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compulsory · CSS study notes

Set 3 — Cryptic to Enigma

1. CRYPTIC (adj.)

  • Urdu: معمہ نما، مبہم
  • Meaning: having a hidden meaning; mysterious
  • Synonyms: enigmatic, obscure, puzzling, mysterious, ambiguous
  • Antonyms: clear, obvious, explicit, straightforward
  • Use: The spokesman gave a cryptic reply about the talks.

2. CULPABLE (adj.)

  • Urdu: قصور وار، قابلِ ملامت
  • Meaning: deserving blame
  • Synonyms: blameworthy, guilty, responsible, liable, at fault
  • Antonyms: innocent, blameless, faultless, guiltless
  • Use: The inquiry found three officers culpable.

3. CURSORY (adj.)

  • Urdu: سرسری، اوپری
  • Meaning: hasty and not thorough
  • Synonyms: hasty, superficial, perfunctory, quick, brief
  • Antonyms: thorough, detailed, careful, painstaking
  • Use: A cursory reading of the passage will not help in précis.

4. CURTAIL (v.)

  • Urdu: کم کرنا، محدود کرنا
  • Meaning: to reduce or cut short
  • Synonyms: reduce, cut, shorten, restrict, trim
  • Antonyms: extend, increase, prolong, expand
  • Use: The government curtailed non-development spending.

5. DEBILITATE (v.)

  • Urdu: کمزور کر دینا
  • Meaning: to make weak
  • Synonyms: weaken, enfeeble, sap, exhaust, undermine
  • Antonyms: strengthen, invigorate, energize, fortify
  • Use: Circular debt has debilitated the power sector.

6. DECORUM (n.)

  • Urdu: آداب، شائستگی
  • Meaning: behaviour in keeping with good taste
  • Synonyms: propriety, etiquette, dignity, seemliness, protocol
  • Antonyms: impropriety, rudeness, indecorum, vulgarity
  • Use: Members are expected to maintain decorum in the House.

7. DEFERENCE (n.)

  • Urdu: احترام، تابعداری
  • Meaning: humble submission and respect
  • Synonyms: respect, regard, esteem, submission, compliance
  • Antonyms: disrespect, defiance, contempt, insolence
  • Use: He spoke with deference to his teacher.

8. DELETERIOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: نقصان دہ، مضر
  • Meaning: causing harm or damage
  • Synonyms: harmful, damaging, injurious, detrimental, pernicious
  • Antonyms: beneficial, helpful, harmless, advantageous
  • Use: Smog has a deleterious effect on children's lungs.

9. DERIDE (v.)

  • Urdu: مذاق اڑانا، تمسخر کرنا
  • Meaning: to ridicule with contempt
  • Synonyms: mock, ridicule, scorn, taunt, jeer
  • Antonyms: praise, respect, admire, applaud
  • Use: Critics derided the plan as unworkable.

10. DESPOT (n.)

  • Urdu: آمر، جابر حاکم
  • Meaning: a ruler with absolute power, often cruel
  • Synonyms: tyrant, dictator, autocrat, oppressor, authoritarian
  • Antonyms: democrat, liberal ruler, servant of the people
  • Use: A despot fears nothing more than a free press.

11. DIATRIBE (n.)

  • Urdu: سخت تنقیدی تقریر، لعن طعن
  • Meaning: a bitter verbal attack
  • Synonyms: tirade, harangue, invective, rant, polemic
  • Antonyms: praise, eulogy, tribute, commendation
  • Use: His speech became a diatribe against the bureaucracy.

12. DIDACTIC (adj.)

  • Urdu: نصیحت آمیز، تعلیمی
  • Meaning: intended to teach, often moralizing
  • Synonyms: instructive, educational, moralistic, preachy, pedagogic
  • Antonyms: entertaining, non-instructive, amusing
  • Use: Urdu textbooks often have a didactic tone.

13. DIFFIDENT (adj.)

  • Urdu: جھجکنے والا، کم اعتماد
  • Meaning: lacking confidence in oneself
  • Synonyms: shy, timid, hesitant, self-effacing, bashful
  • Antonyms: confident, assertive, bold, self-assured
  • Use: The diffident candidate spoke too softly in the interview.

14. DIGRESS (v.)

  • Urdu: موضوع سے ہٹ جانا
  • Meaning: to depart from the main subject
  • Synonyms: deviate, stray, wander, ramble, diverge
  • Antonyms: stay on topic, focus, concentrate
  • Use: Do not digress from the essay's central argument.

15. DILATORY (adj.)

  • Urdu: تاخیری، ٹال مٹول کرنے والا
  • Meaning: slow to act; causing delay
  • Synonyms: slow, tardy, procrastinating, sluggish, delaying
  • Antonyms: prompt, punctual, quick, expeditious
  • Use: Dilatory tactics kept the case pending for years.

