UPSC Vocabulary List Set 5

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• Pious – devoutly religious
• Pithy – concise and meaningful
• Placate – to appease or soothe
• Placid – calm and peaceful
• Plaintive – sounding sad or mournful
• Plausible – believable; appearing reasonable
• Plethora – excessive amount
• Plucky – courageous and determined
• Plutocracy – rule by the wealthy
• Poignant – deeply moving or emotional
• Ponderous – slow and heavy
• Pontificate – speak pompously
• Portent – a sign or warning
• Pragmatic – practical; realistic
• Prattle – foolish or trivial talk
• Precarious – unstable; risky
• Precept – a rule or principle
• Preclude – to prevent or make impossible
• Precocious – unusually advanced for age
• Predilection – preference; liking
• Preeminent – surpassing all others
• Prejudice – preconceived judgment
• Preposterous – absurd; ridiculous
• Presage – a warning or omen
• Prescient – having foresight
• Prestige – widespread respect
• Presumptuous – overly bold or confident
• Pretentious – attempting to impress by exaggeration
• Pretext – a false reason given to mask the real purpose
• Prevail – to gain victory; to dominate
• Prevaricate – to avoid telling the truth
• Pristine – pure; unspoiled
• Privation – lack of necessities
• Probity – moral integrity
• Proclivity – natural tendency or inclination
• Prodigal – wastefully extravagant
• Prodigious – remarkably large or impressive
• Prodigy – a highly talented young person
• Profligate – recklessly wasteful
• Profound – deep; intense
• Progenitor – an ancestor or founder
• Proliferate – to multiply rapidly
• Prolific – producing many works or offspring
• Prologue – introductory section
• Promulgate – to declare publicly
• Propensity – natural inclination
• Propitiate – to win favor by appeasement
• Proponent – supporter; advocate
• Proprietary – relating to ownership
• Prosaic – unimaginative; dull
• Proscribe – to forbid
• Proselytize – to convert someone to a belief
• Prosperity – wealth and success
• Protagonist – main character or leader
• Protean – able to change easily; versatile
• Protocol – official procedure
• Provocation – action that triggers a reaction
• Prudent – wise and careful
• Pseudonym – a fictitious name
• Pugnacious – eager to fight
• Pulchritude – physical beauty
• Punctilious – extremely attentive to detail
• Pundit – an expert
• Purloin – to steal
• Pusillanimous – cowardly
• Putative – generally thought to be
• Quandary – a difficult situation
• Quell – suppress or put down
• Querulous – complaining; irritable
• Quibble – argue over minor matters
• Quintessence – purest form; essence
• Quixotic – unrealistic and impractical
• Quotidian – occurring daily
• Raconteur – skilled storyteller
• Rampant – spreading uncontrollably
• Rancor – deep-seated resentment
• Rapacious – aggressively greedy
• Rapture – intense joy
• Rarefied – understood by only a few
• Raucous – loud and harsh
• Ravenous – extremely hungry
• Rebut – to refute
• Recalcitrant – stubbornly disobedient
• Recant – to withdraw a statement
• Reciprocal – mutual
• Reclusive – seeking solitude
• Reconcile – to restore harmony
• Recondite – difficult to understand
• Recrimination – mutual accusations
• Rectitude – moral correctness
• Redolent – suggestive or reminiscent
• Redoubtable – formidable; inspiring fear
• Redress – remedy or compensation
• Refractory – stubborn; resistant
• Refulgent – shining brightly
• Refurbish – renovate; restore
• Regale – to entertain lavishly
• Regress – to return to a worse state
• Reiterate – repeat
• Relegate – assign to a lower position
• Relinquish – give up or surrender
• Remedial – intended to correct or improve
• Remiss – negligent
• Remonstrate – protest or object
• Renaissance – rebirth; revival
• Renegade – traitor or rebel
• Replete – filled or well-supplied
• Reprehensible – deserving blame
• Repress – restrain; hold back
• Reprisal – retaliation
• Reproach – express disapproval
• Reprobate – morally unprincipled person
• Reproof – mild criticism
• Repudiate – reject or deny
• Repugnant – extremely distasteful
• Requisition – official demand
• Rescind – cancel or repeal
• Resilient – able to recover quickly
• Resolute – firm and determined
• Resonant – deep and rich in sound
• Resourceful – able to solve problems quickly
• Respite – short period of rest
• Restive – impatient; hard to control
• Resurgent – rising again
• Reticent – reserved; not speaking freely
• Retribution – punishment for wrongdoing
• Retrospective – review of past events
