Are you preparing up for the Civil Service Exam in the Philippines? Boost your chances of success by dedicating time each day to expand your vocabulary. In this guide, we’ll explore 25 essential words that frequently appear in the exam. By mastering these words, you’ll enhance your comprehension skills and improve your performance in the language section.
Word | Meaning | Example |
---|---|---|
Ameliorate (verb) | To make something bad or unsatisfactory better | Steps were taken to ameliorate the poor working conditions. |
Bellicose (adjective) | Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight | The bellicose rhetoric from the leaders raised tensions. |
Cacophony (noun) | A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds | The cacophony of the city streets was overwhelming. |
Decimate (verb) | To kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of | The disease could decimate the population if not controlled. |
Enervate (verb) | To cause someone to feel drained of energy or vitality | The hot weather enervated everyone. |
Facetious (adjective) | Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor | His facetious remarks were not appreciated in the serious meeting. |
Gregarious (adjective) | Fond of company; sociable | The gregarious host made everyone feel welcome. |
Harangue (noun) | A lengthy and aggressive speech | He delivered a harangue against the proposed policy. |
Insipid (adjective) | Lacking flavor; weak or tasteless | The soup was insipid and needed more seasoning. |
Jingoistic (adjective) | Characterized by extreme patriotism, especially in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy | The jingoistic speech appealed to the nationalists. |
Lackadaisical (adjective) | Lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy | Her lackadaisical attitude towards her studies worried her parents. |
Mollify (verb) | To appease the anger or anxiety of someone | The manager tried to mollify the angry customer. |
Nefarious (adjective) | Wicked or criminal | The nefarious activities of the gang were finally exposed. |
Ostentatious (adjective) | Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice | His ostentatious lifestyle was the subject of much gossip. |
Prosaic (adjective) | Having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty | The prosaic speech failed to inspire the audience. |
Quandary (noun) | A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation | She was in a quandary about which job offer to accept. |
Quixotic (adjective) | Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical | His quixotic plans were not taken seriously by anyone. |
Recalcitrant (adjective) | Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude | The recalcitrant student refused to follow the rules. |
Sycophant (noun) | A person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to gain advantage | The office was full of sycophants eager to please the boss. |
Truncate (verb) | To shorten something by cutting off the top or the end | The article was truncated to fit the available space. |
Unabashed (adjective) | Not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed | She was unabashed in her praise for her friend’s achievements. |
Verbose (adjective) | Using or expressed in more words than are needed | His verbose explanation confused everyone. |
Winsome (adjective) | Attractive or appealing in appearance or character | Her winsome smile won over everyone she met. |
Yearn (verb) | To have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from | He yearned for the simplicity of his childhood. |
Zealous (adjective) | Having or showing zeal | The zealous supporters cheered loudly for their team. |