16. DISCERN (v.)

  • Urdu: پہچاننا، تمیز کرنا
  • Meaning: to perceive or recognize clearly
  • Synonyms: perceive, detect, distinguish, recognize, make out
  • Antonyms: miss, overlook, confuse, ignore
  • Use: A good reader can discern the author's tone.

17. DISDAIN (n./v.)

  • Urdu: حقارت، تحقیر کرنا
  • Meaning: contempt; to regard as unworthy
  • Synonyms: contempt, scorn, derision; despise, spurn
  • Antonyms: respect, admiration, esteem; honour
  • Use: She treated the offer with disdain.

18. DISPARATE (adj.)

  • Urdu: بالکل مختلف، غیر متجانس
  • Meaning: essentially different in kind
  • Synonyms: dissimilar, contrasting, divergent, distinct, unlike
  • Antonyms: similar, alike, homogeneous, uniform
  • Use: The coalition united disparate political groups.

19. DISSEMINATE (v.)

  • Urdu: پھیلانا، نشر کرنا
  • Meaning: to spread widely
  • Synonyms: spread, circulate, broadcast, distribute, propagate
  • Antonyms: suppress, conceal, withhold, gather
  • Use: False information is disseminated within minutes on WhatsApp.

20. DOGMATIC (adj.)

  • Urdu: ضدی طور پر اپنی رائے پر اڑا ہوا
  • Meaning: asserting opinions as if they were undeniable facts
  • Synonyms: opinionated, doctrinaire, assertive, rigid, inflexible
  • Antonyms: open-minded, flexible, receptive, tentative
  • Use: A dogmatic approach kills debate in the classroom.

21. DUBIOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: مشکوک، مشتبہ
  • Meaning: doubtful; not to be relied upon
  • Synonyms: doubtful, questionable, suspect, uncertain, unreliable
  • Antonyms: certain, reliable, trustworthy, definite
  • Use: The company has a dubious record on taxes.

22. EBULLIENT (adj.)

  • Urdu: پرجوش، خوشی سے سرشار
  • Meaning: cheerful and full of energy
  • Synonyms: exuberant, buoyant, lively, elated, effervescent
  • Antonyms: depressed, gloomy, subdued, listless
  • Use: The ebullient crowd celebrated till midnight.

23. ECLECTIC (adj.)

  • Urdu: مختلف ذرائع سے ماخوذ، متنوع
  • Meaning: drawing ideas from a wide range of sources
  • Synonyms: wide-ranging, varied, diverse, broad-based, catholic
  • Antonyms: narrow, limited, exclusive, uniform
  • Use: His reading is eclectic, from Iqbal to economics.

24. EDIFICE (n.)

  • Urdu: عمارت؛ نظام کا ڈھانچہ
  • Meaning: a large building; a complex system
  • Synonyms: building, structure, construction; framework, system
  • Antonyms: ruin, rubble
  • Use: The whole edifice of governance rests on accountability.

25. EFFACE (v.)

  • Urdu: مٹا دینا
  • Meaning: to erase or rub out
  • Synonyms: erase, obliterate, wipe out, delete, expunge
  • Antonyms: preserve, restore, retain, mark
  • Use: Time cannot efface the memory of 1971.

26. EFFUSIVE (adj.)

  • Urdu: حد سے زیادہ جذباتی، بہت تعریف کرنے والا
  • Meaning: expressing feelings in an unrestrained way
  • Synonyms: gushing, demonstrative, fulsome, lavish, unrestrained
  • Antonyms: reserved, restrained, reticent, cool
  • Use: He gave effusive praise to his host.

27. EGREGIOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: نہایت برا، نمایاں طور پر قابلِ مذمت
  • Meaning: outstandingly bad; shocking
  • Synonyms: flagrant, blatant, glaring, outrageous, gross
  • Antonyms: minor, slight, admirable, excellent
  • Use: The audit revealed egregious violations of rules.

28. ELUCIDATE (v.)

  • Urdu: واضح کرنا، تشریح کرنا
  • Meaning: to make clear; to explain
  • Synonyms: clarify, explain, illuminate, expound, spell out
  • Antonyms: obscure, confuse, obfuscate, muddle
  • Use: Kindly elucidate your second argument with an example.

29. EMULATE (v.)

  • Urdu: تقلید کرنا، پیروی کرنا
  • Meaning: to imitate in order to equal or surpass
  • Synonyms: imitate, copy, follow, match, rival
  • Antonyms: ignore, differ from, disregard
  • Use: Young players try to emulate their captain.

30. ENIGMA (n.)

  • Urdu: معمہ، پہیلی
  • Meaning: a puzzling person or thing
  • Synonyms: mystery, puzzle, riddle, conundrum, paradox
  • Antonyms: clarity, certainty, open book
  • Use: The sudden resignation remains an enigma.
  • 🔁 CSS 2026 (synonym: conundrum)