Transcript Wordlist B-2

Wordlist B-1
(babble – bent)
babble
•Chatter idly
Diana loves to babble on her mobile
phone with her friends.
bacchanalian
•Drunken
Jeff’s bacchanalian habits led him to
imprisonment many times.
badger
•Pester
•Annoy
The constant badgering of the toddler
angered the mother no end.
badinage
•Teasing conversation
A lot of badinage occurred at Clint’s party
as it was organized only for males.
baffle
•Frustrate
•Perplex
The students were baffled by the strange
rule imposed by the school authorities.
bait
•Harass
•Tease
He always baits Sarah about her loud
makeup.
baleful
•Menacing
•Deadly
The baleful glances of the terrier frightened Jack
immensely and made him run away from the
party.
balk
•Stop short, as if faced
with an obstacle, and
refuse to continue
Wilson balked at the job description and refused
to accept it and hence the attractive
remuneration.
ballast
•Heavy substance used to
add stability or weight
Extra ballast was attached to the boat to
anchor it in place.
balm
•Something that relieves
pain
She got a little relief from her severe
headache after applying some balm.
balmy
•Mild
•Fragrant
The balmy weather was perfectly suitable
for a full day picnic.
banal
•Hackneyed
•Commonplace
•Lacking originality
The over-stretched comic situations and
dialogues made the film banal and hence, a
flop.
bandy
•Discuss lightly
•Exchange blows or
words
They bandied around the difficult situation.
bane
•Cause of ruin
Whether a particular invention is a boon or a
bane, entirely depends on the judicious use of
it.
baneful
•Destructive
•Causing ruin or death
The baneful rains and flood caused many
lives to lose.
bantering
•Good-naturedly
ridiculing
The ceaseless bantering irritated Jane so much
that she simply got up and left the party.
barb
•Sharp projection from
fishhook etc.
•Pointed comment
Henry’s constant barbs about her recent failure
in her exams disheartened Gina no end.
bard
•poet
“Geetanjali” is an extensive and beautiful work
of the famous bard, Rabindranath Tagore.
barefaced
•Shameless
•Bold
•Unconcealed
It was such a barefaced lie that it
immediately got caught.
baroque
•Highly ornate
The baroque architecture of the Taj Mahal
impressed the tourists greatly.
barrage
•Barrier laid down by
artillery fire
•Overwhelming profusion
After being released from the prison, the
politician had to face a barrage of news
reporters and cameras.
barrister
•Counselor-at-law
Mr. Fox was appointed as the new barrister
in Florida this year.
barterer
•trader
Dorothy turned down the marriage proposal of Steve
when she came to know that he was a mere barterer
and not an industrialist as claimed by him.
bask
•Luxuriate
•Take pleasure in warmth
Tina loved to bask in the new found glory
of stardom.
bastion
•Stronghold
•Something seen as a
source of protection
The Sinhagad fort was considered as a bastion by
Shivaji and very imperative for the battle against the
Mughals.
bate
•Let down
•Restraint
Henry had to bate his curiosity to open his
birthday gifts till all the guests left the party.
bauble
•Trinket
•Trifle
After stealing the diamond necklace of Mrs. Thomson,
Keith discovered that it was only a bauble that was not
worth much.
bawdy
•Indecent
•Obscene
The hosts of the party were embarrassed
by the bawdy behaviour of Kim.
beatific
• Blissful
The beatific environment calmed the
frayed nerves of Sam.
beatify
•Bless or sanctify
•Proclaim someone dead
to be one of the blessed
Mother Teresa was beatified as she had
cared for the abandoned people in India.
beatitude
•Blessedness
•State of bliss
After visiting the holy shrine, they felt a
sense of beatitude and calmness.
bedizen
•Dress with vulgar finery
Joy had bedizened herself with a disgusting
array of bead necklaces and loud makeup.
