English Vocabulary - Archives

For each word, you will get the meaning and the root of the word and synonyms and antonyms for the word. For each word, you will also get a simple sentence which uses the word. These sentences help you understand the usage of the words.

FABLED (adj)

Meaning
famous
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
legendary, mythical, mythic, mythological, fabulous, folkloric, heroic, traditional, fictitious
Antonyms
real, historical
Usage
Visiting the fabled city of Rome, during my holiday in Europe last year, was a dream come true for me.

FABRICATION (noun)

Meaning
invention of false information in order to deceive people.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
invention, concoction, piece of fiction, fiction, falsification, falsity, lie, falsehood, fib, decep
Antonyms
-
Usage
Her account of the incident was a complete fabrication.

FACETIOUS (adj)

Meaning
treating serious issues with inappropriate humour
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, waggish, whimsical
Antonyms
serious
Usage
The facetious remarks made by some men on Women's Day was met with the scorn which it rightly deserved.

FACTOTUM (noun)

Meaning
a person employed to do a wide variety of jobs.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
odd-job man, handyman, general employee, man of all work.
Antonyms
-
Usage
He was the noble man's factotum and a trusted man Friday.

FACTUAL (adj)

Meaning
based on or concerned with facts
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
accurate, circumstantial, correct, demonstrable, empirical, genuine, matter-of-fact, objective, plai
Antonyms
false, fictional
Usage
He was not aware of the factual errors in his essay until they were pointed out.

FAD (noun)

Meaning
a craze.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
vogue, trend, mode, fashion, enthusiasm, passion, infatuation, love, obsession, inducements, impetus
Antonyms
-
Usage
Latest gizmos are a fad among the youth today.

FAIR-MINDED (adj)

Meaning
treating every one equally.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
fair, just, even-handed, equitable, egalitarian, impartial, non-partisan, non-discriminatory, unbias
Antonyms
-
Usage
Being fair-minded is one of the essential attributes of a good leader.

FALLACIOUS (adj)

Meaning
based on a mistaken belief
Root of the word
fal/fals = deceive
Synonyms
erroneous, misleading, mythical, deceptive, wrong
Antonyms
truthful
Usage
The critics felt that the Finance Minister's argument was fallacious.

FALLIBLE (adj)

Meaning
prone to mistakes
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
erring, errant, imperfect, flawed
Antonyms
infallible
Usage
Human beings are, after all,fallible.

FALLOW (adj)

Meaning
unused, unplanted, virgin piece of farm land.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
uncultivated, dormant
Antonyms
-
Usage
After a fallow period, trading in the country is gradually picking up momentum.

FALSETTO (noun)

Meaning
high-pitched voice above one's normal range used by male singers
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
high voice, high-pitched voice, high-pitched tone, piercing tone, ear-piercing tone.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The singer's falsetto was ringing in my ears long after the concert was over.

FAMISHED (adj)

Meaning
very hungry.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ravenous, starving, undernourished, malnourished, unfed.
Antonyms
well fed
Usage
We were famished and exhausted after the long and arduous journey.

FANATICISM (noun)

Meaning
extreme beliefs or behaviour, especially in connection with religion or politics
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
zealotry, zeal, extremism, militancy, sectarianism, fundamentalism, bigotry, dogmatism, chauvinism,
Antonyms
moderation
Usage
Parochialism and fanaticism have a retrogressive effect on a nation's development.

FAR-FETCHED (adj)

Meaning
far from reality and therefore unlikely.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
improbable, unlikely, implausible, scarcely credible, difficult to believe, dubious, doubtful.
Antonyms
credible, likely
Usage
The play, which had a far-fetched storyline, failed to impress the audience.

FARCE (noun)

Meaning
a ridiculous or meaningless situation or action.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
absurdity, mockery, travesty, sham, pretence, masquerade, charade, piece of futility, joke, waste of
Antonyms
-
Usage
The entire examination system these days has been reduced to a complete farce.

FATALISM (noun)

Meaning
the belief that all events are decided in advance by a supernatural power and humans have no control over them
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
passive acceptance, resignation, acceptance, stoicism, defeatism, pessimism, negativism, gloom, pred
Antonyms
-
Usage
Towards the fag end of her life, her attitude towards life was one of stoic acceptance driven by fatalism.

