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.

OAFISH (adj)

Meaning
uncouth, unpleasant, stupid behaviour
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
rough, boorish, ill-mannered, unrefined, uncultured
Antonyms
smart, clever
Usage
She dotes on her son so much that he has become an oafish idiot.

OBDURATE (adj)

Meaning
stubbornly refusing to change one's mind
Root of the word
ob = against
Synonyms
stubborn, adamant, inflexible, unbending, unyielding, immovable, obstinate
Antonyms
amenable, compliant, tractable
Usage
He was so obdurate that all my attempts to make him see reason proved futile.

OBFUSCATE (verb)

Meaning
to muddle or confuse
Root of the word
ob = against
Synonyms
disguise, complicate, conceal
Antonyms
clarify
Usage
The defence lawyer made a deliberate attempt to obfuscate facts.

OBLATION (noun)

Meaning
thing presented or offered to a god.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
religious offering, sacrifice, peace offering, thanks offering, first-fruits, libation.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Devotees offered oblations to the deity as a token of gratitude for the wishes fulfilled.

OBLIGATE (verb)

Meaning
be obliged to do something.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
oblige, compel, commit, bind, require, impel, constrain.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The new rule obligates the organization to be more transparent in its dealings.

OBLITERATE (verb)

Meaning
destroy completely
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
destroy, wipe out, annihilate, exterminate, extirpate, demolish, eliminate, eradicate, kill, decimat
Antonyms
create, establish
Usage
Several villages were obliterated by the flash floods.

OBLIVION (noun)

Meaning
a state in which you are not aware of what is happening around you, usually because you are unconscious or asleep
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unconsciousness, insensibility, stupor, stupefaction, senselessness, blankness, darkness, coma, blac
Antonyms
-
Usage
He often sought solace for his innumerable worries by drinking himself to oblivion.

OBNOXIOUS (adj)

Meaning
very unpleasent
Root of the word
ob = against
Synonyms
offensive, detestable, nasty
Antonyms
delightful, pleasant, charming
Usage
His obnoxious behaviour attracted a lot of criticism.

OBSEQUIOUS (adj)

Meaning
flattering
Root of the word
seq/sec = follow
Synonyms
servile, slavish, sycophantic, cringing, deferential, grovelling, spineless, crouching
Antonyms
insolent, bold, impudent, defiant, swaggering, presumptuous, contemptuous, arrogant, hardened
Usage
The obsequious politician picked up the shoes of the party president.

OBSOLESCENT (adj)

Meaning
becoming obsolete
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
declining, waning, disappearing
Antonyms
-
Usage
The prediction that the printed word would become obsolescent with the advent of computers eventually turned out to be false.

OBSTINATE (adj)

Meaning
not easily subdued or remedied.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
stubborn, headstrong, wilful, unyielding, inflexible, unbending, intransigent, intractable, obdurate
Antonyms
compliant, amenable, tractable
Usage
Her friends were piqued by her obstinate refusal to change her decision.

OBSTREPEROUS (adj)

Meaning
noisy and difficult to control
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unruly, unmanageable, disorderly, rowdy, uncontrolled, truculent, turbulent, uproarious, tumultuous
Antonyms
calm, quiet, restrained
Usage
When the crowd grew unmanageable and obstreperous, the police was called in to take charge.

OBTRUSIVE (adj)

Meaning
noticeable in an unwelcome way
Root of the word
OB = against
Synonyms
conspicuous, prominent, noticeable, obvious, pronounced, unmistakable, intrusive, officious
Antonyms
unobtrusive, inconspicuous
Usage
The pastel colours of the decor made the room look less obtrusive.

OCCLUDE (verb)

Meaning
close up or block
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
block up, obstruct, clog, choke
Antonyms
-
Usage
Excessive intake of fat in one's diet can occlude the arteries.

ODDITY (noun)

Meaning
a strange person or thing.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
eccentric, crank, misfit, maverick, nonconformist.
Antonyms
conformist
Usage
He looked like an oddity in his bizarre outfit and weird hairdo.

ODDMENTS (pl noun)

Meaning
something remaining over
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
scraps, remnants, odds and ends, bits, pieces, leftovers, fragments, snippets, off cuts, shreds, sli
Antonyms
-
Usage
Her house is cluttered with oddments which she is unwilling to part with.

