Here’s a way to improve your vocabulary and communication skills. Check out the words for the day and a small quiz to push yourself to improve your word power and language skills.

Grouse (Verb)

Meaning: complain about something trivial; grumble / a medium to large game bird with a plump body and feathered legs

Example: The grouse had been hung too long and cooked too long

Gainsay (Verb)

Meaning: deny or contradict (a fact or statement)

Example: These revisionists could not of course ultimately gainsay the fact that France was defeated

Hyperbole (Noun)

Meaning: exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Example: He’s using exaggeration and hyperbole to be entertaining – lots of writers do that

Also Read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: Work hard to taste success in competitive exams

Imbue (Verb)

Meaning: inspire or permeate with (a feeling or quality)

Example: They are qualities the current squad is imbued with, given their performances under pressure

Harangue (Noun)

Meaning: a lengthy and aggressive speech

Example: They were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards

Hew (Verb)

Meaning: chop or cut (something, especially wood or coal) with an axe, pick, or other tool

Example: Master carpenters would hew the logs with an axe

Inimical (Adjective)

Meaning: tending to obstruct or harm

Example: Drinking alcohol is inimical to thinking clearly

Also Read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: Improve language skills to excel in your career

Jargon (Noun)

Meaning: special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand

Example: Not everyone understands the technical jargon they use

Lampoon (Verb)

Meaning: publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm

Example: The actor was lampooned by the press

Latent (Adjective)

Meaning: (of a quality or state) existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden or concealed

Example: Axillary buds or eyes in the leaf axils are latent growth buds

Also Read: Vocabulary Made Easy series: Guide to polish your language skills to excel in exams

Put your thinking cap on and try to answer the following questions to understand how much you have grasped.

1. There is a lot of ____________ talent in the school. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Latent, Lampoon)
2. We need to remove the legal _____________. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Jargon, Inimical)
3. Can you think of some antonyms for the word Hew?
4. Can you think of some synonyms for the word Harangue?

Watch out for this space for your weekly update on improving word power.

(Definitions and examples are from Oxford Languages)