compulsory · CSS study notes
B-1 — Badger to Brusque (50 words)
🔤
Letter B, part 1: 50 words, from Badger to Brusque.
1. BADGER (v.)
- Urdu: بار بار تنگ کرنا، پیچھے پڑنا
- Meaning: to repeatedly ask someone to do something; to pester
- Synonyms: pester, harass, nag, hound, plague
- Antonyms: leave alone, ignore, soothe
- Use: Reporters badgered the minister for a comment.
2. BAFFLE (v.)
- Urdu: حیران کرنا، الجھانا
- Meaning: to totally bewilder or perplex
- Synonyms: perplex, bewilder, puzzle, confound, mystify
- Antonyms: enlighten, clarify, explain
- Use: The sudden illness baffled the doctors.
3. BALK (v.)
- Urdu: ہچکچانا، انکار کرنا؛ روکنا
- Meaning: to hesitate or be unwilling; to thwart
- Synonyms: hesitate, refuse, resist, shy away, thwart
- Antonyms: accept, embrace, agree, welcome
- Use: Traders balked at the new tax.
4. BANAL (adj.)
- Urdu: عامیانہ، گھسا پٹا
- Meaning: lacking originality; boring
- Synonyms: trite, hackneyed, clichéd, dull, commonplace
- Antonyms: original, novel, fresh, striking
- Use: The film's dialogue was painfully banal.
5. BANE (n.)
- Urdu: وبال، بربادی کا سبب، زہر
- Meaning: a cause of great distress or annoyance
- Synonyms: curse, scourge, plague, affliction, blight
- Antonyms: blessing, boon, benefit, godsend
- Use: Corruption is the bane of our society.
6. BARRAGE (n.)
- Urdu: بیراج؛ گولہ باری، بوچھاڑ
- Meaning: a concentrated outpouring; a dam-like structure on a river
- Synonyms: bombardment, volley, torrent, deluge, onslaught
- Antonyms: trickle, dribble
- Use: The minister faced a barrage of questions. / Sukkur Barrage irrigates Sindh.
7. BASTION (n.)
- Urdu: مضبوط قلعہ، مرکز، گڑھ
- Meaning: a stronghold; something that protects a principle
- Synonyms: stronghold, bulwark, fortress, citadel, defender
- Antonyms: weak point, vulnerability
- Use: Lahore has long been a bastion of the party.
8. BEGUILE (v.)
- Urdu: موہ لینا؛ دھوکہ دینا
- Meaning: to charm or enchant, sometimes deceptively
- Synonyms: charm, enchant, captivate, deceive, trick
- Antonyms: repel, disgust, bore, enlighten
- Use: Tourists are beguiled by the beauty of Hunza.
9. BEHEMOTH (n.)
- Urdu: دیو ہیکل چیز، بہت بڑا ادارہ
- Meaning: a huge or monstrous creature or organisation
- Synonyms: giant, colossus, monster, titan, leviathan
- Antonyms: dwarf, midget, minnow
- Use: Amazon has become a retail behemoth.
10. BELABOR (v.)
- Urdu: ضرورت سے زیادہ زور دینا، بات کو طول دینا
- Meaning: to argue or discuss in excessive detail
- Synonyms: overemphasise, dwell on, harp on, overdo
- Antonyms: understate, skim over, touch on
- Use: I won't belabour the point; you understand the risk.
11. BELEAGUER (v.)
- Urdu: محاصرہ کرنا، مشکلات میں گھیرنا
- Meaning: to put in a difficult position; to besiege
- Synonyms: besiege, harass, beset, plague, surround
- Antonyms: relieve, aid, assist, free
- Use: The beleaguered government faced protests and a fiscal crisis.
12. BELIE (v.)
- Urdu: جھٹلانا، غلط تاثر دینا
- Meaning: to fail to give a true impression of
- Synonyms: contradict, disguise, misrepresent, conceal
- Antonyms: confirm, reveal, attest, prove
- Use: His smile belied his anger.
