Synonyms & Antonyms — भाग 6

This is the final part of our vocabulary series, focusing on advanced words frequently tested in SSC and Railway exams. Hindi-medium students often find these long words intimidating, but their meanings are quite straightforward. In the exam, these appear directly as synonym or antonym questions.

Vigilant

It means keeping a careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. Think of a security guard who never sleeps on duty. [Synonyms: Watchful, Alert | Antonyms: Careless, Negligent]

Examples

• ✔ The security guard remained vigilant throughout the night. — सुरक्षा गार्ड पूरी रात सतर्क रहा।
• ✔ We must be vigilant against fake news on social media. — हमें सोशल मीडिया पर फर्जी खबरों के प्रति सतर्क रहना चाहिए।
• ✔ A vigilant neighbor noticed the open window and called the police. — एक सतर्क पड़ोसी ने खुली खिड़की देखी और पुलिस को फोन किया।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The driver was very vigilant, so the accident happened.
• ✔ The driver was very negligent, so the accident happened. (Vigilant means alert; the sentence context implies a lack of care, which is 'negligent'.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Vigi' sounds like 'Watch'. A vigilant person is always watching.

Fastidious

Someone who is very concerned about matters of cleanliness or detail and is hard to please. [Synonyms: Meticulous, Fussy | Antonyms: Easy-going, Indifferent]

Examples

• ✔ She is so fastidious about her clothes that she irons them twice. — वह अपने कपड़ों को लेकर इतनी चूजी है कि उन्हें दो बार प्रेस करती है।
• ✔ The chef is fastidious about the quality of his ingredients. — शेफ अपनी सामग्री की गुणवत्ता को लेकर बहुत बारीक है।
• ✔ He is a fastidious worker who never makes a single mistake. — वह एक बहुत बारीक काम करने वाला व्यक्ति है जो कभी एक भी गलती नहीं करता।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He is fastidious and likes everything messy.
• ✔ He is fastidious and likes everything perfect. (A fastidious person dislikes mess; they demand perfection and order.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Fast' + 'Tidy'. Someone who wants things 'Tidy' very 'Fast' and perfectly.

Pertinacious

Holding firmly to an opinion or a course of action; stubbornly persistent. [Synonyms: Persistent, Stubborn | Antonyms: Irresolute, Yielding]

Examples

• ✔ His pertinacious nature helped him clear the SSC exam in the first attempt. — उनके दृढ़ स्वभाव ने उन्हें पहले प्रयास में ही SSC परीक्षा पास करने में मदद की।
• ✔ The pertinacious salesman did not leave until I bought the book. — वह हठी सेल्समैन तब तक नहीं गया जब तक मैंने किताब नहीं खरीदी।
• ✔ She is pertinacious in her fight for justice. — वह न्याय की अपनी लड़ाई में अडिग है।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He is pertinacious and gives up easily.
• ✔ He is pertinacious and never gives up. (Pertinacious means stubborn persistence; it is the opposite of giving up easily.)

💡 Memory Hook: Think of 'Persistent' + 'Tenacious' = Pertinacious.

Repine

To feel or express discontent or fret; to complain or mope about something. [Synonyms: Fret, Rue | Antonyms: Rejoice, Content]

Examples

• ✔ Instead of working hard, he began to repine over his bad luck. — कड़ी मेहनत करने के बजाय, वह अपनी बुरी किस्मत पर रोने लगा।
• ✔ Do not repine at your lot in life; change it. — अपने जीवन के हालातों पर विलाप न करें; उन्हें बदलें।
• ✔ She did not repine when she lost her job. — नौकरी जाने पर उसने दुख नहीं जताया।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He was repining with joy after the result.
• ✔ He was rejoicing with joy after the result. (Repine involves sadness or discontent; joy requires a word like 'rejoicing'.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Repine' sounds like 'Pine' (to suffer or waste away with grief).

Inimical

Tending to obstruct or harm; unfriendly or hostile. [Synonyms: Harmful, Deleterious | Antonyms: Friendly, Beneficial]

Examples

• ✔ Excessive heat is inimical to the growth of these plants. — अत्यधिक गर्मी इन पौधों की वृद्धि के लिए हानिकारक है।
• ✔ The new law was seen as inimical to personal freedom. — नए कानून को व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता के विरोधी के रूप में देखा गया।
• ✔ Smoking is inimical to health. — धूम्रपान स्वास्थ्य के लिए हानिकारक है।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The teacher was inimical and helped all students.
• ✔ The teacher was friendly and helped all students. (Inimical means hostile or harmful; a person who helps is friendly or supportive.)

