SSC CGL English · Vocabulary
One-Word Substitution
Replacing a phrase with the single word that means it: words for people, places and groups, studies and kinds of government, and qualities, acts and fears.
Why this matters
Two hundred and thirty-six questions in the bank, 83 from the 2023 shifts, 86 from the 2024 shifts and 67 from the 2025 shifts, and 200 of them EASY. Many words come back: pessimist was asked four times and invincible, fatalist and cannibal three times each, so a list learnt once keeps paying.
Concept 1 of 4: People by what they do or believe
Most person-words are built from a root and an ending: -ist, -er, -ant or -ic names the person (atheist, cartographer, cynic), and the root tells you what they love, hate, believe or do. Learn the common roots and many words explain themselves.
Definition
The groups:
- Belief: atheist (believes no god exists), agnostic (unsure whether god exists), fatalist (believes in fate), apostate (abandons a religion).
- Outlook: pessimist (sees the worst), optimist (sees the best), cynic (doubts people's goodness), stoic (unmoved by pain or pleasure).
- Love and hate: philanthropist (loves mankind), misanthrope (hates mankind); phil- is love, mis- is hate, anthrop- is man.
- Deceivers: impostor (pretends to be someone else), charlatan (pretends to have skill), traitor (betrays the country).
- Habits: glutton (eats too much), teetotaller (never drinks alcohol), recluse (lives alone).
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Pessimist | One who sees the worst side of things | 2023, 2024 (twice), 2025 |
| Fatalist | One who believes in fate | 2023 (twice), 2025 |
| Cannibal | One who eats the flesh of his own kind | 2024 (twice), 2025 |
| Impostor | One who pretends to be someone else | 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| Traitor | One who betrays his country | 2023, 2024 |
| Apostate | One who abandons his religion | 2023, 2025 |
| Cartographer | One who draws maps | 2023, 2025 |
| Atheist | One who does not believe in god | 2023, 2024 |
| Anarchist | One who thinks laws and governments are not needed | 2023, 2025 |
| Glutton | One who eats too much | 2024, 2025 |
| Stoic | One unmoved by pain or pleasure | 2024, 2025 |
| Cynic | One who doubts other people's goodness | 2025 (twice) |
| Misanthrope | One who hates and avoids people | 2023 |
| Agnostic | One unsure whether god exists | 2024 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 17 Sep 2024, Shift 1 · Q90Easy
Example 1 · Vocabulary · One-Word Substitution
Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the given group of words.
A person who is inclined to see the worst aspect of things
Mixing up atheist and agnostic
An atheist is sure there is no god; an agnostic says it cannot be known. SSC has asked both, with the other as a distractor.
Choosing the quality instead of the person
"A person who argues about everything" needs a person-word; an option such as contentious describes the habit. Check whether the phrase asks for the person or the quality.
Concept 2 of 4: Places and groups
A place-word usually names what is kept or done there: birds in an aviary, aeroplanes in a hangar, grain in a granary, coins made in a mint. A group-word names who is gathered: a shoal of fish, a horde of people, a congregation of worshippers.
Definition
The groups:
- Kept there: aviary (birds), menagerie (wild animals), hangar (aeroplanes), granary (grain), mortuary (dead bodies, for a time), cemetery (graves).
- Made or grown there: mint (coins), orchard (fruit trees).
- Groups: shoal (fish), horde (a large moving crowd), congregation (worshippers), clique (a small group that keeps others out).
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Aviary | A place where birds are kept | 2023, 2024 |
| Mint | A place where coins are made | 2023, 2025 |
| Hangar | A place where aeroplanes are kept | 2023, 2024 |
| Clique | A small group that keeps others out | 2024 (twice) |
| Granary | A place where grain is stored | 2023 |
| Cemetery | A burial ground | 2023 |
| Shoal | A large number of fish swimming together | 2023 |
| Congregation | A group of worshippers | 2023 |
| Orchard | A place where fruit trees are grown | 2024 |
| Arena | A flat area ringed by seats, for sport or shows | 2024 |
| Menagerie | A place where wild animals are kept | 2025 |
| Mortuary | A building where dead bodies are kept for a time | 2025 |
| Horde | A large group of people moving together | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2023 · Tier I, 20 Jul 2023, Shift 1 · Q84Easy
Example 2 · Vocabulary · One-Word Substitution
Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the given group of words.
