compulsory · CSS study notes

Set 2 — Austere to Credulous

1. AUSTERE (adj.)

Urdu: سادہ، سخت، کفایت شعار
Meaning: severe or strict; having no comforts or luxuries
Synonyms: severe, strict, spartan, plain, frugal
Antonyms: luxurious, lavish, ornate, indulgent
Use: The government announced austere measures to cut spending.

2. AVARICE (n.)

Urdu: لالچ، حرص، زر پرستی
Meaning: extreme greed for wealth
Synonyms: greed, cupidity, covetousness, rapacity, materialism
Antonyms: generosity, charity, liberality, altruism
Use: Avarice drove him to cheat his own brother.

3. BANAL (adj.)

Urdu: عامیانہ، گھسا پٹا، بے رنگ
Meaning: so lacking in originality as to be boring
Synonyms: trite, hackneyed, clichéd, dull, commonplace
Antonyms: original, fresh, novel, interesting
Use: The speech was full of banal promises.

4. BELIE (v.)

Urdu: غلط ثابت کرنا، جھٹلانا؛ چھپانا
Meaning: to fail to give a true impression of; to contradict
Synonyms: contradict, disguise, misrepresent, refute, conceal
Antonyms: confirm, prove, reveal, verify
Use: His calm face belied the panic he felt.

5. BENEFICENT (adj.)

Urdu: نیک دل، فیاض، فائدہ مند
Meaning: doing or resulting in good; generous
Synonyms: kind, charitable, generous, benevolent, philanthropic
Antonyms: malevolent, cruel, harmful, mean
Use: The beneficent donor funded the village school.

6. BOLSTER (v.)

Urdu: سہارا دینا، مضبوط کرنا
Meaning: to support or strengthen
Synonyms: strengthen, reinforce, support, boost, fortify
Antonyms: weaken, undermine, sabotage, impair
Use: The IMF loan bolstered foreign reserves.

7. BOMBASTIC (adj.)

Urdu: مبالغہ آمیز، لفاظی والا، پرتصنع
Meaning: high-sounding but with little meaning
Synonyms: pompous, grandiloquent, pretentious, turgid, verbose
Antonyms: plain, simple, modest, understated
Use: Voters ignored the bombastic slogans.

8. BOORISH (adj.)

Urdu: اکھڑ، بدتہذیب، گنوار
Meaning: rough and bad-mannered
Synonyms: rude, coarse, uncouth, vulgar, loutish
Antonyms: refined, polite, courteous, cultured
Use: His boorish behaviour embarrassed the hosts.

9. BURGEON (v.)

Urdu: تیزی سے پھلنا پھولنا، بڑھنا
Meaning: to begin to grow or increase rapidly
Synonyms: flourish, thrive, grow, expand, boom
Antonyms: decline, shrink, wither, dwindle
Use: Pakistan's IT exports are burgeoning.

10. CACOPHONY (n.)

Urdu: بے سرا شور، شور شرابا
Meaning: a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
Synonyms: din, racket, noise, discord, clamour
Antonyms: harmony, silence, euphony, melody
Use: The cacophony of the traffic gave me a headache.
🔁 CSS 2026 (antonym: stillness)

11. CALLOUS (adj.)

Urdu: بے حس، سنگ دل
Meaning: showing a cruel disregard for others
Synonyms: heartless, cruel, insensitive, cold-hearted, unfeeling
Antonyms: compassionate, caring, sympathetic, kind
Use: It was callous of him to laugh at the victims.

12. CANDID (adj.)

Urdu: صاف گو، کھرا
Meaning: truthful and straightforward; frank
Synonyms: frank, honest, open, blunt, forthright
Antonyms: evasive, guarded, deceitful, secretive
Use: The minister gave a candid interview about the economy.

13. CAPRICIOUS (adj.)

Urdu: متلون مزاج، من موجی
Meaning: given to sudden changes of mood or behaviour
Synonyms: fickle, erratic, whimsical, unpredictable, volatile
Antonyms: steady, consistent, stable, predictable
Use: The capricious weather ruined the picnic.
🔁 CSS 2007

14. CASTIGATE (v.)

Urdu: سخت سرزنش کرنا، ملامت کرنا
Meaning: to reprimand someone severely
Synonyms: reprimand, rebuke, censure, chastise, berate
Antonyms: praise, commend, applaud, compliment
Use: The court castigated the police for negligence.

15. CATALYST (n.)

Urdu: عمل انگیز، محرک
Meaning: a person or thing that causes an important change
Synonyms: stimulus, spark, trigger, impetus, agent
Antonyms: obstacle, hindrance, deterrent, inhibitor
Use: CPEC could be a catalyst for industrial growth.

