English Vocabulary Booster – 100+ Words for Competitive Exams

Why Vocabulary is Important for Competitive Exams?

• Score higher in the English section.
• Improve comprehension in reading passages.
• Tackle synonyms, antonyms, and one-word substitutions confidently.
• Write better essays and answers in descriptive exams.

How to Use This Vocabulary List Effectively:

• Break the list into small chunks (25-30 words/day).
• Make flashcards and revise regularly.
• Practice through mock tests and quizzes.
• Focus on synonyms, antonyms, and contextual usage.

📚 Vocabulary List with Synonyms and Antonyms

Word	Synonym	Antonym	Usage Example
Abundant	Plentiful	Scarce	Water is abundant in coastal areas.
Benevolent	Kind-hearted	Malevolent	She has a benevolent nature.
Candid	Honest	Dishonest	He gave a candid response.
Diligent	Hardworking	Lazy	She is diligent in her studies.
Eloquent	Articulate	Inarticulate	He gave an eloquent speech.
Frugal	Economical	Extravagant	She leads a frugal lifestyle.
Gregarious	Sociable	Introverted	He is a gregarious person.
Humble	Modest	Arrogant	Despite his success, he remains humble.
Impartial	Unbiased	Biased	The judge gave an impartial decision.
Juxtapose	Contrast	Separate	The artist juxtaposed dark and light shades.
Meticulous	Careful	Careless	He is meticulous in his work.
Ominous	Threatening	Promising	The sky looked ominous before the storm.
Pragmatic	Practical	Impractical	She takes a pragmatic approach to problems.
Quaint	Old-fashioned	Modern	We stayed in a quaint little cottage.
Resilient	Strong	Vulnerable	She is resilient in tough situations.
Scrupulous	Ethical	Unethical	He is scrupulous in his work.
Tangible	Concrete	Abstract	We need tangible results.
Ubiquitous	Everywhere	Rare	Smartphones have become ubiquitous.
Venerable	Respected	Disrespected	He is a venerable leader.
Wistful	Nostalgic	Cheerful	She had a wistful expression.
Concur	Agree	Disagree	We concur with the findings of the report.
Alleviate	Relieve	Aggravate	Medicine will help alleviate the pain.
Resilient	Strong	Weak	He showed resilience in difficult times.
Obsolete	Outdated	Modern	The technology is now obsolete.
Impeccable	Flawless	Faulty	Her taste in fashion is impeccable.
Lucrative	Profitable	Unprofitable	The business turned out to be lucrative.
Frugal	Economical	Extravagant	He leads a frugal lifestyle.
Inundate	Flood	Drain	The office was inundated with calls.
Candid	Honest	Deceptive	She gave a candid interview.
Ephemeral	Temporary	Permanent	Life is ephemeral.
Mitigate	Reduce	Intensify	Steps were taken to mitigate the risk.
Erratic	Unpredictable	Consistent	His driving is erratic.
Lucid	Clear	Confusing	He gave a lucid explanation.
Obstinate	Stubborn	Flexible	She remained obstinate in her decision.
Plausible	Believable	Implausible	The story seems plausible.
Revere	Respect	Disrespect	He is revered by his followers.
Scrutinize	Examine	Ignore	The documents were closely scrutinized.
Tenable	Defensible	Indefensible	The theory is no longer tenable.
Vivid	Bright	Dull	The painting has vivid colors.
Wary	Cautious	Careless	Be wary of strangers.
Vindicate	Justify	Blame	The evidence will vindicate his actions.
Tranquil	Peaceful	Agitated	The lake was calm and tranquil.
Pragmatic	Practical	Idealistic	She took a pragmatic approach to the problem.
Subtle	Delicate	Obvious	The changes were very subtle.
Adversity	Hardship	Comfort	He faced adversity with courage.
Congenial	Friendly	Unpleasant	The atmosphere was congenial.
Enigma	Mystery	Clarity	Her disappearance remains an enigma.
Euphemism	Polite term	Dysphemism	"Passed away" is a euphemism for "died."
Immutable	Unchangeable	Flexible	The laws of nature are immutable.
Juxtapose	Contrast	Separate	The artist juxtaposed light and dark colors.
Meticulous	Careful	Careless	He is meticulous in his work.
Nostalgia	Longing	Indifference	The photo brought back feelings of nostalgia.
Obscure	Unclear	Clear	The meaning of the poem is obscure.
Pernicious	Harmful	Beneficial	Smoking has a pernicious effect on health.
Prolific	Productive	Unproductive	She is a prolific writer.
Quintessential	Perfect example	Atypical	He is the quintessential gentleman.
Recalcitrant	Defiant	Compliant	The student was recalcitrant during the lesson.
Salient	Important	Unimportant	The report highlighted the salient points.
Tenacious	Persistent	Weak	He showed a tenacious spirit.
Ubiquitous	Everywhere	Rare	Smartphones are ubiquitous nowadays.
Ambiguous	Unclear	Clear	His statement was ambiguous and misleading.
Arduous	Difficult	Easy	Climbing the mountain was an arduous task.
Astute	Shrewd	Foolish	She is an astute observer of human nature.
Belligerent	Hostile	Peaceful	The nations remained belligerent for years.
Capricious	Unpredictable	Consistent	His decisions are capricious and irrational.
