compulsory · CSS study notes

C-3 / D-1 — Corpulent to Desiccate (50 words)

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The end of letter C and the start of D: 50 words, from Corpulent to Desecrate.

1. CORPULENT (adj.)

Urdu: موٹا، فربہ
Meaning: (of a person) fat
Synonyms: fat, obese, stout, plump, overweight
Antonyms: thin, slim, slender, lean
Use: The corpulent merchant struggled up the stairs.

2. CORROBORATE (v.)

Urdu: تصدیق کرنا
Meaning: to confirm or support a statement
Synonyms: confirm, verify, substantiate, support, validate
Antonyms: contradict, refute, disprove
Use: CCTV footage corroborated his alibi.

3. COSMOPOLITAN (adj.)

Urdu: عالمی، کثیر الثقافتی
Meaning: including people from many countries; worldly
Synonyms: multicultural, international, worldly, sophisticated, urbane
Antonyms: provincial, parochial, insular, narrow-minded
Use: Karachi is Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city.

4. COUNTENANCE (n./v.)

Urdu: چہرہ، بشرہ؛ حمایت کرنا
Meaning: a person's face or expression; to tolerate or support
Synonyms: face, expression, look; tolerate, permit, sanction
Antonyms: oppose, reject, forbid
Use: The court would not countenance any delay.

5. COVERT (adj.)

Urdu: خفیہ، پوشیدہ
Meaning: not openly acknowledged; secret
Synonyms: secret, hidden, clandestine, surreptitious, undercover
Antonyms: overt, open, public, visible
Use: The agency ran covert operations abroad.

6. COVET (v.)

Urdu: لالچ کرنا، ٹالنے کی تمنا کرنا
Meaning: to yearn to possess something belonging to another
Synonyms: desire, crave, envy, hanker after, lust after
Antonyms: renounce, reject, disdain
Use: Many covet a job in the Foreign Service.

7. COWER (v.)

Urdu: ڈر سے دبکنا
Meaning: to crouch down in fear
Synonyms: cringe, shrink, flinch, quail, tremble
Antonyms: stand tall, face, confront, brave
Use: The children cowered as the storm raged.

8. COY (adj.)

Urdu: شرمیلا، جھجکنے والا؛ گول مول
Meaning: pretending shyness; reluctant to give details
Synonyms: shy, bashful, demure, evasive, reticent
Antonyms: bold, forward, brazen, forthcoming
Use: The minister was coy about the election date.

9. CREDENCE (n.)

Urdu: اعتبار، یقین
Meaning: belief in or acceptance of something as true
Synonyms: belief, credibility, acceptance, trust, faith
Antonyms: disbelief, doubt, distrust, scepticism
Use: New evidence gave credence to his claim.

10. CREDIBLE (adj.)

Urdu: قابلِ اعتبار
Meaning: able to be believed
Synonyms: believable, plausible, reliable, convincing, trustworthy
Antonyms: incredible, implausible, unbelievable, dubious
Use: Voters want a credible election process.

11. CREDULOUS (adj.)

Urdu: جلد یقین کرنے والا، سادہ لوح
Meaning: too ready to believe things
Synonyms: gullible, naive, trusting, unsuspecting
Antonyms: sceptical, suspicious, incredulous
Use: Credulous villagers paid the fake healer.

12. CRESTFALLEN (adj.)

Urdu: مایوس، دل شکستہ
Meaning: sad and disappointed
Synonyms: dejected, downcast, disheartened, disappointed, despondent
Antonyms: elated, cheerful, happy, joyful
Use: He was crestfallen after failing the interview.

13. CRYPTIC (adj.)

Urdu: پراسرار، مبہم
Meaning: having a mysterious or obscure meaning
Synonyms: mysterious, enigmatic, obscure, puzzling, ambiguous
Antonyms: clear, plain, obvious, straightforward
Use: He left a cryptic message on the door.

14. CULINARY (adj.)

Urdu: کھانا پکانے سے متعلق
Meaning: relating to cooking
Synonyms: cooking, gastronomic, kitchen, gourmet
Antonyms: (no true antonym)
Use: Lahore is famous for its culinary heritage.

15. CULPABLE (adj.)

Urdu: قصور وار، مستوجبِ سزا
Meaning: deserving blame
Synonyms: guilty, blameworthy, responsible, at fault, liable
Antonyms: innocent, blameless, guiltless
Use: The inquiry found the officers culpable.

16. CUMBERSOME (adj.)

Urdu: بھاری بھرکم، پیچیدہ
Meaning: large and heavy; slow and complicated
Synonyms: unwieldy, bulky, awkward, complicated, inefficient
Antonyms: convenient, manageable, simple, efficient
Use: The cumbersome approval process delays projects.

17. CUPIDITY (n.)

Urdu: لالچ، زر پرستی
Meaning: greed for money or possessions
Synonyms: greed, avarice, covetousness, acquisitiveness, rapacity
Antonyms: generosity, contentment, selflessness
Use: Cupidity led the officer to take bribes.

