution does everything to convince her/him to accept the offer. Loss of the candidate to a rival institution is considered a serious failure, as excellence is seen to be a precious commodity, with the heads of such institutions held accountable.

In India, in contrast, excellence is at best one of multiple criteria in faculty hiring. Though never openly stated, extraneous(7) considerations abound(8). It is an open secret that these considerations define a large fraction of hiring across India, and often precede considerations of merit. In some places, excellence can actually go against the candidate.

One might be tempted(9) to solely blame failed institutions/departments on the calibre of leadership, and, ultimately, the government that appoints such leaders. But the problem persists even in those institutions led by respected academics. The reasons need to be examined. While academics freely criticise personality cults(10) in the political sphere, they are happy to cultivate those of their own.

1. Pedagogy [ped-uh-goh-jee, -goj-ee]
Noun: the function or work of a teacher; teaching; the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.
Synonyms: apprenticeship, background, brainwashing, breeding, catechism, civilization, coaching, cultivation, culture, direction, discipline, drilling, edification, enlightenment, erudition, finish, guidance, improvement, inculcation.
Antonyms: confusion, destruction, harm, hurt.

2. Hold back
Phrasal verb of hold: hesitate to act or speak.

3. Commensurate [kuh-men-ser-it, -sher-]
Adjective: corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree; proportionate; adequate; having the same measure; of equal extent or duration.
Synonyms: comparable, compatible, consistent, proportionate, sufficient, appropriate, coextensive, due, equal, equivalent, fit, fitting, in accord, symmetrical.
Antonyms: incompatible, unsuitable, inadequate, inappropriate.

4. Caliber [kal-uh-ber]
Noun: the diameter of something of circular section, especially that of the inside of a tube; degree of capacity or competence; ability; degree of merit or excellence; quality.
Synonyms: ability, competence, quality, stature, talent, appetency, capability, constitution, dignity, distinction, endowment, essence, faculty, force, gifts, merit, nature, parts, power.
Antonyms: inability, inadequacy, incompetence, weakness.

5. Ethical [eth-i-kuh l]
Adjective: pertaining to or dealing with morals or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct; being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession.
Synonyms: honest, honorable, humane, principled, proper, virtuous, christian, clean, conscientious, correct, decent, elevated, equitable, fair, fitting, good, high-principled, just, kosher.
Antonyms: corrupt, dishonest, immoral, improper.

6. Ethos [ee-thos, ee-thohs, eth-os, -ohs]
Noun: sociology. The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period; the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.; the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's action rather than his or her thought or emotion.
Synonyms: ideology, mentality, mindset, spirit, attitude, beliefs, code, culture, habits, mind, principles, psyche, psychology, traits, values.
Antonyms: body, physicality.

7. Extraneous [ik-strey-nee-uh s]
Adjective: introduced or coming from without; not belonging or proper to a thing; external; foreign; not pertinent; irrelevant.
Synonyms: additional, immaterial, incidental, nonessential, superfluous, supplementary, unconnected, unnecessary, unrelated, accidental, adventitious, beside the point, extra, foreign, impertinent, inadmissible, inapplicable, inapposite, inappropriate.
Antonyms: essential, important, material, necessary.

8. Abound [uh-bound]
Verb: to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers.
Synonyms: flourish, proliferate, thrive, crowd, flow, infest, overflow, swarm, swell, teem, be alive with, be all over the place, be knee deep in, be no end to, be plentiful, be thick with.
Antonyms: decline, fail, languish, retreat.

9. Tempt [tempt]
Verb: to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral; to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite; to render strongly disposed to do something.
Synonyms: allured, charmed, desiring, enticed, inclined, seduced, bent on.
Antonyms: averse to, disinclined, indifferent, undesiring.

10. Cult [kuhlt]
Noun: a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies; an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers; the object of such devotion.
Synonyms: band, church, clan, clique, denomination, faith, religion, sect, body, creed, faction, following, party, persuasion, school.
Antonyms: agnosticism, disbelief. 

