English · Vocabulary

Essential English Vocabulary for Exams

High-frequency words that show up again and again

Building vocabulary works best in small, consistent batches rather than cramming a huge list overnight. Here's a solid starting set of words that repeatedly show up in SSC, Banking, and Railway English sections — organized with meaning and a usage example for each, so you learn them in context, not just as isolated definitions.

Batch 1: Words 1–20

Word	Meaning	Example
Abundant	Existing in large quantities; plentiful	The region has abundant natural resources.
Benevolent	Kind and generous	The benevolent donor funded the entire school.
Candid	Truthful and straightforward	She gave a candid opinion about the plan.
Diligent	Showing careful, persistent effort	He is a diligent student who never misses class.
Eloquent	Fluent and persuasive in speaking	Her eloquent speech impressed the judges.
Frugal	Careful with money; not wasteful	They live a frugal lifestyle to save for college.
Gullible	Easily deceived or tricked	Don't be gullible enough to trust every ad.
Hostile	Unfriendly; opposed	The crowd grew hostile toward the referee's decision.
Impartial	Not favoring one side; fair	Judges must remain impartial during a trial.
Jubilant	Feeling great happiness and triumph	The team was jubilant after winning the final.
Kindle	To start a fire, or to arouse a feeling	Her words kindled hope in the tired workers.
Lucid	Clear and easy to understand	The teacher gave a lucid explanation of the topic.
Meticulous	Very careful and precise about details	She is meticulous when checking her exam answers.
Novice	A person new to a skill or activity	As a novice, he made a few beginner mistakes.
Obsolete	No longer in use; outdated	That software is now obsolete.
Pragmatic	Dealing with things sensibly and practically	We need a pragmatic solution, not an ideal one.
Quandary	A state of uncertainty; a dilemma	She was in a quandary about which offer to accept.
Resilient	Able to recover quickly from difficulty	Children are often remarkably resilient.
Skeptical	Doubtful; not easily convinced	He remained skeptical about the new claims.
Tedious	Long, slow, and boring	Filling out the form was a tedious process.

Batch 2: Words 21–40

Word	Meaning	Example
Ubiquitous	Present everywhere	Smartphones have become ubiquitous today.
Vivid	Producing clear, powerful images in the mind	She gave a vivid description of the accident.
Wary	Cautious about possible danger	Be wary of strangers offering deals that seem too good.
Zealous	Showing great energy for a cause	He is a zealous supporter of environmental causes.
Ambiguous	Open to more than one interpretation; unclear	The instructions were ambiguous and confused everyone.
Bleak	Without hope; grim	The future looked bleak after the factory closed.
Coherent	Logical and consistent	Write a coherent essay with clear paragraphs.
Deteriorate	To become progressively worse	His health began to deteriorate over the winter.
Enigma	Something mysterious or puzzling	The old manuscript remains an enigma to historians.
Feasible	Possible to do easily or conveniently	Is it feasible to finish this by Friday?
Genuine	Truly what it is said to be; authentic	She showed genuine concern for her friend.
Hamper	To hinder or slow down progress	Heavy rain hampered the rescue operation.
Innate	Existing from birth; natural	She has an innate talent for music.
Jeopardize	To put at risk of harm or loss	One mistake could jeopardize the entire project.
Keen	Having a strong interest or enthusiasm	He is keen to learn about ancient history.
Lethargic	Lacking energy; sluggish	The heat made everyone feel lethargic.
Meager	Small in amount; insufficient	They survived on a meager income for years.
Notorious	Famous for something bad	The city is notorious for its traffic jams.
Optimum	The best or most favorable	Find the optimum time to plant these seeds.
Plausible	Seeming reasonable or probable	He gave a plausible excuse for being late.

How to actually retain these: Don't just read the list once. Cover the meaning column and try to recall it from the word alone, then check yourself. Revisit each batch after a day, then after a week — spaced repetition works far better than one long read-through.

Practice Questions

1. Choose the word closest in meaning to "Meticulous":

A. Careless    B. Precise    C. Lazy    D. Quick

Answer: B. Precise

2. Choose the word closest in meaning to "Ubiquitous":

A. Rare    B. Hidden    C. Everywhere    D. Expensive

Answer: C. Everywhere

3. Choose the antonym of "Genuine":

A. Honest    B. Fake    C. Real    D. Sincere

Answer: B. Fake

4. "The negotiations reached a _____ where neither side would compromise." Which word fits best?

A. Quandary    B. Zealous    C. Frugal    D. Vivid

Answer: A. Quandary

5. Choose the word closest in meaning to "Feasible":

A. Impossible    B. Practical    C. Expensive    D. Dangerous

Answer: B. Practical

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