| Callous: Insensitive |
| Such a callous government, which is not moved even by the plight of a pregnant woman being slit open in her stomach, ought to go instantly. |
| Cantankerous: Quarrelsome, irascible |
| A candidate having even a shade of cantankerous nature in her is a strict no-no for a receptionist's job. |
| Fastidious: Careful in all details, meticulous, very difficult to please |
| A fastidious film-maker as he was, Ronu Sen sometimes did not okay a shot despite 50 re-takes. |
| Forsake: To abandon |
| Though Piyush was getting a private-sector job worth Rs. 50000/- a month, he was not ready to forsake the security of his government job. |
| Gauche: Tactless |
| Narendra Modi's gauche and childish handling of the Gujarat riots has deservedly earned him a dubious distinction. |
| Haughty: Proud |
| The late actor Raj Kumar was well-known for the haughty way in which he used to treat other co-stars on and off-screen. |
| Inextricable: Cannot be taken out, irredeemable |
| Had the government intervened earlier, the situation could have been salvaged, but right now it seems we are caught in an inextricable diplomatic crisis. |
| Macabre: Horrible |
| The scene of mass killings in the village presented a macabre sight to the visitors, enough to scare even the brave-hearted. |
| Ostensible: Apparent |
| The ostensible reason given for the boss' absence from the meeting was his ill health, while everybody knew deep down the heart that the boss had absented himself because of his differences with the management. |
| Overt: In the open |
| In an overt move against the CEO, the GM put the blame of failure on his head. |
| Quip: Witty remark |
| When confronted with this question "Do you like e-mail?", he quipped, " No, I like female". |
| Rapport: Harmony |
| Kavi Rakesh was appointed to the post of Chairman, Sahitya Academy because he enjoyed a close rapport with the members of the selection panel. |
| Recalcitrant: Obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage |
| His recalcitrant refusal to step down from the Chief Ministership of the state, despite all-round demand for his dismissal, only indicates his disregard for public sentiments. |
| Stealth: Secret |
| The thief moved about stealthily around the house, so as to get an idea about a safe entry and exit route. |
| Urbane: Courteous |
| He was a very polished, soft spoken and urbane speaker. |
| Wretchedness: Extreme misery or unhappiness |
| They lived in a wretched state and had to work hard to meet their daily requirements. |
| Wrought: Worked into shape by artistry or effort, fashioned, formed |
| The heated iron is wrought into different beautiful shapes by the workmen who must know the appropriate temperature needed for an article to get its proper shape. |
| Zany: Silly, crazy |
| The zany expression on her face belied her intellectual core. |
| Zenith: Peak |
| Today’s newcomers in the film industry are charging prices, which Amitabh Bachchan could never think of, even at the zenith of his career in the late 1970s and early 1980s. |