Vocab For Banking Examinations From The Hindu Newspaper

Vocab For Banking Examinations From The Hindu Newspaper

Dear Readers,

Vocabulary is an important part of English that helps you deal with all kinds of questions in objective as well as descriptive papers of various exams. You can learn new words daily from our Daily Word List. Learn the words and make your own sentences on the basis of the given word list. Here are a few words from The Hindu.

In 1865, Gregor Mendel discovered the two laws of inheritance that are now named after him. Almost 90 years later in 1953, the work of James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, deciphered the structure of the molecule — DNA — that stores our hereditary information and gets transmitted from parents to children over generations.

At this point, in principle, the prospect of building individualized medicine based on the precise information stored in each human’s DNA (their genome) had come into view. But the human genome has around 3 billion base pairs and in 1953 it wasn’t possible to imagine extracting genetic information on the molecular scale and of this collective size.

Technological advances in sequencing methods have made the possibility glimpsed(1) 60 years ago a reality today. Already by 2001 the human genome project and its private competitor, Celera Genomics, showed that an entire genome could be sequenced.

Since then the cost of doing so has plummeted(2) — currently it is something like $1000 per person and becoming cheaper — and the age of genomics-informed medicine is now within sight. Perhaps this will also make interventional treatments feasible(3), in the not too distant future, thanks to the revolutionary advances brought about by the discovery of new gene-editing techniques, such as CRISPR.

What implications do these developments have for India and are there deliberate(4) choices that would shape this coming future more advantageously for the country and its people? Are there strengths that India can bring to this task? To gain fully from the genomics revolution, India needs to collect information about the genetics of its population and train manpower capable of interpreting it. The information that is needed has to come from a large and sustained collection of data — fully sequenced individual genomes along with medical histories for the individuals who volunteer for this effort.

This kind of longitudinal study is what would allow actual physical manifestations(5) relevant to health, e.g. specific illnesses, to be related to features in the genome. To pick an ambitious but not impossible number, a data bank that collects this kind of information on one million Indians over the coming decade would be a feasible effort of the right magnitude. We note that the China Kadoorie Biobank has been studying half a million people since their recruitment in 2004-2008. As India is much more genetically diverse — with something like 5,000 ethno-linguistic and religious groups (castes and others), all of which probably have some degree of genetic distinctiveness(6) — it needs a larger survey to do justice to all Indians.

The genetic distinctiveness of different Indian groups is in part the result of endogamy(7). While we cannot know the full impact of endogamy in advance of a proper survey, some recent research has shown that endogamy is very likely to be medically significant. Castes are not just “of the mind”. The genetic implication of this is that there are likely to be many recessive(8) diseases stemming from single genes specific to individual groups that can be identified.

This knowledge could then also be quickly applied to the task of managing diseases in these groups as well as be used for genetic counselling that could reduce their incidence in future generations. As an example elsewhere, the founder group of Ashkenazi Jews have almost eliminated Tay-Sachs disease from their population by such means. Looking ahead a bit more, with large samples the technique of “genome-wide association studies” that compare genomes of cases and controls could be used to identify genetic risk factors related to common diseases (such as heart disease that stem from many genes) that affect the health of many more individuals. We would like to emphasize that much of this is simply a question of applying existing methods and could all be done fairly quickly.

This is a good point at which to note that such a survey of Indian genetic diversity will be an important asset, beyond disease genetics. The data collected as part of these efforts will also help to uncover the basic biological function of genes and their interactions, which are not yet fully understood. This knowledge will be useful to humanity worldwide and also offer India a chance to claim a piece of the global medical and scientific frontier(9).

As a large part of the enterprise would be the application of information technology or “bio-informatics”, the prospects of establishing viable commercial enterprises with synergies(10) to existing IT champions are also promising.

1. Glimpse [glimps]
Noun: a very brief, passing look, sight, or view; a momentary or slight appearance; a vague idea; inkling; a gleam, as of light.
Verb: to catch or take a glimpse of; to look briefly; glance (usually followed by at); to come into view; appear faintly.
Synonyms: check out, peek, descry, espy, eye, flash, sight, spot, spy, view, catch sight of, get a load of, get an eyeful, take a gander, take in.
Antonyms: stare.

