Septuagenarian

/ˌsɛptjʊədʒɪˈnɛːrɪən/

noun

A person who is between 70 and 79 years old.

The septuagenarian industrialist said GDP growth will touch the double-digits mark in 2017-18 on good monsoons, as projected for the next four years under the La Nina factor, and also once the much-delayed GST becomes a reality

Scion

/ ˈsʌɪən/

A young shoot or twig of a plant, especially one cut for grafting or rooting.

A descendant of a notable family.

Most of the seniors are uncomfortable with what some described as the Gandhi scion's brusque and impatient style of functioning, and want his mother to helm the Congress for some more time.

Coronation

/kɒrəˈneɪʃ(ə)n/

Synonyms: crowning, enthronement, enthroning, accession to the throne, investiture, anointing, inauguration.

noun

the ceremony of crowning a sovereign or a sovereign's consort.

The Queen's coronation.

A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the ritual placement of a crown upon his or her head and the presentation of other items of regalia.

The Congress' first family has been waiting for the right time for the coronation, but have now veered around to the view that doing it sooner is better.

Imminent

/ˈɪmɪnənt/

about to happen.

synonyms: impending, at hand, close, near, approaching, fast approaching, coming, forthcoming, on the way, about to happen, upon us, in store, in the offing, in the pipeline, on the horizon, in the air, in the wind, brewing, looming, looming large;

His crowning, said by top sources in the party to be imminent, will end one of the most debated topics in Indian politics in recent times. 

Ascension

/əˈsɛnʃ(ə)n/

noun

The action of rising to an important position or a higher level.

His ascension to the presidency.

Rahul Gandhi will soon be crowned as Congress president, bringing an end to a long running debate on what should be the perfect timing for his ascension to the top of India's Grand Old Party.

Forbidden

not allowed; banned.

Illicit

Adjective

Forbidden by law, rules, or custom.

Illicit drugs

Thailand has long been a hub for the illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products, including ivory.

Reptile

noun
plural noun: reptiles
1. A cold-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. They are distinguished by having a dry scaly skin, and typically laying soft-shelled eggs on land.

2. informal
A person regarded with loathing and contempt.
Are you contradicting me, you ignorant little reptile?

Stature (n)

/ˈstatʃə/

synonyms: height, tallness, loftiness;

A person's natural height.

A man of short stature.

importance or reputation gained by ability or achievement.

An architect of international stature.

synonyms: reputation, repute, standing, status, position, prestige, distinction, illustriousness, eminence, pre-eminence, prominence, importance, import, influence, weight, consequence, account, note, fame, celebrity, renown, acclaim.

Their stature is estimated to be about 5 ft.

This was a race distinguished by lofty stature.

Willows are trees or shrubs, varying in stature from a few inches, like the small British S.

Constitute

verb

past tense: constituted; past participle: constituted

1. be (a part) of a whole.

synonyms: amount to, add up to, account for, form, make up, compose, comprise, represent

Farmers constituted 10 per cent of the population.

2. give legal or constitutional form to (an institution); establish by law.

The superior courts were constituted by the Judicature Acts 1873–5.

synonyms: inaugurate, initiate, establish, found, create, set up, put in place, start, begin, originate, form, organize, develop, shape; More

solemnize

ˈsɒləmnʌɪz/

synonyms: perform, celebrate, ceremonialize;

verb

past tense: solemnized; past participle: solemnized

1. duly perform (a ceremony, especially that of marriage).

They needed only to find a priest to solemnize their marriage.

mark (an event) with a formal ceremony.

She made the promise which was solemnized by the local ‘witch doctor.

Most marriages are still solemnized based on castes

Ruin

/ˈruːɪn/

noun

1. the physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.

"a large white house falling into gentle ruin"

synonyms:      disintegration, decay, disrepair, dilapidation, falling to pieces, decrepitude, ruination;

verb

1. reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse, or disintegration.

"a ruined castle"

synonyms:      destroy, devastate, lay waste, leave in ruins, wreak havoc on, ravage, leave desolate;

2. literary

fall headlong or with a crash.

"carriages go ruining over the brink from time to time"

She ruined her new dress when she accidentally spilt nail polish on it.

The engagement party was ruined when Patricia and her fianc- had a big fight in the middle of it, and decided to break up.

We visited the ruins of a Roman theater during our visit to the region.

