Words starting with B (1-10)

01. Babble

Etymology:

babble
Middle English: from Middle Low German babbelen, or an independent English formation, as a frequentative based on the repeated syllable ba, typical of a child’s early speech.
Meaning in English: chatter foolishly, to talk irrationally,
Meaning in Hindi: – गपशप करना, बकना, बड़बड़ाना
Usage in Sentence:
“He babbled a secret.”
Synonyms: chatter, jabber, twitter, ramble, burble, gossip, muttering, murmur.
Antonyms: silent, quiet, sense.
Mnemonic: babble sounds like bla. So bla bla bla…


2. Bacchanal

Etymology:

bacchanal
mid 16th cent.: from Latin bacchanalis, from the name of the god Bacchus.
Meaning in English: a follower of bacchus, wild and drunken celebration.
Meaning in Hindi: – भदचलन, ऐयाश
Synonyms: party, orgy.
Mnemonic: Bacchanal is like Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan acted as sharabi in movie Sharabi.


3. Bacchanalian

Meaning in English: drunken


4. Backslide

Meaning in English: revert to bad habits.
Synonyms: lapse, sin, slip.
Antonyms: progress.


5. Backward

Etymology:

backward
Middle English: from earlier abackward, from aback.
Meaning in English: directed behind, towards the back, lacking the confidence to do something, towards the past time.
Meaning in Hindi: – पिछड़ा, पिछड़ा हुआ, पीछे का
Synonyms: retrograde, regressive, negative, downhill, the wrong direction, toward the rear, reverse.


6. Badger

Etymology:

badger
early 16th cent.: perhaps from badge, with reference to its distinctive head markings. The verb sense (late 18th cent.) originates from the sport of badger-baiting.
Meaning in English: repeatedly and annoyingly ask someone to do something.
Meaning in Hindi: – खिजलाना, तंग करना
Usage in Sentence:
“The journalist badgered the politician.”
Synonyms: pester, harass, bother, plague, torment, annoy, trouble.
Antonyms: aid, help, delight, please, support.
Mnemonic: Badger sounds like Bad girls, who always annoy people.


7. Badinage

Etymology:

badinage
mid 17th cent.: from French, from badiner ‘to joke’, from badin ‘fool’, based on Provençal badar ‘gape’.
Meaning in English: witty conversation, teasing conversation.
Meaning in Hindi: – हँसी मज़ाक, दिल्लगी
Usage in Sentence:
“Mohit developed nice badinage with his teachers.”
Synonyms: joking, kidding, teasing.


8. Baffle

Etymology:

baffle
late 16th cent. (in the sense ‘cheat, deceive’): perhaps related to French bafouer ‘ridicule’ or obsolete French beffer ‘mock, deceive’.
Meaning in English: to frustrate or confound, to confuse or perplex.
Meaning in Hindi: – चकरा देना, विफल करना, चक्कर में डाल देना
Usage in Sentence:
“Neha was baffled by questions of mathematics.”
Synonyms: puzzle, confuse, astound, muddle, dumbfound, bewilder, faze.
Antonyms: comfort, explicate, explain, abet, aid.
Mnemonic: baffle = bad + fal. A bad fal (fruit) frustrate you.


9. Bait

Etymology:

bait
Middle English: from Old Norse beit ‘pasture, food’, beita ‘to hunt or chase’.
Meaning in English: food placed in hook or in a net, trap, an allurement, tease, harass.
Meaning in Hindi: – चारा, प्रलोभन, जाल
Usage in Sentence:
“Employee was baited with higher salary.”
Synonyms: lure, bride, attraction, temptation.
Antonyms: discouragement, repulsion.
Mnemonic: Bait sounds like bet. College bet to trap girls.


10. Baleful

Meaning in English: evil, deadly, having malign influence.
Meaning in Hindi: – नुकसानदायक, डरावना
Usage in Sentence:
“He gave me baleful look.”
Synonyms: calamitous, hamful, deadly, malevolent, vindictive, woeful.
Antonyms: advantageous, good, helping, promising.
Mnemonic: Baleful sounds like painful. An evil act always give you pain.