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.

WADDLE (verb)

Meaning
to walk with short steps.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
toddle, dodder, wobble, totter, shamble, sway, rock, lurch, limp, shuffle, stumble, reel, stagger.
Antonyms
-
Usage
An obese matronly woman waddled towards the entrance to answer the door bell.

WAIVE (verb)

Meaning
refrain from insisting on or applying (a right or claim).
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
relinquish, renounce, give up, abandon, reject, surrender, yield, cede, do without, dispense with.
Antonyms
claim, pursue
Usage
Claiming moral responsibility for the incident, he waived his right to appeal.

WALKOVER (noun)

Meaning
an easy victory.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
runaway victory, rout, landslide, triumph
Antonyms
struggle
Usage
Being a grandmaster, winning the national chess tournament was a walkover for him.

WAYLAY (verb)

Meaning
intercept (someone) in order to attack them.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ambush, hold up, attack, assail, lie in, wait for, lay a trap for, trap,
Antonyms
-
Usage
The passengers were waylaid and looted by a band of robbers.

WAYWARD (adj)

Meaning
capricious or disobedient
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wilful, self-willed, headstrong, stubborn, obstinate, obdurate
Antonyms
well behaved, docile
Usage
On new year's day, he resolved to give up his wayward behaviour and turn over a new leaf.

WEIRD (adj)

Meaning
suggesting something supernatural, unnatural or unconventional
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
creepy, eerie, ghostly, mysterious, preternatural, scary, odd
Antonyms
-
Usage
People looked at her with a strange expression because of her weird hairdo.

WELL-NIGH (adv)

Meaning
almost
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
nearly, just about, more or less, practically, virtually, next to, close to, approaching, bordering
Antonyms
-
Usage
Completing the work at such a short notice is well-nigh impossible.

WHEEDLE (verb)

Meaning
use endearments or flattery to persuade someone to do something
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
coax, cajole, inveigle, lure, induce, blarney, entice, charm, tempt, beguile, flatter, persuade, inf
Antonyms
-
Usage
The children had a knack of wheedling money out of their father.

WHEREWITHAL (noun)

Meaning
the money or other resources needed for a particular purpose.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
money, means, resources, cash, capital, funds, finance, reserves, ready money
Antonyms
-
Usage
Her uncle left her a legacy of forty thousand pounds which gave her the required wherewithal to buy anything that took her fancy.

WHET (verb)

Meaning
excite or stimulate (someone's desire, interest, or appetite)
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
stimulate, excite, arouse, rouse, kindle, trigger, spark, quicken, waken, stir, inspire, animate, fa
Antonyms
dull, spoil
Usage
Avid reading can whet one's appetite for knowledge.

WHOLESOME (adj)

Meaning
helping towards good health and physical or moral well-being.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
beneficial, healthful, hygienic, salubrious
Antonyms
insalubrious
Usage
Children should be encouraged to eat wholesome food rather than junk food.

WILDERNESS (noun)

Meaning
an uncultivated, uninhabited and inhospitable region.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wasteland, neglected area, abandoned area, no-man's land.
Antonyms
-
Usage
Having been blessed with green fingers, he can make a garden even in wilderness.

WILY (adj)

Meaning
skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
shrewd, clever, sharp, sharp-witted, astute, canny, smart, crafty, cunning, artful, sly, scheming, c
Antonyms
naive, guileless
Usage
She has a knack of getting things done by using her wily charms.

WINDED (adj)

Meaning
out of breath
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
breathless, gasping for breath, panting, puffing.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The trek was pretty arduous and we were totally winded by the time we reached the top of the mountain.

WISTFUL (adj)

Meaning
having or showing a strange or regretful longing
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
regretful, nostalgic, yearning, longing, plaintive, rueful, melancholic, sad, mournful
Antonyms
-
Usage
I wish I could buy the talking doll displayed in the shop window, said the little girl wistfully.

WONT (adj)

Meaning
in the habit of doing something.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
accustomed, used, given, inclined, in the habit of.
Antonyms
-
Usage
He was wont to waking up before the break of dawn.

WORKADAY (adj)

Meaning
ordinary, not very interesting
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
ordinary, average, run-of-the-mill, mainstream, conventional, unremarkable, unexceptional, unpretent
Antonyms
extraordinary, exceptional
Usage
He was shaken from his world of fantasy and was brought face to face with his workaday life.

WORLDLY-WISE (adj)

Meaning
experienced in the ways in which people behave and able to deal with most situations.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
sophisticated, experienced, worldly, knowledgeable, knowing, aware, enlightened, shrewd, astute, per
Antonyms
naive, unsophisticated
Usage
She was not worldly-wise enough to understand his devious ways.

WRATH (noun)

Meaning
extreme anger
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
anger, rage, fury, annoyance, indignation, outrage, pique, chagrin, vexation, exasperation
Antonyms
happiness, good humour
Usage
The organisers had to face the wrath of the audience when there was an inordinate delay in starting the programme.

WREST (verb)

Meaning
forcibly pull from a person's grip.
Root of the word
-
Synonyms
wrench, snatch, seize, grab, take by force, prise, peel, pluck, rip, twist, jerk, dislodge, force.
Antonyms
-
Usage
The policeman sustained injuries when he tried to wrest the dagger from a burglar.