18. CURB (v./n.)

Urdu: روکنا، قابو میں رکھنا
Meaning: to restrain or keep in check
Synonyms: restrain, control, check, restrict, limit
Antonyms: encourage, unleash, free
Use: Laws were passed to curb hoarding.
🔁 CSS 2011

19. CURSORY (adj.)

Urdu: سرسری، سطحی
Meaning: hasty and therefore not thorough
Synonyms: hasty, superficial, perfunctory, brief, quick
Antonyms: thorough, careful, detailed, painstaking
Use: A cursory glance at the report missed the errors.

20. CURTAIL (v.)

Urdu: کم کرنا، مختصر کرنا
Meaning: to reduce in extent or quantity
Synonyms: reduce, cut, limit, restrict, shorten
Antonyms: extend, expand, increase, lengthen
Use: The government curtailed development spending.

21. CYNIC (n.)

Urdu: بدگمان، ہر بات میں بدنیتی دیکھنے والا
Meaning: a person who believes people act only from self-interest
Synonyms: sceptic, pessimist, doubter, misanthrope
Antonyms: idealist, optimist, believer
Use: Years in politics made him a cynic.

22. DEARTH (n.)

Urdu: قلت، کمی، قحط
Meaning: a scarcity or lack of something
Synonyms: scarcity, shortage, lack, paucity, deficiency
Antonyms: abundance, plenty, surplus, profusion
Use: There is a dearth of skilled nurses in rural areas.

23. DEBACLE (n.)

Urdu: شرمناک ناکامی، تباہی
Meaning: a sudden and humiliating failure
Synonyms: fiasco, disaster, failure, collapse, catastrophe
Antonyms: success, triumph, victory
Use: The 1971 debacle remains a painful memory.

24. DEBASE (v.)

Urdu: گرانا، قدر کم کرنا
Meaning: to reduce in quality, value or character
Synonyms: degrade, cheapen, corrupt, demean, devalue
Antonyms: elevate, enhance, improve, dignify
Use: Hate speech debases political debate.

25. DEBILITATE (v.)

Urdu: کمزور کرنا
Meaning: to make very weak
Synonyms: weaken, enervate, sap, exhaust, enfeeble
Antonyms: strengthen, invigorate, fortify
Use: Malaria debilitates its victims for weeks.
🔁 CSS 2024

26. DEBONAIR (adj.)

Urdu: خوش وضع، بانکا، خوش اخلاق
Meaning: confident, stylish and charming (usually of a man)
Synonyms: suave, urbane, elegant, dashing, stylish
Antonyms: awkward, gauche, unsophisticated, clumsy
Use: The debonair actor charmed the audience.

27. DEBUNK (v.)

Urdu: بے نقاب کرنا، غلط ثابت کرنا
Meaning: to expose the falseness of an idea or belief
Synonyms: expose, disprove, refute, discredit, deflate
Antonyms: confirm, prove, support, validate
Use: Scientists debunked the myth about vaccines.

28. DECADENCE (n.)

Urdu: زوال، اخلاقی انحطاط، عیاشی
Meaning: moral or cultural decline; luxurious self-indulgence
Synonyms: decline, degeneration, corruption, dissipation, indulgence
Antonyms: morality, virtue, restraint, flourishing
Use: Historians link the empire's fall to its decadence.

29. DECIMATE (v.)

Urdu: بڑی تعداد میں مارنا، تباہ کرنا
Meaning: to kill or destroy a large proportion of
Synonyms: destroy, devastate, annihilate, wipe out, ravage
Antonyms: build, restore, save, increase
Use: Locusts decimated the cotton crop.

30. DECORUM (n.)

Urdu: شائستگی، آداب، وقار
Meaning: behaviour in keeping with good taste and propriety
Synonyms: propriety, etiquette, dignity, decency, manners
Antonyms: impropriety, rudeness, indecency, misbehaviour
Use: The Speaker asked members to maintain decorum.

31. DECRY (v.)

Urdu: برا بھلا کہنا، مذمت کرنا
Meaning: to publicly denounce
Synonyms: denounce, condemn, criticise, deplore, disparage
Antonyms: praise, extol, applaud, approve
Use: Rights groups decried the new censorship law.

32. DEFERENCE (n.)

Urdu: احترام، تعظیم
Meaning: polite submission and respect
Synonyms: respect, regard, esteem, submission, courtesy
Antonyms: disrespect, contempt, defiance, insolence
Use: Out of deference to his elders, he stayed silent.

33. DEFUNCT (adj.)

Urdu: معدوم، غیر فعال، ختم شدہ
Meaning: no longer existing or functioning
Synonyms: obsolete, extinct, inoperative, dead, expired
Antonyms: active, operational, functioning, alive
Use: The defunct steel mill is a burden on the treasury.

