मुख्य सामग्री पर जाएं
REET Level 1 & 2 · Hindi

One Word for a Phrase (वाक्यांश के लिए एक शब्द)

इसे हिंदी में पढ़ें →

‘One word for a phrase’ teaches you to compress the meaning of a long phrase into a single precise word. REET frequently ties this topic to a passage, where you must choose correctly between words that sound alike but carry different meanings.

  • 4 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6-8 depth
  • 8 min read
Verified 17 September 2026

How REET asks this

REET 2024 had four questions on this topic — three gave a phrase directly and asked for the one word (like ‘one who worships Vishnu’ → वैष्णव (vaishnav), ‘one who desires liberation’ → मुमुक्षु (mumukshu), ‘knowledge related to the soul’ → अध्यात्म (adhyatma)), and one was a passage-based word-meaning question (‘तिरोहित (tirohit)’ = vanished/disappeared). In all of these, the options included Sanskrit-derived words that sound similar (like मुमुक्षु (mumukshu)/मुमूर्षु (mumurshu)/पिपासु (pipasu)/जिज्ञासु (jigyasu)), so knowing the fine difference in meaning is essential.

What is ‘one word for a phrase’?

When the entire sense of a longer phrase (a group of several words) is expressed in a single word, it is called ‘one word for a phrase’ or ‘one word for many words’. For instance, ‘अनाहूत (anahut)’ stands for ‘one who was not invited’, and ‘अकथनीय (akathaneeya)’ stands for ‘that which cannot be spoken’. This device brings brevity and clarity to language, and it makes a direct difference in essays and formal writing too.

Most words asked in REET are tatsam (Sanskrit-derived) words, in which prefixes (a, an, vi, su, dur) play an important role — for example, the sense of ‘desire for liberation’ in ‘मुमुक्षु (mumukshu)’ comes from the root ‘much’, while the sense of ‘desire to die’ in ‘मुमूर्षु (mumurshu)’ comes from the root ‘mri’. The two sound almost identical, so it is important to memorise them separately and carefully.

Also note that ‘one word for a phrase’ is not the same thing as ordinary ‘word meaning’ (the direct meaning of a single word). In word meaning, you move from one word to another (roughly a synonym), whereas here you move from an entire phrase (many words) to one standard word. Because of this, when preparing for this topic, read the phrase carefully and understand the sense of every word in it — fixating only on the last word or the main noun risks picking a wrong answer. For example, in ‘knowledge related to the soul’, if you focus only on the word ‘knowledge’, you might wrongly pick something like ‘विद्वता (vidwatta)’ (scholarship), when the correct answer is ‘अध्यात्म (adhyatma)’.

One more practical point — usually only one standard, commonly-used word is accepted as correct in the exam for any given phrase, so among the options you should pick whichever word most precisely and commonly captures the sense of the phrase, even if another word seems to give a roughly similar sense. Reading widely also helps here, because the more such one-word forms you encounter naturally in essays, editorials and textbook passages, the less you will need to rely on rote memorisation alone.

Phrases asked in REET and their similar-looking wrong options

PhraseCorrect one wordSimilar-looking but wrong options
one who worships Vishnuवैष्णव (vaishnav)कौस्तुभ (kaustubh) (Vishnu’s gem), वैजयन्त (vaijayant) (Indra’s palace/banner)
knowledge related to the soulअध्यात्म (adhyatma)सार्वभौमिक (sarvabhaumik) (universally applicable), ध्येय (dhyeya) (goal)
one who desires liberationमुमुक्षु (mumukshu)मुमूर्षु (mumurshu) (about to die), पिपासु (pipaasu) (thirsty), जिज्ञासु (jigyaasu) (curious to know)
one who was not invitedअनाहूत (anahut)आमंत्रित (aamantrit) (one who was invited — the opposite meaning)
one that has not been read beforeअपठित (apathit)अश्रुत (ashrut) (not heard), अदृश्य (adrishya) (invisible)
that which cannot be treated/curedअसाध्य (asaadhya)अचूक (achook) (unfailing/never missing), अनिवार्य (anivaarya) (unavoidable/compulsory)

Strategy for identifying word meanings in a passage

Passage-based questions don’t ask for a word’s plain dictionary meaning, but its contextual meaning within the sentence. For instance, in REET 2024, in the line ‘prem तिरोहित (tirohit) hota ja raha hai’ (love is gradually vanishing), ‘तिरोहित (tirohit)’ meant ‘vanished/disappeared’. One option placed ‘तिरस्कार (tiraskaar)’ (insult) there, which sounds similar but carries a completely different meaning — in such questions, don’t fall into the trap of phonetic similarity; read the full sense of the sentence.

Many of these words repeat the same prefix (a, an, ni, su, dur) across several words, so understanding the prefix’s meaning helps you remember an entire family of words at once — for example, the prefix ‘a’ shows negation (not being): अजेय (ajeya) (that cannot be defeated), अकथनीय (akathaneeya) (that cannot be spoken), अगम्य (agamya) (that cannot be reached), असाध्य (asaadhya) (that cannot be cured). Once you catch this pattern, guessing new phrases becomes easier too, even for a word you’ve never encountered before.