ODIOUS (adj)

Meaning
extremely unpleasant
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
revolting, repulsive, repellent, repugnant, disgusting, offensive, abominable
Antonyms
delightful, pleasant, agreeable
Usage
He is such an odious person that people detest his company.

ODIUM (noun)

Meaning
widespread hatred or disgust
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
disgust, abhorrence, repugnance, revulsion, repulsion, loathing, detestation, hatred, hate, execrati
Antonyms
approval, delight
Usage
The celebrity who was involved in the scandal had to face public odium.

ODYSSEY (noun)

Meaning
a long eventful journey.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
journey, voyage, trek, travels, quest, crusade, pilgrimage, wandering, journeying.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The writer has recorded the details of his innumerable odyssies in his travelogue.

OFF-COLOUR (adj)

Meaning
slightly unwell.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ill, out of sorts, indisposed, sick, queasy, nauseous, nauseated, peaky, liverish, funny, peculiar.
Antonyms
well, fit
Usage
As he was feeling slightly off-colour, he planned to take a day off from work.

OFF-KEY (adj)

Meaning
inappropriate.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
incongruous, unsuitable, discordant, out of place, out of keeping, jarring, dissonant, inharmonious
Antonyms
harmonious
Usage
Although I was piqued by his off-key remarks, I did not make it very obvious.

OFFBEAT (adj)

Meaning
different from what most people expect.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unconventional, unorthodox, unusual, eccentric, outre, idiosyncratic, strange, bizarre, weird, pecul
Antonyms
-
Usage
He is a man with offbeat taste and style.

OFFICIOUSNESS (noun)

Meaning
asserting authority in an overbearing way
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
dictatorial, meddlesome, overzealous
Antonyms
self-effacing
Usage
His officiousness made him unpopular with his employees.

OLD-WORLD (adj)

Meaning
belonging to past times, not modern.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
old-fashioned, old, archaic, traditional, past, bygone, classical, picturesque, quaint.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The city of Hyderabad, with its old-word charm and characteristic hospitality, beckons many a tourist.

OMNIPOTENT (adj)

Meaning
all-powerful
Root of the word
pot = power, drink
Synonyms
invincible, unstoppable, supreme
Antonyms
powerless
Usage
God is omnipotent.

OMNIVOROUS (adj)

Meaning
A creature that can eat every thing.
Root of the word
vor = eat
Synonyms
-
Antonyms
-
Usage
Certain types of ducks are omnivorous.

ONEROUS (adj)

Meaning
involving much effort and difficulty
Root of the word
oner = burden
Synonyms
arduous, difficult, heavy, tiring, tedious
Antonyms
easy
Usage
The onerous task of nurturing his younger siblings fell on his tender shoulders after his father's death.

ONSLAUGHT (noun)

Meaning
a fierce or defensive attack
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
assault, attack, offensive, aggressive, advance, charge, onrush, rush
Antonyms
-
Usage
The armed forces are pretty well equipped to defend the country against an enemy onslaught.

ONUS (noun)

Meaning
responsibility
Root of the word
oner = burden
Synonyms
obligation, burden, duty
Antonyms
-
Usage
The onus of looking after the safety and security of the employees rests with the employer.

OPALESCENT (adj)

Meaning
like or of an opal displaying a fire play of colours
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
multi-coloured, many-hued, prismatic, rainbow-like, kaleidoscopic, iridescent, lustrous, shimmering,
Antonyms
-
Usage
The fire works lit up the night sky with opalescent hues.

Open a PANDORA'S BOX (idiom)

Meaning
to introduce a controversial topic
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
evil, controversial
Antonyms
uncontroversial.
Usage
Reopening the scam report will be tantamount to opening a Pandora's box.

OPEN-HANDED (adj)

Meaning
generous and giving willingly
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
generous, magnanimous, charitable, benevolent, beneficial, big-hearted, munificent, bountiful, liber
Antonyms
tight-fisted
Usage
People often took advantage of his open-handed nature.

OPEN–HANDED (adj)

Meaning
generous.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
magnanimous, charitable, benevolent, beneficient, big-hearted, great-hearted, munificent, bountiful,
Antonyms
tight-fisted
Usage
The rich businessman is known for his open-handed nature.