34. DELETERIOUS (adj.)

Urdu: مضر
Meaning: causing harm
Synonyms: harmful, damaging, detrimental, injurious
Antonyms: beneficial, healthy, salutary
Use: Smoking has deleterious effects on the lungs.
🔁 CSS 2005

35. DELINEATE (v.)

Urdu: خاکہ کھینچنا، وضاحت سے بیان کرنا
Meaning: to describe or portray precisely; to mark a boundary
Synonyms: outline, describe, define, depict, demarcate
Antonyms: confuse, obscure, blur
Use: The Radcliffe Award delineated the new border.

36. DELUDE (v.)

Urdu: فریب دینا، بھرم میں ڈالنا
Meaning: to make someone believe something false
Synonyms: deceive, mislead, fool, trick, hoodwink
Antonyms: enlighten, inform, undeceive
Use: Don't delude yourself that the exam will be easy.

37. DELUGE (n./v.)

Urdu: سیلاب، ریلا
Meaning: a severe flood; a great quantity arriving at once
Synonyms: flood, torrent, inundation, downpour, avalanche
Antonyms: drought, trickle, dearth
Use: A deluge of applications arrived after the advert.
🔁 CSS 2013

38. DEMAGOGUE (n.)

Urdu: عوام کو بھڑکانے والا لیڈر
Meaning: a leader who exploits popular prejudice
Synonyms: rabble-rouser, agitator, firebrand, populist
Antonyms: statesman, conciliator, moderate
Use: Demagogues thrive in times of economic crisis.
🔁 CSS 2021

39. DEMEANOUR (n.)

Urdu: رویہ، انداز، چال ڈھال
Meaning: outward behaviour or bearing
Synonyms: manner, bearing, conduct, attitude, air
Antonyms: (no true antonym)
Use: His calm demeanour impressed the interview board.

40. DEMISE (n.)

Urdu: وفات؛ خاتمہ
Meaning: death; the end of something
Synonyms: death, end, collapse, downfall, passing
Antonyms: birth, rise, beginning, inception
Use: The demise of print newspapers has been predicted for years.
🔁 CSS 2010

41. DEMUR (v.)

Urdu: اعتراض کرنا، ہچکچانا
Meaning: to raise objections or show reluctance
Synonyms: object, protest, hesitate, balk, dissent
Antonyms: agree, accept, consent, comply
Use: He demurred at the idea of working on Sundays.

42. DENIGRATE (v.)

Urdu: بدنام کرنا، تحقیر کرنا
Meaning: to criticise unfairly
Synonyms: disparage, belittle, defame, vilify, malign
Antonyms: praise, laud, extol
Use: It is wrong to denigrate the work of others.
🔁 CSS 2019

43. DENOUNCE (v.)

Urdu: مذمت کرنا، علانیہ برا کہنا
Meaning: to publicly declare to be wrong or evil
Synonyms: condemn, criticise, censure, decry, attack
Antonyms: praise, support, commend, defend
Use: The world denounced the attack on civilians.

44. DEPLETE (v.)

Urdu: ختم کرنا، گھٹانا
Meaning: to use up the supply of
Synonyms: exhaust, drain, reduce, consume, use up
Antonyms: replenish, restore, increase, fill
Use: Overpumping has depleted groundwater in Balochistan.

45. DEPLORE (v.)

Urdu: افسوس کرنا، سخت ناپسند کرنا
Meaning: to feel or express strong disapproval of
Synonyms: condemn, lament, regret, deprecate, abhor
Antonyms: approve, praise, applaud, welcome
Use: We deplore violence against journalists.

46. DEPRECATE (v.)

Urdu: ناپسند کرنا، حقیر جاننا
Meaning: to express disapproval of; to belittle
Synonyms: disapprove, criticise, belittle, disparage
Antonyms: approve, praise, commend
Use: She deprecated her own achievements modestly.

47. DERIDE (v.)

Urdu: مذاق اڑانا، تضحیک کرنا
Meaning: to express contempt for; to ridicule
Synonyms: mock, ridicule, scoff at, jeer, belittle
Antonyms: praise, respect, admire, flatter
Use: Critics derided the plan as unrealistic.

48. DERIVATIVE (adj./n.)

Urdu: ماخوذ، نقلی، غیر اصلی
Meaning: imitative of another's work; derived
Synonyms: imitative, unoriginal, copied, secondary, borrowed
Antonyms: original, innovative, creative, novel
Use: The film was criticised as derivative.

49. DESECRATE (v.)

Urdu: بے حرمتی کرنا، تقدس پامال کرنا
Meaning: to treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect
Synonyms: defile, profane, violate, vandalise, dishonour
Antonyms: consecrate, sanctify, revere, honour
Use: Vandals desecrated the old graveyard.

50. DESICCATE (v.)

Urdu: خشک کرنا، نمی ختم کرنا
Meaning: to remove moisture from; to dry out
Synonyms: dry, dehydrate, parch, wither, drain
Antonyms: moisten, wet, soak, hydrate, saturate
Use: The long drought desiccated the fields of Thar.
🔁 CSS 2004