List 16
1. Antedate (AN-ti-dayt)
Meaning: Occur before (something) in time.
Mnemonic:
Imagine an ant on a calendar moving to an earlier date—it’s trying to antedate the event!
Sentence:
The discovery of the ancient ruins seemed to antedate recorded history.
2. Banish (BAN-ish)
Meaning: Expel from a place, especially as punishment; get rid of.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone holding a ban sticker and shouting, “You’re banned! Out you go!” to banish someone.
Sentence:
The king decided to banish the traitor from the kingdom.
3. Bridle (BRY-dl)
Meaning: Control or restrain.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a horse wearing a bridle, trying to run wild, but it’s being held back.
Sentence:
She tried to bridle her temper when her co-worker annoyed her.
4. Comply (kum-PLY)
Meaning: Obey someone’s rules or wishes; meet certain standards.
Mnemonic:
Picture a robot saying, “I comply, Master!” while doing exactly as ordered.
Sentence:
Employees must comply with the safety regulations.
5. Crestfallen (CREST-faw-luhn)
Meaning: Disappointed, dispirited, or depressed.
Mnemonic:
Picture a rooster whose crest (feathers on its head) has fallen down—it’s so crestfallen!
Sentence:
He looked crestfallen when his favorite team lost the match.
6. Curtail (kur-TAYL)
Meaning: Restrict or limit; decrease in quantity.
Mnemonic:
Imagine cutting a curtain in half to curtail the amount of fabric.
Sentence:
The government decided to curtail unnecessary spending.
7. Elucidate (ih-LOO-si-dayt)
Meaning: Make clear; clarify or shed light on.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone holding a glowing lightbulb and saying, “Let me elucidate this idea for you.”
Think of Lucid which is clear.
Sentence:
The teacher tried to elucidate the complex theory for her students.
8. Evade (ee-VADE)
Meaning:
- Avoid or escape from, typically in a cunning way.
- Deflect from giving a clear answer.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone playing hide-and-seek but evading the seeker by hiding in plain sight.
Sentence:
He managed to evade the police for weeks.
9. Feckless (FEK-lis)
Meaning: Without skill, ineffective, incompetent.
Mnemonic:
Think of someone trying to hit a target but missing every shot—so feckless!
Sentence:
The feckless intern couldn’t complete even simple tasks without help.
10. Fester (FES-ter)
Meaning: (Of a negative feeling or problem) Worsen, especially due to lack of attention.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a festering wound oozing and getting worse because it wasn’t treated.
Imagine Huge Fest, carelessly cooked worsening your health.
Sentence:
If you don’t address the issue, it will continue to fester.
11. Immure (ih-MYUR)
Meaning: Imprison or isolate.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone stuck in a mural (immure) on a prison wall, trapped forever.
Sentence:
The monks chose to immure themselves in a remote monastery.
12. Improvise (IM-pro-vyze)
Meaning: Create something spontaneously without preparation.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a comedian saying, “I didn’t prepare, I’ll improvise!” and making jokes about the audience’s shoes.
Sentence:
She forgot her lines, so she had to improvise during the play.
13. Inhibit (in-HIB-it)
Meaning: Make difficult to accomplish; act as an obstacle.
Mnemonic:
Think of “inhale and hold”, where holding your breath inhibits movement!
Sentence:
Her fear of public speaking inhibits her career progress.
14. Inscrutable (in-SKROO-tuh-buhl)
Meaning: Not easily understood; mysterious.
Mnemonic:
Imagine trying to unscrew a table (inscrutable) with no instructions—so confusing!
Sentence:
The professor’s lecture on quantum mechanics was completely inscrutable to me.
15. Lionize (LYE-uh-nize)
Meaning: Treat someone as a celebrity or hero.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone dressing up as a lion to be lionized by a cheering crowd!
Sentence:
The scientist was lionized for her groundbreaking discovery.
16. Monotonous (muh-NOT-uh-nuhs)
Meaning: Lacking in variety, repetitively dull.
Mnemonic:
Think of a monotone voice droning on—so boring and monotonous.
Sentence:
The lecture was so monotonous that half the students fell asleep.
17. Peculiar (puh-KYOO-lee-er)
Meaning: Strange or unusual; specific to a particular place or group.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a peculiar bird wearing peculiar shoes, standing out in the flock.
Sentence:
The recipe has a peculiar flavor that’s hard to describe.
18. Premeditate (pree-MED-i-tayt)
Meaning: Consider or plan beforehand.
Mnemonic:
Picture someone saying, “Let me pre-meditate before I mess up my revenge!”
Sentence:
The crime was clearly premeditated, given the detailed plans found.
