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compulsory · CSS study notes

Set 7 — Maverick to Perfunctory

1. MAVERICK (n./adj.)

  • Urdu: انفرادی راہ چلنے والا، جماعت سے ہٹ کر چلنے والا
  • Meaning: an unorthodox or independent-minded person
  • Synonyms: nonconformist, individualist, rebel, dissenter, free spirit
  • Antonyms: conformist, traditionalist, follower, loyalist
  • Use: The maverick senator voted against his own party.

2. MEDIOCRE (adj.)

  • Urdu: معمولی، درمیانے درجے کا
  • Meaning: of only average quality
  • Synonyms: average, ordinary, indifferent, second-rate, undistinguished
  • Antonyms: excellent, outstanding, superior, exceptional
  • Use: Mediocre teaching produces mediocre results.

3. METICULOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: باریک بین، نہایت محتاط
  • Meaning: showing great attention to detail
  • Synonyms: careful, thorough, scrupulous, painstaking, precise
  • Antonyms: careless, sloppy, negligent, slapdash
  • Use: Meticulous record-keeping prevents disputes.

4. MITIGATE (v.)

  • Urdu: کم کرنا، شدت گھٹانا
  • Meaning: to make less severe
  • Synonyms: alleviate, lessen, reduce, ease, temper
  • Antonyms: aggravate, intensify, worsen, increase
  • Use: Tree plantation can mitigate the effects of heatwaves.

5. MOLLIFY (v.)

  • Urdu: منانا، غصہ ٹھنڈا کرنا
  • Meaning: to appease the anger of
  • Synonyms: placate, pacify, appease, soothe, conciliate
  • Antonyms: provoke, enrage, aggravate, anger
  • Use: A written apology mollified the protesters.

6. MOROSE (adj.)

  • Urdu: اداس، چڑچڑا
  • Meaning: sullen and ill-tempered
  • Synonyms: sullen, gloomy, glum, sulky, melancholy
  • Antonyms: cheerful, happy, genial, jovial
  • Use: He grew morose after the result was announced.

7. MUNDANE (adj.)

  • Urdu: روزمرہ کا، معمولی
  • Meaning: lacking interest; ordinary
  • Synonyms: ordinary, routine, humdrum, banal, prosaic
  • Antonyms: extraordinary, exciting, remarkable, exotic
  • Use: Most of the job involves mundane paperwork.

8. MUNIFICENT (adj.)

  • Urdu: فیاض، بہت سخی
  • Meaning: extremely generous
  • Synonyms: generous, bountiful, lavish, liberal, open-handed
  • Antonyms: stingy, miserly, parsimonious, mean
  • Use: A munificent donation built the new ward.

9. MYRIAD (n./adj.)

  • Urdu: بے شمار
  • Meaning: a countless number
  • Synonyms: countless, innumerable, numerous, multitude, host
  • Antonyms: few, handful, limited, scarce
  • Use: The city faces a myriad of civic problems.

10. NEBULOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: مبہم، دھندلا
  • Meaning: vague and ill-defined
  • Synonyms: vague, unclear, hazy, indistinct, ambiguous
  • Antonyms: clear, definite, precise, distinct
  • Use: The policy remains nebulous on funding.

11. NEFARIOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: شریر، بدطینت
  • Meaning: wicked or criminal
  • Synonyms: wicked, villainous, evil, sinister, iniquitous
  • Antonyms: virtuous, noble, honourable, good
  • Use: Smugglers use nefarious means to move goods.

12. NONCHALANT (adj.)

  • Urdu: بے نیاز، لاپروا
  • Meaning: calmly unconcerned
  • Synonyms: casual, unconcerned, indifferent, blasé, composed
  • Antonyms: anxious, concerned, worried, agitated
  • Use: He was nonchalant about the missed deadline.

13. NOSTALGIA (n.)

  • Urdu: یادِ ماضی، گزشتہ کی یاد میں دل گیری
  • Meaning: a sentimental longing for the past
  • Synonyms: reminiscence, longing, yearning, wistfulness, homesickness
  • Antonyms: indifference, forward-looking, detachment
  • Use: Partition literature is steeped in nostalgia.

14. NOVICE (n.)

  • Urdu: نو آموز، اناڑی
  • Meaning: a beginner
  • Synonyms: beginner, learner, apprentice, tyro, newcomer
  • Antonyms: expert, veteran, master, professional
  • Use: Even a novice can pass with a proper plan.

15. NUANCE (n.)

  • Urdu: باریک فرق
  • Meaning: a subtle difference in meaning or tone
  • Synonyms: subtlety, shade, distinction, gradation, refinement
  • Antonyms: crudeness, broadness, generalization
  • Use: Translation often loses the nuance of the original.

