| Ameliorate: To make better or more tolerable |
| To ameliorate the economic conditions of poor ruralites, the department has come up with a new food-work-programme, which assures at least 180 days of productive work to at least one member of each household. |
| Appease: To pacify, often by satisfying, conciliate, calm, soothe |
| The ruling party tried its best to appease the hurt sentiments of the Muslims, but the community’s wounds were beyond any kind of attempt at soothing. |
| Asperity: Harshness |
| The asperity in her voice was an indicator of her wickedness. |
| Bestial: Coarse or savage |
| The bestial treatment meted out to our PoWs by the Pak government is in sharp contrast to the humane and dignified way India has handled such issues in the past. |
| Cogent: Appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing |
| My opponent’s reasoning was so cogent and powerful that I could not help but agree with him on the pertinent issues that he had raised. |
| Conscientious: Honest |
| Being a conscientious officer, he said a firm no to all offers of bribes and underhand dealings by the visitors, who wanted to influence his purchase decisions. |
| Disingenuous: Not native, sophisticated |
| Unlike his simple and innocent brother Bholu, Tolu is quite disingenuous and smart and take you for a ride easily. |
| Evanescence: Vanishing |
| As evanescent as drops of rain in the hot desert. |
| Forte: A strong point |
| To succeed in life one should regularly upgrade his forte. |
| Gaiety: Cheerfulness |
| Id was celebrated with traditional gaiety and enthusiasm, despite the highly charged atmosphere in the town. |
| Gallant: Brave |
| Shivaji’s acts of gallantry while fighting the Mughals have earned him a permanent place in Indian History’s Hall of Fame. |
| Imbibe: Drink, absorb, assimilate |
| Let my child imbibe the great musical traditions under the guidance of a renowned Guru like you. |
| Jocular: Joking |
| Such a jocular mood is not appropriate for a very serious occasion like this funeral. |
| Mawkish: Sickening or insipid |
| The tea has a very mawkish taste to it. |
| Obliterate: Erase |
| Great names may be forgotten for a while, but they are difficult to obliterate from the pages of our collective human history. |
| Omnipotent: All powerful |
| The delusions of omnipotence, which Ravana suffered and which made him think of himself as all-powerful, ultimately proved to be his undoing. |
| Paradigm: A model |
| This miniature paradigm of the machine will help you in understanding its working |
| Penitent: Repentant |
| A sociopathic criminal never feels penitent over his wrongdoings, which sets him apart from other, normal people, who do feel a sense of remorse sometime. |
| Portent: Omen |
| The dark skies can be a portent of the storm that is to follow. |
| Retort: A sharp answer |
| To Dhania’s comment calling him “a leech-like man sticking to his chair”, Bhajpayee retorted with “At least, I stick to one thing and cleanse the system of evils like you”. |
| Smug: Complacent |
| You people should not remain smug in the belief that since the rival army has been driven out, they cannot come again. On the contrary, we should be more vigilant to prevent such happenings in future. |
