Crunch Prep 101 High Frequency Words

Front 1

Cacophony

Back 1

a loud harsh or strident noise

( remember the croaking sound made by the frogs which is irritating. )

Front 2

Cadge

Back 2

asking/excessively begging to get something free; be a parasite

( cadge....sounds like cage....some1 in the cage begging to get out )

Front 3

Callow

Back 3

Lacking adult maturity or experience; immature

( Callow = Cal + low; caliber is low. )

Front 4

Calumny

Back 4

an abusive attack on a person's character or good name

( calumny, sounds like kalmuhi, which is a harsh remark given by a saas to her bahu. So its a kind of slander. )

Front 5

camaraderie

Back 5

Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship.

( break it up.. Camara + de + rie.. you give or share your room with your friends with whom you have mutual trust.. good-fellowship.. )

Front 6

Candid

Back 6

Free from prejudice; impartial.

( candidates in an interview are recommended to be straight forward in an interview for best result..... )

Front 7

Canny

Back 7

Careful and shrewd, especially where one's own interests are concerned. cautious in spending money

( a can is used to store stuff and hence canny refers to storing money and not easliy spending it )

Front 8

Canon

Back 8

A law or rule. The collection of books received as genuine Holy Scriptures

( sounds like canun -> kanun -> set of laws; so canon is the set of books containing kanun )

Front 9

Canonical

Back 9

conforming to orthodox or recognized rules

( canonical rhymes with Biblical, so something to do with Bible rules, religious,orthodox values )

Front 10

Capitulate

Back 10

To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms.

( Cap it's too late, we will have to surrender.. (cap = captain) )

Front 11

Capricious

Back 11

Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable

( ca(CAR) + PRIC(PRICE)...PRICE OF cars nowadays is becoming unpredictable with the launch of Tata's 1 lakh car. )

Front 12

Caption

Back 12

A title, short explanation, or description accompanying an illustration or a photograph.

( Just as Captain accompanies his team & explains them how to play,caption accompanies a photograph & explains what it is about )

Front 13

Captious

Back 13

to judge too severely

( similar to CAUTIOUS...cautious people FIND FAULTS in things )

Front 14

Cardinal

Back 14

Of foremost importance; paramount:

( cardinal' also means pertaining to the 'heart' and the heart is the 'most important' part of our body. )

Front 15

Carnage

Back 15

the savage and excessive killing of many people

( carn+age where carn can be seen from the carnivorous point of view so its DESTRUCTION OF LIFE, SLAUGHTER,KILLING.. )

Front 16

Carrion

Back 16

The rotting flesh of a dead animal.

( The vulture carries on eating carrion . (carries on=carrion) )

Front 17

Castigation

Back 17

punishment; chastisement; reproof; pungent criticism.

( Castigated sounds similar to castrated, which would be a harsh punishment for any guy. )

Front 18

Cataclysm

Back 18

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune, a great flood

( from Gk. kataklysmos, from kata "down" + klyzein "to wash." )

Front 19

Catalyst

Back 19

One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences:

( )

Front 20

Catharsis

Back 20

A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear,

( CATHA sounds like KATHA(a religious story in hindi)..KATHA leads to the purging(means release) of emotional tensions. )

Front 21

Catholic

Back 21

relating to the Church,comprehensive,universal

( Catholic Christians are found everywhere in the world....so they are present universally. )

Front 22

Cavil

Back 22

To find fault unnecessarily; trivial objections

( sounds like evil.. evil people always find unnecessary faults in the good.. )

Front 23

Cavort

Back 23

To leap and skip about playfully:

( cavort-cricket sounds rhyming so-Play cricket(cavort)in ground & enjoy. )

Front 24

Celibate

Back 24

Abstinence from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.

( celi+ABATE – stop sex )

Front 25

Censure

Back 25

harsh criticism or disapproval

( Try to link the meaning of this word with the censor board which always criticizes every inch of the film and also disapproves of some of the parts. )

Front 26

Chagrin

Back 26

strong feelings of embarrassment

( When someone laughs and GRINs at u,u feel humiliated,irritated. )

Front 27

Chaos

Back 27

a state of extreme confusion and disorder

( )

Front 28

Charisma

Back 28

The power or quality of attracting

( this word sounds like KARISMA(KAPOOR BOLLYWOOD HEROINE)..she definitely has great charm and is quite appealing. )

Front 29

Charlatan

Back 29

A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge

( you hit CHAR LATEIN (in Hindi language) (4 kicks) to the person who misguides you as he himself doesn't know anything. )

Front 30

Chary

Back 30

characterized by great caution and wariness

( CHARY sounds similar to WARY, meaning CAUTIOUS )

Front 31

Chasm

Back 31

a deep opening in the earth's surface, ,A difference of ideas, beliefs, or opinions.

