1. Decent - Descent
Decent means of an acceptable quality. Like when we say he is a decent guy.
Descent means downward slope. It may also mean a person's origin or nationality.
He claims direct descent from Mohammed.
2. Climatic - Climactic
Climactic pertains to climate.
some parts of India experienced climatic changes
Climactic means forming an exciting climax.
The third movement of the symphony ends in a climactic crescendo.
3. Amend - Emend
Amend: to make minor improvements.
MPs were urged to amend the law to prevent another oil tanker disaster.
emend: to edit or change a text.
The text is currently being emended and will be published shortly.
Note: Amend and emend both mean to improve by correcting or by freeing from error. Amend is a general term, used for any such correction in detail whereas emend usually applies to the correction of a text in the process of editing or preparing for publications(specific) .
4. Farther - Further
When talking about distances, either can be used.
e.g., She moved further down the train or she moved farther down the train. Both are correct.
However, when you mean 'beyond' or in addition to what has already been done - further is used (or when you mean additional).
e.g., I won't trouble you any further.
Phone me for further information.
5. Cannon - Canon
Cannon: a large heavy gun formerly used in warfare.
Canon: a general rule by which something is judged.
e.g., His designs break the canons of fashion.
6. Martial - Marital
Martial: having to do with war
e.g., Renegade forces captured the capital and declared/imposed martial law.
Marital: relating to marriage or relations between husband and wife.
e.g., Could I ask you about your marital status?
7. Elicit - Illicit
Elicit: produce or draw out (a response or reaction)
e.g., Have you managed to elicit a response from them yet?
Illicit: forbidden by law, rules or accepted standards.
e.g., He was having illicit relations with his colleague.
8. Immoral - Amoral
Amoral: with no moral values or principles.
e.g., Humans, he argues, are amoral and what guides them is not any sense of morality but an instinct for survival.
Immoral: with low moral values or principles.
e.g., It's an immoral tax, because the poor will pay relatively more.
9. Prerequisite - Perquisite
Perquisite: a special right or privilege enjoyed as a result of one's position
e.g., The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than what the salary indicates.
Prerequisite: a thing that must exist or happen before something else can happen or exist.
e.g., Passing a written exam is a prerequisite for taking the advanced course.
10. Disinterested - Uninterested
Uninterested is mainly used in the sense 'not interested'.
e.g., He seemed uninterested in politics.
Disinterested means impartial or indifferent.
e.g., A disinterested judge is the best judge of the behavior.
11. Allude - Elude
Allude means to refer casually or indirectly; indirect reference to something
e.g., She mentioned some trouble that she'd had at home and I guessed she was alluding to her son.
Elude means to avoid or escape.
e.g., They eluded the police by fleeing.
12. Apprise - Appraise
Apprise: to inform
e.g., He apprised him of what has happened.
Appraise: to assess the quality, value or nature of
e.g., At the end of each teaching practice, trainee teachers are asked to appraise their own performance.
13. Complacent - Complaisant
Complacent: uncritically satisfied with oneself; self-satisfied; smug
e.g., We can't afford to become complacent about any of our products.
Complaisant: willing to please others or to accept their behavior without protest
e.g., His complaisant behavior towards seniors has fetched him the highest hike this year.
14. Delusion - Illusion - Hallucination
Delusion refers to false perceptions or ideas; persistent false beliefs
e.g., A paranoiac has delusions of persecution.
An illusion is a false mental image produced by misinterpretation of things that actually exist.
e.g., A mirage is an illusion produced by reflection of light against the sky.
Hallucination is a perception of a thing or quality that has no physical counterpart.
e.g., Under the influence of LSD, Terry had hallucinations that the living room was rippling.
15. Extant - Extent
Extant means still in existence.
e.g., We have some extant parish records from the sixteenth century.
Extent means size or scale.
e.g., Rosie's teacher was impressed by the extent of her knowledge
16. Atheist - Agnostic
Agnostic: questions the existence of God. He doesn't know whether God exists or not.
Atheist: doesn't believe in God. He knows that God exists but doesn't believe in him.
17. Corporeal - Corporal
Corporeal: relating to person's body; physical rather than spiritual
e.g., The doctor had no patience with spiritual matter; his job was to attend to his patient's corporeal problems, not to minister their souls.
Corporal: a rank of non-commissioned officer in the army; lowest rank
e.g., Steve, being a corporal, could only take orders from his senior officers.
18. Famous - Infamous
Famous: known about by many people
e.g., Marie Curie is famous for her contribution to science.
Infamous: well known because of some bad deed or quality.
e.g., The list included the infamous George Drake, a double murderer.
19. Classic - Classical
“Classical” usually describes things from ancient Greece or Rome, or things from analogous ancient periods like classical Sanskrit poetry. The exception is classical music, which in the narrow sense is late 18th- and 19th-century music by the likes of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, and in the broader sense formal concert music of any period in the West or traditional formal music from other cultures, like classical ragas.
“Classic” has a much looser meaning, describing things that are outstanding examples of their kind, like a classic car or even a classic blunder.
20. Tortuous - Torturous
Tortuous: full of twists and turns; complex.
e.g.He took a tortuous route through back streets.
Torturous: characterized by pain or suffering
e.g., Preparing for any competitive examination has always been torturous.
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