2. Plummet [pluhm-it]
Noun: a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line; something that weighs down or depresses.
Verb: to plunge.
Synonyms: collapse, crash, decline, decrease, descend, dip, dive, drop, drop down, fall, nose-dive, plunge, sink, skid, tumble, downturn, dump, precipitate, stoop, swoop.
Antonyms: ascend, go up, grow, increase.

3. Feasible [fee-zuh-buh l]
Adjective: capable of being done, effected, or accomplished; probable; likely; suitable.
Synonyms: achievable, advantageous, appropriate, attainable, beneficial, expedient, likely, practicable, practical, profitable, reasonable, suitable, viable, workable, worthwhile, breeze, cinch, duck soup.
Antonyms: disadvantageous, implausible, impossible, impractical.

4. Deliberate [adjective dih-lib-er-it; verb dih-lib-uh-reyt]
Adjective: carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional; characterized by deliberation or cautious consideration; careful or slow in deciding; leisurely and steady in movement or action; slow and even; unhurried.
Verb: to weigh in the mind; consider.
Synonyms: calculated, careful, cautious, cold-blooded, conscious, meticulous, premeditated, prudent, purposeful, studious, thoughtful, willful, advised, considered, designed, express, fixed, intended, judged, planned, pondered, prearranged, predetermined, projected, purposed, reasoned, resolved, schemed.
Antonyms: careless, heedless, ignorant, imprudent.

5. Manifestation [man-uh-fuh-stey-shuh n, -fe-]
Noun: an act of manifesting; the state of being manifested; outward or perceptible indication; materialization; a public demonstration, as for political effect.
Synonyms: demonstration, explanation, expression, indication, instance, meaning, phenomenon, symptom, token, appearance, disclosure, display, exposure, mark, materialization, revelation, show, sign.
Antonyms: concealment, hiding, reality, secret.

6. Distinctive [dih-stingk-tiv]
Adjective: serving to distinguish; characteristic; distinguishing; having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.
Synonyms: uniqueness, discreteness, disparateness, particularity, separateness, specialness, specialty.

7. Endogamy [en-dog-uh-mee]
Noun: marriage within a specific tribe or similar social unit.

8. Recessive [ri-ses-iv]
Adjective: tending to go, move, or slant back; receding; genetics. Of or relating to a recessive.
Synonyms: receding, relapsing, dormant, inactive, latent, regressive, suspended.
Antonyms: dominant, overbalancing, prevailing.

9. Frontier [fruhn-teer, fron-; also, esp. British, fruhn-teer]
Noun: the part of a country that borders another country; boundary; border; the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions.
Synonyms: borderland, borderline, bound, confines, edge, limit, march, perimeter, verge.
Antonyms: center, inside, interior, middle.

10. Synergy [sin-er-jee]
Noun: the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.
Synonyms: teamwork, alliance, coaction, harmony, symbiosis, synergism, union, unity, combined effort, team effort, teaming, working together.

Antonyms: discord, divorce, separation. 

Vocabulary For IBPS Clerk Mains Examination

Vocabulary For IBPS Clerk Mains Examination

Dear Readers,

Vocabulary is an important part of English that helps you deal with all kinds of questions in objective as well as descriptive papers of various exams. You can learn new words daily from our Daily Word List. Learn the words and make your own sentences on the basis of the given word list. Here are a few words from an article published in The Economic Times.

The country’s biggest lender reducing lending rates by 30 basis points to three things: one, the general rule of demand and supply works in the case of loans, as well; the RBI has all along been right in insisting that there is room for banks to lend lower even without policy rates being cut further; and, the government has to step up public investment to revive growth.

 State Bank of India, it has been reported, made more money in the first nine months of this financial year from fines on customers whose deposits dipped below the minimum balance requirement than its profits for the second quarter.

The banks are awash(1) with liquidity and the demand for credit is anemic. So, SBI pared down(2) its deposit rates and has now lowered the lending rate, presumably(3), to attract fresh borrowers. This is welcome.