( Latin chasma < Greek khasma "gulf )

Front 32

Chauvinist

Back 32

devotion to a belief

( chauvinist-nationalist...sounds similar -an extreme nationalist )

Front 33

Chicanery

Back 33

Deception by trickery or sophistry.

( sounds like Chick..a chick who tricks )

Front 34

Choleric

Back 34

characterized by anger

( cholera is a disease . When you are sick you get irritated and bad-tempered, you are choleric. )

Front 35

Circumlocution

Back 35

an indirect way of expressing something

( circumlocution -> circle + locution (loqui means to speak), speaking vaguely so as to avoid the topic. )

Front 36

Citadel

Back 36

a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle

( cita-del is similar to city -Delhi in India which has many old fortress. )

Front 37

Clairvoyant

Back 37

The supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by the senses.

( clear + voyan -> boyan(speech); so clairvoyant means who can SPEECH CLEARLY about the future. )

Front 38

Coalesce

Back 38

mix together different elements

( coalesce: coa+LACE: lace is used to tie things together or mix things together )

Front 39

Coda

Back 39

the closing section of a musical composition

( from L. cauda "a tail." )

Front 40

Coercion

Back 40

using force to cause something to occur

( rhymes with aversion-force to do something you have an aversion for )

Front 41

Cogent

Back 41

powerfully persuasive

( co+agent...cooperative agents make congent suggestions. )

Front 42

Cogitate

Back 42

consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon

( Agitate the mind = cogitate. )

Front 43

Cognizant

Back 43

Marked by comprehension, cognizance, and perception:somebody who is fully informed & aware

( "capable of being known," )

Front 44

Cohere

Back 44

To be united; to work or hold together.

( involves word "co"+"here" everybody come here...means stay together )

Front 45

Collier

Back 45

someone who works in a coal mine

( col-sounds like coal )

Front 46

Colloquial

Back 46

characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation

( colloquial - can be read as Coll - local so we use local language(informal) language in our college.. )

Front 47

Collusion

Back 47

secret agreement

( rhymes with illusion- which is not real,appears something else-covers up the real thing-secret )

Front 48

Color

Back 48

(verb) affect as in thought or feeling

( )

Front 49

Colossus

Back 49

a person of exceptional importance and reputation

( Gk. kolossos "gigantic statue," )

Front 50

Comeliness

Back 50

the quality of being good looking and attractive

( rhymes with cleabliness-neat,clean place will attract you )

Front 51

Comeuppance

Back 51

an outcome (good or bad) that is well deserved

( come+uppance= uppance sounds like offence, so when u do any offence punishments will COME behind you which is DESERVED )

Front 52

Comity

Back 52

An atmosphere of social harmony.

( comity sounds like come eat with us, which displays courtesy. )

Front 53

Commensurate

Back 53

corresponding in size or degree or extent

( sounds like common rate- that means the rate at which you work,at the same or common rate, you will get wages )

Front 54

Commiserate

Back 54

to feel or express sympathy or compassion

( co+miserate ...share one's misery by being with them )

Front 55

Compendium

Back 55

a concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work,a publication containing a variety of works

( An audience always wants that whoever COMES to speak on the PODIUM should speak briefly. )

Front 56

Complacent

Back 56

Contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned

( placement ... hogaya ab i am fully satisfied with myself )

Front 57

Complaisant

Back 57

showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

( com + plais(please) + ant come and please the a(u)n )

Front 58

Compliance

Back 58

An act of willingly carrying out the wishes of others,the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another

( com + pliance, pliant means flexible - yielding. )

Front 59

Conciliatory

Back 59

intended to placate,mollify

( sounds like CONSOLING...which means soothin )

Front 60

Concurrent

Back 60

occurring or operating at the same time

( con-with + current -at the same time )

Front 61

Condone

Back 61

excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with

( condone = consideration + done ~ you do not consider STH anymore )

Front 62

Conducive

Back 62

tending to bring about; being partly responsible for

( conducive - come(con) + do(du) + civil work(cive).....doing civil work is helpful & contributive. )

Front 63

Conflagration

Back 63

a very intense and uncontrolled fire

( flagration sounds like flare which means fire, so big fire )

Front 64

Confluence

Back 64

a coming together of people

( the place where two rivers flow together and become one larger river !! so above mnemonics are all wrong. Confluence = Come(con) + flow (together) :) )

Front 65

Congeal

Back 65

to thicken,to solidfy

( con + geal..geal...gelatinous..means to coagulate )

Front 66

Connoisseur

Back 66

an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts

( (In Hindi Language) Connoisseur sounds like kaun inse sure nahi hoga. Ye to expert hai. He is connoisseur. He is EXPERT. )

Front 67

Conscientious

Back 67

guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong

( French < Latin conscientia "consciousness" < conscire "be conscious," literally "know thoroughly" < scire "know"] )

Front 68

Conscript

Back 68

someone who is drafted into military service

( Latin conscript-, past participle of conscribere "enroll" < scribere "write"] )

