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.

TACIT (adj)

Meaning
unspoken
Root of the word
tacit/tic = silent
Synonyms
inferred, implicit, understood, unstated, implied
Antonyms
explicit
Usage
There is a tacit understanding between the manager and the captain that they will not interfere in each other's work.

TACITURN (adj)

Meaning
saying little
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
untalkative, uncommunicative, quiet, aloof, unsociable
Antonyms
talkative, loquacious
Usage
Being a taciturn person, she has very few friends.

TACTILE (adj)

Meaning
demonstrative
Root of the word
tact/tang = touch
Synonyms
gushing, expressive
Antonyms
stolid
Usage
He is a very tactile person who keeps touching people to show his affection.

TAKINGS (pl noun)

Meaning
the amount of money earned by a business from the sale of goods or services.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
proceeds, returns, receipts, earnings, winnings, pickings, spoils, profit gain, income.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The generous merchant donated his week's takings for charity.

TANGENTIAL (adj)

Meaning
peripheral, unimportant
Root of the word
tact/tang = touch
Synonyms
lateral, divergent, at a tangent expressive
Antonyms
central, core
Usage
The politician kept on discussing tangential issues when asked for his opinion on how he intended to solve the important issues.

TANTALIZE (verb)

Meaning
to make a person or an animal want something that they cannot have or do.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
tease, torment, torture, bait, tempt, entice, lure, titillate, intrigue, allure, beguile, excite.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The tantalizing aroma of freshly baked bread stirred up our appetite.

TARDY (adj)

Meaning
late, slow to act or respond
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
late, unpunctual, sluggish
Antonyms
punctual, early
Usage
The tardy implementation of the crucial infrastructure project irked the PM.

TARNISH (verb)

Meaning
to spoil the good opinion people have of somebody or something.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
sully, besmirch, blacken, smirch, stain, blemish, blot, taint, soul, befoul, spoil, ruin, dirty, dis
Antonyms
-
Usage
His involvement in the scam tarnished his image and jeopardized his political career.

TAUTOLOGY (noun)

Meaning
the saying of the same thing twice over again in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
repetition, repetitiveness, reiteration, redundancy, superfluity, periphrasis, iteration, duplicatio
Antonyms
-
Usage
An overdose of tautology in any piece of writing tends to destroy the pleasure of reading it.

TAWDRY (adj)

Meaning
showy but cheap and of poor quality
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
gaudy, flashy, garish, loud
Antonyms
tasteful, refined
Usage
His flashy outfit revealed his tawdry dress sense.

TEMERITY (noun)

Meaning
excessive confidence or boldness
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
audacity, boldness, audaciousness, nerve, effrontery, impudence, insolence cheek, gall
Antonyms
shyness, bashfulness
Usage
The haughty young man's temerity led to his miserable downfall.

TEMPERATE (adj)

Meaning
moderate or self-restrained; not extreme in opinion; not excessive in degree.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
balmy, levelheaded, mild, clement, pleasant
Antonyms
extreme
Usage
Although he was very upset, he gave his opponent a temperate response.

TEMPORAL (adj)

Meaning
chronological, worldly
Root of the word
tempor = time
Synonyms
of time, sequential, earthly, secular
Antonyms
spiritual
Usage
The chief of the spiritual movement detested discussing temporal issues like managing the funds of the trust.

TEMPORIZE (verb)

Meaning
to delay making a decision or stating your opinion in order to obtain an advantage.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
equivocate, procrastinate, play for time, stall, use delaying tactics, delay, prevaricate.
Antonyms
-
Usage
He had been temporizing taking a decision on the issue, hoping that some solution would be found.

TENABLE (adj)

Meaning
able to be defended against attack or objection
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
defensible, justifiable, defendable, supportable, sustainable
Antonyms
indefensible, untenable
Usage
The old notion that women are the weaker sex is no longer tenable.

TENACIOUS (adj)

Meaning
stubborn
Root of the word
tain/ten/tent/tin = hold, twist
Synonyms
obstinate, resolute, persistent, insistent, dogged, determined
Antonyms
slack, weak
Usage
A tenacious person like Robert usually has his way.

TENET (noun)

Meaning
one of the principles or beliefs that a theory or larger set of beliefs is based on
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
principle, belief, doctrine, precept, creed, credo, article of faith, dogma, canon, rule, theory, co
Antonyms
-
Usage
Compassion to all living beings is the basic tenet of all religions.

TENUOUS (adj)

Meaning
very slight or weak
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
slight, insubstantial, flimsy, negligible, weak
Antonyms
convincing, substantial, strong
Usage
Being a tenuous argument, it does not hold much water.

TEPID (adj)

Meaning
lacking interest or enthusiasm
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unenthusiastic, apathetic, half-hearted, indifferent, cool, luke warm, uninterested, unconcerned, of
Antonyms
enthusiastic
Usage
Despite a lot of publicity, the event evoked only a tepid response.