16. CAUSTIC (adj.)

Urdu: جلانے والا؛ تلخ، طنزیہ
Meaning: able to burn chemically; sarcastic in a hurtful way
Synonyms: corrosive, biting, acerbic, sarcastic, cutting
Antonyms: mild, soothing, kind, gentle
Use: His caustic remarks hurt his colleagues.

17. CHICANERY (n.)

Urdu: چالبازی، فریب، ہیرا پھیری
Meaning: the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial or legal purpose
Synonyms: trickery, deception, fraud, deceit, duplicity
Antonyms: honesty, integrity, sincerity, fairness
Use: The election was marred by chicanery.

18. CIRCUMSPECT (adj.)

Urdu: محتاط، دور اندیش
Meaning: wary and unwilling to take risks
Synonyms: cautious, careful, prudent, wary, guarded
Antonyms: rash, reckless, careless, imprudent
Use: Diplomats must be circumspect in public statements.

19. COGENT (adj.)

Urdu: مدلل، قائل کر دینے والا
Meaning: (of an argument) clear, logical and convincing
Synonyms: convincing, compelling, persuasive, sound, forceful
Antonyms: weak, unconvincing, flimsy, feeble
Use: She presented a cogent case for provincial autonomy.

20. COMMENSURATE (adj.)

Urdu: متناسب، برابر، ہم پلہ
Meaning: corresponding in size or degree; in proportion
Synonyms: proportionate, equivalent, corresponding, matching
Antonyms: disproportionate, inadequate, unequal
Use: Salary will be commensurate with experience.

21. COMPLACENT (adj.)

Urdu: خود مطمئن، بے فکر، غافل
Meaning: showing uncritical satisfaction with oneself; unaware of danger
Synonyms: smug, self-satisfied, unconcerned, careless
Antonyms: vigilant, concerned, anxious, alert
Use: The team became complacent after two easy wins.

22. CONCILIATORY (adj.)

Urdu: مصالحتی، صلح جویانہ
Meaning: intended to placate or pacify
Synonyms: peacemaking, placatory, friendly, pacifying, appeasing
Antonyms: hostile, antagonistic, confrontational, provocative
Use: The PM struck a conciliatory tone towards the opposition.

23. CONDONE (v.)

Urdu: نظر انداز کرنا، معاف کرنا
Meaning: to accept or overlook wrong behaviour
Synonyms: overlook, excuse, pardon, tolerate, ignore
Antonyms: condemn, censure, punish, denounce
Use: We cannot condone violence of any kind.
🔁 CSS 2020

24. CONFOUND (v.)

Urdu: حیران کرنا، الجھانا؛ غلط ثابت کرنا
Meaning: to cause surprise or confusion; to prove wrong
Synonyms: bewilder, baffle, perplex, astonish, confuse
Antonyms: clarify, enlighten, explain, confirm
Use: The result confounded all the pollsters.

25. CONNOISSEUR (n.)

Urdu: ماہرِ فن، پارکھ، اہلِ ذوق
Meaning: an expert judge in matters of taste
Synonyms: expert, authority, aficionado, specialist, judge
Antonyms: amateur, novice, dilettante, layman
Use: He is a connoisseur of classical music.
🔁 CSS 2025 (antonym of dilettante)

26. CONTRITE (adj.)

Urdu: نادم، پشیمان، تائب
Meaning: feeling remorse or penitence
Synonyms: remorseful, repentant, sorry, apologetic, penitent
Antonyms: unrepentant, impenitent, shameless, defiant
Use: The contrite student apologised to his teacher.

27. CONUNDRUM (n.)

Urdu: معمہ، پیچیدہ مسئلہ
Meaning: a confusing and difficult problem or question
Synonyms: puzzle, riddle, enigma, dilemma, mystery
Antonyms: solution, answer, resolution
Use: Circular debt is the conundrum of our energy sector.
🔁 CSS 2026 (synonym of enigma)

28. CONVOLUTED (adj.)

Urdu: پیچیدہ، الجھا ہوا
Meaning: extremely complex and difficult to follow
Synonyms: complicated, intricate, tortuous, involved, labyrinthine
Antonyms: simple, straightforward, clear, lucid
Use: The film's convoluted plot confused the audience.
🔁 CSS 2019

29. CORROBORATE (v.)

Urdu: تصدیق کرنا، تائید کرنا
Meaning: to confirm or give support to a statement or theory
Synonyms: confirm, verify, validate, substantiate, support
Antonyms: refute, contradict, disprove, deny
Use: Two witnesses corroborated her statement.

30. CREDULOUS (adj.)

Urdu: جلد یقین کر لینے والا، سادہ لوح
Meaning: having too great a readiness to believe things
Synonyms: gullible, naive, trusting, unsuspecting, naïve
Antonyms: sceptical, suspicious, cynical, incredulous
Use: Credulous people fall for online scams.
Trap: credible = believable; credulous = too ready to believe.