bedraggle
•Wet thoroughly
She reached home late at night in a bedraggled
condition which angered her parents immensely.
beeline
•Direct, quick route
As soon as they reached at the wedding,
Karan made a beeline for the food station.
befuddle
•Confuse thoroughly
The inefficient professor tried hard to explain
the topic to the students, but it befuddled them
all the more.
beget
•Father
•Produce
•Give rise to
It’s a known fact that hatred and jealousy
beget a lot of crimes these days.
begrudge
•Resent
Diane did not begrudge the success of her
competitor but rather took it quite graciously.
beguile
•Amuse
•Cheat
Due to his beguiling nature, he has hordes
of admirers at any party.
behemoth
•Huge creature
•Something of monstrous
size or power
Khali, the behemoth wrestler is very
popular in India.
beholden
•Obligated
•Indebted
The educational institutes are more beholden to
their respective trustees and committees, than
to their students.
behoove
•Be incumbent upon
It doesn’t behoove a woman of such a
respectable family to behave in such atrocious
and vulgar manner.
belabor
• Explain or go over
excessively or to a
ridiculous degree
• Assail verbally
With extreme cruelty, they belabored him for
misbehaving at the party, and locked him up without
food and drink for three days.
belated
•delayed
Shaina gave Tina her belated birthday wishes as
she had been out of town on that day.
beleaguer
•Besiege or attack
•Harass
The enemies continued to beleaguer the citizens
by curtailing the supply of essential
commodities in the market.
belie
•Contradict
•Give a false impression
The proof belies the claims made by the accused
and hence is found guilty and prosecuted.
belittle
•Disparage
•depreciate
Henry continues to belittle his brother Sandy on
the smallest pretext and that too in front of
other people.
bellicose
•warlike
Bellicose situation arose when an emergency
was declared in the state due to communal
riots.
belligerent
•Quarrelsome
Her neighbors are so belligerent that they even
fight when the volume of her television is
slightly more than the usual.
bemoan
•Lament
•Express disapproval of
Gerald bemoaned the death of his young son
who died in a car accident due to rash driving.
bemused
•Confused
•Bewildered
Ramen was so bemused by the directions on the map
that he stopped the car and started walking towards his
destination which was just five metres away.
benediction
•Blessing
They went to the church to get
benediction for their infant.
benefactor
•Gift giver
•Patron
She does not know the identity of her benefactor who
has been sending money for her education
anonymously since her childhood.
beneficent
•Kindly
•Doing good
She thought that undue advantage was being taken of
her benficent attitude and henceforth stopped giving
donations to the nearby orphanage.
beneficial
•Helpful
•Useful
They decided to go ahead with the
agreement as it was mutually beneficial.
beneficiary
•Person entitled to
benefits or proceeds of
an insurance policy
Dianne is the sole beneficiary of her husband’s
property as they are childless and have no close
relatives.
benevolent
•Generous
•charitable
Due to his benevolent nature, Mr. Chopra
occupied a respectable position in society.
benign
•Kindly
•Favorable
•Not malignant
Henry was such a benign person that he
donated half of his property to charity.
benison
•Blessing
When the monk started chanting the holy
benison, everyone was overwhelmed by
emotions.
bent
•Determined
•Natural talent or
inclination
In spite of tremendous pressure from his family
to pursue medicine, John is bent on joining a
rock group.
Wordlist B-2
(bequeath – bluster)
bequeath
•Leave to someone by
means of a will
•Hand down
Aunt Maurice bequeathed half her property to
her niece, Beatrice and half to her caretaker,
Mrs. Gomes.
berate
•Scold strongly
She berated the clerk for being inefficient and
asked him to quit the job immediately.
bereavement
•State of being deprived
of something valuable or
beloved
She, in a state of bereavement, was unable
to attend college for two weeks.
bereft
•Deprived of
•Lacking
Suddenly bereft of his superstardom, he
sank into depression and soon died.