• Revelry – lively celebration
• Revere – deeply respect
• Revile – criticize harshly
• Revoke – withdraw or cancel
• Rhapsodize – speak enthusiastically
• Ribald – vulgar in speech
• Rift – a break or division
• Rigorous – strict and demanding
• Rivulet – small stream
• Robust – strong and healthy
• Rouse – awaken; stimulate
• Rue – regret
• Ruminate – think deeply
• Rustic – rural; simple
• Saccharine – overly sweet
• Sacrilegious – disrespectful toward something sacred
• Sagacious – wise and shrewd
• Salient – most noticeable
• Salubrious – health-giving
• Salutary – beneficial
• Sanctimonious – pretending to be morally superior
• Sanguine – optimistic, especially in difficult times
• Sardonic – mocking; cynical
• Satiate – satisfy fully
• Savant – learned person
• Scathing – harshly critical
• Schism – split or division
• Scintilla – tiny amount
• Scintillating – brilliantly lively or witty
• Scrupulous – morally careful and precise
• Scurrilous – vulgar and abusive
• Seclude – isolate
• Sedentary – sitting most of the time
• Sedition – incitement to rebellion
• Segregate – separate
• Seminal – highly original and influential
• Senile – mentally deteriorated with age
• Sensuous – appealing to the senses
• Sententious – overly moralizing
• Sequester – isolate or set apart
• Serene – calm and peaceful
• Serpentine – winding and twisting
• Servile – overly willing to serve
• Sever – cut off
• Severance – separation
• Shard – fragment
• Shirk – avoid work
• Shoddy – of poor quality
• Shrewd – astute; sharp-witted
• Shrill – high-pitched
• Shun – avoid deliberately
• Siege – military blockade
• Simile – comparison using “like” or “as”
• Simper – smile foolishly
• Sinuous – twisting; winding
• Skeptic – doubter
• Skirmish – small fight
• Skittish – nervous and easily frightened
• Slake – satisfy thirst
• Slothful – lazy
• Slovenly – untidy
• Smattering – small amount
• Smolder – burn slowly without flame
• Sobriety – seriousness; self-control
• Solace – comfort in distress
• Solecism – grammatical mistake
• Solicitous – showing concern
• Soliloquy – speech to oneself
• Solvent – able to pay debts
• Somatic – relating to the body
• Somber – dark and gloomy
• Sonorous – deep and full in sound
• Soporific – causing sleep
• Spasmodic – occurring in bursts
• Spate – large number of events
• Specious – deceptively plausible
• Spontaneous – unplanned
• Sporadic – occurring occasionally
• Spurious – false or fake
• Squalid – filthy and neglected
• Squander – waste foolishly
• Squelch – silence or suppress
• Stagnant – not flowing; inactive
• Stalwart – strong and dependable
• Stanch – stop the flow
• Stentorian – extremely loud
• Stigma – mark of disgrace
• Stilted – unnatural or stiff
• Stingy – unwilling to spend
• Stoic – enduring hardship without complaint
• Stolid – unemotional
• Stratagem – clever plan
• Strident – loud and harsh
• Stringent – strict
• Strut – walk proudly
• Stupefy – shock or amaze
• Subdue – control or bring under control
• Sublime – majestic or elevated
• Submissive – yielding to authority
• Subordinate – lower in rank
• Subpoena – legal order to appear
• Subservient – excessively obedient
• Substantiate – provide evidence
• Subterranean – underground
• Subvert – undermine
• Succinct – brief and clear
• Succumb – yield or give in
• Suffuse – spread through
• Sully – stain or damage reputation
• Sultry – hot and humid; sensual
• Sumptuous – luxurious
• Supercilious – arrogant
• Superfluous – unnecessary
• Supersede – replace
• Supplicate – beg earnestly
• Surfeit – excessive amount
• Surmise – guess
• Surreptitious – secretive
• Sustenance – nourishment
• Swindle – cheat or defraud
• Sybarite – person devoted to luxury
• Sycophant – flatterer seeking favor
• Synthesis – combination of elements
• Synchronous – occurring at the same time
• Tacit – understood without being stated
• Taciturn – reserved; saying little
• Tactful – showing sensitivity in dealing with others
• Talisman – an object believed to have magical powers
• Tangential – only slightly related; off-topic
• Tantalize – tease by showing something desirable but keeping it out of reach
• Taut – stretched or pulled tight
• Tawdry – cheap and showy
• Temerity – excessive confidence or boldness
• Temperate – moderate; self-restrained
• Temporize – delay making a decision; avoid committing
• Tenacious – persistent; determined
• Tenet – a principle or belief
• Tentative – uncertain; not fully decided
• Tenuous – weak; lacking substance
• Terse – brief and to the point