13. BELITTLE (v.)
- Urdu: حقیر جاننا، کمتر کرنا
- Meaning: to make someone or something seem unimportant
- Synonyms: disparage, denigrate, diminish, downplay, deprecate
- Antonyms: praise, exalt, glorify, magnify
- Use: Never belittle the efforts of a beginner.
14. BELLICOSE (adj.)
- Urdu: جنگجو، لڑاکا
- Meaning: eager to fight
- Synonyms: warlike, belligerent, aggressive, hostile, pugnacious
- Antonyms: peaceable, conciliatory, pacific
- Use: The bellicose rhetoric raised fears of war.
- 🔁 CSS 2019
15. BELLIGERENT (adj./n.)
- Urdu: جنگ آمادہ، فریقِ جنگ
- Meaning: hostile and aggressive; a nation at war
- Synonyms: hostile, combative, bellicose, confrontational, aggressive
- Antonyms: friendly, peaceful, neutral, amicable
- Use: The belligerent customer shouted at the staff.
16. BEMOAN (v.)
- Urdu: ماتم کرنا، شکوہ کرنا
- Meaning: to express discontent or sorrow over
- Synonyms: lament, deplore, bewail, mourn, regret
- Antonyms: celebrate, rejoice, applaud, welcome
- Use: Farmers bemoan the rising cost of fertiliser.
17. BEMUSED (adj.)
- Urdu: حیران، کشمکش میں
- Meaning: puzzled or confused
- Synonyms: bewildered, puzzled, perplexed, confused, baffled
- Antonyms: clear-headed, certain, enlightened
- Use: He looked bemused by the new rules.
- Trap: it does not mean "amused".
18. BENEFACTOR (n.)
- Urdu: محسن، سرپرست
- Meaning: a person who gives money or help
- Synonyms: patron, donor, sponsor, supporter, philanthropist
- Antonyms: beneficiary, enemy, opponent
- Use: An anonymous benefactor funded the orphanage.
19. BENEFICENT (adj.)
- Urdu: فیاض، نیک دل
- Meaning: doing good; generous
- Synonyms: charitable, kind, generous, benevolent, philanthropic
- Antonyms: malevolent, cruel, harmful
- Use: The beneficent landlord waived the rent after the flood.
20. BENEVOLENT (adj.)
- Urdu: مہربان، خیر خواہ
- Meaning: well-meaning and kindly
- Synonyms: kind, compassionate, generous, charitable, humane
- Antonyms: malevolent, cruel, unkind, hostile
- Use: The benevolent ruler built wells and schools.
21. BENIGN (adj.)
- Urdu: مہربان، بے ضرر
- Meaning: gentle and kind; not harmful
- Synonyms: kindly, harmless, gentle, benevolent
- Antonyms: malignant, malicious, harmful, hostile
- Use: The tumour was benign.
- 🔁 CSS 2026
22. BEQUEATH (v.)
- Urdu: وصیت میں چھوڑنا، ورثے میں دینا
- Meaning: to leave property to someone by a will; to pass on
- Synonyms: leave, will, hand down, pass on, endow
- Antonyms: inherit, receive, withhold
- Use: He bequeathed his library to the university.
23. BERATE (v.)
- Urdu: ڈانٹنا، سخت سست کہنا
- Meaning: to scold or criticise angrily
- Synonyms: scold, rebuke, reprimand, chide, upbraid
- Antonyms: praise, commend, compliment
- Use: The coach berated the players after the defeat.
24. BEREFT (adj.)
- Urdu: محروم، خالی، غم زدہ
- Meaning: deprived of something; sad after a loss
- Synonyms: deprived, devoid, lacking, bereaved, forlorn
- Antonyms: blessed, endowed, possessing, rich in
- Use: The policy was bereft of any vision.
25. BESEECH (v.)
- Urdu: التجا کرنا، منت کرنا
- Meaning: to ask urgently and fervently
- Synonyms: implore, beg, entreat, plead, supplicate
- Antonyms: demand, command, order
- Use: The mother besought the judge for mercy.
