| Cumbersome: Difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight |
| He hit his ankle on a cumbersome piece of furniture. |
| Deter: Prevent; show opposition to |
| Capital punishment does not deter crime. |
| Divulge: Make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret |
| He was charged with divulging state secrets. |
| Evolve: Undergo development |
| Mankind has been under the constant process of evolution in last 23000 years. |
| Fluctuate: Cause to fluctuate or move in a wavelike pattern |
| Body temperatures can fluctuate when you are ill. |
| Interrogate: Pose a series of questions to |
| The police spent five hours in interrogating the prisoner. |
| Site: The piece of land on which something is located |
| He has got a job on a building site. |
| Allay: Lessen the intensity of or calm |
| He did what he could to allay his wife’s fears. |
| Bridle: A curb or a check. |
| One’s anger should be bridled. |
| Commodious: Large and roomy |
| The hotel rooms were very commodious. |
| Façade: The face or front of a building |
| The ornamental facade was very pleasing to the eyes. |
| Hulk: A very large person; impressive in size or qualities |
| The Hulk is a character one should not mess with, his name is the perfect representation of his qualities. |
| Incarcerated: Jailed |
| Criminals need to be incarcerated to keep the society safe. |
| Parable: A short moral story |
| Sufi stories are filled with parables and tales that carry a deeper moral meaning. |
| Propensity: An inclination to do something |
| She hadn’t reckoned on his propensity for violence when she took him in as a tenant. |
| Tonsure: The act of shaving the head or part of the head. |
| Heads are tonsured at various temples as a mark of respect for the temple god. |
| Unkempt: Not properly maintained or cared for |
| The garden looked unkempt due to the overgrown weeds |
| Unmitigated: Not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity; sometimes used as an intensifier |
| She leads a life of unmitigated misery due to her impoverished circumstances. |
| Vigil: A purposeful surveillance to guard or observe |
| The bat was on a midnight vigil. |
| Wary: Marked by keen caution and watchful prudence |
| My mother always told me to be wary of strangers. |
| Antiquated: So extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period |
| The factory is so antiquated, it isn’t worth saving. |
| Asinine: Devoid of intelligence |
| I have never heard such an asinine discussion. |
| Au Courant: Being up to particular standard |
| He was wonderfully au courant with the European scene. |
| Calumny: An abusive attack on a person's character or good name |
| He alleges he was a victim of calumny and dirty tricks. |
| Connoisseur: An expert able to appreciate a field; especially in fine arts |
| He was a connoisseur of fine wines. |
| Convoluted: Having numerous overlapping coils or folds |
| Snakes can convolute themselves easily. |
| Countenance: The appearance conveyed by a person's face |
| He met each enquiry with an impassive countenance. |
| Dishevelled: In disarray; extremely disorderly |
| She arrived looking flushed and dishevelled at the party venue. |
| Fastidious: Giving attention to detail |
| He was very fastidious about his appearance. |
| Grimace: Contort the face |
| She started to sit up, grimaced with pain and sank back. |
| Indolent: Lazy |
| Indolent kids can be hard to manage. |
| Inebriation: State of being drunk |
| One has got to be careful in parties; one never knows when one will be down with inebriation. |
| Lampoon: Ridicule with satire |
| He was lampooned for his short stature and political views. |
| Nemesis: A source/enemy that cannot be beaten |
| Unquestionable trust can be one’s biggest nemesis. |
| Noisome: Offensively malodorous |
| Noisome vapours arose from the mud left on the docks. |
| Pittance: An inadequate payment |
| Her secretaries work tirelessly for a pittance. |
| Sanctimonious: Excessively or hypocritically pious |
| He writes smug sanctimonious rubbish for the newspapers. |
| Surly: Ill-natured |
| The surly waiter spilled the dishes on the floor. |
| Tenacious: Stubbornly unyielding |
| He is regarded as a persistent and tenacious interviewer. |
| Whimsical: Determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason |
| He had an offbeat whimsical sense of humour. |