FATHOMLESS (adj)

Meaning
incapable of being understood or explained.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
enigmatic, mysterious, impenetrable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, opaque, profound, deep.
Antonyms
-
Usage
After a long, fathomless and rather uncomfortable silence she began to speak.

FATIGUE (noun)

Meaning
extreme, tiredness
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
tiredness, exhaustion, lethargy
Antonyms
energy, vigour
Usage
We were overcome by fatigue after the long and arduous journey.

FATUOUS (adj)

Meaning
silly and showing a lack of intelligence
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
silly, foolish, inane, puerile
Antonyms
intelligent, sensible
Usage
Although she was irked by his fatuous remarks, she remained composed.

FAUX-PAS (noun)

Meaning
an embarrassing blunder in a social situation
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
gaffe, blunder, mistake, indiscretion, impropriety, solecism, gaucherie, peccadillo
Antonyms
-
Usage
He became an object of ridicule due to the faux-pas which he committed at the high-society gathering.

FAWNING (adj)

Meaning
trying to gain favour by servile flattery or attentive behaviour
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
obsequious, servile, sycophantic, flattering, ingratiating, unctuous
Antonyms
-
Usage
Fawning bureaucrats, trying to curry favour with politicians are a common sight these days.

FECKLESS (adj)

Meaning
lacking determination or purpose, irresponsible
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
useless, worthless, incompetent, inefficient, inept, lazy, idle, slothful, indolent, shiftless, spir
Antonyms
-
Usage
He is a feckless young man who lives off his parents.

FECUND (adj)

Meaning
highly fertile
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
fruitful, productive, high-yielding, prolific, proliferating, propagative, generative, rich, lush, f
Antonyms
barren
Usage
The land along the Gangetic plain is highly fecund.

FEINT (noun)

Meaning
a false show, a pretence
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
bluff, ruse, deception, subterfuge, hoax, trick, ploy, device, wile, sham, pretence, artifice
Antonyms
-
Usage
He tried a couple of feints to distract his opponents.

FELICITY (noun)

Meaning
great happiness and pleasure.
Root of the word
felix-happy
Synonyms
happiness, joy, rapture, bliss, euphoria, delight, gaiety, contentedness, satisfaction, pleasure, fu
Antonyms
-
Usage
The incompatible couple were always squabbling with each other and as a result domestic felicity was totally lacking in their lives.

FEMME FATALE (noun)

Meaning
an attractive and seductive woman.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
seductress, temptress, siren, enchantress, sorceress, charmer.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The gullible young man fell prey to the femme fatale's wily charms.

FERAL (adj)

Meaning
untamed and uncultivated
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wild, untamed, undomesticated, untrained, unused to humans, unbroken.
Antonyms
tame, pet
Usage
The poor rabbit was mauled by a pack of feral cats.

FERVENT (adj)

Meaning
keen
Root of the word
ferv = boil
Synonyms
avid, ardent, enthusiastic, eager, zealous, passionate, fanatical
Antonyms
apathetic
Usage
The defendant made a fervent appeal to the judges to listen to his version also.

FETISH (noun)

Meaning
something to which a person is obsessively devoted
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
obsession, compulsion, mania
Antonyms
-
Usage
She is a diehard workaholic who makes a fetish of her work.

FETTLE (noun)

Meaning
healthy; in good condition
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
shape, trim, fitness, physical fitness, health, state of health, condition, form, repair, state, ord
Antonyms
-
Usage
Since the best players of the team are in fine fettle, we hope to win the tournament this year.

FEUD (noun)

Meaning
A long-lasting and bitter dispute
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
animosity, and bitter dispute antagonism, conflict, dispute, grudge, hostility
Antonyms
-
Usage
The long-standing feud between the two contiguous nations culminated in a bloody war.

FICTITIOUS (adj)

Meaning
of or related to fiction
Root of the word
fict/fact = make, produce
Synonyms
untruthful, fictional
Antonyms
real
Usage
Though fictitious, the character of Sherlock Holmes looks very real.

