One-Word Substitutions with Hindi Meanings for Exams

Competitive exams often ask you to replace a long phrase with a single word. The questions test vocabulary depth, and the best preparation is learning words by theme.

People

Phrase	One word	Hindi
A person who loves books	bibliophile	पुस्तक-प्रेमी
A person who helps others generously	philanthropist	परोपकारी
A child with no parents	orphan	अनाथ
One who does not believe in God	atheist	नास्तिक
One who always hopes for the best	optimist	आशावादी
One who always expects the worst	pessimist	निराशावादी
One who does not eat meat	vegetarian	शाकाहारी
One who speaks many languages	polyglot	बहुभाषी
A woman whose husband has died	widow	विधवा
One who cannot read or write	illiterate	अनपढ़
A person who does something for pleasure, not money	amateur	शौकिया

Things and ideas

Phrase	One word	Hindi
The story of a person's life written by that person	autobiography	आत्मकथा
The story of a person's life written by another	biography	जीवनी
A place where books are kept	library	पुस्तकालय
Agreed by everyone	unanimous	सर्वसम्मत
Of the same time	contemporary	समकालीन
Whose name is not known	anonymous	अज्ञात नाम वाला
Something that cannot be avoided	inevitable	अपरिहार्य
Something that can be believed	credible	विश्वसनीय
Something that cannot be read	illegible	अपठनीय

How to memorise them

1. Learn word roots. Bibli- (book), phil- (love), poly- (many), auto- (self).
2. Group them by theme, like the tables above.
3. Make flashcards with the phrase on one side and the word on the other.
4. Use the words in your own sentences.
5. Check meanings and examples in the dictionary.

Practice

Choose the one word:

• One who walks on foot → pedestrian.
• A government by the people → democracy.
• A place where dead bodies are buried → cemetery.

A note

Tests may use slightly different wording, so learn the concept, not only one phrase.