The cake was ruined when she accidentally put a cup of salt in it instead of sugar.

crap

/krap/

noun

1. something of extremely poor quality.

2. excrement.

verb

1. defecate.

2. talk at length in a foolish or boring way.

adjective

1. extremely poor in quality.

The movie was very amateurish looking, with really crappy special effects.

The articles in that magazine are totally ridiculous. I don't know how anybody can believe that crap.

I can't believe you read such crap. You should read this book; it's way better.

So much of what you see on television these days is just total crap. That's why I don't watch it anymore.

This coffee tastes like crap. I'm going to ask for my money back.

That movie was terrible. I can't believe I just wasted $10 on such crap!

Dictate

verb

/dɪkˈteɪt/

state or order authoritatively.

"the tsar's attempts to dictate policy"

say or read aloud (words to be typed, written down, or recorded on tape).

"I have four letters to dictate"

noun

/dɪkteɪt/

an order or principle that must be obeyed.

"the dictates of fashion"

The words of the Koran were memorized by Muhammad, who dictated them to his companions.

You shouldn't let others dictate what action you take; you need to make your own decisions.

Henry's dictatorial management style often angers his colleagues.

I have to study for a dictation in French class tomorrow.

infatuation

An intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something.

He had developed an infatuation with the girl.

altercation (n)

/ɒltəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

argument, quarrel, squabble, fight, shouting match, contretemps, disagreement.

A noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public.

I had an altercation with the ticket collector.

spate

/speɪt/

a large number of similar things coming in quick succession.

a sudden flood in a river.

synonyms:series, succession, run, cluster, string, outbreak, rash, epidemic, explosion, plague, wave, flurry, rush, flood, deluge, torrent, outpouring.

Spate of racist attacks

A spate of attacks on holidaymakers.

stitch (n)

/stɪtʃ/

a loop of thread or yarn resulting from a single pass or movement of the needle in sewing, knitting, or crocheting

Police said the victim with multiple cuts and bruises on his face was taken to AIIMS where he received six stitches.

accustomed

/əˈkʌstəmd/

synonyms: customary, usual, normal, habitual, familiar, regular, routine, ordinary, typical, traditional, conventional, established, common, general, standard, prevailing, confirmed, fixed, set.

I'm not really accustomed to getting up so early on the weekends. At home I could sleep in until noon.

The hardest thing for our students to get accustomed to with their host families is the food.

Many people think they can become accustomed to long periods of little sleep without any consequences, but it is not true.

Maybe I'm too accustomed.

wreck

/rɛk/

noun

the destruction of a ship at sea; a shipwreck.

"the survivors of the wreck"

synonyms: destruction, sinking, wrecking; More

something, especially a vehicle or building, that has been badly damaged or destroyed.

"the plane was reduced to a smouldering wreck"

synonyms: wreckage, debris, detritus, remainder; More

verb

cause the destruction of (a ship) by sinking or breaking up.

"he was drowned when his ship was wrecked"

synonyms:      shipwreck, sink, capsize, run aground, break up

"he was drowned when his ship was wrecked"

destroy or severely damage (a structure, vehicle, or similar).

"the blast wrecked 100 houses"

The rainstorm really wrecked our picnic.

Divers have been able to recover all the bodies from the wreck of a fishing boat that sunk off the coast of Newfoundland.

The ship was wrecked on rocks during a storm.

In September of 1985, the wreck of the ocean liner Titanic was found lying in two pieces on the ocean floor at a depth of around 4,000 meters.

The car was a total wreck after getting hit by a train.

Over 300 people were seriously injured in a recent train wreck in India.

After working for 36 hours straight, she was a total wreck.

despair

/dɪˈspɛː/

noun
the complete loss or absence of hope.
"a voice full of self-hatred and despair"
synonyms: hopelessness, desperation, distress, anguish, pain, unhappiness;

verb
lose or be without hope.
"we should not despair"
synonyms: lose hope, give up hope, abandon hope, give up, lose heart, be discouraged, be despondent, be demoralized, resign oneself, throw in the towel/sponge, quit, surrender;

Her face was full of despair after she heard of the death of her motherSometimes I despair that I will never find my true love.

Her face was full of despair after she heard of the death of her mother.

They looked despairingly upon the remains of the burnt-out church.

He went through a period of despair after his wife left him.