TERMINAL (adj)

Meaning
predicted to lead to death
Root of the word
term = end
Synonyms
incurable, lethal, mortal, life threatening, visual display unit
Antonyms
-
Usage
Thanks to recent advances in medical science, cancer, which was once considered a terminal disease, is now completely curable.

TERRAIN (noun)

Meaning
used to refer to an area of land when you are mentioning its natural features
Root of the word
terra = land, earth
Synonyms
land, ground, territory, topography, landscape
Antonyms
-
Usage
This mountainous terrain of Afghanistan helped the terrorist to escape.

TERSE (adj)

Meaning
using few words
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
abrupt, brief, brusque, compact, concentrated, crisp
Antonyms
long-winded, verbose
Usage
He was hurt by her terse rejection of his friendly overtures.

TESTIMONY (noun)

Meaning
evidence or proof of something
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
testament, proof, evidence, attestation, witness, confirmation, verification, corroboration
Antonyms
-
Usage
His achievement is a testimony of his resoluteness and assiduousness.

TESTY (adj)

Meaning
easily irritated
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
grumpy, ill-tempered, ill-natured, ill-humoured, dyspeptic, irritable, tetchy, irascible, peevish, c
Antonyms
good-humoured
Usage
Being a testy person, she does not get along with anyone.

TĘTE–A–TĘTE (noun)

Meaning
a private conversation between two people
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
conversation, dialogue, consultation, colloquy
Antonyms
-
Usage
A tęte–a–tęte with an erudite genius like Mr. Simpson is a very enriching experience.

THICKSET (adj)

Meaning
having a strong heavy body
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
heavily built, stocky, sturdy, sturdily built, well built, chunky, burly, strapping, brawny, muscula
Antonyms
slight, lanky
Usage
Unlike his brother who is very puny, Fred is a thickset man.

THRENODY (noun)

Meaning
a song, piece of music, or poem expressing grief or regret.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
lament, dirge, requiem, elegy, funeral song, burial hymn, plaint, knell.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The threnody, composed in memory of the soldiers who laid down their lives in fighting for the country, makes for poignant reading.

THRIFT (noun)

Meaning
carefulness and economy in the use of money and other resources
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
providence, prudence, canniness, carefulness, economy, saving, scrimping, frugality
Antonyms
profligacy, extravagance
Usage
One must practise thrift in the use of dwindling natural resources.

THROES (noun)

Meaning
a violent convulsion/struggle
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
agony, pangs, suffering, torture, torment, anguish, distress, hardship, struggle
Antonyms
-
Usage
The earthquake came as a massive blow when the country was already in the throes of ethnic strife.

TIMBRE (noun)

Meaning
the character of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and strength
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
tone, sound, sound quality, voice, colour, tonality, resonance, ring
Antonyms
-
Usage
Her voice had a rich timbre which was just ideal for her job as a radio announcer.

TIME-HONOURED (adj)

Meaning
honoured or respected on account of antiquity
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
traditional, established, long-standing, old-time, historic, age-old, folk, old-world, ancestral, en
Antonyms
-
Usage
Our time-honoured traditions and customs should be preserved for posterity.

TIMOROUS (adj)

Meaning
nervous
Root of the word
tim = fear
Synonyms
scared, timid, fearful, afraid, shy, apprehensive
Antonyms
brave, bold, courageous
Usage
I wonder how such a timorous person can possibly became an actor!

TINKER (verb)

Meaning
attempt in a casual manner to repair or improve.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
fiddle with, play with, toy with, tamper with, dally with, trifle with, meddle with
Antonyms
-
Usage
His ambition was to become an automobile engineer and he appeases it by spending hours tinkering with his car or bike.

TITAN (noun)

Meaning
A person of outstanding ability
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
prodigy
Antonyms
inept
Usage
He is a Titan in business.

TITULAR (adj)

Meaning
holding a formal position or title without any real authority.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
nominal, formal, official, ceremonial, token, puppet, theoretical, purported, supposed, ostensible.
Antonyms
-
Usage
As he is merely a titular head, he does not really have a say in important matters.

TOMFOOLERY (noun)

Meaning
silly behaviour
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
silliness, fooling, clowning, capering, capers, antics, pranks, tricks, buffoonery, skylarking
Antonyms
-
Usage
His friends were put off by his tomfoolery.

TORPEDO (noun)

Meaning
under water missile
Root of the word
torp = stiff, numb
Synonyms
-
Antonyms
-
Usage
The submarine was sunk by a torpedo.

TORPID (adj)

Meaning
lazy
Root of the word
topos = place
Synonyms
dull, sluggish, inactive, numb, stupid, tedious, boring, uninteresting, spiritless, vapid, vacuous,
Antonyms
active
Usage
After a two-hour swimming session, we lay torpid near the pool.

