Daily Vocabulary – 20 August 2026

Synonyms: Preserve, Mummify, Conserve, Treat

Antonyms: Decompose, Decay, Rot, Putrefy

Example: Ancient Egyptians used special methods to embalm the bodies of their rulers.

Trick: Embalm = body ko decay hone se bachakar preserve karna.

Synonyms: Uproar, Commotion, Tumult, Clamor

Antonyms: Calm, Peace, Quiet, Silence

Example: There was a great hullabaloo outside the stadium after the final match.

Trick: Hullabaloo sounds noisy itself — imagine a hall full of people shouting baloo baloo.

Synonyms: Scabby, Shabby, Scruffy, Decrepit

Antonyms: Healthy, Sleek, Clean, Well-groomed

Example: A mangy dog was wandering near the abandoned building.

Trick: Mangy = mange wala animal, usually dirty, unhealthy and shabby-looking.

Synonyms: Scribe, Secretary, Copyist, Transcriber

Antonyms: Author, Originator, Composer, Principal

Example: The elderly scholar employed an amanuensis to write down his dictated memoirs.

Trick: Amanuensis = a man who pens this — someone who writes down another person's words.

Synonyms: Rational, Disciplined, Harmonious, Restrained

Antonyms: Dionysian, Irrational, Chaotic, Unrestrained

Example: His Apollonian approach to art emphasized balance, order and intellectual control.

Trick: Apollo represents order and reason, so Apollonian means calm, disciplined and rational.

Synonyms: Pragmatism, Practicality, Expediency, Power Politics

Antonyms: Idealism, Moralism, Utopianism, Principled Politics

Example: The government adopted Realpolitik while dealing with its powerful neighbours.

Trick: Realpolitik = real + politics, politics based on real practical interests rather than ideals.

Synonyms: Gleaming, Radiant, Lustrous, Shining

Antonyms: Dull, Dim, Tarnished, Lacklustre

Example: The setting sun cast a rutilant glow over the mountains.

Trick: Rutilant sounds like ruby light — imagine a ruby shining brightly with a reddish glow.

Synonyms: Conurbation, Metropolis, Urban Agglomeration, Megacity

Antonyms: Village, Hamlet, Countryside, Rural Area

Example: Continuous urban expansion transformed the coastal region into a vast megalopolis.

Trick: Mega means huge + polis means city, so megalopolis means a huge urban region.

Synonyms: Nonsense, Triviality, Frippery, Foolishness

Antonyms: Seriousness, Substance, Importance, Practicality

Example: She ignored the ceremonial folderol and concentrated on the actual issue.

Trick: Folderol sounds like full of roll — lots of unnecessary drama but nothing substantial.

Synonyms: Question, Interrogate, Quiz, Examine

Antonyms: Answer, Inform, Explain, Respond

Example: The teacher catechized the students on the principles they had studied.

Trick: Catechize = catch someone with questions one after another.

Synonyms: Australian, New Zealand, Australasian, Southern

Antonyms: Northern, Boreal, Arctic, Septentrional

Example: The festival introduced visitors to several Antipodean writers and artists.

Trick: Anti + pod = opposite feet; the Antipodes were thought of as lands on the opposite side of the world.

Synonyms: Conjuring, Legerdemain, Sleight, Illusionism

Antonyms: Clumsiness, Awkwardness, Ineptitude, Bungling

Example: The magician amazed the audience with remarkable prestidigitation.

Trick: Prestidigitation = speedy digits; imagine fast fingers performing a magic trick.

Synonyms: Aggressive, Belligerent, Militant, Bellicose

Antonyms: Dovish, Pacifist, Conciliatory, Peaceful

Example: The minister adopted a hawkish position on matters of national security.

Trick: A hawk attacks aggressively, so a hawkish person supports tough and aggressive action.

Synonyms: Spin, Twirl, Whirl, Rotate

Antonyms: Halt, Stop, Stand, Remain

Example: The dancer performed a graceful pirouette in the centre of the stage.

Trick: Pirouette sounds like pure rotate — imagine a ballet dancer rotating elegantly on one foot.

Synonyms: End-Time Theology, Last-Things Doctrine, Apocalyptic Theology, Final-Destiny Doctrine

Antonyms: Cosmogony, Creationism, Genesis, Origin Theory

Example: The scholar devoted much of his research to eschatology and beliefs about the end of the world.

Trick: Eschatology = study of the end; remember it as theology about what happens at the end of life and the world.