Daily English vocabulary from The Hindu Editorial dated 9 June 2017

Daily English vocabulary from The Hindu Editorial dated 9 June 2017

1.     Conundrum (noun): a confusing problem or question that is very difficult to solve; a question usually involving a trick with words, that you ask for fun;      Synonym : Riddle ·        The role of clouds is one of the big conundrums of climatology.

2.     Obdurate (adjective): refusing to change your mind or actions in any way;      Noun : Obduracy    Adjective: Obdurately ·        An obdurate attitude; ·        Some members of the committee are likely to prove obdurate on this matter.

3.     Notorious (adjective): well known for being bad; ·        A notorious criminal. ·        The country is notorious for its appalling jail conditions.      Adverb : Notoriously ·        Mountain weather is notoriously difficult to predict.

4.     Prerequisite (noun, adjective): something that must exist or happen before something else can happen or be done; ·        A degree is an essential prerequisite for employment at this level. ·        Flexibility of approach is an important prerequisite to successful learning.      Synonym: Precondition

5.     Capricious (adjective): showing sudden changes in attitude or behavior; changing suddenly and quickly; ·        They had to contend with capricious economic forces. ·        A movie star who was capricious and difficult to please.      Synonym : Unpredictable, Changeable      Adverb : capriciously;   Noun: Capriciousness;

6.     Inscrutable (adjective): if a person or their expression is inscrutable, it is hard to know what they are thinking or feeling, because they do not show any emotion;      Adverb: inscrutably      Noun : Inscrutability; ·        He was wearing that inscrutable look again. ·        Her face had become inscrutable.

7.     Coherence (noun): the situation in which all the parts of something fit together well;      Opposite: Incoherence; ·        They have struggled to create coherence in the group. ·        Theories which lack ideological coherence.

8.     Adversary (noun): a person that somebody is opposed to and competing with in an argument or battle;      Synonym: Opponent; ·        The two of them were the old adversaries.

9.     Benevolent (adjective) : kind, helpful and generous; used in the names of some organizations that give help and money to people in need;      Noun: benevolence;    Adverb: Benevolently; ·        He was met by an elderly priest with a benevolent smile. ·        They considers themselves to be benevolent employers, providing sick pay and pensions for all their workers.