berserk
•Frenzied
The mare of the bridegroom went berserk at the
sound of crackers and toppled him to the
ground.
beseech
•Beg
•Plead with
Fiona beseeched her father to spend more time
with her and not just send her the money.
beset
•Harass
•Trouble
It was heart-rending to watch a deer beset by a
pack of wolves in a television programme.
besiege
•Surround with armed
forces
•harass
When it was not possible to capture the king, the army
decided to besiege the city, thus cutting it off from any
outside aid.
besmirch
•Soil
•Defile
When Clara’s parents came to know that Sean was
responsible for besmirching their daughter, they got
him arrested.
bestial
•Beast-like
•Brutal
•Inhuman
Raising her voice against the bestial treatment
given to her by her friend, Fiona filed a suit
against her.
bestow
•Confer
Happy with his performance, the Chairman
decided to bestow the Excellence Award upon
Sam.
betoken
•Signify
•Indicate
The hustle and bustle at the international
airport betoken Heathrow’s importance.
betray
•Be unfaithful
•Reveal unconsciously or
unwillingly
The Intelligence Bureau is very strict with those
who are found to betray their country.
betroth
•Become engaged to
marry
Diana and Gerald decided to get betrothed
before they leave for higher studies abroad.
bevy
•Large group
The actor was mobbed by a bevy of journalists
when he came out of the airport.
bicameral
•Two-chambered, as in a
legislative body
The Indian Government is a bicameral unit.
bicker
•Quarrel
The child complained to the police about
constant bickering between his parents.
biennial
•Every two years
Parsley is a biennial plant, taking two years to
grow completely.
bifurcated
•Divided into two
branches
•Forked
While walking to the theater, Jerry came across a
bifurcated road and hence was completely confused,
compelling him to ask for directions from passersby.
bilious
•Suffering from
indigestion
•Irritable
Due to his bilious nature, Tim has become
highly unpopular in his social circle.
bilk
•Swindle
•Cheat
Gerald has stooped to such a level that he
doesn’t hesitate to bilk his own kith and kin.
billowing
•Swelling out in waves
•Surging
The billowing sails of the ship present a
beautiful sight to the onlookers on the shore.
bivouac
•Temporary encampment
The bivouacs, built to accommodate the
workers who were constructing the roads, soon
turned into a major slum in the city.
bizzare
•Fantastic
•Violently contrasting
The huge castle has been abandoned by its
owners due to some bizzare incidents, and is
now turning into ruins.
blanch
•Bleach
•Whiten
Samantha blanched when she heard about the
horrible accident on the highway, as her son was
coming home by the same road.
bland
•Soothing
•Mild
Patrick was tired of eating the bland food served
in the hospital and yearned for some spicy,
home-cooked food.
blandish
•Cajole
•Coax with flattery
Despite all her efforts, Dorothy was not able to
blandish her son into eating healthy and nutritious
food and staying away from junk food.
blandishment
•Flattery
Tired of the blandishment by the salesperson,
Gina decided to walk out of the store and search
for another one.
blare
•Loud, harsh roar or
screech
•Dazzling blaze of light
We were fed up of the constant blare of loudspeakers
from the nearby party hall and decided to shift to
another house in a peaceful locality.
blase
•Bored with pleasure
Mrs. Jackson had a blasé expression on her face
after she had spent two hours at the party.
blasphemous
•Profane
•Impious
His speech at the college reunion party was so
blasphemous that his old friends were shocked
to see his other side.
blatant
•Extremely obvious
•Loudly offensive
Very blatantly, Sandra’s father showed
displeasure when introduced to her friend
whom she intended to marry.
bleak
•Cold
•Cheerless
The world looked bleak and unappealing to
Henry after he lost his wife in a tragic accident.
blighted
•Suffering from a disease
•Destroyed
Life seemed blighted to Martha when she was
diagnosed with many diseases, almost all at
once.
