HSSC CET · Bite-size lessons

Hindi Vocabulary

About 6 min · Hindi and English Language · English

Time worked out from the lesson's 328 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.

Hindi vocabulary forms a critical component of the HSSC CET language section. Questions on synonyms (पर्यायवाची), antonyms (विलोम), words with multiple meanings (अनेकार्थी), and one-word substitution (अनेक शब्दों के लिए एक शब्द) are scoring if prepared systematically.

Key ideas

• Paryayvachi Shabd (पर्यायवाची शब्द): Words having the same or nearly the same meaning. Example: "जल" के पर्यायवाची — पानी, नीर, वारि, अंबु, तोय।
• Vilom Shabd (विलोम शब्द): Words with opposite meanings. These are formed by adding prefixes (उपसर्ग), changing gender, or using completely different root words.
• Anekarthi Shabd (अनेकार्थी शब्द): A single word carrying multiple meanings depending on context. Example: "कनक" means both सोना (gold) and धतूरा (a plant).
• One-word Substitution: Replacing a phrase or group of words with a single precise word. Example: "जो कभी न मरे" = अमर।
• Tatsam vs Tadbhav distinction: Many synonyms arise from Sanskrit-origin (तत्सम) and Hindi-evolved (तद्भव) pairs. Recognising this helps predict synonyms.

Watch out for

• Confusing similar-sounding synonyms: Students mix up "अनल" (fire) with "अनिल" (wind). → Remember: अनल = अग्नि, अनिल = पवन।
• Wrong prefix for antonyms: Writing "अआदर" instead of "अनादर" for the opposite of आदर. → Before vowels, use "अन-" not "अ-"।
• Ignoring context in Anekarthi: Choosing one meaning without reading the sentence. → Always check the sentence context before selecting the meaning of a multi-meaning word.

Quick reference

• Paryayvachi: Same meaning, different words — memorise 5-6 synonyms for common nouns (water, fire, sun, moon, sky).
• Vilom: Opposite meaning — watch for अ-, अन-, नि-, वि-, दुर्- prefixes.
• Anekarthi: One word, many meanings — context is king.
• One-word Substitution: Match the exact phrase to the exact word — partial matches are wrong.
• Top exam words: जल, अग्नि, आकाश, नेत्र, कमल (synonyms); आदि-अंत, जय-पराजय, ज्ञान-अज्ञान (antonyms); अमर, सर्वज्ञ, अजेय (one-word).

Check yourself: 3 questions

This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.

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