Equally welcome is the bank’s savvy(4) move to offer the lower rate to existing borrowers, in contrast to the normal practice of reserving such benefits for new customers.

This should make SBI customers less eager to be tempted(5) by rival offers from other banks. In the new year, the world economy is expected to strengthen, across the board. This should see monetary tightening in the US and Europe and, possibly, even in Japan.

That would make it harder for India’s monetary policy to turn accommodative(6), for fear of making the dollar efflux(7), inevitable(8) when the risk-free return in industrial countries goes up, even stronger and putting downward pressure on the rupee. If with no reduction in the repo rate and a prospect of the rate hardening, if anything, the banks’ lending rates go down, it bears out(9) the proposition that banks have the scope to reduce lending rates without additional policy action by the central bank.

Sluggish(10) demand for credit does not speak of rude economic health. Supply of loans will not, by itself, create demand. That has to come from giving stalled investment a push, of the kind the government has promised via its Bharatmala and rail expansions. The government has to get infrastructure investment going, and revive the public-private-partnership mode to that end.

1. Awash [uh-wosh, uh-wawsh]
Adjective: just level with or scarcely above the surface of the water, so that waves break over the top, as the upper deck of a ship in a heavy sea; covered with water; washing about; tossed about by the waves; covered, filled, or crowded.
Synonyms: afloat, flooded, inundated, flush, flushed, overflowing.

2. Pare down
Verb: to cut someone down to something or a smaller size.

3. Presumably [pri-zoo-muh-blee]
Adverb: by assuming reasonably; probably.
Synonyms: apparently, doubtless, probably, seemingly, supposedly, surely, presumptively, assumably, credible, doubtlessly, hypothetically, in all likelihood, in all probability, indubitably, it would seem, most likely, on the face of it, theoretically, unquestionably.
Antonyms: improbably, questionably, uncertain, unlikely.

4. Savvy [sav-ee]
Adjective: experienced, knowledgable, and well-informed; shrewd (often used in combination): consumers who are savvy about prices.
Noun: practical understanding; shrewdness or intelligence; common sense.
Verb: to know; understand.

5. Tempt [tempt]
Verb: to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral; to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite; to render strongly disposed to do something.
Synonyms: appeal to, attract, captivate, charm, dare, fascinate, induce, intrigue, invite, motivate, persuade, seduce, stimulate, tantalize, woo, allure, bait, coax, court, decoy, draw, entrap, honey, hook, incite, influence, instigate, inveigle, move, oil, promote.
Antonyms: bore, depress, discourage, disenchant.

6. Accommodative [uh-kom-uh-dey-tiv]
Adjective: tending to accommodate; adaptive.

7. Efflux [ef-luhks]
Noun: outward flow, as of water; something that flows out; effluence; a passing or lapse of time; a passing away; expiration; ending.
Synonyms: discharge, effluence, emanation.

8. Inevitable [in-ev-i-tuh-buh l]
Adjective: unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary; sure to occur, happen, or come; unalterable.
Noun: that which is unavoidable.
Synonyms: imminent, impending, inescapable, inexorable, irresistible, necessary, unavoidable, undeniable, binding, doomed, pat, all locked up, assured, compulsory, decided, decreed, destined, determined, fated, fateful, fixed, for certain, foreordained, in the bag, ineluctable.
Antonyms: avoidable, distant, escapable, later.

9. Bear out
Verb: to support or prove a claim or idea.

10. Sluggish [sluhg-ish]
Adjective: indisposed to action or exertion; lacking in energy; lazy; indolent; not acting or working with full vigor, as bodily organs; slow to act or respond.
Synonyms: heavy, inactive, lethargic, listless, slack, slow, stagnant, apathetic, blah, comatose, dopey, down, dragging, draggy, drippy, hebetudinous, indolent.
Antonyms: active, alert, busy, energetic.

Vocabulary For IBPS Clerk Mains Examination

Vocabulary is an important part of English that helps you deal with all kinds of questions in objective as well as descriptive papers of various exams. You can learn new words daily from our Daily Word List. Learn the words and make your own sentences on the basis of the given word list. Here are a few words from an article published in Livemint.