A large cage, building, or enclosure to keep birds
Hangar and hanger
A hangar keeps aeroplanes; a hanger holds clothes. The options often include both spellings.
Aviary and apiary
An aviary keeps birds; an apiary keeps bees. One letter separates them.
Concept 3 of 4: Studies, governments, writing and speech
Endings carry the meaning: -logy or -ics is a study (anthropology, numismatics), -cracy is a form of rule (plutocracy, theocracy), and words for writing and speech name where they stand or what they do (a preface opens a book, an epilogue ends a play, an extempore speech is unprepared).
Definition
The groups:
- Studies: anthropology (humans and their societies), archaeology (ancient remains), numismatics (coins), demography (populations), lexicography (writing dictionaries).
- Rule by: plutocracy (the rich), theocracy (priests in god's name), bureaucracy (officials), autocracy (one person), oligarchy (a powerful few), kleptocracy (rulers who steal).
- Writing: autobiography (one's own life, by oneself), preface or foreword (at the start of a book), epilogue (at the end of a play), affidavit (a statement on oath).
- Speech: extempore (without preparation), euphemism (a mild word for a harsh one), rhetoric (persuasive speaking), eulogy (praise of the dead).
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Numismatics | The study of coins | 2024, 2025 |
| Anthropology | The study of humans and their societies | 2023, 2025 |
| Autobiography | One's life story written by oneself | 2023, 2025 |
| Euphemism | A mild word used in place of a harsh one | 2025 (twice) |
| Plutocracy | Government by the rich | 2023 |
| Lexicography | The writing of dictionaries | 2023 |
| Epilogue | A speech at the end of a play | 2023 |
| Archaeology | The study of ancient remains | 2024 |
| Bureaucracy | Government by officials | 2024 |
| Demography | The statistical study of populations | 2024 |
| Affidavit | A written statement made on oath | 2024 |
| Theocracy | Rule by priests in the name of god | 2025 |
| Extempore | A speech made without preparation | 2025 |
| Rhetoric | The art of persuasive speaking or writing | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 17 Sep 2024, Shift 1 · Q77Easy
Example 3 · Vocabulary · One-Word Substitution
Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the given group of words.
The study of coins
Anthropology and archaeology
Anthropology studies humans and their societies; archaeology studies what past people left behind. Both were asked.
Biography and autobiography
A biography is written by someone else; an autobiography by the person whose life it is.
Concept 4 of 4: Qualities, acts and fears
Prefixes and endings do most of the work here: in- and il- mean not (invincible, illegible), -ible and -able mean can be (edible, portable), -phobia is a fear (claustrophobia), -cide is a killing (genocide), omni- is all (omnipotent).
Definition
The groups:
- Can or cannot be: edible (fit to eat), portable (easily carried), audible (can be heard), illegible (cannot be read), invincible (cannot be defeated), incorrigible (cannot be corrected), inevitable (cannot be avoided).
- Fears: claustrophobia (closed spaces), agoraphobia (open spaces), glossophobia (public speaking), ophidiophobia (snakes).
- Acts: genocide (killing a whole people), arson (setting fire to property on purpose), blasphemy (speaking disrespectfully of sacred things), plagiarism (passing off another's work as your own), procrastinate (keep putting off).
- States and qualities: omnipotent (all-powerful), ephemeral (short-lived), nostalgia (fond longing for the past), apathy (lack of interest).
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Invincible | Too strong to be defeated | 2023, 2024 (twice) |
| Genocide | The killing of a whole people or nation | 2023 (twice) |
| Edible | Fit to eat | 2023, 2024 |
| Illegible | Impossible to read | 2023, 2025 |
| Blasphemy | Speaking disrespectfully of sacred things | 2023, 2024 |
| Claustrophobia | Fear of closed spaces | 2024, 2025 |
| Procrastinate | Keep putting off what should be done | 2023 |
| Inevitable | Certain to happen | 2023 |
| Omnipotent | Having unlimited power | 2024 |
| Incorrigible | Cannot be corrected | 2024 |
| Agoraphobia | Fear of open spaces | 2025 |
| Glossophobia | Fear of public speaking | 2025 |
| Arson | Setting fire to property on purpose | 2025 |
| Ephemeral | Lasting a very short time | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 12 Sep 2024, Shift 3 · Q93Easy
Example 4 · Vocabulary · One-Word Substitution
Select the option that can be used as a one-word substitute for the given phrase.
