1. Heckle – To question harshly.
Synonyms: Harass, bother, torment, annoy
Antonyms: Support, encourage, promote, applaud
Usage: She was forced to leave the village after being heckled by some locals.
2. Disdain – A feeling of contempt or scorn.
Synonyms: Despise, sneer, neglect, disparage
Antonyms: Respect, sympathy, esteem, regard
Usage: The scheme’s worst flaw is it’s disdain for hungry children.
3. Convoluted – Complex, intricate or complicated.
Synonyms: confused, bewildering, baffling, puzzling, perplexing
Antonyms: simple, straightforward
Usage: Indian bureaucrats love programmes of this kind because they are centralised, convoluted and leaky.
4. Sneer – To utter with a grimace or contemptuous expression.
Synonyms: smirk, snicker, snigger, disdain, jibe, taunt, insult
Antonyms: Praise, compliment, respect
Usage: Modi openly expressed his contempt for MGNREGA but then proceeded to increase it’s budget while congress leaders sneered from the sidelines.
5. Exalt – To hold in high esteem.
Synonyms: glorify, extol, praise, acclaim, elevate, promote, raise
Antonyms: Decry, condemn, degrade, criticise, denounce, castigate
Usage: In the exalted realms we inhibit, we like to ponder over bigger issues of politics and governance.
6. Subvert – To overthrow or to ruin utterly.
Synonyms: destabilize, unsettle, overthrow, overturn
Antonyms: Uphold, bolster, enhance, ameliorate, comply, obey
Usage: The Trump administration is determined to subvert it as part of its war on women’s reproductive rights.
7. Brazen – Shamelessly shocking and offensive.
Synonyms: impudent, barefaced, immodest, unblushing, bold
Antonyms: Shy, timid, gentle, meek
Usage: This argument is as weak as it is ideologically brazen.
8. Precinct – An enclosed space having defined limits, normally marked by walls.
Synonyms: Boundary, limits, enclosure, close
Antonyms: Environment, rural, varnish, wilderness, verge
Usage: The crime is on rise in the north of city because there are no police to protect the precinct.
9. Lurid – Presented in vividly shocking or sensational terms.
Synonyms: melodramatic, exaggerated, overdramatized, extravagant
Antonyms: Humble, modest, dull, clean, mild, sanguine
Usage: The more lurid details of the massacre were too frightening for the children.
10. Acidulous – slightly sour
Synonyms: Acidic, sharp, sarcastic, acrimonious
Antonyms: Sweet, kind, nice, gentle, luscious, affable
Usage: Because the salesclerk spoke to me in an acidulous tone, I chose to take my business elsewhere.