| Abjure: Formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure |
| Very few government officials abjure bribery |
| Abstruse: Difficult to penetrate |
| The professor’s lectures were so abstruse that the students tended to avoid them |
| Atheist: Someone who denies the existence of god |
| She is an ex-nun who is now an atheist |
| Beget: Generate |
| Violence begets more violence |
| Bestial: Marked by brutality or depravity |
| The bestial treatment meted out to the prisoners was heart –rending |
| Cognition: The mental process of knowing including awareness, perception and judgement |
| The Armed Forces teach the cadets the cognitive processes of remembering each detail |
| Crossroad: A junction where one street or road crosses another |
| The tourist asked the directions to a remote crossroad from the farmer |
| Evanescent: Tending to vanish like vapour |
| In the monsoon the evanescent effect of light and weather on the landscape was very severe |
| Gadfly: A persistently annoying person |
| It is never fun to interact with gadflies, they are persistent and annoying |
| Guffaw: Laugh boisterously |
| He stood guffawing at the boss’s jokes |
| Indentured: Bound by contract |
| Indentured labour was sent from India to the West Indies during the British rule |
| Jargon: A characteristic language of a particular group |
| Thieves use a special jargon to confuse passing hearers |
| Lachrymose: Showing sorrow |
| It was heart rending to watch the lachrymose mourners |
| Larceny: The act of taking something from someone unlawfully |
| He now faces two to twenty years in prison on grand larceny charges |
| Malediction: The act of calling down a curse that invokes evil |
| The maledictions of the priest were difficult to bear |
| Manacle: Shackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist |
| The prisoners were manacled and led to the courtroom |
| Oblivious: Failing to keep in mind |
| She went on working oblivious to the hazards involved |
| Penitent: Feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds |
| The driver was not penitent even after hitting the truck |
| Refurbish: Make brighter and prettier |
| We refurbished the guest wing last winter |
| Reproach: A mild rebuke or criticism |
| She is quick to reproach anyone |
| Swindle: Deprive of by deceit |
| He swindled me out of my inheritance |
| Tranche: A portion of something |
| The aid from World Bank came in six equal tranches |