blithe
•Gay
•Joyous
•Careless
Sam was such a cheerful and blithe person that it was
difficult to imagine him suffering from a life-threatening
disease.
bloated
•Swollen or puffed as
with water or air
Every morning when she gets out of her bed, her face
looks bloated but as the hours pass by, it turns to
normal.
blowhard
•Talkative boaster
Jim is a blowhard, always blowing his own trumpet,
thus making people avoid him at parties.
bludgeon
•Club
•Heavy-headed weapon
The victim was hit by a bludgeon, leading to
severe injuries.
bluff
•Pretense
•Deception
His father could not see through his bluff when
Andrew tried to convince him that he had not
stolen his wallet.
blunder
•Error
Tina made a huge blunder by antagonizing
Mrs. Davidson, who was the Headmistress of her
son’s school.
blurt
•Utter impulsively
Though they had kept it a secret till now, their child
blurted out about the surprise party organized by
her parents.
bluster
•Blow in heavy gusts
•Threaten emptily
•Bully
The factory workers listened patiently to their
manager’s bluster, threatening to throw them out as
he was heavily drunk.
Wordlist B-3
(bode – buxom)
bode
•Foreshadow
•Portend
A clear sky generally bodes fair weather for the
next few days.
bogus
•Counterfeit
•Not authentic
The plan of doubling the money in six months was a
bogus one and many people lost money by
investing in it.
bohemian
•Unconventional
His attire is completely bohemian and consists
of mainly skirts, shirts and bead necklaces.
boisterous
•Violent
•Rough
•Noisy
The audience at the concert turned boisterous
towards the end, forcing the singer to stop his
performance.
bolster
•Support
•Reinforce
To bolster her son’s cricket skills, she bought
him an expensive cricket kit so that he could
learn to play well.
bolt
•Dash or dart off
•Fasten a door
•Gobble down
Anne saw the children bolt out of the door
in a hurry to catch the schoolbus.
bombardment
•Attack ( as with missiles)
The bombardment by the terrorists left the
town completely destroyed, with hundreds of
dead people lying on the roads.
bombastic
•Pompous
•Using inflated language
Bertha’s behaviour at the party was so
bombastic that we felt like leaving the party in
disgust.
boon
•Blessing
•Benefit
His decision to stay off desserts appeared to be a boon
now as recently he was diagnosed with diabetes and
advised to stop consuming sugar.
boorish
•Rude
•Insensitive
Though the student was constantly interrupting the
teacher, she calmly continued teaching the lesson
as she was accustomed to his boorish behaviour.
bouillon
•Clear beef soup
His mother made him a bowl of bouillon when
he came home after attending the training camp
for one month.
bountiful
•Generous
Nature is bountiful in her gifts, only we fail to
appreciate and conserve them with care.
bourgeois
•Middle class
•Selfishly materialistic
•Dully conventional
As the party was organized by high society
people, they resented having bourgeois families
on their guest list.
bovine
•Cow like
•Placid and dull
Kathy’s bovine attitude made her uninteresting
to her friends, who slowly drifted apart.
bowdlerize
•Remove parts of a written
work that might offend
people
Diane was very upset with her publisher as he had
bowdlerized her novel to such an extent that the story
had many loopholes, leaving too much for explanation.
boycott
•Refrain from buying or
using
The workers decided to boycott the free lunch facility
provided at the factory until they got a raise in their
salaries.
brackish
•Somewhat saline
Due to some technical problem, the tap water
turned brackish and unfit for drinking.
braggadocio
•Boasting
Fed up of Sarah’s braggadocio, her classmates
avoided her and stopped inviting her for any
parties or meetings.
braggart
•Boaster
Jenny is such a braggart that once she claimed
to be the owner of the Eiffel Tower.
brandish
•Wave around
•Flourish
Tim was so excited about playing King Arthur in
the school play that he brandished his fake
sword all day at home.
