Dawn Word List

Many junior members are disconcert regarding the selection of prolific vocabulary. We are
often advised to go through the Dawn news-paper vocabulary. Consequently, This thread
contains the words frequently published in Dawn. Members are requested to add their
contribution too.
Aberration: deviation; abnormality
Abstruse: Difficult to comprehend
Acumen: sharpness of mind
Adroit: skill-ful (Maladroit = clumsy)
Adulation: worship; great praise
Advocate: support
Affability: friendliness; cordiality
Affinity: kinship
Affluence: wealth; oppulence
Agnostic: unsure of the existence of god
Alacrity: speed & eagerness; promptness
Alleviate: make less serve; reduce
Altruism: self-sacrifice
Amalgam: mixture
Amassed: accumulated
Ambiguous: vague; doubtful; equivocal
Ameliorate: make better; improve
Amiable: friendly; lovable
Anachronistic: out of normal time range (Root -- chron always implies the time)
Animosity: hostility; hatred; ill-will
Apathetic: lacking energy or interest; indifference
Arable: cab be cultivated; fit for pillowing (example: arable land)
Arbitration: mediating between disputing sides
Arboreal: living in trees (Root -- Arbor always relates to trees)
Arcane: esoteric; obscure; known only to few people
Archaic: old-fashioned
Articulation: joining; speaking clearly; distinct
Ascertain: find out; make sure
Astute: wise; mentally sharp
Augment: increase in size or number
Aural: through the sense of hearing
Autocrat: absolute ruler; dictator
Autonomy: self-government
Barrage: bombardment; stream (of abuse etc.); continous attack
Belabor: over-emphasizing

www.theallpapers.com

Belied: contradicted
Belitters: people who criticize/disparage
Benevolent: kindly; cheritable
Boorishness: rudeness; ill-mannered behavior
Bountiful: generous
Brevity: briefness
Bypass: avoid; find a way around
Byzantine: excessive; decadent
Cacophony: noise; din
Callous: cruel & unfeeling
Candid: truthful; straight forward; free from prejudice
Capricious: whimsical; changeable
Censure: criticize; blame
Cerebral: concerned with thinking
Circumstantial: accidental; indirect
Insightful: perceptive; can be understood
Insipid: flavourless; bland
Insolence: lack of respect; rudeness; impudence
Insolvent: bankrupt
Insufferable: can not be tolerated
Insular: narrow-minded
Insurrectionist: rebel; combative
Integrity: honor; honesty
Intemperate: not moderate; excessive
Intermittent: on & off; not continous; spasmodic
Intonation: tone of voice
intrigued: interested and curious
Intuition: sixth sense; gut feeling
Invocation: prayer
Irony: something unexpected; words to convey opposite meaning
Irreproachable: can not be criticized; blameless (Reproach = critize)
Irresolute: lacking firmness of purpose; hesitant
Irreverence: lack of respect
Jaded: tired; bored
Jeopardize: put at risk; endanger
Judicious: fair; wise
Juxtaposition: placing two things next to each other
Knack: trick; skill
Lackadaisical: lazy; careless; lax
Lamentable: regrettable
Languid: Lacking energy; weak
Lavish: to spend freely(v); costing alot; opulent(adj)
Legitimate: to make legal; give approval to
Libelous: open to prosecution forr libel (libel = written slander)
Lithe: flexible; supple
Litigious: seeking legal remedies

www.theallpapers.com

Lobby: to try to persuade; entrance hall

Lucid: clear; explained
Magnanimous: generous minded; big-hearted
Mandate: permission
Mandatory: compulsory
Manifesto: statement of values
Manipulative: deceptive; skill-ful at handling people
Marred: spoiled; ruined
Meager: small; scanty; unimportant
Mercenary: seeking money above all else; interested in money and gain
Meticulous: thorough; taking care of details
Miffed: annoyed; vex
Mitigate: moderate; reduce intensity
Modicum: tiny amount
Momentous: of great importance
Monotonous: dull; repetitive
Morbidity: concern with death and disease
Motley: varied; miscellaneous
Circumvent: avoid; outwit; baffle
Coalition: a union of two parts
Ceorce: compel; force
Cognitions: mental knowledge
Compendious: containing a lot in a small space/few words
Conciliatory: bringing together; ending a dispute; soothing
Concord: agreement
Condone: tolerate
Conflagration: great fire
Congenial: friendly; sociable; suitable
Connoisseur: expert with good taste/ judgement
Consecrate: dedicate; make holy
Consummate: supremely good
Contagious: passed on through touch; infectious
Convergence: coming together
Convivial: sociable
Copious: in large amount
Corollary: consequence; inference
Corpulence: very fat-ness
Corroborated: supported; given supporting evidence
Credulity: belief on slight evidence
Cumulative: building up
Cursory: superficial
Curtail: cut short
Dalliance: non-serious involvement; toying or playing
Dearth: shortage; lacking
Debacle: disaster
Debilitate: weaken