26. BESIEGE (v.)
- Urdu: محاصرہ کرنا، گھیر لینا
- Meaning: to surround with armed forces; to overwhelm
- Synonyms: surround, blockade, beleaguer, overwhelm, inundate
- Antonyms: relieve, liberate, release
- Use: Fans besieged the stadium ticket office.
27. BESTOW (v.)
- Urdu: عطا کرنا، نوازنا
- Meaning: to confer an honour, right or gift
- Synonyms: confer, grant, award, present, give
- Antonyms: withhold, withdraw, take away, deny
- Use: The Nishan-e-Haider is bestowed for supreme bravery.
28. BIAS (n.)
- Urdu: جانبداری، تعصب
- Meaning: prejudice for or against one thing or person
- Synonyms: prejudice, partiality, favouritism, partisanship
- Antonyms: impartiality, fairness, neutrality, objectivity
- Use: A judge must decide without bias.
29. BIGOT (n.)
- Urdu: متعصب شخص
- Meaning: a person intolerant of other opinions, races or religions
- Synonyms: zealot, chauvinist, fanatic, racist, sectarian
- Antonyms: liberal, humanitarian, tolerant person
- Use: Bigots spread hatred on social media.
30. BILK (v.)
- Urdu: دھوکے سے رقم بٹورنا
- Meaning: to cheat or defraud, especially of money
- Synonyms: swindle, cheat, defraud, con, fleece
- Antonyms: pay, reimburse, compensate
- Use: The scheme bilked investors of millions.
31. BLANDISHMENT (n.)
- Urdu: خوشامد، چاپلوسی
- Meaning: flattery intended to persuade
- Synonyms: flattery, cajolery, coaxing, sweet talk, wheedling
- Antonyms: threat, coercion, harshness
- Use: He resisted the blandishments of the lobbyists.
32. BLASPHEMY (n.)
- Urdu: توہینِ مذہب، گستاخی
- Meaning: disrespectful speech about God or sacred things
- Synonyms: profanity, sacrilege, irreverence, impiety
- Antonyms: reverence, piety, devotion, respect
- Use: Blasphemy laws are a sensitive subject in Pakistan.
33. BLATANT (adj.)
- Urdu: کھلم کھلا، صریح، بے شرمی سے
- Meaning: done openly and unashamedly
- Synonyms: flagrant, obvious, glaring, shameless, brazen
- Antonyms: subtle, hidden, covert, inconspicuous
- Use: It was a blatant violation of the rules.
34. BLIGHT (n./v.)
- Urdu: آفت، بربادی؛ فصل کی بیماری
- Meaning: a thing that spoils or damages; a plant disease
- Synonyms: scourge, plague, curse, bane, affliction
- Antonyms: blessing, boon, benefit
- Use: Unemployment is a blight on the youth.
35. BLITHE (adj.)
- Urdu: بے فکر، خوش باش
- Meaning: happy and carefree; casually indifferent
- Synonyms: carefree, cheerful, jaunty, heedless, casual
- Antonyms: gloomy, anxious, careful, concerned
- Use: He showed a blithe disregard for the rules.
36. BLUSTER (n./v.)
- Urdu: شیخی، گرج برس
- Meaning: loud, aggressive talk with little effect
- Synonyms: bravado, bombast, swagger, boasting, bullying
- Antonyms: meekness, humility, modesty
- Use: Behind the bluster, he had no real plan.
- 🔁 CSS 2025
37. BOLSTER (v.)
- Urdu: سہارا دینا، مضبوط کرنا
- Meaning: to support or strengthen
- Synonyms: reinforce, support, strengthen, boost, shore up
- Antonyms: weaken, undermine, sabotage
- Use: Good results bolstered her confidence.