💡 Memory Hook: It sounds like 'Enemy'. Inimical = like an enemy.

Litany

A tedious, long, and repetitive list or recital of things (usually complaints). [Synonyms: Recital, Repetition | Antonyms: Brevity, Shortness]

Examples

• ✔ The customer read out a litany of complaints about the service. — ग्राहक ने सेवा के बारे में शिकायतों की एक लंबी सूची पढ़ दी।
• ✔ She has a litany of excuses for being late every day. — उसके पास हर दिन देर से आने के लिए बहानों की एक लंबी झड़ी होती है।
• ✔ The politician repeated a litany of promises. — राजनेता ने वादों की एक लंबी सूची दोहराई।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He gave a litany answer in one word.
• ✔ He gave a brief answer in one word. (A litany is a long series of things; a one-word answer is brief.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Litany' sounds like a 'List of any' complaints.

Flamboyant

Tending to attract attention because of exuberance, confidence, or stylishness. [Synonyms: Showy, Ostentatious | Antonyms: Plain, Modest]

Examples

• ✔ The rockstar is known for his flamboyant costumes. — रॉकस्टार अपनी भड़कीली वेशभूषा के लिए जाना जाता है।
• ✔ He has a flamboyant style of playing cricket. — उनके क्रिकेट खेलने का अंदाज़ बहुत शानदार और दिखावटी है।
• ✔ The flamboyant colors of the bird attracted everyone. — पक्षी के चमकीले रंगों ने सभी को आकर्षित किया।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He lives a flamboyant life in a small, simple hut.
• ✔ He lives an austere life in a small, simple hut. (A flamboyant lifestyle involves showiness; a simple hut implies an 'austere' or plain life.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Flamboyant' starts with 'Flame'. Flames are bright and catch your eye.

Gumption

Shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness. It's the 'common sense' to take action. [Synonyms: Initiative, Resourcefulness | Antonyms: Timidity, Lethargy]

Examples

• ✔ It takes a lot of gumption to start a business at eighteen. — अठारह साल की उम्र में व्यवसाय शुरू करने के लिए बहुत साहस और बुद्धि की आवश्यकता होती है।
• ✔ She had the gumption to tell the boss that he was wrong. — उसमें बॉस को यह बताने का साहस था कि वह गलत थे।
• ✔ Use your gumption and solve the problem yourself. — अपनी बुद्धि का प्रयोग करें और समस्या को स्वयं हल करें।

Common mistakes

• ✘ He lacked gumption, so he led the team to victory.
• ✔ He had gumption, so he led the team to victory. (Leading a team to victory requires gumption (initiative), not a lack of it.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Gumption' sounds like 'Jump' + 'Action'. Jumping into action with brains.

Denouement

The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved. [Synonyms: Resolution, Conclusion | Antonyms: Beginning, Prelude]

Examples

• ✔ The film's denouement was quite unexpected. — फिल्म का अंत काफी अप्रत्याशित था।
• ✔ We waited for the denouement of the long court case. — हमने लंबे अदालती मामले के नतीजे का इंतजार किया।
• ✔ The mystery was solved in the brilliant denouement of the novel. — उपन्यास के शानदार उपसंहार में रहस्य सुलझ गया।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The denouement of the movie was shown in the first five minutes.
• ✔ The prelude of the movie was shown in the first five minutes. (The denouement is the ending; the beginning of a movie is the prelude or introduction.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Denouement' sounds like 'The-end-ment'. It's the end of the story.

Salutary

Producing good effects; beneficial (especially with reference to something unwelcome or unpleasant). [Synonyms: Beneficial, Wholesome | Antonyms: Harmful, Deleterious]

Examples

• ✔ The accident was a salutary lesson for the careless driver. — वह दुर्घटना लापरवाह ड्राइवर के लिए एक लाभदायक सबक थी।
• ✔ The fresh air had a salutary effect on his health. — ताजी हवा का उसके स्वास्थ्य पर लाभदायक प्रभाव पड़ा।
• ✔ Failure can often provide a salutary experience. — असफलता अक्सर एक लाभदायक अनुभव प्रदान कर सकती है।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The medicine had a salutary effect and he became sicker.
• ✔ The medicine had a deleterious effect and he became sicker. (Salutary means beneficial; if someone got sicker, the effect was harmful or deleterious.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Salutary' sounds like 'Salute'. We salute things that are good for us.

