| Adamant: Impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason |
| The minister is adamant about his resignation |
| Egoist: A conceited and self-centred person |
| He was a thorough egoist, spendthrift and a miser in one. |
| Falter: Move hesitatingly, as if about to give way |
| The automobile engine faltered midway. |
| Humility: A disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride |
| Despite his powerful position in the government, he was still a man of great humility. |
| Jubilant: Joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success |
| Jubilant crowds welcomed the victorious team when they arrived back home. |
| Precedent: An example used to justify similar occurrences later |
| The trial could set an important precedent for similar cases. |
| Pungent: Strong and sharp |
| The more herbs you use, the more pungent the sauce will be. |
| Bereft: Sorrowful through loss or deprivation |
| They are bereft of their dignity due to the deeds of their children |
| Complacent: Contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions |
| We cannot afford to be complacent about our health |
| Condescend: Do something that one considers to be below one's dignity |
| He never condescended to notice me |
| Constrict: Squeeze or press together |
| Her throat constricted with emotion |
| Decorum: Propriety in manners and conduct |
| I was treated with decorum and respect |
| Discreet: Marked by prudence or modesty and self-restraint |
| She was wearing discreet jewellery |
| Exultation: A feeling of extreme joy |
| He punched the air and waved his bat in exultation |
| Glean: Gather, as of natural products |
| At present we are gleaning information from all sources |
| Inveterate: Habitual |
| The mother was exasperated by the inveterate laziness of her children |
| Malign: Evil or harmful in nature or influence |
| Jealousy had a malign influence on their lives |
| Omnipotent: Having unlimited power |
| He lived in the shadow of his seemingly omnipotent father |
| Prodigy: An unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person; someone whose talents excite wonder and admiration |
| He is an 11 year old chess prodigy |
| Retrospect: A review or survey of things in the past |
| One can easily identify one’s faults in retrospect |
| Sombre: Lacking brightness or colour; dull |
| The pair was in a sombre mood |
| Voluminous: Large in volume or bulk |
| She was swathed in a voluminous cloak |
| Zenith: Peak |
| His career is now at its zenith and I doubt whether he can go any higher than this |
| Besmirch: Charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the reputation of someone |
| Lawyers can besmirch reputations |
| Candour: Honest and straightforward in attitude and speech |
| He expressed his feelings with candour |
| Charlatan: A quack or a fraud |
| The so called psychic was exposed as a charlatan |
| Debilitate: Make weak |
| Fear threatened to debilitate me |
| Fledgling: Young and inexperienced |
| The judge gave sound advice to the fledgling lawyers |
| Foment: Bathe with warm water or medicated lotions |
| His legs should be fomented |
| Impetuous: Characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation |
| The impetuous stream hurled down the valley |
| Invective: Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or deep-seated ill will |
| A woman had hurled racist invective at the family |
| Jocose: Characterized by jokes and good humour |
| His conversation is carefully maintained at a level of jocose pomposity |
| Mortify: Cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of |
| He felt mortified when she slapped him |
| Occult: Hidden and difficult to see |
| The moon occulted the Mars |
| Peremptory: Not allowing contradiction or refusal |
| The boss issued peremptory commands and others could only agree to what he said |
| Quarry: A person who is the aim of an attack |
| The police lost their quarry in the crowd |
| Rustic: Awkwardly simple and provincial |
| One must enjoy the rustic charms of village life |
| Slovenly: Negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt |
| Such slovenly work is simply unacceptable |
| Vitriolic: Harsh or corrosive in tone |
| There was a vicious and vitriolic attack on him in the tabloids |
| Wheedle: Influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering |
| She wheedled some money out of her father |
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