One-Word Substitution: Word Lists and Roots for SSC Exams
High-frequency one-word substitutions grouped by theme, with the Greek and Latin roots that let you decode words you have never seen.
60-second revision
One-word substitution asks for a single word that carries the full meaning of a phrase.
-cracy and -archy mean rule: democracy, autocracy, monarchy, anarchy.
-cide means killing: homicide, regicide (king), fratricide (brother), genocide (a whole people).
-phobia means fear: claustrophobia (closed spaces), xenophobia (foreigners), hydrophobia (water).
-logy means study: entomology (insects), ornithology (birds), etymology (word origins).
Look-alike options are the main trap: insolvent (cannot pay debts) vs insolent (rude).
Match every part of the definition, not just one key word.
How the question works
You get a phrase such as 'one who collects stamps' and four single words. The right word must cover the whole phrase. Exam papers keep returning to a core list of common words, so learning them by theme, with their roots, pays off quickly.
Underline the key idea of the phrase: who or what, and doing what.
Break options into roots: phil (love), mis (hate), anthrop (man), poly (many), -cide (killing).
Eliminate look-alikes that differ by a letter or two (insolvent/insolent, illegible/ineligible).
Check scope: an autobiography is written by the person about himself; a biography is written by someone else.
Government and rule
Word
Meaning
Democracy
rule by the people through elected representatives
Autocracy
rule by one person with unlimited power
Monarchy
rule by a king or queen
Oligarchy
rule by a small group
Plutocracy
rule by the wealthy
Theocracy
rule by religious leaders or in the name of God
Bureaucracy
government through officials and departments
Aristocracy
rule by nobles or a privileged class
Gerontocracy
rule by old people
Anarchy
absence of government; disorder
People
Word
Meaning
Philanthropist
one who loves mankind and helps others, often with money
Misogynist
one who hates women
Altruist
one who works selflessly for others
Ascetic
one who gives up comforts for spiritual reasons
Atheist / Agnostic
one who does not believe in God / one who holds that God's existence cannot be known
Polyglot
one who knows many languages
Connoisseur
an expert judge in matters of taste (art, food, music)
Amateur
one who does something for pleasure, not as a profession
Novice
a beginner
Teetotaller
one who never drinks alcohol
Philatelist / Numismatist
one who collects stamps / coins
Bibliophile
a lover of books
Cartographer
one who makes maps
Hypocrite
one who pretends to have virtues he does not have
Optimist / Pessimist
one who expects the best / the worst
Killing and fear
Word
Meaning
Homicide / Suicide
killing a human being / killing oneself
Regicide
killing a king
Patricide / Matricide
killing one's father / mother
Fratricide
killing one's brother
Infanticide
killing an infant
Genocide
deliberate killing of a whole national, ethnic or religious group
Claustrophobia
fear of closed spaces
Agoraphobia
fear of open or crowded public places
Xenophobia
fear or hatred of foreigners
Acrophobia
fear of heights
Hydrophobia
fear of water (also an old name for rabies)
Places, writing and speech
Word
Meaning
Apiary / Aviary
place where bees are kept / where birds are kept
Granary
storehouse for grain
Hangar
shed for aircraft
Arsenal / Armoury
place where weapons are stored
Mortuary
place where dead bodies are kept
Archives
place where historical records are kept
Anthology
a collection of poems or stories
Autobiography
life story written by the person himself
Prologue / Epilogue
introduction / concluding part of a book or play
Monologue
long speech by one person
Verbatim
word for word
Manuscript
a handwritten or original typed text
The 'cannot be' family
Word
Meaning
Invincible
cannot be defeated
Inevitable
cannot be avoided
Infallible
cannot make a mistake
Incorrigible
cannot be corrected or reformed
Indelible
cannot be erased
Inaudible
cannot be heard
Impregnable
cannot be captured or broken into
Irreparable
cannot be repaired
More words that keep returning
Word
Meaning
Omnipotent / Omniscient / Omnipresent
all-powerful / all-knowing / present everywhere
Panacea
a cure for all ills
Amnesty
a general pardon, usually for political offences
Plagiarism
copying another's work and passing it off as one's own
Sinecure
a paid post with little or no work
Utopia
an imaginary place where everything is perfect
Ambidextrous
able to use both hands equally well
Nostalgia
a longing for the past
Hypochondriac
one who worries constantly about imagined illness
Euthanasia
painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable illness
Worked example: 'A person who speaks many languages.' Options: polygamist, polyglot, polymath, polytheist. All start with poly (many), so the root alone is not enough. The second part decides it: glot comes from the Greek for tongue, so polyglot. A polymath knows many subjects; a polytheist believes in many gods.