FIDDLING (adj)

Meaning
small, unimportant
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
trivial, petty, trifling, insignificant, unimportant, inconsequential, inconsiderable, negligible, p
Antonyms
important, large
Usage
Being a punctilious person, she is finicky even about fiddling details.

FIDELITY (noun)

Meaning
continuing faithfulness to a person, cause or belief
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
loyalty, constancy, devotedness, devotion, commitment, adherence
Antonyms
disloyalty, infidelity.
Usage
Since I promised fidelity to the organisation in which I am working, I cannot divulge this information which should be kept confidential.

FIENDISH (adj)

Meaning
devilishly cruel
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wicked, cruel, vicious, evil, nefarious, unspeakable, brutal, brutish, savage, barbaric, barbarous,
Antonyms
kind, humane, benevolent
Usage
The beheading of innocent Indians held hostage by the Taliban, was denounced by all nations of the world as a fiendish act.

FIGUREHEAD (noun)

Meaning
a merely nominal head, e.g. of an organization or government
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
titular head, nominal leader, front man, cipher, token, mouth-piece, puppet, instrument, man of stra
Antonyms
-
Usage
In a democracy, the President is merely a figurehead.

FILIAL (adj)

Meaning
relating to a son or daughter
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
dutiful, devoted, loyal, faithful, compliant, respectful, dedicated, affectionate, loving.
Antonyms
-
Usage
He was a devoted son who fulfilled his filial responsibilities with dedication.

FILLIP (noun)

Meaning
a stimulus, esp. of encouragement, a boost
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
stimulus, stimulation, boost, encouragement, incitement, incentive, impetus, inducement, motivation,
Antonyms
curb
Usage
His words of encouragement gave the much needed fillip to his sagging morale.

FINESSE (noun)

Meaning
elegant or delicate skill
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
skill, subtlety, expertise, flair, panache, subtlety
Antonyms
ineptness
Usage
Despite being amateur artists they performed the play with masterly finesse. The plan was executed with masterly finesse.

FINICKY (adj)

Meaning
too concerned or worried about details or standards
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
fussy, fastidious, punctilious, overcritical, difficult, awkward
Antonyms
open, undemanding
Usage
My boss is so fastidious that he is finicky about even the minutest of details.

FITFUL (adj)

Meaning
occurring irregularly
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
intermittent, sporadic, spasmodic, broken, disturbed, disrupted, patchy, irregular, variable
Antonyms
constant
Usage
Having had a fitful sleep last night, I felt groggy throughout the day.

FIXATION (noun)

Meaning
an excessive interest in someone or something
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
obsession with, preoccupation with, mania for, monomania, fetish, addiction, complex, neurosis, comp
Antonyms
-
Usage
Jane's fixation with cleanliness sometimes annoys her husband Joe.

FLAGRANT (adj)

Meaning
very obvious and unashamed
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
blatant, glaring, obvious, overt, conspicuous
Antonyms
unobtrusive, slight
Usage
The boisterous students were rusticated from the college for indulging in vandalism and flagrant violation of set norms.

FLAIL (verb)

Meaning
swing or cause to swing widely.
Root of the word
based on the Latin word ‘flagellum' which is a whip-like structure that enables many protozoans and bacteria to swim.
Synonyms
wave helplessly, thrash about, move erratically, beat about, swing.
Antonyms
-
Usage
I saw this girl slip and fall from that tree, her arms and legs flailing.

FLOTSAM (noun)

Meaning
wreckage of boats or rubbish garbage. etc., that are found floating on the sea or along the shore.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
rubbish, debris, waste, waste matter dross, refuge, remains, scrap, lumber, odds and ends.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Among the flotsam on the beach we also found some antique coins of a bygone era.

FLOUNDER (verb)

Meaning
have trouble doing or understanding something
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
struggle mentally, be out of one's depth, be in the dark, have difficulty, be confounded, be confuse
Antonyms
-
Usage
His unexpected question left me totally flummoxed and floundering for an answer.