The previous instalment of Cafe Economics focused on the fragile economics of bitcoin’s design makes it more a speculative financial asset rather than a stable monetary unit. The column ended as follows: “There are now growing signs that central banks are trying to figure out how to embrace the blockchain(1) future. What will that mean for the money supply process as well as for monetary policy?”

Higher prices create incentives for miners to bring more bitcoins into play, but the underlying algorithm restricts the total supply of the cryptocurrency to 21 million units. Such rigid money supply reduces the scope for discretionary(2) monetary policy that every nation state seeks to pursue. However, central banks could use the new blockchain technology to create their own variants of digital money, a move that could possibly alter monetary policy in profound(3) ways as well as undermine the traditional banking system, as pointed out by Bank of England economist Marilyne Tolle in July 2016 blog post.

There are two types of money in any modern economy—the base money created by central banks in their balance sheets and a broader measure of money that is powered by bank credit. The former is usually lower than the latter. Banks create money out of thin air(4). In other words, the money multiplier (the ratio of broad money to base money) is greater than one. How will matters change if central banks begin to offer their own cryptocurrencies?

Citizens cannot own central bank money in the current scheme of things. They can only own bank deposits. Our transactions with one another are done via banks, with the central bank only providing clearing house facilities to transfer money. The central bank eventually needs banks to conduct its monetary policy. Think of the endless Indian debates on monetary policy transmission, or why the signals from the central bank are not picked up by commercial banks.

It is quite possible that citizens will be able to directly own central bank money in a blockchain future, bypassing commercial banks. Central banks will not just be bankers to banks but also bankers to citizens. In other words, direct access to central bank money as well as the central bank ledger can shake the business models of banks to their very foundation. This does not necessarily mean that banks will cease to exist, but they could face existential challenges.

Blockchain currency issued by central banks could also have a deep impact on the conduct of monetary policy. All central banks try to keep inflation at a certain level by moving some policy levers. The traditional monetarist lever was the growth in the supply of broad money, through policies such as open market operations, foreign exchange intervention and changes in the statutory reserve ratios.

The underlying belief is that inflation is eventually caused by excess money supply. Monetarism can work only if the demand for money is predictable. (The demand for money also plays a central role in the alternative Cambridge Equation in monetary economics.) A central bank that can correctly forecast the demand for money can thus adjust money supply accordingly. Most countries moved away from monetarism in the 1990s because the demand for money became unstable. The reason: the wave of financial liberalization that swept through(5) the world.

The inability to target money supply forced central banks to use interest rates as their intermediate policy target. Anybody with even a passing interest in contemporary(6) monetary policy will know that the main tool used by central banks is the short-term interest rate, though money supply did make a comeback through quantitative easing because interest rates in many developed economies were close to zero.

Blockchain could help monetary policy makers turn the clock back to money supply targeting. Why? The fact that citizens can directly access base money from the central bank balance sheet means that—at least in theory—a monetary policy maker will have precise information on the demand for money. In fact, the digital central bank ledger should be able to give central bankers real-time information on the demand for money.

A central banker who does not have to second guess(7) the demand for money in an economy could then go back to using money supply as his main policy tool. Money supply can be adjusted to ensure that the demand for money is met, given a certain inflation target. Tweaking(8) interest rates may no longer be the main business of central banks. Money supply targeting could once again come into play.

These are thought experiments—and readers are invited to extend, question or pull down the preliminary ideas in these two columns on the cryptocurrency challenge. It is still early days, and there is still a lot of uncertainty about the underlying economics of cryptocurrencies as well as their impact on the conduct of monetary policy.

Central banks will eventually have to grapple(9) with the powerful challenge that blockchain has thrown at the traditional monetary systems. Nation states that see the control of money as one of the most important weapons of sovereignty in their armoury(10) will also have to figure out how to adapt to currencies such as bitcoins. It is going to get even more interesting from here.

