UPSC Vocabulary List Set 1
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- Abet — encourage wrongdoing
- Abeyance — temporary suspension
- Abhorrent — causing extreme dislike
- Abnegation — self-denial; giving up rights
- Abrogate — repeal or invalidate (law, treaty)
- Abscond — run away secretly
- Abstain — refrain from doing
- Abstruse — difficult to understand
- Accentuate — emphasize; highlight
- Accord — agreement; harmony
- Accost — approach aggressively
- Accrue — accumulate over time
- Acerbic — harsh; sharp (tone)
- Acme — highest point
- Acquiesce — accept reluctantly
- Acrimonious — bitter; angry
- Acumen — sharp insight; wisdom
- Adduce — cite as evidence
- Adept — skillful
- Adherent — supporter
- Adjudicate — to judge or decide
- Adjure — urge solemnly
- Admonish — warn firmly
- Adroit — skillful; clever
- Adulation — excessive praise
- Adversarial — involving conflict
- Advocacy — support for a cause
- Aegis — protection; support
- Aesthetic — related to beauty
- Affable — friendly
- Affectation — artificial behavior
- Affliction — suffering; hardship
- Affluent — wealthy
- Agglomeration — clustered grouping
- Aggregate — total; combined
- Aggrieved — feeling wronged
- Aghast — shocked
- Agitate — stir up or provoke
- Alacrity — cheerful readiness
- Alienation — feeling isolated
- Alleviate — reduce severity
- Alliance — partnership; coalition
- Allude — indirectly reference
- Altruism — selfless concern for others
- Amalgamate — merge; combine
- Amass — collect in large quantity
- Ambiguous — unclear
- Ambivalent — mixed feelings
- Amend — improve by making changes
- Amicable — friendly; peaceful
- Amnesty — official pardon
- Amorphous — without shape
- Amplify — strengthen; enlarge
- Amputate — cut off
- Anachronism — something out of its time
- Analogy — comparison
- Analytic — logical; reasoned
- Anarchy — chaos; absence of rule
- Anathema — something hated
- Ancillary — supplementary
- Anecdotal — based on personal accounts
- Animosity — strong hostility
- Annex — add territory or attach
- Annihilate — destroy completely
- Anomaly — irregularity; deviation
- Antagonism — active hostility
- Antecedent — previous event
- Antedate — occur before
- Antipathy — strong dislike
- Antiquated — outdated
- Apathy — lack of interest
- Aplomb — confidence
- Apocryphal — of doubtful authenticity
- Apostate — one who abandons beliefs
- Appall — shock; horrify
- Apparition — ghostly figure
- Appease — pacify; calm
- Apposite — relevant; appropriate
- Appraise — evaluate
- Apprehension — anxiety; fear
- Apprise — inform
- Apropos — relevant
- Apt — appropriate; suitable
- Arbiter — judge; authority
- Arbitrary — based on personal will
- Arcane — mysterious; known by few
- Archaic — old; outdated
- Arduous — difficult; demanding
- Aristocracy — rule by elite
- Armada — large fleet
- Arraign — bring to court
- Articulate — express clearly
- Artifice — clever trick
- Ascendancy — dominance
- Ascetic — self-denying lifestyle
- Ascribe — attribute
- Asperity — harshness
- Aspersion — damaging remark
- Assertive — confidently self-assured
- Assiduous — hardworking
- Assimilate — absorb; integrate
- Assuage — relieve; calm
- Astute — intelligent; sharp
- Atone — make amends
- Atrophy — weak or waste away
- Attenuate — reduce or weaken
- Audacious — bold; daring
- Augment — increase
- Auspicious — favorable
- Austere — strict; simple
- Autonomous — self-governing
- Avarice — extreme greed
- Aver — state firmly
- Avert — prevent; turn away
- Avid — enthusiastic
- Avow — openly declare
- Awry — not as planned
- Axiomatic — universally accepted
- Baleful — harmful; threatening
- Balk — hesitate or refuse
- Ballast — stabilizing element
- Banal — boring; unoriginal
- Bane — cause of ruin