19. Profligate (PROF-li-gayt)
Meaning: Inclined to waste resources or behave extravagantly.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone with a prof-lion-gate—a golden gate guarded by lions, spending money carelessly.
Sentence:
His profligate spending habits led to massive debt.
20. Reconcile (REK-un-syle)
Meaning: Bring back or return to harmony; restore a relationship.
Mnemonic:
Imagine two friends arguing over a reconciled (recycled) soda can and then making up over it.
Sentence:
They managed to reconcile their differences after years of feuding.
21. Relinquish (ri-LINK-wish)
Meaning: Give up or release a claim, right, or possession.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a person reluctantly re-linking their keys to someone they owe money to—they relinquish their claim.
Sentence:
He decided to relinquish control of the company.
22. Ruminate (ROO-mi-nayt)
Meaning: Meditate or reflect; ponder over.
Mnemonic:
Picture a cow chewing cud while sitting in a yoga pose—deeply ruminating on life.
Imagine Famous Rumi, reflecting and writing deep poems.
Sentence:
She likes to ruminate on her decisions before acting.
23. Skittish (SKIT-ish)
Meaning: Easily scared or startled; timid; difficult to control.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a skittish cat leaping 10 feet into the air at the sound of a tiny skit.
Sentence:
The horse became skittish at the sound of thunder.
24. Superfluous (soo-PER-floo-uhs)
Meaning: More than is necessary; excessive.
Mnemonic:
Think of someone adding super flowers to a bouquet that’s already full—superfluous decoration!
Sentence:
The report contained superfluous details that distracted from the main points.
25. Synoptic (sin-OP-tik)
Meaning: Providing a general overview or summary.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a synopsis of a movie being projected on a big optic (syn-optic) screen.
Sentence:
The professor gave a synoptic view of the entire course on the first day.
26. Thorough (THUR-oh)
Meaning: Careful and complete concerning every detail.
Mnemonic:
Picture a detective named Thorough going over every inch of a crime scene with a magnifying glass.
Sentence:
The report was thorough and left no question unanswered.
27. Visionary (VIZH-uh-nair-ee)
Meaning: Showing foresight or imagination.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a visionary inventor with literal visions of flying cars in their eyes.
Sentence:
Her visionary ideas transformed the company.
28. Volatile (VOL-uh-tile)
Meaning: Likely to change unpredictably and quickly (usually for the worse).
Mnemonic:
Imagine a volcano that is always volatile, ready to erupt unpredictably!
Sentence:
The stock market is extremely volatile, with prices changing dramatically every hour.
29. Vociferous (voh-SIF-er-uhs)
Meaning: Expressing opinions or feelings loudly and forcefully.
Mnemonic:
Imagine a vocal ferocious lion (vociferous) roaring its opinions!
Sentence:
The crowd grew vociferous in their demands for change.
30. Iconoclastic (eye-KON-uh-klas-tik)
Meaning: Challenging or overthrowing tradition or established beliefs.
Mnemonic:
Imagine someone smashing an icon (statue) and yelling, “Down with tradition!”—so iconoclastic!
Sentence:
Her iconoclastic ideas challenged the norms of the scientific community.
Peg Technique to Connect Words
Use pegs to remember word meanings by creating a vivid mental story linking the word’s sound and meaning:
- Antedate → Ant + Calendar
- Banish → Ban + Kicked out
- Bridle → Horse restraint
- Comply → Robot obeying
- Crestfallen → Sad rooster with drooping crest
- Curtail → Cut curtain short
- Elucidate → Lightbulb for clarity
- Evade → Sneaky hider
- Feckless → Target miss after miss
- Fester → Neglected wound worsening
- Iconoclastic → Smashing icons (traditions)
Learn More
Nepal, a peculiar and breathtakingly beautiful country nestled in the Himalayas, is often lionized for its towering mountains and rich cultural heritage. However, beneath its serene landscape, Nepal faces a volatile reality, from political upheavals to environmental challenges that frequently evade immediate solutions. The nation’s history seems to antedate modern records, with its traditions blending ancient customs and contemporary practices. While some individuals reconcile these differences with ease, others adopt an iconoclastic approach, seeking to break away from entrenched norms. In the rural areas, limited resources often curtail development efforts, leading many to ruminate on innovative ways to progress without losing cultural identity. Meanwhile, the bustling cityscapes contrast with crestfallen villages struggling with the impact of climate change, where vociferous activists raise their voices for sustainable solutions. Despite these challenges, the spirit of Nepal’s people remains resilient, as they seek to elucidate their concerns on a global stage while preserving their unique heritage.