Example

Root Word Meaning

Word
1. Aqua Water Aquarium
2. Aud Hear Audible
3. Bio Life Biology
4. Chron Time Chronology
5. Corp Body Corporation
6. Cred Believe Incredible
7. Dict Say Dictate
8.Duc/Duct Lead Conduct
Make or
9. Fac/Fact Factory
Do
10. Form Shape Formation
11. Geo Earth Geography
12. Graph Write Autograph
13. Hydr Water Hydrant
14. Ject Throw Eject
15. Jur Law Jury
Word or
16. Log Biology
Study
17. Loc Place Location
18. Manu Hand Manual
19. Mater Mother Maternity
20. Mit/Miss Send Transmit
 Example
Root Word Meaning
Word
21. Mob/Mot/Mov Move Mobile
22. Morph Shape Metamorphosis
23. Mort Death Mortal
24. Multi Many Multicolor
25. Ped Foot Pedal
26. Phil Love Philosophy
27. Photo Light Photograph
28. Port Carry Transport
29. Psych Mind Psychology
Ask or
30. Quer/Quis Inquire
Seek
31. Scrip/Scrib Write Manuscript
32. Sect Cut Dissect
33. Sens/Sent Feel Sentiment
34. Spec Look Spectator
35. Struct Build Structure
36. Tele Far Telephone
37. Temp Time Temporary
38. Terr Earth Territory
39. Therm Heat Thermometer
Pull or
40. Tract Tractor
Drag
41. Vid/Vis See Vision
 Example
Root Word Meaning
Word
42. Voc/Vok Call Vocal
Roll or
43. Volv/Volut Revolve
Turn
44. Zoo Animal Zoology
45. Auto Self Autograph
46. Bene Good Benefit
47. Mal Bad Malfunction
48. Micro Small Microscope
49. Macro Large Macroeconomics
50. Ante Before Antecedent
51. Post After Postwar

Example
Root Word Meaning
Word
52. Agri Field/Farming Agriculture
53. Astro Star Astronomy
54. Cede/Ceed Go/Yield Recede
55. Civ Citizen Civilization
56. Dem People Democracy
57. Fid Faith Confide
58. Hemo Blood Hemoglobin
59. Liter Letter Literature
 Example
Root Word Meaning
Word
60. Nym Name Synonym

FOREIGN WORDS
Word/Phrase Origin Meaning

For a specific
Ad hoc Latin
purpose
Former school or
Alma mater Latin
university
Ordered
À la carte French separately (not a
set meal)
In fashion / with
À la mode French
ice cream (U.S.)
Innovative,
Avant-garde French
ahead of its time
Bon appétit French Enjoy your meal
In good faith,
Bona fide Latin
genuine
Full freedom to
Carte blanche French
act
C’est la vie French That’s life
Word/Phrase Origin Meaning

A sudden
Coup d’état French overthrow of a
government
Feeling of
Déjà vu French already having
experienced
Doppelgänger German Look-alike
En route French On the way
Et cetera (etc.) Latin And the rest
Faux pas French Social mistake
Legal right to
Habeas corpus Latin
appear in court
Hors d’oeuvre French Appetizer
Id est (i.e.) Latin That is
In place of a
In loco parentis Latin
parent
In the middle of
In medias res Latin
things
Joie de vivre French Joy of living
Spiritual cause
Karma Sanskrit
and effect
Praise,
Kudos Greek
recognition
Word/Phrase Origin Meaning

Modus
Latin Way of operating
operandi
N/A Latin Not applicable
State of perfect
Nirvana Sanskrit
peace
Per capita Latin Per person
Per diem Latin Daily allowance
Persona non Unwelcome
Latin
grata person
Prima facie Latin At first glance
For the public
Pro bono Latin good (free
service)
Pro forma Latin As a formality
This for that,
Quid pro quo Latin
mutual exchange
Raison d’être French Reason for being
RSVP French Please respond
Joy at others’
Schadenfreude German
misfortune
Thus (used when
Sic Latin
quoting errors)
The current state
Status quo Latin
of affairs
Word/Phrase Origin Meaning

