CDS English · Vocabulary
Words for harm, degree and the senses
The words CDS has tested for harm and decline, for size and degree, and for what we see, hear and taste.
Why this matters
These words describe things rather than people: a debilitating disease, a stellar show, a resonant voice. Many of them have a well-known opposite that the examiner places among the options, so knowing the pair is half the answer.
Concept 1 of 3: Harm, decline and health
Most of these words mean harmful or ruined, and they differ in how the harm works. Debilitating weakens; nugatory makes useless; blighted ruins. One word, salubrious, means the opposite: good for health.
Definition
Group them:
- Harm: pernicious, detrimental, debilitating (crippling), contagious (spreading), gratuitous (uncalled for).
- Ruin and failure: blighted (ruined), floundered (struggled), nugatory (ineffectual), travesty (mockery), lamentable (deplorable), derisory (inadequate).
- Health and looks: salubrious (good for health), pale (sallow), gibbous (hunched), terminal (incurable).
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| debilitating | making weak | crippling | 2024 (I) |
| pernicious | harmful, often slowly or in a hidden way | harmful | 2024 (II) |
| detrimental | causing harm | disadvantageous | 2018 (II) |
| salubrious | good for health | pleasant | 2018 (II) Strictly health-giving. Pleasant was the only positive option. |
| contagious | spreading from one person to another | transmittable | 2020 (I) |
| pale | light in colour, looking unwell | sallow | 2021 (II) Ruddy, glowing and radiant are healthy colours, the opposite. |
| gibbous | humped | hunched | 2022 (I) Also used of the moon when more than half of it is lit. |
| blighted | spoiled, ruined | ruined | 2026 (II) |
| lamentable | deserving regret | deplorable | 2022 (II) |
| nugatory | of no use or force | ineffectual | 2023 (II) |
| travesty | a poor, false copy of something | mockery | 2026 (I) |
| terminal | of an illness, ending in death | incurable | 2019 (I) Not the terminal of a bus or train here. |
| derisory | so small that it is laughable | inadequate | 2023 (II) Not derogatory (insulting in words). |
| gratuitous | uncalled for, without good reason | unjustified | 2026 (II) Not gratifying (pleasing) or grating (harsh). |
| floundered | struggled | faced many problems | 2023 (II) |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (II) 2024 — English · Q82Moderate
Example 1 · Vocabulary · Synonyms: Harm, Degree and the Senses
Directions: nearest in meaning to the underlined word
Psychological problems among the youth can be attributed to the pernicious influence of the Internet.
Flounder is not founder
To flounder is to struggle clumsily. To founder is to sink or fail completely. Options such as glided through or succeeded are opposites of flounder.
Do not guess the charge from the sound
Salubrious sounds like a hard, gloomy word, but it means healthy. Learn its charge; do not guess it from how the word sounds.
Gratuitous is not grateful
Gratuitous violence is violence with no good reason: unjustified. It has nothing to do with gratitude or with gratifying (pleasing).
Concept 2 of 3: Size, degree and quality
These words place something on a scale: at the bottom or the top, beyond the limit, or at the very start. Find where the word sits; the word at the other end of the scale is usually among the options as a trap.
Definition
Scale pairs:
- Lowest and highest: nadir (the lowest point) against zenith (the highest point); stellar (outstanding).
- Too much and too little: excessive (inordinate), narrowest (smallest).
- Simple and complex: rudimentary (elementary) against complexity (intricacy).
- Fit and visibility: conspicuous (noticeable), incongruous (out of place), akin (similar), perpetual (ever lasting).
- Others: implications (consequences), asset (advantage), differences (disagreements), mensuration (measurement).
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| excessive | more than is right | inordinate | 2021 (II) |
| stellar | outstanding | extraordinary | 2020 (I) |
| nadir | the lowest point | all-time low | 2026 (I) |
| rudimentary | basic, at an early stage | elementary | 2026 (I) |
| conspicuous | easy to see | noticeable | 2026 (I) |
| akin | similar, related | similar | 2019 (II) |
| implications | likely results | consequences | 2020 (I) |
| narrowest | most limited | smallest | 2019 (II) |
| perpetual | never ending | ever lasting | 2021 (I) |
| complexity | the state of being complicated | intricacy | 2021 (II) Not complacency (smugness). |
| incongruous | out of place, not fitting | inappropriate | 2023 (I) |
| mensuration | the measuring of length, area and volume | measurement | 2022 (I) |
| asset | something useful or valuable | advantage | 2019 (I) |
| differences | between people, disputes | disagreements | 2021 (II) |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — English · Q12Moderate
Example 2 · Vocabulary · Synonyms: Harm, Degree and the Senses
Directions: In the following items, select the option that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in the given sentences and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
The coach was of the opinion that his erstwhile protégé was approaching the nadir of his career.
Excessive is about amount
Excessive means beyond the proper limit: inordinate. Unreasonable is close, but it judges a person's thinking, not an amount.
Rudimentary is not radical
Rudimentary means basic, at an early stage: elementary. Radical means extreme, and nuanced is close to the opposite of rudimentary.
Akin to means similar to
Akin comes from kin (family), but 'akin to a contract' means similar to a contract. Unparallel and removed point the other way.
Concept 3 of 3: Sights, sounds, taste and weather
These words describe what we see, hear and taste, and the weather. Picture the scene: a vista is the whole view, a resonant voice fills the room, a scrumptious meal tastes delicious.