Her family despaired for her when she went missing while travelling in South America.

contemporary

/kənˈtɛmp(ə)r(ər)i/

adjective

living or occurring at the same time.
"the event was recorded by a contemporary historian"

belonging to or occurring in the present.
"the tension and complexities of our contemporary society"

noun
a person or thing living or existing at the same time as another.

The art gallery is showing an excellent exhibit of paintings by contemporary artists Leonardo DiCaprio starred in a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet.

The art gallery is showing an excellent exhibit of paintings by contemporary artists.

Much of the contemporary music I hear nowadays just sounds like noise to me. I much prefer the music of the 1970s.

Author Margaret Atwood has long been praised by her contemporaries, but personally, I find her rather boring.

Virat is recognized by his contemporaries as the greatest player the game of cricket has ever seen.

proliferation (n)

prəlIfəˈreIʃn/

rapid increase in the number or amount of something.
"a continuing threat of nuclear proliferation"

rapid reproduction of a cell, part, or organism.


There has been a proliferation of English Second Language schools in our city over the last ten years, and students have to be careful to choose one that is legitimate.

The proliferation of nuclear weapons endangers all life on our planet.

There has been a proliferation of English Second Language schools in our city over the last ten years, and students have to be careful to choose one that is legitimate.

Cell phones have proliferated at an alarming rate, and many people are concerned that not enough attention has been paid to potential health risks.

A Pakistani scientist is believed to be behind the proliferation of nuclear weapons in places such as Libya and Iran.

disgraced (adj)

dIsˈɡreIst/

having fallen from favour or a position of power or honour; discredited.

The obvious inadequacy of this government's attempts to deal with poverty in our society is a disgrace.

It's a national disgrace.

There is a Danish proverb which states that it is no disgrace to be poor, but it can be inconvenient.

The plight of the homeless in this country is a national disgrace.

A Scottish proverb notes that poverty is a pain but not a disgrace. 

disgraced (adj)

dIsˈɡreIst/

having fallen from favour or a position of power or honour; discredited.

The obvious inadequacy of this government's attempts to deal with poverty in our society is a disgrace.

It's a national disgrace.

There is a Danish proverb which states that it is no disgrace to be poor, but it can be inconvenient.

The plight of the homeless in this country is a national disgrace.

A Scottish proverb notes that poverty is a pain but not a disgrace. 

intervene (v)

/Intəˈviːn/

take part in something so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events.

occur in the time between events.

He said Zia opposed the nuclear testing as he believed that world powers would intervene militarily.

virtue (n)

behaviour showing high moral standards

moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.

Her religious beliefs have always been the principal force guiding her virtuous behavior.

Humility is considered an important virtue in many Far Eastern cultures.

Her religious beliefs have always been the principal force guiding her virtuous behavior.

It is important for the children to learn the virtue of hard work.

He is a virtuous, caring man, and is beloved by all his friends and colleagues.

These meals have the virtue of being delicious as well as nutritious.

I am confident that his virtue of being a hard worker will guarantee him a lot of success in his future career.

accuse (n)

/əˈkjuːz/

a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.

"the accused was ordered to stand trial on a number of charges".

The police have registered a case. The accused is still at large.

stake

mark an area with stakes so as to claim ownership of it.

Police said after having lost his all money at the share markets, the man put up his wife as a stake in IPL betting and lost her too.

Fiasco

a complete failure, especially a ludicrous or humiliating one.


He was planning to sell the house when the IPL gambling fiasco happened.

Jingoistic

Jingoism is patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy.

Ready to fight

Hostile

Wrestling

disputatious

contending

star

The repetitive mentioning by the Indian High Command about war under the nuclear scenario is not only irresponsible but also jingoistic and unwise.

Archetypal

Very typical of a certain kind of person or thing.

relating to or denoting Jungian archetypes.


Note also Saramago's detached melancholy, his brainy anti-elitism, his characters who are lovable but archetypal and abstract.

He is the archetypal businessman--a deal maker without peer.

The magazine publishes an "album of archetypal personalities.

combatant

A person or nation engaged in fighting during a war.

adversary

attacker

assailant

soldier

belligerent

In the middle of negotiations over cabinet formation and the future of Maoist combatants, Nepal's new Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai took time out for an exclusive interview with Prashant Jha on Friday afternoon at his office.

jeopardize

put (someone or something) into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or failure.

hazard

threaten

gamble

risk

be careless

Nepal won't jeopardise any genuine Indian interest.

Improbable

Not likely to be true or to happen.

Although not impossible, it is improbable because it has never happened before.