TORRENTIAL (adj)

Meaning
rushing in a stream.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
copious, severe, heavy, rapid, relentless, violent, soaking, teeming.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Life in the city came to a standstill due to the torrential rains.

TORRID (adj)

Meaning
very hot and dry
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
hot, sweltering, sultry, scorching, boiling, parching.
Antonyms
cold, cool, wet
Usage
People living on the plains experienced a torrid summer this year.

TORTUOUS (adj)

Meaning
winding, convoluted
Root of the word
tors, tort = twist
Synonyms
twisting, meandering, circuitous, indirect
Antonyms
straight
Usage
The tortuous path leading to the shrine tires out even athletically built pilgrims.

TOUCHSTONE (noun)

Meaning
something that provides a standard against which other things are compared or judged
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
criterion, standard, yardstick, benchmark, barometer, litmus test, indicator, indication, measure, p
Antonyms
-
Usage
Marks scored in exams should not be the touchstone to gauge a child's intelligence.

TOXIC (adj)

Meaning
poisonous
Root of the word
tox = poison
Synonyms
noxious, deadly, venomous, contaminated
Antonyms
harmless
Usage
Toxic wastes are constantly polluting our rivers.

TRADUCE (verb)

Meaning
say unpleasant or untrue things about
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
defame, slander, misrepresent, malign, vilify
Antonyms
praise
Usage
Most politicians do not hesitate to openly traduce their political rivals. The members of the opposition party went all out to traduce him.

TRANSGRESSION (noun)

Meaning
violation of a moral principle, standard or law
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
offence, crime, sin, wrong doing, misdemeanour, felony, misdeed, law-breaking, vice, evil-doing, ind
Antonyms
-
Usage
Transgression of the stipulated laws is a serious offence.

TRANSIENT (adj)

Meaning
fleeting
Root of the word
trans = beyond
Synonyms
temporary, passing, momentary, short, brief, impermanent
Antonyms
lasting, permanent, durable, enduring, persistent, chronic, perpetual, unending, incessant
Usage
Suscess is usually transient, especially in the glamour field.

TRANSITORY (adj)

Meaning
short lived
Root of the word
trans = beyond
Synonyms
momentary, brief, passing, transient, ephemeral, temporary, short-lived
Antonyms
permanent
Usage
Life is transitory, yet we cling to it.

TRANSLUCENT (adj)

Meaning
transparent
Root of the word
trans = beyond
Synonyms
lucent, lucid, clear, see-through, semi-transparent
Antonyms
opaque
Usage
The curtains in our bedroom are of translucent blue colour.

TRANSMUTE (verb)

Meaning
change in form, nature, or substance
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
change, alter, adapt, modify, transform, transfigure, convert, metamorphose, mutate, reconstruct, re
Antonyms
-
Usage
During the medieval ages it was believed that any ordinary metal could be transmuted into gold through a process called alchemy.

TRANSPIRE (verb)

Meaning
come to be the case
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
become known, become apparent, be revered, be disclosed, come to light, emerge, come out, get out, b
Antonyms
-
Usage
It transpired that there will be a coalition government at the centre.

TRANSPOSE (verb)

Meaning
move to a different place or situation
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
interchange, exchange, switch, swap (round), transfer, reverse, invert, rearrange, turn about/around
Antonyms
-
Usage
The director transposes the play from medieval Europe to post-Civil War America.

TRAPPINGS (pl noun)

Meaning
the possessions clothes, etc. that are connected with a particular job or social position
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
accessories, trimmings, frills, extras, decoration, regalia, frippery, apparatus, accoutrements, app
Antonyms
-
Usage
The Minister enjoyed all the trappings of power and luxury associated with his position.

TRAVESTY (noun)

Meaning
an absurd or shocking misrepresentation
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
misrepresentation, distortion, perversion, corruption, mockery, parody, caricature, force, charade,
Antonyms
-
Usage
The portrayal of the Queen's character is a travesty of her actual self.

TREATISE (noun)

Meaning
a long and serious piece of writing on a particular subject
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
disquisition, essay, paper, work, piece of writing, exposition, discourse, dissertation, thesis, mon
Antonyms
-
Usage
Kautilya's treatise on economics, the Arthashastra, is held in high esteem even by modern economists.

TREMULOUS (adj)

Meaning
unsteady, timid
Root of the word
trep/trem = shake, fear
Synonyms
quavering, quivering, trembling, shaky, wobbly
Antonyms
steady
Usage
In a tremulous voice he said that he had seen a ghost.

TRENCHANT (adj)

Meaning
expressed strongly and clearly; caustic
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
cutting, pointed, piercing, penetrating, sharp, keen, acute, acerbic, pungent
Antonyms
bland, gentle
Usage
Many critics did not approve of the writer's trenchant style.