Debilitate	Weaken	Strengthen	The illness will debilitate his health.
Empathy	Understanding	Indifference	She showed empathy toward the victim.
Exacerbate	Worsen	Improve	The new policy will exacerbate the problem.
Futile	Useless	Effective	His efforts were futile.
Gregarious	Sociable	Introverted	He is a gregarious person.
Hackneyed	Overused	Original	The phrase has become hackneyed.
Impartial	Unbiased	Biased	The judge remained impartial during the trial.
Intrinsic	Inherent	Extrinsic	The value of art is intrinsic.
Lament	Mourn	Celebrate	They lamented the loss of their friend.
Manifest	Obvious	Hidden	His anger was manifest in his words.
Novel	New	Traditional	She introduced a novel idea.
Ominous	Threatening	Promising	The dark clouds looked ominous.
Pious	Religious	Irreverent	He was a pious man.
Quell	Suppress	Encourage	The police tried to quell the riot.
Recluse	Hermit	Socialite	He lived as a recluse for years.
Scrutinize	Examine	Ignore	The teacher scrutinized the students’ work.
Taciturn	Reserved	Talkative	He remained taciturn during the meeting.
Unanimous	Agreed	Divided	The decision was unanimous.
Voracious	Greedy	Satisfied	He has a voracious appetite for learning.
Wary	Cautious	Careless	She was wary of strangers.
Xenophobia	Prejudice	Acceptance	His comments reflected xenophobia.
Yield	Surrender	Resist	They refused to yield to pressure.
Zealous	Passionate	Indifferent	She was zealous about her cause.
Alleviate	Relieve	Aggravate	The medicine alleviated his pain.
Benevolent	Kind	Malevolent	The king was known for his benevolent rule.
Corroborate	Confirm	Contradict	The witness corroborated the testimony.
Disparage	Belittle	Praise	He disparaged his opponent’s achievements.
Elicit	Draw out	Suppress	The question elicited a strong response.
Fastidious	Meticulous	Careless	She is fastidious about cleanliness.
Gullible	Naive	Skeptical	He is too gullible to detect lies.
Impetuous	Reckless	Cautious	His impetuous decision caused problems.
Juxtaposition	Comparison	Separation	The juxtaposition of colors was striking.
Lethargic	Sluggish	Energetic	He felt lethargic after a heavy meal.
Novice	Beginner	Expert	He is a novice in programming.
Opaque	Cloudy	Transparent	The glass was opaque with frost.
Plausible	Believable	Unlikely	His explanation sounded plausible.
Quintessential	Perfect	Atypical	He is the quintessential leader.
Resilient	Flexible	Rigid	She is resilient to setbacks.
Scrupulous	Meticulous	Careless	He is scrupulous about his work.
Tenacious	Persistent	Weak	She remained tenacious despite the challenges.
Ubiquitous	Omnipresent	Rare	Smartphones have become ubiquitous.
Venerate	Revere	Despise	They venerate their ancestors.
Whimsical	Playful	Serious	The story had a whimsical tone.
Abstain	Refrain	Indulge	He abstained from voting.
Bellwether	Leader	Follower	The company is a bellwether in the industry.
Conundrum	Puzzle	Solution	Solving the conundrum took hours.
Deferential	Respectful	Disrespectful	He was deferential to his elders.
Ephemeral	Short-lived	Lasting	The beauty of the sunset was ephemeral.
Flabbergasted	Astonished	Unimpressed	She was flabbergasted by the news.
Gratuitous	Unnecessary	Necessary	The violence was gratuitous.
Hinder	Obstruct	Facilitate	The rain hindered their progress.
Impeccable	Flawless	Defective	His manners were impeccable.
Juxtapose	Compare	Separate	The paintings were juxtaposed for effect.
Kudos	Praise	Criticism	She received kudos for her work.
Lucid	Clear	Confusing	His explanation was lucid and simple.
Meticulous	Detailed	Careless	He was meticulous in his research.
Nefarious	Wicked	Honest	They were involved in a nefarious scheme.
Oblivious	Unaware	Aware	He was oblivious to the danger.
Pernicious	Harmful	Harmless	The rumor had a pernicious effect.
Quagmire	Dilemma	Solution	He found himself in a legal quagmire.
Redundant	Unnecessary	Essential	His explanation was redundant.
Scrutiny	Inspection	Neglect	The plan underwent close scrutiny.
Transient	Temporary	Permanent	The feeling was transient.
Untenable	Indefensible	Justifiable	His argument was untenable.
Vindicate	Justify	Condemn	The evidence vindicated her claim.
Whittle	Reduce	Increase	They managed to whittle down the costs.
Yearn	Desire	Despise	He yearned for freedom.
Zephyr	Breeze	Gale	A gentle zephyr blew through the trees.
Austere	Strict	Luxurious	His lifestyle was austere.
Bellicose	Hostile	Peaceful	He had a bellicose attitude toward his rivals.
Cajole	Persuade	Bully	She cajoled him into doing the task.
Debunk	Expose	Conceal	The myth was debunked by scientists.
Exacerbate	Worsen	Alleviate	The delay exacerbated the situation.
Facetious	Joking	Serious	He made a facetious remark.
Garrulous	Talkative	Silent	The old man was garrulous.