Incapable of being defeated
Claustrophobia and agoraphobia
They are opposites: claustrophobia is the fear of closed spaces, agoraphobia the fear of open ones. SSC asked both.
Illegible and ineligible
Illegible writing cannot be read; an ineligible candidate is not allowed to take part.
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 (4)
People by what they do or believe14 rows
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Pessimist | One who sees the worst side of things | 2023, 2024 (twice), 2025 |
| Fatalist | One who believes in fate | 2023 (twice), 2025 |
| Cannibal | One who eats the flesh of his own kind | 2024 (twice), 2025 |
| Impostor | One who pretends to be someone else | 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| Traitor | One who betrays his country | 2023, 2024 |
| Apostate | One who abandons his religion | 2023, 2025 |
| Cartographer | One who draws maps | 2023, 2025 |
| Atheist | One who does not believe in god | 2023, 2024 |
| Anarchist | One who thinks laws and governments are not needed | 2023, 2025 |
| Glutton | One who eats too much | 2024, 2025 |
| Stoic | One unmoved by pain or pleasure | 2024, 2025 |
| Cynic | One who doubts other people's goodness | 2025 (twice) |
| Misanthrope | One who hates and avoids people | 2023 |
| Agnostic | One unsure whether god exists | 2024 |
Places and groups13 rows
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Aviary | A place where birds are kept | 2023, 2024 |
| Mint | A place where coins are made | 2023, 2025 |
| Hangar | A place where aeroplanes are kept | 2023, 2024 |
| Clique | A small group that keeps others out | 2024 (twice) |
| Granary | A place where grain is stored | 2023 |
| Cemetery | A burial ground | 2023 |
| Shoal | A large number of fish swimming together | 2023 |
| Congregation | A group of worshippers | 2023 |
| Orchard | A place where fruit trees are grown | 2024 |
| Arena | A flat area ringed by seats, for sport or shows | 2024 |
| Menagerie | A place where wild animals are kept | 2025 |
| Mortuary | A building where dead bodies are kept for a time | 2025 |
| Horde | A large group of people moving together | 2025 |
Studies, governments, writing and speech14 rows
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Numismatics | The study of coins | 2024, 2025 |
| Anthropology | The study of humans and their societies | 2023, 2025 |
| Autobiography | One's life story written by oneself | 2023, 2025 |
| Euphemism | A mild word used in place of a harsh one | 2025 (twice) |
| Plutocracy | Government by the rich | 2023 |
| Lexicography | The writing of dictionaries | 2023 |
| Epilogue | A speech at the end of a play | 2023 |
| Archaeology | The study of ancient remains | 2024 |
| Bureaucracy | Government by officials | 2024 |
| Demography | The statistical study of populations | 2024 |
| Affidavit | A written statement made on oath | 2024 |
| Theocracy | Rule by priests in the name of god | 2025 |
| Extempore | A speech made without preparation | 2025 |
| Rhetoric | The art of persuasive speaking or writing | 2025 |
Qualities, acts and fears14 rows
| Word | Meaning | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Invincible | Too strong to be defeated | 2023, 2024 (twice) |
| Genocide | The killing of a whole people or nation | 2023 (twice) |
| Edible | Fit to eat | 2023, 2024 |
| Illegible | Impossible to read | 2023, 2025 |
| Blasphemy | Speaking disrespectfully of sacred things | 2023, 2024 |
| Claustrophobia | Fear of closed spaces | 2024, 2025 |
| Procrastinate | Keep putting off what should be done | 2023 |
| Inevitable | Certain to happen | 2023 |
| Omnipotent | Having unlimited power | 2024 |
| Incorrigible | Cannot be corrected | 2024 |
| Agoraphobia | Fear of open spaces | 2025 |
| Glossophobia | Fear of public speaking | 2025 |
| Arson | Setting fire to property on purpose | 2025 |
| Ephemeral | Lasting a very short time | 2025 |
Watch out for (8)
- Mixing up atheist and agnostic→ People by what they do or believe
- Choosing the quality instead of the person→ People by what they do or believe
- Hangar and hanger→ Places and groups
- Aviary and apiary→ Places and groups
- Anthropology and archaeology→ Studies, governments, writing and speech
- Biography and autobiography→ Studies, governments, writing and speech
- Claustrophobia and agoraphobia→ Qualities, acts and fears
- Illegible and ineligible→ Qualities, acts and fears
Test yourself on Vocabulary
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.