38. BOMBASTIC (adj.)
- Urdu: لفاظی والا، پرتصنع
- Meaning: high-sounding but with little meaning
- Synonyms: pompous, grandiloquent, pretentious, turgid
- Antonyms: plain, simple, modest
- Use: The bombastic speech impressed no one.
39. BOISTEROUS (adj.)
- Urdu: شوریلا، ہنگامہ خیز
- Meaning: noisy, energetic and cheerful
- Synonyms: rowdy, lively, noisy, exuberant, unruly
- Antonyms: quiet, calm, restrained, subdued
- Use: The boisterous crowd cheered every six.
40. BOON (n.)
- Urdu: نعمت، برکت
- Meaning: a thing that is helpful or beneficial
- Synonyms: blessing, benefit, godsend, advantage, gift
- Antonyms: bane, curse, blight, disadvantage
- Use: The motorway has been a boon for trade.
41. BOORISH (adj.)
- Urdu: اکھڑ، گنوار
- Meaning: rough and bad-mannered
- Synonyms: rude, uncouth, coarse, vulgar, loutish
- Antonyms: refined, polite, cultured, courteous
- Use: His boorish remarks shocked the guests.
42. BOURGEOIS (adj./n.)
- Urdu: متوسط طبقے کا، سرمایہ دارانہ
- Meaning: of the middle class; materialistic and conventional
- Synonyms: middle-class, conventional, materialistic, conformist
- Antonyms: proletarian, bohemian, radical, unconventional
- Use: The novel mocks bourgeois values.
43. BRAGGART (n.)
- Urdu: شیخی خور، ڈینگیں مارنے والا
- Meaning: a person who boasts about achievements or possessions
- Synonyms: boaster, show-off, blowhard, swaggerer
- Antonyms: modest person, humble person
- Use: Nobody believed the braggart's stories.
44. BRANDISH (v.)
- Urdu: لہرانا، دکھا کر ڈرانا
- Meaning: to wave something, especially a weapon, as a threat or in excitement
- Synonyms: wave, flourish, wield, swing, display
- Antonyms: hide, conceal, sheathe
- Use: The robber brandished a pistol at the cashier.
45. BRAVADO (n.)
- Urdu: نمائشی بہادری، شیخی
- Meaning: a bold show intended to impress or intimidate
- Synonyms: swagger, bluster, boldness, bombast, machismo
- Antonyms: modesty, timidity, cowardice, humility
- Use: His bravado disappeared when the police arrived.
46. BRAZEN (adj.)
- Urdu: بے شرم، ڈھیٹ
- Meaning: bold and without shame
- Synonyms: shameless, bold, barefaced, audacious, impudent
- Antonyms: shy, modest, timid, ashamed
- Use: It was a brazen attempt to rig the vote.
47. BREACH (n./v.)
- Urdu: خلاف ورزی؛ شگاف، دراڑ
- Meaning: an act of breaking a rule; a gap
- Synonyms: violation, infringement, gap, rupture, opening
- Antonyms: compliance, observance, closure
- Use: A breach in the canal flooded the fields.
- 🔁 CSS 2012
48. BREVITY (n.)
- Urdu: اختصار، مختصر گوئی
- Meaning: concise use of words; shortness of time
- Synonyms: conciseness, succinctness, terseness, briefness
- Antonyms: verbosity, wordiness, length, prolixity
- Use: Brevity is the soul of a good précis.
49. BRISTLE (v./n.)
- Urdu: بھڑک اٹھنا؛ سخت بال
- Meaning: to react angrily; a short stiff hair
- Synonyms: flare up, bridle, seethe, bristle with anger
- Antonyms: calm down, relax, accept
- Use: He bristled at the accusation of cheating.
- 🔁 CSS 2013
50. BRUSQUE (adj.)
- Urdu: روکھا، درشت
- Meaning: abrupt or offhand in manner
- Synonyms: curt, blunt, abrupt, gruff, terse
- Antonyms: courteous, gracious, polite
- Use: The clerk's brusque tone offended visitors.
- 🔁 CSS 2011, 2014, 2023-S