XXVI:PERSONALITIES CONT"D

5. FUTILITARIAN A cynic and pessimist. Futilitarian is derived from FUTILE, useless, vain. A FUTILITARIAN sees nothing worthwhile in his life. He/she considers life FUTILE.

FUTILE x FRUITFUL

6. ASCETIC

One leading a simple, harsh and severe life.

An ASCETIC is very AUSTERE or SPARTAN (severe and harsh) in his style of life. An ASCETIC is unlike a HEDONIST, who loves pleasure and luxury in life. A HEDONIST is pleasure-loving, just as an ASCETIC austerity-loving.

ASCETIC: AUSTERITY

HEDONIST: PLEASURE

A HEDONIST is also called SYBARITE or EPICURE.

EPICURE: SYBARITIC

ASCETIC: SPARTAN

Certain ASCETICS like to live in SOLITUDE (loneliness). We call them HERMITS. A HERMIT loves PRIVACY. Such privacy-loving people can also be called RECLUSE or ANCHORITE.

RECLUSE: PRIVACY

SYBARITE: LUXURY

When we're RECLUSIVE, we live a SOLITARY (lonely) life; when we're GREGARIOUS, we are very sociable, i.e., we've a tendency to live in societies or groups

RECLUSIVE x GREGARIOUS

7. EGOIST

A selfish person.

Just as a FUTILITARIAN is PESSIMISTIC, an EGOIST is a SELFISH person. An EGOIST has too much EGO, pride in oneself.

FUTILITARIAN: PESSIMISTIC

EGOIST: SELFISH

8. AESTHETE

A person of great taste for beautiful things, especially in art and music.

AESTHETE x PHILISTINE (A person with contempt for art).

9. MARTINET

A person who is very strict in matters of discipline.

Just as an AESTHETE is a person of great TASTE, a MARTINET is a person of great DISCIPLINE.

AESTHETE: TASTE

MARTINET: DISCIPLINE

10. SYCOPHANT

A flatterer, a toady.

A sycophant pretends to appreciate us by praising us a lot.

The function of a sycophant is to flatter, in the same way as the function of a SLANDERER is to slander or defame (destroy the reputation of people by talking ill about them).

SLANDERER : DEFAME

SYCOPHANT: FLATTER.

When we slander, we talk ill of people, and blacken their name. The following are all SYNONYMS of SLANDER:

DEFAME

VITUPERATE

LIBEL

MALIGN

SLUR

SLANDER

DENIGRATE

TARNISH

SULLY

Consider the following antonyms:

VITUPERATE x PRAISE

COMPLIMENTARY x VITUPERATIVE

SLANDER, as a noun, refers to spoken defamation, whereas LIBEL is written defamation.Hence,

SLANDER: LIBEL

ORAL: WRITTEN

or

LIBEL: WRITTEN

SLANDER: SPOKEN