Deleterious

Causing harm or damage. Often used for things that have a hidden or slow negative effect. [Synonyms: Harmful, Injurious | Antonyms: Harmless, Beneficial]

Examples

• ✔ Pollution has a deleterious effect on the environment. — प्रदूषण का पर्यावरण पर हानिकारक प्रभाव पड़ता है।
• ✔ These chemicals are deleterious to human health. — ये रसायन मानव स्वास्थ्य के लिए हानिकारक हैं।
• ✔ Divorce can have a deleterious effect on children. — तलाक का बच्चों पर हानिकारक प्रभाव पड़ सकता है।

Common mistakes

• ✘ Exercise is deleterious for your muscles.
• ✔ Exercise is beneficial for your muscles. (Exercise is generally good; deleterious describes something that causes damage.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Delete' + 'Us'. Something that can 'Delete' us is deleterious (harmful).

Ostentatious

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice. [Synonyms: Flamboyant, Showy | Antonyms: Simple, Humble]

Examples

• ✔ They built an ostentatious house to show off their wealth. — उन्होंने अपनी दौलत दिखाने के लिए एक दिखावटी घर बनाया।
• ✔ I don't like his ostentatious way of talking. — मुझे उसके बात करने का दिखावटी तरीका पसंद नहीं है।
• ✔ She wore an ostentatious diamond ring to the party. — उसने पार्टी में हीरों की एक दिखावटी अंगूठी पहनी थी।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The poor monk lived an ostentatious life.
• ✔ The poor monk lived an austere life. (A poor monk's life is simple; ostentatious implies a display of wealth or status.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Osten' sounds like 'Stunt'. People do stunts to show off.

Austere

Severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance; having no comforts or luxuries. [Synonyms: Simple, Plain | Antonyms: Luxurious, Ornate]

Examples

• ✔ The monks live a very austere life in the mountains. — साधु पहाड़ों में बहुत सादा जीवन जीते हैं।
• ✔ His office was austere, with only a desk and a chair. — उनका कार्यालय बिल्कुल सादा था, जिसमें केवल एक डेस्क और कुर्सी थी।
• ✔ She wore an austere black dress. — उसने एक सादी काली पोशाक पहनी थी।

Common mistakes

• ✘ The palace was very austere with gold walls.
• ✔ The palace was very ornate with gold walls. (Gold walls imply luxury; austere means plain and without decoration.)

💡 Memory Hook: 'Austere' sounds like 'STeer' clear of luxury.

Sagacity

The quality of having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; wisdom. [Synonyms: Wisdom, Prudence | Antonyms: Folly, Ignorance]

Examples

• ✔ The old man was famous for his sagacity. — बूढ़ा आदमी अपनी बुद्धिमानी के लिए प्रसिद्ध था।
• ✔ A leader needs sagacity to handle difficult situations. — एक नेता को कठिन परिस्थितियों को संभालने के लिए बुद्धिमानी की आवश्यकता होती है।
• ✔ The king relied on the sagacity of his advisors. — राजा अपने सलाहकारों की बुद्धिमानी पर भरोसा करता था।

Common mistakes

• ✘ His sagacity led him to make many foolish mistakes.
• ✔ His ignorance led him to make many foolish mistakes. (Sagacity refers to good judgment; foolish mistakes come from ignorance or folly.)

💡 Memory Hook: A 'Sage' (wise man) has 'Sagacity'.

Rue

To feel bitter regret or sorrow for something that has happened. [Synonyms: Regret, Lament | Antonyms: Celebrate, Rejoice]

Examples

• ✔ He will rue the day he decided to quit his job. — वह उस दिन पर पछताएगा जब उसने नौकरी छोड़ने का फैसला किया।
• ✔ I rue the fact that I didn't study harder for the exam. — मुझे इस बात का पछतावा है कि मैंने परीक्षा के लिए कड़ी मेहनत नहीं की।
• ✔ She rued her hasty decision to sell the house. — उसे घर बेचने के अपने जल्दबाजी भरे फैसले पर पछतावा हुआ।

💡 Memory Hook: 'Rue' sounds like 'Roo-na' (Hindi for crying). You cry when you regret.

Quick revision

• 1. Vigilant means being watchful and alert.
• 2. Fastidious describes someone very hard to please due to high standards.
• 3. Inimical and Deleterious both refer to something harmful.
• 4. Salutary refers to something beneficial or healthy.
• 5. Flamboyant and Ostentatious are synonyms for showy or pretentious.
• 6. Austere means plain, simple, or strict.
• 7. Gumption and Sagacity relate to initiative and wisdom.
• 8. Denouement is the final resolution of a plot or situation.