- STRUT (Verb) :
Meaning: walk with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait.
Synonyms: swagger, swank, parade,
Antonyms: camouflages, disguises, masks, conceals
Example: The rooster would strut in the yard when trying to impress the hens. - PRELUDE (Noun) :
Meaning: an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important.
Synonyms: preliminary, overture, opening, preparation
Antonyms: completion, conclusion
Example: Movie trailers are often used as a prelude to feature films. - BELITTLE (Verb) :
Meaning: dismiss (someone or something) as unimportant.
Synonyms: disparage, deprecate, downgrade
Antonyms: praise, magnify
Example: There is no reason for you to belittle my wardrobe simply because your clothes are more expensive than the ones I own. - DELVE (Verb) :
Meaning: research or make painstaking inquiries into something.
Synonyms: investigate, probe, examine, explore
Antonyms: ignore, neglect
Example: Because she was planning a trip, the woman began to delve into a search for plane tickets. - WHIMSICAL (Adjective) :
Meaning: acting or behaving in a capricious manner.
Synonyms: volatile, capricious, temperamental, impulsive
Antonyms: boring, serious
Example: The whimsical music made me feel like a little kid again. - VEST (verb):
Meaning: confer or bestow (power, authority, property, etc.) on someone.
Synonyms: entrust, bestow, confer, grant.
Antonyms: retain, hold back, reserve, withhold.
Usage: Citizens of the United States have the vested right to freedom of speech. - DURESS (noun):
Meaning: threats, violence, used to coerce someone into doing something against their will.
Synonyms: coercion, compulsion, enforcement.
Antonyms: agreement, approval, consent, persuasion.
Usage: I think Rima was under duress when she signed the agreement; she never would have voluntarily accepted those conditions. - SMUG (adjective):
Meaning: having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements.
Synonyms: bighead, conceitedness, ego, vainglory.
Antonyms: diffidence, bashfulness, demureness, shyness.
Usage:To make matters worse, she was so damned smug and unprofessional about it. - UPKEEP (noun):
Meaning: the act or activity of keeping something in an existing and usually satisfactory condition.
Synonyms: maintenance, protection, conservation.
Antonyms: negligence, damage, demolition.
Usage: The business house will spend Rs. 35 crore over the next 5 years on the fort’s upkeep. - GNAW (verb):
Meaning: cause persistent distress or anxiety.
Synonyms: nag, torment, bother, fret.
Antonyms: mitigate, pacify, assist, ameliorate.
Usage: The anxieties about my future continued to gnaw at me. - IDIOMS :
“white elephant”
COLOR IDIOM
Meaning: useless possession
Usage: My old DVD player is a white elephant. I only watch Netflix now.
“white lie”
COLOR IDIOM
Meaning: a harmless lie
Usage: She told her boss a white lie when she said she had a doctor’s appointment.
“yellow-bellied”
COLOR IDIOM
Meaning: cowardly
Usage: Don’t be so yellow-bellied. It’s only a small spider!