1. Blockchain [blɒktʃeɪn]
Noun: a digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly.

2. Discretionary [dih-skresh-uh-ner-ee]
Adjective: subject or left to one's own discretion; for any use or purpose one chooses; not earmarked for a particular purpose.
Synonyms: unrestricted, at the call, elective, facultative, judge and jury, leftover, nonmandatory, nonobligatory, open, optional.
Antonyms: nondiscretionary.

3. Profound [pruh-found]
Adjective: penetrating or entering deeply into subjects of thought or knowledge; having deep insight or understanding; originating in or penetrating to the depths of one's being.
Synonyms: deep, intelligent, philosophical, serious, subtle, thorough, weighty, abstruse, acroamatic, difficult, discerning, enlightened, erudite, esoteric, heavy, hermetic, informed, intellectual, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, mysterious, occult.
Antonyms: light, open, superficial, trivial.

4. Out of thin air: from nothing, as of something that has suddenly materialized.

5. Sweep through: to move through something or some place quickly and with grand flourishes; to perform some task quickly.

6. Contemporary [kuh n-tem-puh-rer-ee]
Adjective: existing, occurring, or living at the same time; belonging to the same time; of about the same age or date.
Synonyms: new, present-day, current, instant, latest, mod, now, present, recent, today, abreast, au courant, contempo, existent, extant, hot off press, in fashion, in vogue, just out, leading-edge, newfangled, red-hot, state-of-the-art, topical, ultramodern.
Antonyms: future, old, past, old-fashioned.

7. Second guess: to try to anticipate how something will happen or what someone will do.

8. Tweak [tweek]
Verb: to pinch and pull with a jerk and twist; to pull or pinch the nose of, especially gently; to make a minor adjustment to.
Synonyms: tease, twist, jerk, pinch, pluck, pull.

9. Grapple [grap-uh l]
Verb: to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple; to use a grapple.
Synonyms: confront, contend, cope, deal with, attack, battle, catch, clash, clasp, close, clutch, combat, encounter, engage, face, fasten, fight, grasp, grip, hold, hook, hug, nab.
Antonyms: agree, avoid, be immune, cancel.

10. Armoury [ˈɑːmərɪ]
Noun: a secure place for the storage of weapons; armour generally. 

Daily Vocab For Various Competitive Exams

Dear Readers,

Vocabulary is an important part of English that helps you deal with all kinds of questions in objective as well as descriptive papers of various exams. You can learn new words daily from our Daily Word List. Learn the words and make your own sentences based on the given word list. Here are a few challenging words from an article published in a reputed newspaper.

Daily Vocab For Various Competitive Exams
1) Innocuous (noun) :
Meaning – not harmful or offensive
Synonyms-  harmless, safe, non-dangerous, non-poisonous, non-toxic
Antonyms- harmful, obnoxious
Example -Although Sarah meant her joke to be innocuous, the people around her took it to heart.

2)Nefarious (adjective) :
Meaning – very evil and wicked
Synonyms- abominable, atrocious, base, criminal, depraved
Antonyms- honest, honorable, praiseworthy, upright, virtuous
Example - One man employed his nefarious scheme to hack into people's computers and steal bank account information.

3) Despicable (adjective)  :
Meaning – worthy of intense dislike
Synonyms- contemptible, loathsome, hateful, detestable, reprehensible
Antonyms- admirable, noble
Example - After Rachel exhibited despicable behaviour at her sister’s wedding, she was banned from future events.

4) Fracas (noun)  :
Meaning – a noisy disagreement or commotions
Synonyms- disturbance, quarrel, scuffle, brawl, affray, tussle
Antonyms- agreement, calm, harmony
Example - The husband and wife were fined by the judge for starting a fracas in court.

5) Premeditated (adjective) :
Meaning – think out or plan (an action, especially a crime) beforehand.
Synonyms- preplanned, intentional, intended, deliberate
Antonyms- accidental, unintentional, spontaneous
Example - The killer admitted his premeditatedplan to kill the president had taken over a year to develop.

6) Murky (adjective) :
Meaning – obscure or morally questionable/ dark and gloomy, especially due to thick mist.
Synonyms- questionable, suspicious, suspect, dubious, dark, mysterious, secret
Antonyms- clear, pure, sinless, innocent
Example - People avoid talking about depression because it is such a murky subject.