bravado
•Swagger
•Assumed air of defiance
Though John put up an act of bravado, he was
afraid of staying alone at night in the abandoned
castle.
brawn
•Muscular strength
•Sturdiness
The male models usually sport a brawny look,
inspiring the youth to remain fit and healthy.
brazen
•Insolent
Fiona has grown up to be so brazen that she has
become an embarrassment to the family.
breach
• Breaking of contract or duty
• Fissure
• Gap
There are some unwritten norms followed in the
society which should never be breached.
brevity
•Conciseness
Despite the brevity of the essay, the student had
aptly discussed the topic and hence scored well.
brindled
•Tawny or greyish with
streaks or spots
Vincent was known in the neighbourhood as the
owner of the brindled cat.
bristling
•Rising like bristles
•Showing irritation
When Jerry reached home late, his wife was
waiting at the door, bristling with anger.
brittle
•Easily broken
She was cleaning the brittle vase when it
accidentally fell down and broke.
broach
•Open up
Arthur was reluctant to broach the subject of
selling the house to his children due to financial
problems.
brocade
•Rich, figured fabric
Cindy loved the white wedding gown with gold
brocade and immediately bought it for herself.
brochure
•Pamphlet
The brochure of an old age home came in the
post and Peter decided to send them a cheque.
brooch
•Ornamental clasp
The brooch Samantha wore was a family
heirloom passed over through many
generations.
brook
•Tolerate
•Endure
It was becoming increasingly difficult to brook
the outlandish behaviour of Kim.
browbeat
•Bully
•Intimidate
Henry is a brave child and it is not easy to
browbeat him.
browse
•Graze
•Skim
Violet always likes to browse through a book
before buying it.
brunt
•Main impact or shock
In case of any quarrel between them, Brenda always
has to bear the brunt and apologise even when not
wrong.
brusque
•Blunt
•Abrupt
Her brusque behaviour does not make her
qualified to be in a job which requires good
public relations skills.
buccaneer
•Pirate
In old times, the ships carrying goods had to
face buccaneers occasionally and were needed
to be adequately prepared to put up a fight.
bucolic
•Rustic
•Pastoral
Mr. Nelson is a bucolic man, always
remembering his days as a boy when he worked
at a ranch.
buffet
•Slap
•Batter
•Knock about
When Tim misbehaved with Olga, she got up to
buffet him but stopped when she realized that
he was drunk and decided to call the police.
buffoonery
•Clowning
The professor refused to tolerate any buffoonery
in the class and expelled the miscreants.
bugaboo
•Bugbear
•Object of baseless terror
Mother tried to convince Twinkle that her fears
were bugaboo and put her to sleep by singing a
lullaby.
bullion
•Gold and silver in the
form of bars
He earned a lot of money by trading in bullion
when the price of gold and silver skyrocketed.
bulwark
•Earthwork or other
strong defense
•Person who defends
At the time of a street fight, Bertie protected
his younger brother as a bulwark.
bungle
•Spoil by clumsy
behaviour
She bungled the whole plan by blurting out
everything to the whole class.
buoyant
•Able to float
•Cheerful and optimistic
Her buoyant nature helped her overcome the
tragedy with a positive attitude.
bureaucracy
•Government by bureaus
In a bureaucracy, it becomes difficult to take
decisions in a short time as lengthy procedures
need to be followed for any action.
burgeon
•Grow forth
•Send out buds
In spring, the plants burgeon with colorful buds
and sweet fragrance.
burlesque
•Give an imitation that
ridicules
The actor was angered beyond control when a
burlesque performance was enacted on stage,
imitating him.
burnish
•Make shiny by rubbing
•Polish
The copper and brass artefacts should be
regularly burnished to maintain their sheen.
buttress
•Support
•Prop up
In a court of law, all arguments need to be
buttressed with proofs.
buxom
•Full-blossomed
•Plump
•Jolly
A buxom lady confronted him when he entered
the office without an appointment.