Front 69

Consecrate

Back 69

render holy by means of religious rites

( Consecrate = Con + Secrate (sounds like SACRED).SACRED is "holy". It refers to holiness when one dedicates his life to "god". )

Front 70

Consequential

Back 70

Having great significance

( If you dont pay money, the consequences will be serious" )

Front 71

Contentious

Back 71

argumentative,quarrelsome

( contentious=content+tious(relate with malicious)..i.e. malicious person will argue aboyt everything )

Front 72

Contiguous

Back 72

very close or connected in space or time

( rhymes with CONTINUOUS...so closely connected-without any space )

Front 73

Contravene

Back 73

deny the truth of

( contravene is like intervene..so opposing )

Front 74

Contrite

Back 74

A feeling of regret for one's sins or misdeeds

( SPLIT AS cont (COUNT) - rite (RIGHT). COUNT THE CASH RIGHT, ELSE YOU WILL REGRET IT. )

Front 75

Contumacious

Back 75

boldly defy or resist authority,stubborn

( Latin contumacia < contumac- "insolent"] )

Front 76

Conundrum

Back 76

a difficult problem

( Can+ any one lift is drum?? As it is a difficult problem. )

Front 77

Convene

Back 77

call together

( sounds like "convey" we have to convey something, so please assemble for a meeting. )

Front 78

Convention

Back 78

A formal meeting, a widely observed/practised rule

( )

Front 79

Convivial

Back 79

fun loving,fond of good company

( sounds like carnival which has a festive,fun atmosphere )

Front 80

Convoluted

Back 80

Having numerous overlapping coils or folds:

( volve is root which means to roll. con is prefix which means together.If you roll some thing completely (within it self) it becomes complicated!! and difficult to entangle it! )

Front 81

Copious

Back 81

affording an abundant supply

( By copying in an exam, some get a LOT of marks )

Front 82

Cornucopia

Back 82

the property of being extremely abundant

( corn + copia copia is similar to copius meaning plentiful, cornucopia thus means plenty of corn(grains/fruits). )

Front 83

Corporal

Back 83

Of or relating to the body.

( )

Front 84

Corpulent

Back 84

excessively fat

( we can remember it by 'crop'. One who eats too much crop is very fat.. )

Front 85

Coterie

Back 85

an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

( ounds like KOTHARI (in hindi it means an enclosed room) -- where people with common purposes meet. )

Front 86

Covenant

Back 86

A formal sealed agreement or contract..an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return

( Covalent means a kind of bonding, Covenant means binding between ppl. )

Front 87

Covert

Back 87

covered over; sheltered.

( Covert sounds like "covered [covert = cover + t or covered + t] and something which is covered can be considered a secret. )

Front 88

Cower

Back 88

show submission or fear

( A coward cowers from fear while the bold and the brave do not. )

Front 89

Craven

Back 89

an abject coward

( craven - relate with cave + in. You move in cave if your are coward (in a jungle) )

Front 90

Credulous

Back 90

believe too readily; gullible.

( gives 'credit' to everything one hears or reads - credulous )

Front 91

Crescendo

Back 91

A gradual increase, especially in the volume or intensity of sound

( divide it like cresc(sound like krish)+end..at the end of krish movie..when hrithik kills the villian..the intensity or the volume of music increses .which conveys the feeling. )

Front 92

Crestfallen

Back 92

brought low in spirit

( chest + fallen.. disappointed, sad.. you lose all hope. )

Front 93

Cryptic

Back 93

secret; obscure in meaning

( Crypt means Secret . . . So Cryptic means something secret . )

Front 94

Culinary

Back 94

of or relating to or used in cooking

( cullinary almost rhymes with CURRY, which is again related to cooking. )

Front 95

Cull

Back 95

v-remove something that has been rejected

( for VERB - sounds like "KILL" - (verb) remove something that has been rejected )

Front 96

Culmination

Back 96

a concluding action

( sounds like termination which means the ending position (of play)or the climax (of attaining something). )

Front 97

Culpable

Back 97

deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil

( culp( culprit)...so a culprit is always DESERVING OF BLAME FROM EVERYONE. )

Front 98

Culvert

Back 98

a transverse and totally enclosed drain under a road or railway

( a culprit alwayz hides under a road or bridge...hence u can compare it with culvert )

Front 99

Curmudgeon

Back 99

a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas,

( Cur-mud-geon Car mud main gone... to driver went bad tempered... i.e. curmudgeon.. )

Front 100

Curry

Back 100

v-give a neat appearance to, n- a pungent spicy asian dish

( )

Front 101

Cursory

Back 101

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

( relate it to the cursor on your computer screen..the mouse is used to move the cursor hastily without going into minor details.. )

Front 102

Cynicism

Back 102

feeling of distrust

( pronounced as SIN-ISM,you will not tust people who SIN. )