| Callous: Insensitive |
| Such a callous government, which is not moved even by the plight of a pregnant woman being slit open in her stomach, ought to go instantly. |
| Cantankerous: Quarrelsome, irascible |
| A candidate having even a shade of cantankerous nature in her is a strict no-no for a receptionist`s job. |
| Fastidious: Careful in all details, meticulous, very difficult to please |
| A fastidious film-maker as he was, Ronu Sen sometimes did not okay a shot despite 50 re-takes. |
| Forsake: To abandon |
| Though Piyush was getting a private-sector job worth Rs. 50000/- a month, he was not ready to forsake the security of his government job. |
| Gauche: Tactless |
| Narendra Modi`s gauche and childish handling of the Gujarat riots has deservedly earned him a dubious distinction. |
| Haughty: Proud |
| The late actor Raj Kumar was well-known for the haughty way in which he used to treat other co-stars on and off-screen. |
| Inextricable: Cannot be taken out, irredeemable |
| Had the government intervened earlier, the situation could have been salvaged, but right now it seems we are caught in an inextricable diplomatic crisis. |
| Macabre: Horrible |
| The scene of mass killings in the village presented a macabre sight to the visitors, enough to scare even the brave-hearted. |
| Ostensible: Apparent |
| The ostensible reason given for the boss` absence from the meeting was his ill health, while everybody knew deep down the heart that the boss had absented himself because of his differences with the management. |
| Overt: In the open |
| In an overt move against the CEO, the GM put the blame of failure on his head. |
| Quip: Witty remark |
| When confronted with this question "Do you like e-mail?", he quipped, " No, I like female". |
| Rapport: Harmony |
| Kavi Rakesh was appointed to the post of Chairman, Sahitya Academy because he enjoyed a close rapport with the members of the selection panel. |
| Recalcitrant: Obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage |
| His recalcitrant refusal to step down from the Chief Ministership of the state, despite all-round demand for his dismissal, only indicates his disregard for public sentiments. |
| Stealth: Secret |
| The thief moved about stealthily around the house, so as to get an idea about a safe entry and exit route. |
| Urbane: Courteous |
| He was a very polished, soft spoken and urbane speaker. |
| Wretchedness: Extreme misery or unhappiness |
| They lived in a wretched state and had to work hard to meet their daily requirements. |
| Wrought: Worked into shape by artistry or effort, fashioned, formed |
| The heated iron is wrought into different beautiful shapes by the workmen who must know the appropriate temperature needed for an article to get its proper shape. |
| Zany: Silly, crazy |
| The zany expression on her face belied her intellectual core. |
| Zenith: Peak |
| Today’s newcomers in the film industry are charging prices, which Amitabh Bachchan could never think of, even at the zenith of his career in the late 1970s and early 1980s. |