16. OBJECTIVE (adj.)

  • Urdu: غیر جانبدار، معروضی
  • Meaning: not influenced by personal feelings
  • Synonyms: impartial, unbiased, neutral, detached, factual
  • Antonyms: subjective, biased, prejudiced, partial
  • Use: An examiner must stay objective.

17. OBSEQUIOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: چاپلوس، خوشامدی
  • Meaning: excessively eager to please
  • Synonyms: servile, sycophantic, fawning, ingratiating, submissive
  • Antonyms: assertive, independent, dignified, blunt
  • Use: Obsequious juniors tell the boss only good news.

18. OBSOLETE (adj.)

  • Urdu: متروک، فرسودہ
  • Meaning: no longer in use
  • Synonyms: outdated, outmoded, antiquated, defunct, archaic
  • Antonyms: current, modern, up-to-date, contemporary
  • Use: Many of our laws are obsolete.

19. OMINOUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: منحوس، خطرے کا پیش خیمہ
  • Meaning: suggesting that something bad will happen
  • Synonyms: threatening, menacing, foreboding, sinister, portentous
  • Antonyms: auspicious, promising, encouraging, favourable
  • Use: The falling reserves were an ominous sign.

20. ONEROUS (adj.)

  • Urdu: گراں، بوجھل
  • Meaning: involving a heavy burden
  • Synonyms: burdensome, arduous, taxing, demanding, laborious
  • Antonyms: easy, light, effortless, undemanding
  • Use: The conditions attached to the loan were onerous.

21. OSTENSIBLE (adj.)

  • Urdu: ظاہری، دکھاوے کا
  • Meaning: apparent but perhaps not real
  • Synonyms: apparent, outward, supposed, professed, alleged
  • Antonyms: real, actual, genuine, true
  • Use: The ostensible purpose of the visit was trade.

22. OSTRACIZE (v.)

  • Urdu: معاشرتی بائیکاٹ کرنا
  • Meaning: to exclude from a group
  • Synonyms: exclude, shun, banish, boycott, blackball
  • Antonyms: include, welcome, accept, embrace
  • Use: Whistle-blowers are often ostracized at work.

23. PALLIATE (v.)

  • Urdu: تکلیف کم کرنا (مرض ختم کئے بغیر)
  • Meaning: to make less severe without curing the cause
  • Synonyms: alleviate, mitigate, ease, relieve, soothe
  • Antonyms: aggravate, worsen, intensify
  • Use: Cash handouts palliate poverty but do not end it.

24. PANACEA (n.)

  • Urdu: ہر مرض کی دوا
  • Meaning: a supposed cure for all problems
  • Synonyms: cure-all, universal remedy, elixir, magic bullet
  • Antonyms: bane, affliction, curse
  • Use: Foreign investment is no panacea for structural flaws.
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25. PARADIGM (n.)

  • Urdu: نمونہ، فکری ڈھانچہ
  • Meaning: a typical model or framework of thought
  • Synonyms: model, pattern, framework, exemplar, standard
  • Antonyms: anomaly, exception, aberration
  • Use: Remote work caused a paradigm shift in offices.

26. PAUCITY (n.)

  • Urdu: قلت، کمی
  • Meaning: scarcity
  • Synonyms: scarcity, dearth, shortage, lack, insufficiency
  • Antonyms: abundance, plenty, surplus, profusion
  • Use: There is a paucity of reliable data on child labour.

27. PEDANTIC (adj.)

  • Urdu: باریکیوں میں الجھنے والا، علمی نمائش کرنے والا
  • Meaning: overly concerned with minor rules and details
  • Synonyms: fussy, nitpicking, punctilious, hair-splitting, bookish
  • Antonyms: broad-minded, flexible, casual, practical
  • Use: Do not be pedantic about grammar at the cost of sense.

28. PENCHANT (n.)

  • Urdu: رجحان، شوق
  • Meaning: a strong liking
  • Synonyms: liking, fondness, inclination, predilection, taste
  • Antonyms: dislike, aversion, antipathy
  • Use: He has a penchant for long, complicated sentences.

29. PERENNIAL (adj.)

  • Urdu: دائمی، ہر سال لوٹ آنے والا
  • Meaning: lasting a long time; recurring
  • Synonyms: enduring, perpetual, constant, recurrent, everlasting
  • Antonyms: temporary, fleeting, ephemeral, occasional
  • Use: Water disputes are a perennial issue between provinces.

30. PERFUNCTORY (adj.)

  • Urdu: سرسری، رسمی سا
  • Meaning: done with minimum effort
  • Synonyms: cursory, superficial, token, hasty, careless
  • Antonyms: thorough, careful, diligent, meticulous
  • Use: A perfunctory inspection missed the defects.