- Bastion — stronghold; defender
- Beatific — blissful
- Beguile — mislead; charm
- Behemoth — huge organization
- Belabor — overstress; overemphasize
- Beleaguer — surround; harass
- Belie — contradict
- Belittle — dismiss as unimportant
- Bellicose — aggressive; warlike
- Belligerent — hostile; ready to fight
- Benevolent — kind; generous
- Benign — harmless
- Bequeath — leave to someone
- Berate — scold severely
- Bereft — deprived of
- Beseech — beg earnestly
- Bestow — give honor or gift
- Betoken — indicate; signify
- Betray — be disloyal
- Bewilder — confuse deeply
- Bibliophile — book lover
- Bifurcate — divide into two
- Bigotry — intolerance
- Bilateral — involving two sides
- Blanch — turn pale
- Blasphemy — disrespect toward sacred things
- Blatant — obvious; offensive
- Bleak — depressing; hopeless
- Blithe — carefree; cheerful
- Bludgeon — attack violently
- Boisterous — noisy; energetic
- Bolster — support; strengthen
- Bombastic — inflated, pompous language
- Boon — blessing; benefit
- Bourgeois — middle-class values
- Brackish — slightly salty; unpleasant
- Brandish — wave aggressively
- Brazen — bold and shameless
- Breach — break; violation
- Brevity — briefness
- Brigand — robber
- Bristle — react angrily
- Broach — bring up for discussion
- Bucolic — rural; pastoral
- Buffoon — clownish person
- Bulwark — strong defense
- Bumptious — self-assertive
- Burgeon — grow rapidly
- Buttress — support; reinforce
- Byzantine — extremely complex
- Cabal — secret political group
- Cachet — prestige; high status
- Cajole — persuade by flattery
- Calamity — disaster
- Callous — emotionally insensitive
- Calumny — false accusation
- Candor — honesty; openness
- Canonical — accepted as authoritative
- Capitulate — surrender
- Capricious — unpredictable
- Captious — fault-finding
- Caricature — exaggerated portrayal
- Castigate — punish severely
- Catalyst — agent speeding change
- Caustic — corrosive; sarcastic
- Censure — strong criticism
- Cerebral — intellectual
- Chagrin — embarrassment
- Chastise — criticize sharply
- Chauvinism — aggressive patriotism
- Chicanery — deception
- Chide — scold
- Chimerical — wildly unrealistic
- Chivalrous — courteous; honorable
- Choleric — irritable; easily angered
- Chronicle — record events
- Circumscribe — restrict; limit
- Circumspect — cautious; prudent
- Circumvent — avoid or bypass
- Clairvoyant — having intuitive insight
- Clandestine — secretive; covert
- Clemency — leniency; mercy
- Cliché — overused expression
- Coalesce — come together; merge
- Coerce — force or compel
- Cogent — convincing; logical
- Cogitate — think deeply
- Coherent — logically connected
- Cohesion — unity; togetherness
- Cohort — group with shared characteristics
- Coherent — clear and consistent
- Collaborate — work together
- Collateral — security for a loan
- Collude — conspire secretly
- Colossal — extremely large
- Combative — ready to fight
- Comely — attractive
- Commensurate — proportionate
- Commiserate — express sympathy
- Commodious — spacious; comfortable
- Compatriot — fellow citizen
- Compelling — forceful; persuasive
- Compendium — concise summary
- Complacent — self-satisfied
- Complaisant — willing to please
- Compliant — obedient
- Complicity — involvement in wrongdoing
- Component — part of a whole
- Comport — behave in a certain way
- Comprehensive — thorough; complete
- Compromise — mutual concession
- Compulsion — irresistible urge
- Compunction — guilt or remorse
- Concede — admit; surrender
- Conciliate — pacify; reconcile
- Concise — brief and clear
- Conclave — secret meeting
- Concoct — invent or devise
- Concomitant — accompanying; simultaneous
- Concord — harmony; agreement
- Concur — agree
- Conducive — helpful; beneficial
