| Adverse: Contrary to your interests or welfare |
| Her adverse circumstances made her more determined to fight. |
| Advocate: Push for something |
| The doctor advocated a ban on smoking in the whole hospital. |
| Asset: A useful or valuable quality |
| His perseverance proved a valuable asset in getting the contract. |
| Desist: Choose not to consume |
| He desisted from eating red meat. |
| Elusive: Difficult to describe |
| An elusive fragrance emanated from the flowers. |
| Frustrate: Hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of |
| She felt frustrated when her efforts yielded no result. |
| Ineffectual: Not producing an intended effect |
| The water therapy proved ineffectual. |
| Interject: To insert between other elements |
| She interjected clever remarks in her conversation. |
| Respite: A (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort |
| In spite of the sun shine there was no respite from the cold. |
| Scrutinize: To look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail |
| He scrutinized the documents carefully before replying. |
| Solicit: To seek to obtain by persuasion, entreaty |
| The priest keeps soliciting money for various charities. |
| Venom: Toxin/poison secreted by animals |
| Snake venom is very poisonous. |
| Amicable: Characterized by friendship and good will |
| An amicable settlement was reached at between the two parties. |
| Entourage: The group following and attending to some important person |
| The minister’s entourage included a lot of policemen. |
| Excruciating: Extremely painful |
| She had an excruciating pain in her knees. |
| Extortion: An exorbitant charge |
| The fees charged by the school mounted to extortion. |
| Fretful: Nervous and unable to relax |
| Due to the thunder there was a fretful stamping of hooves by the horses. |
| Inclement: (of weather or climate) severe |
| The inclement weather caused a lot of deaths. |
| Loath: Unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom |
| He was loath to attend the function. |
| Obsess: Haunt like a ghost; pursue |
| She is obsessed about her weight. |
| Pertinent: Having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand |
| The lawyer asked for a list of articles pertinent to the discussion. |
| Premonition: A feeling of evil to come |
| He had a premonition about the bad times ahead. |
| Reverberating: Characterized by resonance |
| Her mother’s warning reverberated in her mind continuously. |
| Spew: Expel or eject from the mouth |
| The paper spewed dishonourable words about the presidential candidate. |
| Succumb: Consent reluctantly |
| He finally succumbed to the pressure of his parents. |
| Symptomatic: Characteristic or indicative of a disease |
| He had a rash symptomatic of scarlet fever. |
| Astute: Having insight or acumen |
| An astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease. |
| Bigot: A person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion |
| Political bigotry is very common. |
| Blatant: Completely obvious |
| He was blatantly rude to his seniors. |
| Doleful: Filled with or evoking sadness |
| The child’s doleful expression moved him to pity. |
| Histrionics: A deliberate display of emotion for effect |
| She indulged in histrionics when no-one paid attention to her. |
| Impresario: A sponsor who books and stages public entertainments |
| The efforts of the impresario were praised by the public on hearing the violinist. |
| Malady: Any unwholesome or desperate condition |
| The malady could be cured only by patience. |
| Mastiff: An old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used mainly as a watchdog and guard dog |
| The mastiff sadly bled to death, but a week later the German shepherd is still thriving and well on its way to grow into something big. |
| Nefarious: Extremely wicked |
| He escaped narrowly from the nefarious schemes of the agent. |
| Peruse: Examine or consider with attention and in detail |
| He perused the report at his leisure. |
| Recoil: Spring back, as from a forceful thrust |
| He recoiled on seeing the snake. |
| Vexatious: Causing irritation or annoyance |
| The vexatious child caused a ruckus. |
| Virulent: Extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom |
| A virulent virus spread in the city. |
| Wan: (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble |
| Her wan face flushed on receiving her appointment letter. |