www.theallpapers.com

Debunk: throw out old indeas

Deferment: putting off
Deleterious: harmful
Deliberation: careful thought
Delineate: outline
Demagogue: mob leader; agitator
Demonstrative: expressing emotions freely
Denuded: stripped
Depreciatory: devaluing; criticizing
Derelict: rundown; abandoned
Derided: mocked
Despoiled: plunder; rob; deprive
Devious: cunning
Didactic: intending to preach or teach; an act of teaching
Dilatory: slow; sluggish
Disarming: charming; unthreatening
Discernment: judgement
Discrepancy: inconsistency
Disillusioned: freed from wrong ideas
Disingenuous: crafy; double dealing
Disparaging: critical
Distension: swelling; distend; expand
nifty;clever,adriot,smart,stylish
nincompoop;foolish person
niggle;fuss over details,find fault in petty matters
humdrum;dull,common place
vanity;unreal thing
valiant;brave
shrugged;to draw up shoulders or gesture of indifference
zit;pimple
gig;engagement to play music
fret;worry,distressed
warped;distorted
narcissism;excessive or erotic interest in oneself
palpabel;that can be touched,readily percieved
profane;irrelevent,blasphemous,violate

www.theallpapers.com

bludgeons;heavy club,coerce
vilify;defame,speak ill of
Multifarious: having many aspects
Myopic: short-sighted (literal or metaphoric)
Naivete: innocence; lack of wordliness
Nefarious: infamous; very wicked
Negate: wipe out; nullify
Nemesis: fate; doom
Nihilism: belief in nothing; anarchy
Nondescript: having no special qualities; ordinary
Notoriety: infamy
Obsequious: slavish; fawning
Occlusion: shutting out
Officious: interfering
Onerous: burdensome
Opacity: lack of transparency; being opaque
Opportunism: grabbing opportunities
Opting: choosing
Opulence: lavish display of wealth
Ornate: extremely decorated
Overhaul: renovate; examine
Palliative: sth that makes better but doesn`t cure; easy pain
Pathos: sadness; stirring the emotions; gloomy
Paucity: scarcity; shortage
Peer: An equal; to look closely at
Peevishness: childish sullenness; irritability
Penchant: tendency; leaning toward; liking
Penurious: miserly
Perquisites: perks; sth you recieve for your job
Petulant: touchy; sulky; peevish
Phlegmatic: calm; imperturbable
Phobic: fearful (Root phobia always implies fear)
Pilfer: steal; filch; rustle
Placid: peaceful; calm; serene
Plaudits: praise
Pliant: flexible
Polarized: divided into two extremes
Pragmatism: practicality
Preclude: prevent; make impossible
Precursor: forerunner; sth comes before
Predilection: liking for; penchant
Presumption: assuming too much
Profundity: depth (of ideas/thoughts)
Propensity: tendency; leaning predilection
Proponent: supporter

www.theallpapers.com

Prosaic: ordinary; dull

Prospectus: brochure
Prudent: wise; cautious
Punctilious: meticulous
Purportedly: apparently claiming
Quell: suppress; to stop sth such as protests
Quixotic: idealistic; impractical
Radical: revolutionary
Docile: obedient; subservient
Dubious: doubtful
Eclectic: taking things from different sources; selective
Effacement: wiping out; rub out; (self-effacement = excessive modesty)
Egotistical: selfish
Elitist: favoring top group; snob
Elusive: difficult to pin down
Emancipators: those who set others free
Embellished: adorned; decorated
Embittered: full of bitter feelings
Embodiment: living example of
Empathetic: exhibiting deep emotional understanding
Empiric: found by experiment/practice
Encompassed: included; surrounded
Encroach: trespass; violate
Endorsed: supported
Entourage: group of followers; retinue; cortege
Envisioning: imagining; predicting
Epitome: essence; typical example or symbol of
Equanimity: peace of mind; balance; calm
Equitable: fair and equal
Eradicate: wipe out; remove
Erudition: learning; scholarly knowledge
Esoteric: obscure; arcane; known to few
Estrangement: separation
Eulogy: praise
Exacerbate: make worse
Exasperation: frustration and annoyance
Excise: cut out
Exemplar: excellent example of
Exonerated: proved not guilty; acquit
Exorbitant: excessive
Exotic: strange; foreign
Expeditious: speedy; hasten
Extant: still in existence; opposite of extinct
Extirpation: destruction
Extol: praise; glorify
Extrapolate: predict on the basis of existing data; extended