OPERATIONAL (adj)

Meaning
ready to be used.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
running, working, functional, operational, in use, in working order, workable, serviceable, function
Antonyms
broken, out of order
Usage
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a new airport in the city which would be operational by the end of next year.

OPIATE (noun)

Meaning
a drug containing opium
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
drug, narcotic, sedative, tranquilizer, depressant, soporific, anaesthetic, painkiller, analgesic, a
Antonyms
-
Usage
In the past, opiate was administered in order to mitigate excruciating pain.

OPINE (verb)

Meaning
to express an opinion.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
suggest, submit, advance, propose, venture, volunteer, put forward, moot, air, posit, propound, say,
Antonyms
-
Usage
Most doctors opine that physical exercise and a wholesome diet can prevent people from falling prey to stress related ailments.

OPPORTUNE (adj)

Meaning
done or occurring at an especially convenient or appropriate time
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
auspicious, propitious, favourable, advantageous, right
Antonyms
disadvantageous, ill-timed
Usage
The soldiers were waiting for the opportune moment to strike back at the enemy.

OPPRESSIVE (adv)

Meaning
causing distress or anxiety
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
harsh, cruel, brutal, repressive, crushing, tyrannical
Antonyms
lenient, humane
Usage
The students resented the warden's oppressive rules.

OPULENCE (noun)

Meaning
luxury and grandeur
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
richness, luxuriousness, grandiosity, splendour
Antonyms
restraint, simplicity
Usage
The spectators were awestruck by the opulence and grandeur of the Versailles palace.

ORACULAR (adj)

Meaning
hard to interpret
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
enigmatic, cryptic, abstruse, unclear, obscure, confusing, mystifying, puzzling, perplexing
Antonyms
-
Usage
Journalists could not elicit much information from him because of his oracular responses.

ORCHESTRATE (verb)

Meaning
direct (a situation) to produce a desired effect
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
organize, arrange, put together, plan, set up, bring about, manage, mobilize, mount, stage, mastermi
Antonyms
-
Usage
The rebellion was orchestrated by a group of mavericks.

ORGIASTIC (adj)

Meaning
resorting to some activity in an excessively frenzied manner.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
debauched, wild, riotous, wanton, abandoned, dissolute, depraved, bacchanalian, saturnalian
Antonyms
puritanical, ascetic
Usage
People belonging to some tribal communities are notorious for performing orgiastic rituals.

OROTUND (adj)

Meaning
(of a person's voice) deep and impressive
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
deep, sonorous, strong, powerful, full-toned, rich, clear, round, resonant, reverberating
Antonyms
-
Usage
The boisterous children fell silent as soon as they heard the principal's orotund voice.

ORTHODONTIST (noun)

Meaning
a person who strengthens teeth; corrects irregularities in teeth
Root of the word
dent = tooth ; ortho = straight
Synonyms
-
Antonyms
-
Usage
I think I should see an orthodontist and get my teeth aligned.

OSTENSIBLE (adj)

Meaning
appearing to be true, but not necessarily so
Root of the word
tend/tens/tent = stretch
Synonyms
perceived, professed, seeming, superficial, alleged, supposed
Antonyms
real
Usage
The ostensible reason for the increase in crime is poverty but the police chief feels that there could be other reasons too.

OSTRACIZE (verb)

Meaning
exclude from a society or group
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
exclude, shun, spurn, reject, repudiate, boycott
Antonyms
welcome, accept, include
Usage
The bigots of his community ostracized him for getting married to a girl belonging to a different religion.

OTHER-WORLDLY (adj)

Meaning
more closely connected to spiritual things than to the ordinary things of life.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ethereal, fey, dreamy, spiritual, mystic, mystical, unearthly, supernatural, preternatural, transcen
Antonyms
-
Usage
The little cherub, with her strange other-worldly smile, endeared herself to everyone.

OUT OF KILTER (noun)

Meaning
out of balance or harmony
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
awry, off balance, unbalanced, out of order, disordered, confused, disorderly, disorganized, muddled
Antonyms
-
Usage
The hectic and frenzied pace of work puts me out of kilter at the end of the week.