She
Subpoena Latin Legal summons received
a
Tabula rasa Latin Blank slate
Terra firma Latin Solid ground
Private
Tête-à-tête French
conversation
Masterly
Tour de force French
achievement
Verbatim Latin Word for word
The other way
Vice versa Latin
around
Zeitgeist German Spirit of the time
First public
Début French
appearance
Boredom or
Ennui French
dissatisfaction
Genre French Category or type
I came, I saw, I
Veni, vidi, vici Latin
conquered
Phrasal Example
Meaning
Verb Sentence
He asked her out
Ask out Invite on a date
to dinner.
She backed up
Back up Support
her friend’s story.
The bomb blew
Explode / get very
Blow up up. / He blew up
angry
at the news.
My car broke
Break Stop working / get down. / She
down upset broke down in
tears.
They broke up
Break up End a relationship
last year.
She brought up
Mention or raise a
Bring up an important
topic
issue.
The meeting was
Call off Cancel
called off.
Please carry on
Carry on Continue
with your work.
I need to catch up
Catch up Reach the same level
on my homework.
Register at a hotel or We checked in at
Check in
airport the hotel.
Phrasal Example
Meaning
Verb Sentence
They checked out
Leave a hotel /
Check out of the hotel. /
investigate
Check it out!
Come I came across an
Find by chance
across old photo.
Come up He came up with
Think of an idea
with a great plan.
You can count on
Count on Rely on
me.
I need to cut
Cut down Reduce
down on sugar.
She dealt with the
Deal with Handle a situation
problem quickly.
I made a mistake
Do over Repeat and had to do it
over.
We dressed up
Dress up Wear formal clothes
for the wedding.
Deliver I’ll drop you off at
Drop off
someone/something school.
He dropped out
Drop out Quit school or activity
of college.
Figure I figured out the
Understand or solve
out answer.
Phrasal Example
Meaning
Verb Sentence
Fill in this form. /
Complete (a form) /
Fill in She filled in for
substitute
the boss.
I found out the
Find out Discover
truth.
Have a good They get along
Get along
relationship well.
I got back late
Get back Return
last night.
She got over the
Get over Recover from
flu.
He gave up
Give up Quit / stop trying
smoking.
Go on with your
Go on Continue
story.
I grew up in
Grow up Become an adult
Canada.
We hung out at
Hang out Spend time socially
the mall.
Hold on, I’ll be
Hold on Wait a moment
right there.
Continue doing
Keep on Keep on studying.
something
 Phrasal Example
Meaning
Verb Sentence
Look I look after my
Take care of
after baby sister.
I’m looking for
Look for Search
my keys.
Look
Anticipate with I look forward to
forward
pleasure the holiday.
to
Look up the word
Look up Search for information
in a dictionary.
He made up an
Invent a story /
Make up excuse. / They
reconcile
made up.
She passed out
Pass out Faint / distribute from heat. / Pass
out the papers.
I picked up some
groceries. / I
Pick up Collect / learn
picked up
Spanish.
He pointed out
Point out Indicate
the mistake.
Don’t put off your
Put off Postpone
work.
Phrasal Example
Meaning
Verb Sentence
She put on her
Wear clothing / gain
Put on coat. / He put on
weight
weight.
Run out We ran out of
Have no more left
of milk.
Arrange / start He set up a new
Set up
something company.
She showed up
Show up Arrive
late.
Resemble a family He takes after his
Take after
member father.
He took off his
Remove / become
Take off hat. / Her
successful / depart
business took off.
She took up
Take up Start a hobby
painting.
She turned down
Turn Refuse or reduce
the job. / Turn
down volume
down the music.
He works out
Exercise / find a daily. /
Work out
solution Everything
worked out.
Verbs with Fixed Prepositions
Verb Preposition Example
It depends on the
Depend on
weather.
Rely on I rely on my friends.
Belong to This book belongs to me.
She listens to music
Listen to
every day.
He apologized for the
Apologize for
mistake.
She succeeded in passing
Succeed in
the exam.
He specializes in criminal
Specialize in
law.
I agree with your
Agree with
opinion.
She objected to the new
Object to
rules.
Suffer from He suffers from asthma.
Wait for I'm waiting for my turn.
She deals with customer
Deal with
complaints.
Worry about Don’t worry about it.
He apologized to his
Apologize to
teacher.
 Verb Preposition Example
Apply for I applied for the job.
She doesn’t approve of
Approve of
smoking.
He insisted on paying the
Insist on
bill.
Laugh at They laughed at the joke.
Please concentrate on
Concentrate on
your work.
He reacted to the news
React to
calmly.

