English has become a second language for all Indians who are working professionally. For most of us, our mother tongue becomes our first language. Nowadays in big and small cities, the children of the upper and middle class generally have education in English medium schools, and hence they become proficient in the English language. But still, there are large percentage of the population for whom English is not their first language, and hence during their professional career, they learn many words of the English language which they did not know earlier.
Here are a hundred such words with their meanings, which we should know:
1 Abdicate-voluntarily give up the position of power.
2 Absolve– free from guilt and blame.
3 Accolade– an award or praise.
4 Acrimonious-bitter or sharp in language or tone.
5 Adept– highly skilled or proficient.
6 Adulation– excessive admiration or flattery.
7 Adversity– difficult or challenging circumstances.
8 Aesthetic– pertaining to beauty and art.
9 Agnostic- uncertain, especially regarding belief.
10 Allude– indirectly refer to something.
11 Ameliorate– improve or make better.
12 Animosity– strong hostility or hatred.
13 Audacity– willingness to take bold risk.
14 Auspicious– favorable, indicating future success.
15 Axiom– universally accepted truth or principle.
16 Belligerent– hostile and aggressive.
17 Benign– gentle, kind, harmless.
18 Burgeoning– rapidly growing or expanding.
19 Candid– truthful and straightforward.
20 Circumvent– avoid or bypass.
21 Coherent– logical and consistent.
22 Commiserate– express sympathy or pity.
23 Conciliatory– intended to pacify or placate.
24 Congenial– pleasant, friendly, agreeable.
25 Credulous– too trusting, gullible.
26 Cursory– hasty and superficial
27 Deference– humble submission and respect.
28 Deft– skillful, clever, and quick.
29 Demure– modest and reserved.
30 Deride– mock and ridicule.
31 Disdain– contempt or scorn.
32 Dubious– doubtful or uncertain.
33 Ebullient– enthusiastic, lively, cheerful.
34 Emulate– match or surpass by imitation.
35 Enervate-weaken or drain someone’s energy.
36 Engender– cause or give rise to.
37 Ephemeral– short lived, fleeting.
38 Exacerbate– make worse or more severe.
39 Exemplary– outstanding, worth of imitation.
40 Facetious– treating serious issues humorously.
41 Feasible– practical and achievable.
42 Flippant– disrespectfully casual or humorous.
43 Frugal– economical, careful with money.
44 Furtive– secretive, stealthy.
45 Germane– relevant and appropriate.
46 Hackneyed– overused and unoriginal.
47 Idiosyncrasy– distinctive or peculiar habit.
48 Impeccable– flawless, perfect.
49 Incessant– continuous, without stopping.
50 Incisive– intelligently analytical and clear-thinking.
Balance 50 words in my next blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
13th Match 2025