• Therapeutic – healing; beneficial
• Thrifty – careful with money
• Timorous – timid; fearful
• Tirade – long, angry speech
• Torpid – inactive; sluggish
• Torrid – very hot; passionate
• Tortuous – full of twists; complicated
• Tractable – easily controlled or influenced
• Tranquil – calm; peaceful
• Transcend – go beyond limits
• Transgress – violate a rule or law
• Transient – short-lived
• Translucent – allowing light but not detailed shapes
• Transmute – change in form or nature
• Trenchant – sharp; forceful in expression
• Trepidation – fear or anxiety
• Trite – overused; lacking originality
• Trivial – unimportant
• Truculent – aggressively defiant
• Truncate – shorten by cutting off
• Tumult – loud disorder; chaos
• Turbid – cloudy; unclear
• Turgid – swollen; pompous in language
• Turpitude – wickedness; moral corruption
• Tyro – beginner; novice
• Ubiquity – presence everywhere
• Ulterior – hidden or concealed
• Umbrage – offense or annoyance
• Unabated – without losing strength
• Unalloyed – pure; complete
• Unassailable – impossible to attack or defeat
• Uncanny – strange or mysterious
• Unctuous – excessively flattering; oily
• Undermine – weaken gradually
• Unequivocal – clear and unambiguous
• Unfettered – free from restrictions
• Ungainly – awkward or clumsy
• Unilateral – one-sided
• Unimpeachable – beyond doubt; trustworthy
• Unobtrusive – not attracting attention
• Unprecedented – never done before
• Unprepossessing – unattractive
• Unravel – disentangle; solve
• Unscathed – unharmed
• Untoward – unexpected and inconvenient
• Upbraid – scold severely
• Uproarious – very funny or noisy
• Urbane – refined; courteous
• Usurp – take power illegally
• Utopia – imagined perfect society
• Vacillate – waver between options
• Vacuous – lacking ideas or intelligence
• Vagary – unexpected or inexplicable change
• Vagrant – a wandering homeless person
• Vague – unclear or indefinite
• Valiant – brave; courageous
• Validate – confirm or support
• Vapid – dull; lacking liveliness
• Vehement – passionate; intense
• Veil – conceal or disguise
• Vehemently – with strong feeling
• Vein – distinctive style or manner
• Veer – change direction suddenly
• Veil – cover or disguise
• Venerate – honor or respect deeply
• Venial – minor or forgivable
• Veracious – truthful
• Verbose – using too many words
• Verdant – green with vegetation
• Verisimilitude – appearance of truth
• Vernacular – everyday language
• Versatile – adaptable; skilled at many tasks
• Vertigo – dizziness
• Vestige – a trace or remnant
• Viable – workable; capable of success
• Vicarious – experienced through another
• Vicissitude – change of circumstances
• Vigilant – watchful; alert
• Vilify – speak ill of
• Vindicate – clear from blame
• Vindictive – seeking revenge
• Virile – masculine; strong
• Virtuoso – highly skilled artist
• Virtuous – morally good
• Virulent – extremely poisonous or hostile
• Viscous – thick and sticky
• Vitiate – spoil or impair
• Vitriolic – harsh; bitter criticism
• Vituperate – blame or insult harshly
• Vivacious – lively and energetic
• Vivid – clear, bright, and detailed
• Vociferous – shouting or loud
• Volatile – unpredictable; changeable
• Volition – act of choosing voluntarily
• Voluble – talkative
• Voluptuous – full of luxury or pleasure
• Voracious – very eager or hungry
• Vulnerable – open to attack or harm
• Waft – drift gently through air
• Wane – decrease gradually
• Wary – cautious
• Waver – hesitate or move unsteadily
• Wean – gradually deprive from dependence
• Weather – endure difficulties
• Whimsical – unpredictable; playful
• Whittle – reduce gradually
• Wield – handle effectively (weapon or tool)
• Willful – intentional; deliberate
• Wily – crafty and cunning
• Winsome – charming and attractive
• Wither – dry up; weaken
• Wizened – shriveled with age
• Woe – great sorrow
• Wont – accustomed; used to
• Worldly – experienced; practical
• Wretched – miserable
• Wry – dry, mocking humor
• Xenophobia – fear or hatred of foreigners
• Yearn – long for deeply
• Yen – strong desire
• Yield – produce or give in
• Yoke – join or bind together
• Zeal – great enthusiasm
• Zealot – fanatic
• Zenith – highest point
• Zephyr – gentle breeze
• Zest – great enthusiasm and energy
• Zigzag – move in sharp turns
• Zilch – nothing; zero
• Zing – energy or enthusiasm
• Zippy – lively; quick
• Zone – area or region
• Zonal – relating to zones
• Zymotic – relating to infectious diseases

Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Set 4 | Set 5