Adjectives with Fixed Prepositions

Adjective Preposition Example
Good at She’s good at math.
Bad at He’s bad at spelling.
Interested in I’m interested in science.
The city is famous for its
Famous for
food.
Parents are responsible
Responsible for
for their children.
Afraid of She’s afraid of dogs.
Tired of I’m tired of waiting.
He’s angry about the
Angry about
decision.
 Adjective Preposition Example
Angry with She’s angry with him.
Similar to This is similar to that.
She’s married to a
Married to
lawyer.
Full of The box is full of toys.
Famous for Italy is famous for pasta.
This is different from
Different from
that.
He’s always nice to
Nice to
strangers.

Nouns with Fixed Prepositions

Noun Preposition Example
What’s the reason for the
Reason for
delay?
I have no interest in
Interest in
politics.
The storm caused damage
Damage to
to the house.
There’s a need for more
Need for
schools.
She has experience in
Experience in
teaching.
There’s been an increase
Increase in
in prices.
 Noun Preposition Example
What’s the advantage of
Advantage of
this plan?
The cause of the fire is
Cause of
unknown.
We found a solution to the
Solution to
problem.
Do you have access to the
Access to
internet?

Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
A good thing Losing that job was
A blessing in
that seemed bad a blessing in
disguise
at first disguise.
Cheap shoes like
A dime a
Very common those are a dime a
dozen
dozen.
A piece of The exam was a
Very easy
cake piece of cake.
His comments only
Add fuel to Make a bad
added fuel to the
the fire situation worse
fire.
I’m all ears—tell
All ears Fully listening
me what happened.
 Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
An arm and a That car costs an
Very expensive
leg arm and a leg.
Barking up Accusing the You're barking up
the wrong tree wrong person the wrong tree.
Avoid saying Stop beating
Beat around
something around the bush
the bush
directly and answer me.
I had to bite the
Do something
Bite the bullet bullet and go to the
unpleasant
dentist.
Make people feel He told a joke to
Break the ice
comfortable break the ice.
She burned the
Burn the Work late into
midnight oil
midnight oil the night
studying.
The officer does
Follow the rules
By the book everything by the
exactly
book.
Stop working for Let’s call it a day
Call it a day
the day and go home.
Do something Don’t cut corners
Cut corners
cheaply or badly on this project.
Don’t worry
Don’t cry over It's done, don’t cry
about what’s
spilt milk over spilt milk.
already done
 Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
She’s very down to
Practical and
Down to earth earth and easy to
realistic
talk to.
Every cloud Something good Don’t worry—every
has a silver in a bad cloud has a silver
lining situation lining.
Get a taste of Receive the
He got a taste of his
your own same treatment
own medicine.
medicine you give
He got cold feet
Get cold feet Become nervous
before the wedding.
Give someone She gave me the
the cold Ignore someone cold shoulder at the
shoulder party.
You hit the nail on
Hit the nail on
Be exactly right the head with that
the head
answer.
I’m tired—I’m going
Hit the sack Go to bed
to hit the sack.
He’s in hot water
In hot water In trouble
with his boss.
Both people Don’t blame just
It takes two to
involved are her—it takes two to
tango
responsible tango.
 Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
Jump on the Join a popular Everyone's jumping
bandwagon trend on the bandwagon.
Keep an eye Please keep an eye
Watch carefully
on on the baby.
I killed two birds
Kill two birds Do two things at with one stone by
with one stone once shopping and
meeting a friend.
She let the cat out
Let the cat out
Reveal a secret of the bag about the
of the bag
surprise.
Miss an I missed the boat
Miss the boat
opportunity on that job offer.
Once in a blue He visits once in a
Very rarely
moon blue moon.
She’s on cloud nine
On cloud nine Extremely happy
after her win.
Alert and She’s really on the
On the ball
efficient ball today.
Out of the He called me out of
Unexpectedly
blue the blue.
Pull Are you pulling my
Joke or tease
someone’s leg leg or is it true?
 Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
Put all your
Rely on one Don’t put all your
eggs in one
thing only eggs in one basket.
basket
Be patient—Rome
Rome wasn’t Great things
wasn’t built in a
built in a day take time
day.
We see eye to eye
See eye to eye Agree
on most things.
Stay neutral /
Sit on the He sits on the fence
avoid taking
fence in arguments.
sides
The person just
Speak of the Speak of the devil!
mentioned
devil Here comes John.
appears
Who spilled the
Spill the beans Reveal a secret beans about the
surprise?
The ball is in It's your The ball is in your
your court decision now court now.
She works from
The best of Benefits of two
home—the best of
both worlds different things
both worlds.
He threw in the
Throw in the
Give up towel after several
towel
failures.
 Example
Idiom Meaning
Sentence
Under the I’m feeling under
Feeling sick
weather the weather today.
The plans are still
Up in the air Uncertain
up in the air.
I’ll clean his room
When pigs fly Never
when pigs fly!
You can’t He looks mean, but
Don’t judge by
judge a book you can’t judge a
appearances
by its cover book by its cover.
Your guess is
I don’t know Your guess is as
as good as
either good as mine.
mine
In the same In the same We’re all in the
boat situation same boat.
Let’s cut to the
Cut to the
Get to the point chase—what’s the
chase
problem?