- Conduit — channel for transmission
- Conflagration — massive fire
- Conflate — combine into one
- Confluence — merging of two things
- Conform — follow rules or norms
- Confront — challenge; face directly
- Confound — confuse; perplex
- Congeal — solidify
- Congenial — pleasant; friendly
- Congregate — gather together
- Conjecture — guess based on incomplete evidence
- Conjure — summon; bring to mind
- Connoisseur — expert in taste/judgment
- Connotation — implied meaning
- Conscientious — diligent; responsible
- Consensus — general agreement
- Conserve — protect from waste
- Conspicuous — easily noticeable
- Conspiracy — secret plot
- Consternation — shock or dismay
- Constrain — restrict; limit
- Constrict — tighten
- Constructive — helpful; productive
- Consummate — perfect and complete
- Contagion — spreading of disease or ideas
- Contemplate — think deeply
- Contempt — disrespect
- Contend — argue; struggle
- Contentious — causing arguments
- Contiguous — adjacent; touching
- Continual — repeated frequently
- Contraband — illegal goods
- Contravene — violate or oppose
- Contrite — remorseful
- Contrive — plan or devise
- Contumacious — stubbornly disobedient
- Conundrum — difficult problem
- Convene — call together
- Converge — move toward one point
- Conversant — familiar with
- Conviction — strong belief; guilty judgment
- Convoke — call together formally
- Convoluted — extremely complex
- Copious — abundant; plentiful
- Coquette — flirt
- Cordial — warm and friendly
- Corollary — direct consequence
- Corporeal — physical; bodily
- Corpulent — overweight
- Correlate — establish a relationship
- Corroborate — confirm with evidence
- Corrosive — damaging; destructive
- Cosmopolitan — global; culturally diverse
- Coterie — exclusive group
- Countenance — facial expression; approval
- Counteract — neutralize
- Counterfeit — fake; fraudulent
- Countervail — counterbalance
- Coup — sudden overthrow of government
- Covert — hidden; secret
- Covet — desire strongly
- Crass — insensitive; lacking refinement
- Credence — belief; acceptance
- Credible — believable
- Credulous — easily convinced
- Crestfallen — sad; disappointed
- Crevice — narrow opening
- Cringe — recoil in fear or embarrassment
- Criterion — standard of judgment
- Cryptic — mysterious; hidden meaning
- Culpable — deserving blame
- Cultivate — develop or improve
- Cumbersome — heavy and awkward
- Cupidity — greed
- Curator — caretaker of cultural assets
- Curmudgeon — grumpy person
- Cursory — quick and incomplete
- Curtail — reduce; shorten
- Cynical — distrustful of motives
- Dearth — scarcity
- Debacle — total failure
- Debase — reduce quality
- Debilitate — weaken
- Debonair — charming; elegant
- Debunk — expose falseness
- Decadent — in moral decline
- Decimate — destroy large part
- Decipher — decode
- Declaim — speak dramatically
- Decompose — rot; decay
- Decorous — polite; appropriate
- Decree — official order
- Deduce — infer logically
- Deface — spoil appearance
- Defame — harm reputation
- Default — failure to act
- Defer — postpone
- Defiance — open resistance
- Deficiency — shortage
- Definitive — conclusive
- Deflect — turn aside
- Deft — skillful
- Defunct — no longer in use
- Degenerate — deteriorate morally or physically
- Degrade — lower in dignity
- Deign — do something considered beneath one’s status
- Deity — god
- Dejected — sad; depressed
- Deleterious — harmful
- Deliberate — intentional; think carefully
- Delineate — describe precisely
- Delinquent — neglecting duty
- Delude — mislead
- Deluge — flood
- Demagogue — leader exploiting emotions
- Demeanor — behavior; conduct
- Demented — insane
- Demise — death; end
- Demolish — destroy
- Demoralize — discourage
Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5