7) Infamy (noun)
Meaning –the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.
Synonyms- notoriety, disrepute, disreputableness, ill repute, ill fame
Antonyms- honour, anonymity, virtue
Example - While one sister is recognized as being nice and polite, the other sister lives in infamy for her selfish and cruel ways.

8) Accomplice (noun)
Meaning – a person who helps another commit a crime
Synonyms- abetter, accessory, a partner in crime, associate, confederate, collaborator
Antonyms- antagonist,enemy,opponent
Example - Because the accomplice was willing to testify against his criminal cohorts, he received immunity from prosecution.

Idioms/Phrases/Phrasal Verbs-

9) Spur of the moment (phrase)
Meaning – on impulse; without planning in advance.
Synonyms- impulsively, impetuously, without planning, unpremeditatedly, impromptu, spontaneously
Antonyms- prepared, rehearsed
Example - You should not generally do things on the spur of the moment.

10) Slap on the wrist (phrase)
Meaning – a mild reprimand or punishment.
Synonyms- reprimand, rebuke, reproof, scolding, admonition
Antonyms- severe punishment
Example - The few perpetrators prosecuted only got a slap on the wrist. 

Daily Vocab For Various Competitive Exams

1) Innocuous (noun)
Meaning – not harmful or offensive
Synonyms-  harmless, safe, non-dangerous, non-poisonous, non-toxic
Antonyms- harmful, obnoxious
Example -Although Sarah meant her joke to be innocuous, the people around her took it to heart.

2)Nefarious (adjective)
Meaning – very evil and wicked
Synonyms- abominable, atrocious, base, criminal, depraved
Antonyms- honest, honorable, praiseworthy, upright, virtuous
Example - One man employed his nefarious scheme to hack into people's computers and steal bank account information.

3) Despicable (adjective)
Meaning – worthy of intense dislike
Synonyms- contemptible, loathsome, hateful, detestable, reprehensible
Antonyms- admirable, noble
Example - After Rachel exhibited despicable behaviour at her sister’s wedding, she was banned from future events.

4) Fracas (noun)
Meaning – a noisy disagreement or commotions
Synonyms- disturbance, quarrel, scuffle, brawl, affray, tussle
Antonyms- agreement, calm, harmony
Example - The husband and wife were fined by the judge for starting a fracas in court.

5) Premeditated (adjective)
Meaning – think out or plan (an action, especially a crime) beforehand.
Synonyms- preplanned, intentional, intended, deliberate
Antonyms- accidental, unintentional, spontaneous
Example - The killer admitted his premeditatedplan to kill the president had taken over a year to develop.

6) Murky (adjective)
Meaning – obscure or morally questionable/ dark and gloomy, especially due to thick mist.
Synonyms- questionable, suspicious, suspect, dubious, dark, mysterious, secret
Antonyms- clear, pure, sinless, innocent
Example - People avoid talking about depression because it is such a murky subject.

7) Infamy (noun)
Meaning –the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.
Synonyms- notoriety, disrepute, disreputableness, ill repute, ill fame
Antonyms- honour, anonymity, virtue
Example - While one sister is recognized as being nice and polite, the other sister lives in infamy for her selfish and cruel ways.

8) Accomplice (noun)
Meaning – a person who helps another commit a crime
Synonyms- abetter, accessory, a partner in crime, associate, confederate, collaborator
Antonyms- antagonist,enemy,opponent
Example - Because the accomplice was willing to testify against his criminal cohorts, he received immunity from prosecution.

Idioms/Phrases/Phrasal Verbs-

9) Spur of the moment
Meaning – on impulse; without planning in advance.
Synonyms- impulsively, impetuously, without planning, unpremeditatedly, impromptu, spontaneously
Antonyms- prepared, rehearsed
Example - You should not generally do things on the spur of the moment.

10) Slap on the wrist
Meaning – a mild reprimand or punishment.
Synonyms- reprimand, rebuke, reproof, scolding, admonition
Antonyms- severe punishment
Example - The few perpetrators prosecuted only got a slap on the wrist.