TREPIDATION (noun)

Meaning
fear
Root of the word
trep/trem = shake, fear
Synonyms
nervousness, unease, anxiety, consternation, apprehension, foreboding, concern
Antonyms
confidence
Usage
There is a growing trepidation that being forced to lead such a hectic life may be resented by most of the managers.

TRIBULATION (noun)

Meaning
anguish, great affliction or oppression
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
trouble, worry, anxiety, burden, affliction, ordeal, trial
Antonyms
-
Usage
An optimist maintains a sanguine attitude even while facing the worst of tribulations.

TRICE (noun)

Meaning
quickly or suddenly
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
in a moment, in a minute, in a short-time, in a flash, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, ri
Antonyms
-
Usage
I would be back in a trice, he said.

TRIDENT (noun)

Meaning
A spear like instrument with three sharp points
Root of the word
tri = three; dent = teeth
Synonyms
-
Antonyms
-
Usage
A particular mountain has been named 'Trishul' as its shape resembles Lord Shiva's trident.

TRIFLE (noun)

Meaning
anything of little importance or value.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
unimportant thing, triviality, bagatelle, inessential, matter of no importance.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Being a short-tempered person, he is infuriated over trifles.

TRIVIAL (adj)

Meaning
unimportant
Root of the word
via = way
Synonyms
petty, trifling, small, piddling, insignificant, frivolous, diminutive, slight, scanty, meagre, inap
Antonyms
great, large, massive, ponderous, heavy, important, serious, grave, consequential, mighty, ample, si
Usage
If left unmoderated, meetings could degenerate into a discussion of trivial issues.

TROUNCE (verb)

Meaning
to defeat somebody completely
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
defeat utterly, beat hollow, crush, overwhelm, drub, rout, clobber, hammer, thrash, crucify, massacr
Antonyms
-
Usage
We trounced our rival team by forty points to four.

TRUANCY (noun)

Meaning
staying away from school etc without permission or explanation
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
absenteeism, non-attendance, absence, playing truant
Antonyms
-
Usage
The principal warned the students that indulging in truancy would be dealt with seriously.

TRUCULENT (adj)

Meaning
quick to argue and fight
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
defiant, aggressive, antagonistic, belligerent, pugnacious
Antonyms
cooperative, friendly, amicable
Usage
People avoided his company because they resented his truculent nature.

TRUE-BLUE (adj)

Meaning
being a loyal supporter of a particular person, group, principle etc
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
staunch, loyal, faithful, committed, confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool, devoted, dedicated, firm, steadfas
Antonyms
-
Usage
As the news channel was a true-blue supporter of the ruling party, it was biased in expressing its views.

TURBID (adj)

Meaning
muddy
Root of the word
turb = shake, whirling
Synonyms
cloudy, opaque, dirty, murky, thick
Antonyms
clear
Usage
The clear river water turned turbid after industrial wastes were dumped into it.

TURBULENT (adj)

Meaning
confused, violent
Root of the word
turb = shake, whirling
Synonyms
disordered, unstable, tumultuous, in turmoil, chaotic, disorderly
Antonyms
orderly
Usage
These are turbulent times, as life seems to have become violent and unpredictable.

TURGID (adj)

Meaning
tediously pompous or bombastic
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
overblown, inflated, affected, pretentious, grandiose, grandiloquent
Antonyms
simple, plain
Usage
The novelist's turgid style was lambasted by his critics.

TURNCOAT (noun)

Meaning
a person who leaves one political party, religious group. etc. to join one that is very different
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
traitor, renegade, defector, deserter, betrayer, Judas, fifth columnist, quisling.
Antonyms
-
Usage
His one time loyalists deserted him, accusing him of being a turncoat.

TURPITUDE (noun)

Meaning
highly offensive or unpleasant character
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wickedness, immortality, corruption, corruptness, vice, degeneracy, evil, baseness
Antonyms
virtue, honour
Usage
He was sentenced to imprisonment for his act of turpitude.

TUTELAGE (noun)

Meaning
guardianship
Root of the word
tuit = watch over
Synonyms
protection, sponsorship, guidance, support
Antonyms
-
Usage
Some of the talented youngsters are now under the tutelage of a foreign coach.

TWINGE (noun)

Meaning
a sudden, sharp pain in a part of the body.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
pain, sharp pain, shooting pain, stab of pain, spasm, ache, throb, cramp stitch.
Antonyms
-
Usage
She felt a sharp twinge in her shoulder as she lifted up the heavy box.

TWIRL (verb)

Meaning
spin quickly and lightly around.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
spin (round), pirouette, whirl, turn (round) wheel, gyrate, pivot, swivel, twist, revolve, rotate.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The couples twirled around the dance floor waltzing to the soft music.