www.theallpapers.com

Facile: over simplified

Faction: section; group with common interests
Fastidious: very fussy; excessively concerned (esp. about cleanliness)
Fawning: groveling; slavish; obsequious
Fidelity: faithfulness; loyalty
Finagle: wheedle; wangle; trick
Finesse: skill
Fitful: intermittent; on and off; not continous
Flabbergast: shock; make speechless
Flag: to lose energy; to signal
Rambunctious: boisterous; highly exuberant; unruly
Rancor: bitterness and bad feeling
Ratify: give approval to (official)
Raze: known down, destroy
Reclusive: Avoid other people; solitary
Recrimination: blame
Rectitude: uprightness
Redolent: smelling of (literal or metaphoric)
Regressive: moving backwards (literal or metaphoric)
Rehash: revamp hurriedly/carelessly; to arrange in new form without improvement
Remiss: neglectful
Repertoire: range; set of skills
Reprehensible: very bad; culpable; blame worthy
Reprieve: let off (atleast temporarily); delay; cancel
Reprimanded: scolded
Resilience: strength; ability to withstand
Resolute: firm of purpose
Retraction: removal; taking back
Rhetoric: persuasive language
Robust: strong and sturdy
Rousing: stirring; full of enthusiasm
Rudimentary: elementary; basic; not developed
Salvageable: can be saved
Sanctity: holiness
Sarcasm: sneering; bitter remarks; ironic or taunting
Scouring: cleaning thoroughly; thorough searching; comb
Scrutinize: examine carefully
Scuttled: sunk; foil
Secluded: lonely; isolated
Sedate: calm; placid
Seditious: causing division or rebellion
Sedulous: thorough; eager
Serene: peaceful
Sermonize: give moral lecture
Shroud: a cover for dead body; to cover
Slipshod: careless; untidy

www.theallpapers.com

Solace: comfort
Solicitous: expressing care and concern
Somber: gloomy
Sophistry: devious logic
Soporific: sleep inducing; sleep producer
Sporadic: intermittent; not continous; short stayed
Spurned: shunned; rejected
Squander: waste
Squelch: suppress; crush
Steadfastness: loyalty; firmness of purpose
Stifling: suppressing
Stipulated: insisted
Substantiate: give supporting evidence
Floridity: floweriness in language; redness
Foil: frustrate; battle; defeat
Formidable: inspiring awe; impressive and powerful difficulty
Foster: support; encourage
Foundered: sank; failed; stumbled
Fraudulent: crooked; intending to cheat
Frugal: economical; parsimony
Furtive: secretive
Futile: useless; waste of time and effort
Gestures: signals
Glacial: icy; unfriendly
Glutton: greedy; spearing in eating and drinking
Grating: harsh; rasping; irritating
Gratuitous: free; unwarranted
Grimy: dirty
Hackneyed: commonplace; banal; over-used
Heterogeneity: variety; non-uniformity
Hilarity: great laughter
Histronic: melodramatic; expressing exaggerated emotion
Holistic: whole; entire
Hubris: excessive pride; haughtiness
Husbandry: careful management of resources
Idiosyncratic: quirky; eccentric; unique to an individual
Igominy: shame
Imperious: in a commanding manner
Impetuosity: impulsiveness; rash
Impudent: cheeky; irrespectful
Inane: silly
Incoherence: lack of clarity
Inconsequential: unimportant
Inconspicuous: not easily seen; indiscernible
Indiscriminate: without thought; random; careless
Indomitable: unshakeable; fearless

www.theallpapers.com

Indulgent: kindly; pampering

Ineffable: cant be expressed in words
Ineptitude: lack of ability
Infelicity: unsuitabilility; inappropriateness
Infusion: influx; addition
Ingenuous: naive
Indigenous: native to a locality
Indictment: charge; legal accusation
Innocuous: harmless
Inscrutable: not easy to comprehend
Subversive: intending to overthrow; seditious; split
Succulent: juicy
Supplant: replace; usurp
Supple: flexible; pliant; lithe
Surfeit: excess
Sustain: support; experience
Sycophant: toady; servile flatterer
Tactile: through the sense of touch
Tangential: off the point; irrelevant
Temper: moderate
Temperamental: volatile; changeable
Temporize: put off; procratinate; delay
Tenacious: holding firmly to idea or purpose
Therapeutic: medicinal
Thwarted: prevented
Transitory: short-lived; not continous
Teacly: too sweet; over sentimental
Tremulous: hestitant
Tribulation: trouble
Truculence: stubborness
Undermine: weaken
Unequivocal: certain; undoubtful
Unwitting: not deliberated
Unyielding: not giving up
Vacillate: waver; hesitate
Validated: proved right
Valor: bravery
Venality: corruption
Versatility: ability to do many things
Vex: annoy
Vicarious: experience indirectly; at secondhand
Vigilant: wary; watchful
Vindication: proving right; acquittal
Vindictive: seeking revenge
Viscous: thick and sticky
Volatile: evaporates easily; mercurial; easily angered; emotional

www.theallpapers.com

Voluminous: large; bulky; extensive

Vulnerable: open to attack; susceptible
Waning: declining
Warped: twisted; distorted
Wary: cautious
Wannow: sift; separate good from bad
Wistful: sad; yearning; longing in a thoughtful way
Wrath: anger

www.theallpapers.com