OUTCRY (noun)

Meaning
a reaction of anger or strong protest shown by people in public.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
shout, exclamation, cry, yell, howl, whoop, roar, scream, shriek, screech.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The unprecedented rise in prices provoked a public outcry.

OUTLANDISH (adj)

Meaning
strange or unconventional
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
weird, queer, offbeat, freakish, grotesque, zany, eccentric, bizarre, fantastic, unusual, alien
Antonyms
ordinary, commonplace, conventional
Usage
His outlandish clothes made him the object of ridicule at the party.

OUTLAW (verb)

Meaning
make illegal.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ban, bar, prohibit, forbid, veto, embargo, boycott, make illegal, disallow, proscribe, interdict.
Antonyms
permit, allow
Usage
Smoking in public has been outlawed in many countries.

OUTLAY (noun)

Meaning
an amount of money spent.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
expenditure, expenses, spending, outgoings, cost, price, change, payment, disbursement, investment.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The project, which was started on a large scale, required a huge financial outlay.

OUTMODED (adj)

Meaning
no longer fashionable or useful
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
old-fashioned, outdated, outworn, dated, ancient, archaic, antiquated, obsolete, disused, behind the
Antonyms
fashionable, modern
Usage
With the advent of computers, typewriters have become outmoded.

OUTRE (adj)

Meaning
unusual and rather shocking
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
weird, queer, outlandish, offbeat, freakish, grotesque, quirky, zany, eccentric
Antonyms
ordinary, normal
Usage
He was a dandy who was always garishly dressed in outré outfits. The models walked the ramp in outfits, that were rather outré.

OUTSET (noun)

Meaning
from the beginning
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
start, starting point, beginning, arrival, origin, inception, conception, opening, launch, inaugurat
Antonyms
end, conclusion
Usage
I made it clear to them at the very outset that negligence will not be tolerated.

OVATION (noun)

Meaning
long, enthusiastic round of applause
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
laurels tribute, cheers
Antonyms
criticism
Usage
The standing ovation given by the audience testifies to the soprano's exquisite performance.

OVERHAUL (verb)

Meaning
examine and repair
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
service, maintain, repair, mend, fix up, rebuild, patch up, renovate, revamp, remodel, recondition
Antonyms
-
Usage
The car, which was partly damaged in the accident, was overhauled at the workshop.

OVERINDULGENCE (noun)

Meaning
excessive indulgence.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
intemperance, immoderation, excess, overeating, over drinking, prodigality, gorging.
Antonyms
temperance
Usage
He was advised to avoid overindulgence in food and drink.

OVERRIDING (adj)

Meaning
more important than anything else in a particular situation
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
most important, of greatest importance, uppermost, first, first and foremost, highest, pre-eminent,
Antonyms
insignificant, irrelevant
Usage
Extirpating terrorism from the country is a matter of overriding concern for the government at this juncture.

OVERRUN (verb)

Meaning
spread over or occupy in large numbers
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
invade, storm, march into, occupy, infest, swarm over, surge over, flow over, inundate, swamp, overw
Antonyms
-
Usage
The fort was overrun by enemy troops.

OVERSIGHT (noun)

Meaning
an unintentional failure to notice or do something.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
mistake, error, fault, failure, omission, lapse, inaccuracy, slip, blunder, faux pas, miscalculation
Antonyms
-
Usage
Bill was embarrassed by his glaring oversight and profusely apologized for it.

OVERTURES (noun)

Meaning
approaches made with the aim of opening negotiations or establishing a relationship
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
opening move, conciliatory move, approach, advances, feeler, signal, proposal, offer, tender
Antonyms
-
Usage
Since she knew his real nature, she did not fall prey to his charms and ignored all his friendly overtures.

OVERWEENING (adj)

Meaning
showing too much confidence or pride
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
overconfident, conceited, cocksure, smug, haughty, supercilious, disdainful, lofty, patronizing, arr
Antonyms
modest, diffident, unassuming
Usage
His overweening pride eventually led to his downfall.

OVERWROUGHT (adj)

Meaning
in an overemotional state, with highly strained nerves
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
tense, agitated, nervous, edgy, edge, keyed up, worked up, neurotic, overexcited, beside oneself, di
Antonyms
-
Usage
As the countdown for the D-day began, the organisers of the event became overwrought and apprehensive.