FLOURISH (verb)

Meaning
be successful during a specified period.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
thrive, prosper, bloom, be in good shape, be in good health, be well, be strong, progress, advance,
Antonyms
decline
Usage
Art and craft flourished greatly during the reign of the Mughal rulers.

FLUCTUATE (verb)

Meaning
rise and fall irregularly in number or amount
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
vary, differ, shift, change, alter, waver, swing, oscillate, alternate, rise and fall
Antonyms
be steady
Usage
The prices of petrol and diesel have been constantly fluctuating during the past one year.

FLUMMOXED (adj)

Meaning
completely baffled
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
bewildered, mystified, bemused, perplexed
Antonyms
-
Usage
The questions posed by the child left his parents totally flummoxed.

FLUSTER (verb)

Meaning
to confuse, to make hot and flurried
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unsettle, unnerve, agitate, ruffle, bother, upset, alarm, panic, perturb, disconcert, confuse, confo
Antonyms
-
Usage
Although he is normally an imperturbable person, today he looked unusually flustered.

FOE (noun)

Meaning
an enemy or opponent
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
enemy, adversary, opponent, rival, antagonist, combatant, challenger, competitor, opposer, hostile p
Antonyms
friend
Usage
He proved to be a formidable foe to his adversaries.

FOIST (verb)

Meaning
to pass off (on or upon)
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
impose, force, thrust, offload, unload, dump, pass off, palm off.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Parents should not foist their beliefs and desires on their children.

FOOTING (noun)

Meaning
a secure grip with one's feet.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
foothold, toehold, hold grip, anchorage, purchase, secure position, firm contact, support.
Antonyms
-
Usage
While walking on the narrow bridge, she lost her footing and fell into the water.

FOOTNOTE (noun)

Meaning
an extra piece of information that is printed at the bottom of a page in a book.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
note, marginal note, annotation, comment, gloss, aside, incidental remark, digression, parenthesis.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The footnote provided in the book makes an interesting reading.

FOREBODING (noun and adj)

Meaning
a feeling that something bad will happen.
Root of the word
fore = before
Synonyms
premonition, presentiment, threatening, sinister, menacing, apprehension, ominous
Antonyms
-
Usage
She seemed to have had a foreboding of her imminent death.

FORESTALL (verb)

Meaning
to prevent something from happening by acting first.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
pre-empt, get in before, get ahead of, steal a march on, anticipate, nip in the bud, thwart, foil, f
Antonyms
-
Usage
A posse of policemen were deployed at the site to forestall any untoward incident.

FORFEIT (verb)

Meaning
lose or give up as a necessary result
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
surrender, relinquish, handover, yield, sacrifice, renounce, give up
Antonyms
retain
Usage
If you fail to pay the fee on time, you will forfeit your seat.

FORLORN (adj)

Meaning
very sad and lonely
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
sad, miserable, dejected, despondent, disconsolate, abject.
Antonyms
happy
Usage
The orphaned children looked so forlorn that my heart went out for them.

FORTE (noun)

Meaning
a thing for which someone has a particular talent.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
strength, strong point, speciality, talent, special ability, skill, bent, gift, claim to fame.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Since acting had always been her forte, she decided to pursue a course in theatrics.

FORTHRIGHT (adj)

Meaning
direct and outspoken
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
frank, direct, straightforward, honest, candid, open, sincere, straight, blunt
Antonyms
secretive, dishonest
Usage
Newspapers are expected to be forthright in expressing their views without any bias.

FORTUITOUS (adj)

Meaning
happening by luck
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
chance, unexpected
Antonyms
predictable
Usage
By a fortuitous turn of events, he was able to turn adversity into an advantage.

FRACAS (noun)

Meaning
noisy disturbance or quarrel
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
disturbance, quarrel, scuffle, brawl, affray, tussle, melee
Antonyms
-
Usage
The fracas between the two rival groups led to factional rivalry.

FRACTIOUS (adj)

Meaning
bad-tempered or easily upset, irritable
Root of the word
frag/frac = break
Synonyms
grumpy, grouchy, crotchety, cantankerous, peevish, complaining, restless, awkward, testy, touchy
Antonyms
contented, affable, even-tempered
Usage
Fractious children are possessive about their belongings and resent sharing them with their peers. Incessant nagging by parents tends to make a teenager fractious and defiant.