Definition
Group them:
- Sight: vista (landscape), dingy (dark and dirty).
- Sound: resonant (deep), tremulous (quivering), commotion (uproar).
- Taste: scrumptious (delectable), savoury (salty, not sweet).
- Weather and travel: precipitation (rainfall), dry (arid), jaunt (a short trip).
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| vista | a wide view | landscape | 2022 (II) |
| jaunt | a short pleasure trip | expedition | 2022 (II) A jaunt is short. Expedition was the only option about a trip. |
| precipitation | rain, snow or hail | rainfall | 2019 (I) |
| resonant | deep and echoing | deep | 2024 (II) |
| tremulous | shaking | quivering | 2026 (II) |
| scrumptious | delicious | delectable | 2026 (II) |
| commotion | noisy disturbance | uproar | 2021 (I) |
| dry | of a season, with little rain | arid | 2021 (II) |
| savoury | salty or spicy, not sweet | salty | 2026 (II) |
| dingy | dark and dirty-looking | dark and dirty | 2024 (I) |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — English · Q12Easy
Example 3 · Vocabulary · Synonyms: Harm, Degree and the Senses
Directions: In the following items a sentence or a phrase is given with a word that is underlined, followed by four words or groups of words. Select the option that is nearest in meaning to the underlined word and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
He spoke with a tremulous voice.
Savoury is not sweet
Savoury food is salty or spicy. Sugary is the opposite, and blanched (boiled briefly) is about cooking, not taste.
Scrumptious is about taste, not size
A scrumptious meal is delicious: delectable. A lavish meal is large and costly, which is a different idea.
Precipitation is more than rain
Precipitation covers rain, snow, sleet and hail. When the options give rainfall and snowing, rainfall is the general match; drought is the opposite.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Harm, decline and health15 rows
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| debilitating | making weak | crippling | 2024 (I) |
| pernicious | harmful, often slowly or in a hidden way | harmful | 2024 (II) |
| detrimental | causing harm | disadvantageous | 2018 (II) |
| salubrious | good for health | pleasant | 2018 (II) Strictly health-giving. Pleasant was the only positive option. |
| contagious | spreading from one person to another | transmittable | 2020 (I) |
| pale | light in colour, looking unwell | sallow | 2021 (II) Ruddy, glowing and radiant are healthy colours, the opposite. |
| gibbous | humped | hunched | 2022 (I) Also used of the moon when more than half of it is lit. |
| blighted | spoiled, ruined | ruined | 2026 (II) |
| lamentable | deserving regret | deplorable | 2022 (II) |
| nugatory | of no use or force | ineffectual | 2023 (II) |
| travesty | a poor, false copy of something | mockery | 2026 (I) |
| terminal | of an illness, ending in death | incurable | 2019 (I) Not the terminal of a bus or train here. |
| derisory | so small that it is laughable | inadequate | 2023 (II) Not derogatory (insulting in words). |
| gratuitous | uncalled for, without good reason | unjustified | 2026 (II) Not gratifying (pleasing) or grating (harsh). |
| floundered | struggled | faced many problems | 2023 (II) |
Size, degree and quality14 rows
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| excessive | more than is right | inordinate | 2021 (II) |
| stellar | outstanding | extraordinary | 2020 (I) |
| nadir | the lowest point | all-time low | 2026 (I) |
| rudimentary | basic, at an early stage | elementary | 2026 (I) |
| conspicuous | easy to see | noticeable | 2026 (I) |
| akin | similar, related | similar | 2019 (II) |
| implications | likely results | consequences | 2020 (I) |
| narrowest | most limited | smallest | 2019 (II) |
| perpetual | never ending | ever lasting | 2021 (I) |
| complexity | the state of being complicated | intricacy | 2021 (II) Not complacency (smugness). |
| incongruous | out of place, not fitting | inappropriate | 2023 (I) |
| mensuration | the measuring of length, area and volume | measurement | 2022 (I) |
| asset | something useful or valuable | advantage | 2019 (I) |
| differences | between people, disputes | disagreements | 2021 (II) |
Sights, sounds, taste and weather10 rows
| Word | Meaning | Nearest option | Sitting |
|---|---|---|---|
| vista | a wide view | landscape | 2022 (II) |
| jaunt | a short pleasure trip | expedition | 2022 (II) A jaunt is short. Expedition was the only option about a trip. |
| precipitation | rain, snow or hail | rainfall | 2019 (I) |
| resonant | deep and echoing | deep | 2024 (II) |
| tremulous | shaking | quivering | 2026 (II) |
| scrumptious | delicious | delectable | 2026 (II) |
| commotion | noisy disturbance | uproar | 2021 (I) |
| dry | of a season, with little rain | arid | 2021 (II) |
| savoury | salty or spicy, not sweet | salty | 2026 (II) |
| dingy | dark and dirty-looking | dark and dirty | 2024 (I) |
Watch out for (9)
- Flounder is not founder→ Harm, decline and health
- Do not guess the charge from the sound→ Harm, decline and health
- Gratuitous is not grateful→ Harm, decline and health
- Excessive is about amount→ Size, degree and quality
- Rudimentary is not radical→ Size, degree and quality
- Akin to means similar to→ Size, degree and quality
- Savoury is not sweet→ Sights, sounds, taste and weather
- Scrumptious is about taste, not size→ Sights, sounds, taste and weather
- Precipitation is more than rain→ Sights, sounds, taste and weather
Test yourself on Vocabulary
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.