Here are 50 tough or advanced one-word

substitutions, often used in competitive exams like
UPSC, SSC, IELTS, or advanced-level writing. These
require a bit more vocabulary skill and are excellent
for expanding your command of English:
 One Word
Phrase
Substitution
A short, amusing story Anecdote
A person with great knowledge Savant
One who pretends to be what
Hypocrite
they are not
One who is indifferent to
Stoic
pleasure or pain
A cure for all diseases Panacea
A person who opposes war Pacifist
One who eats too much Glutton
One who thinks only of oneself Egoist
A life history written by
Autobiography
oneself
A life history written by
Biography
someone else
An official ban or restriction Embargo
A speech full of praise Panegyric
A political or moral speech Harangue
A person who doubts
Skeptic
everything
A person without a permanent
Vagabond
home
A large-scale departure of
Exodus
people
 One Word
Phrase
Substitution
A place where weapons are
Arsenal
stored
A person who writes plays Dramatist
A person who is excessively
Chauvinist
patriotic
A person who is socially
Recluse
awkward or introverted
One who walks in sleep Somnambulist
One who talks in sleep Somniloquist
A lover of good food Gourmet
Someone who hates women Misogynist
Someone who hates men Misandrist
Someone who hates marriage Misogamist
An animal that lives in groups Gregarious
A person with uncontrollable
Belligerent
rage
A person who is always
Malcontent
dissatisfied
The study of insects Entomology
The study of the origin of
Etymology
words
One who can do many things Versatile
A person who knows many
Linguist
languages
 One Word
Phrase
Substitution
A person with refined taste
Connoisseur
and manners
A person who dislikes
Misanthrope
humankind
A person who lives alone and
Hermit
avoids others
A record of daily events Diary
Fear of confined spaces Claustrophobia
Fear of heights Acrophobia
One who is outgoing and
Extrovert
sociable
One who is shy and reserved Introvert
A false name used to conceal
Pseudonym
identity
An unexpected gain or
Windfall
advantage
A person legally appointed to
Arbitrator
settle a dispute
Lasting for a very short time Ephemeral
Capable of being touched or
Tangible
felt
Impossible to be satisfied Insatiable
One who is indifferent to
Ascetic
pleasure or luxury
 One Word
Phrase
Substitution
One who speaks less Reticent
One who loves solitude Solitary