FRANKENSTEIN (noun)

Meaning
monster who destroys his creator
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
evil, devil
Antonyms
angel
Usage
Some leaders have understood that their wicked ways create Frankensteins for their entire country.

FRAY (noun)

Meaning
an affray, a brawl
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
battle, engagement, conflict, fight, skirmish, altercation, tussle, contest competition.
Antonyms
-
Usage
There is a stiff competition between the two candidates who are in the fray for the post of the general secretary.

FRENETIC (adj)

Meaning
involving a lot of energy
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
frantic, wild, frenzied, hectic, fraught, feverish
Antonyms
calm
Usage
The activity, which began at a frenetic pace, was suspended abruptly owing to insurmountable circumstances.

FRENZY (noun)

Meaning
a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behaviour
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
agitation, delirium, derangement, excitement, fever, fit, fury, hysteria, insanity
Antonyms
-
Usage
In a state of frenzy, the angry mob destroyed public property.

FRETFUL (adj)

Meaning
behaving in a way that shows you are unhappy or uncomfortable
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
distressed, upset, miserable, unsettled, uneasy, ill at ease, uncomfortable, agitated, distraught, s
Antonyms
-
Usage
The stuffy atmosphere in the classroom made the children cranky and fretful.

FRIVOLITY (noun)

Meaning
not having any serious purpose or value, carefree and superficial
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
lightheartedness, levity, jocularity, gaiety fun, silliness, zaniness, giddiness, flippancy
Antonyms
seriousness
Usage
Although he is an intelligent and hardworking student, he is too easily distracted by frivolities.

FRUGAL (adj)

Meaning
economical in the use of anything
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
thrifty, sparing, economical, saving, careful, cautious.
Antonyms
extravagant
Usage
Although he is extremely wealthy, he believed in a frugal lifestyle.

FRUITION (noun)

Meaning
when a plan or an idea begins to happen, exist or be successful.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
fulfilment, actualisation, materialization, achievement, attainment, accomplishment, resolution, suc
Antonyms
-
Usage
A project of this magnitude takes at least a decade to reach fruition.

FULMINATE (verb)

Meaning
express strong protest
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
protest, rail, rage, rant declaim
Antonyms
-
Usage
Citizens, particularly those belonging to the salaried class, fulminated against the unprecedented rise in prices.

FUNCTIONARY (noun)

Meaning
a person whose job is to do administrative work, esp. for a government or a political party.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
official, office-bearer, office-holder, public servant, civil servant, bureaucrat, administrator.
Antonyms
Usage
Several functionaries of government departments were entrusted with polling duty at the time of elections.

FURBISH (verb)

Meaning
give a fresh look to
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
redecorate, renovate, revamp, recondition, rebuild, remodel, update.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The stadium has been furbished with modern sports equipment.

FURTHERANCE (noun)

Meaning
the action of helping a plan or interest to progress.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
promotion, furthering, advancement, forwarding, improvement, development, betterment, stimulation
Antonyms
hindrance
Usage
The delegates of the two countries agreed to cooperate in the furtherance and improvement of cultural ties.

FUSILLADE (noun)

Meaning
a series of shots fired at the same time or quickly one after the other
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
salvo, volley, barrage, bombardment, cannonade, burst, blast, hail, shower, rain, stream, blitz, dis
Antonyms
-
Usage
The criminal was killed instantly when the police fired a fusillade of bullets at close range.

FUSSILADE (noun)

Meaning
a series of shots fired at the same time or quickly one after another
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
salvo, volley, barrage, bombardment, cannonade, burst, blast, hail, shower, rain, stream, blitz
Antonyms
-
Usage
Naxals lying in ambush, fired a fussilade of bullets at the policemen killing them instantaneously.

FUSTY (adj)

Meaning
smelling stale, damp or stuffy.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
stuffy, musty, stale, stagnant, airless, unventilated, close, suffocating, oppressive, mouldering
Antonyms
airy, ventilated
Usage
She was confined for several hours in a dingy and fusty old room by her kidnappers.