For practice, build a habit of finding 2-3 such phrases in a newspaper article or textbook paragraph each day that can be compressed into one word — this builds the ability to recognise new, unseen phrases in the exam, rather than depending only on a pre-memorised list.

How to teach this to children

Activity

Write a new phrase on the board each day and ask children to form the one word for it, then have them immediately use it in a sentence — this builds both memory and usage.

Teaching material

Flashcards pairing a phrase with its one-word form are a useful, game-like way to practise in Classes 6-8.

Common misconception

Children mix up phonetically similar words (मुमुक्षु (mumukshu)-मुमूर्षु (mumurshu), जिज्ञासु (jigyasu)-पिपासु (pipasu)) because both look like closely related Sanskrit-derived words — clarify each pair with a separate example sentence.

Assessment

Give 5 common phrases and have students write the one word, and also test the reverse — give a word and ask for its phrase-meaning — to check understanding in both directions.

Memory trick / exam tip

When two options sound almost identical (like मुमुक्षु (mumukshu)/मुमूर्षु (mumurshu)), look carefully at the one syllable that differs and tie it to the root word — मुमुक्षु (mumukshu) comes from ‘मुक्ति (mukti)’ (liberation), मुमूर्षु (mumurshu) from ‘मृत्यु (mrityu)’ (death). This trick resolves the pair that trips up the most candidates in exams like REET.

Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)

निर्देश : निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के आधार पर प्रश्न-संख्या 51 से 58 तक के उत्तर दीजिए । अधिकतर लोग विष्णु को पालनकर्त्ता मानकर उनकी उपासना करते हैं; विष्णु पालन करते हैं तथा महेश संहार करते हैं । इस पर विश्वास करके यदि कृषक को ही विष्णु कहें तो कोई अतिशयोक्ति न होगी । आकाश में उड़ने वाले स्वतंत्र पक्षी, पृथ्वी पर विचरण करने वाला मानव, यहाँ तक कि जलचर भी कृषकों पर ही निर्भर है । तपस्या भरा त्याग, अभिमान रहित उदारता और क्लांति रहित परिश्रम का यदि चित्र देखना है तो आप भारतीय कृषक को देखिए । वह स्वयं न खाकर दूसरों को खिलाता है, स्वयं न पहनकर दूसरों को वस्त्र देता है । उसके अनुपम त्याग की समानता कोई नहीं कर सकता है । भारतीय कृषक की आकृति में ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि मानों कोई वीतराग संन्यासी हो । जिसे न दु:ख में दु:ख और न सुख में सुख की कामना है; जिसे न अज्ञान से आत्म-ग्लानि होती है और न दरिद्रता से दीनता । यह वह कर्मयोगी है जो फल प्राप्ति की इच्छा से रहित होकर कर्म में तल्लीन रहता है ।

Question 53

The one-word substitution for the phrase 'विष्णु की उपासना करने वाला' (one who worships Vishnu) is

  1. Aकौस्तुभ
  2. Bवैजयन्त
  3. Cपरीक्षित
  4. Dवैष्णव

Explanation

विष्णु की उपासना करने वाले को ‘वैष्णव’ कहते हैं (जैसे शिव के उपासक को ‘शैव’)। ‘कौस्तुभ’ विष्णु द्वारा धारण की जाने वाली मणि है और ‘वैजयन्त’ इन्द्र के महल/ध्वज का नाम है, अतः ये उपयुक्त नहीं हैं।

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के आधार पर प्रश्न संख्या 74 से 83 तक के उत्तर दीजिए । प्राचीन काल से भारतीय संस्कृति का प्रकाश विश्व भर में फैल रहा है । इस महान भारतीय संस्कृति के वैशिष्ट्य बिंदु निम्नानुसार है - प्राचीनता-भारतीय संस्कृति का इतिहास अत्यंत प्राचीन है । सरस्वती-सैंधव सभ्यता की खोज एवं उत्खनन से प्राप्त सामग्री का मूल्य आँकना संभव नहीं है । यह प्राप्त सामग्री आज भी हमारा गौरव है । इनका संरक्षण एवं अध्ययन हमारा ध्येय होना चाहिए । निरंतरता-भारतीय संस्कृति की धारा निर्बाध रूप से हजारों वर्षों से बहती चली आ रही है । सैंधव सभ्यता से प्राप्त देवी-देवताओं की मूर्तियाँ भारतीयों के लिए पूजनीय हैं । अनेक विदेशी आक्रमणों के बावजूद भारतीय संस्कृति ने अपना मूल स्वरूप स्थायी बनाए रखा है । आध्यात्मिकता-अध्यात्म भारतीय संस्कृति का प्राण तत्त्व है । हमारी संस्कृति का विकास तपोवनों और आश्रमों में हुआ है । ग्रहणशीलता-बाहरी तत्त्वों को आत्मसात् करने की क्षमता और समन्वित जीवनशैली भारतीय संस्कृति का प्रमुख गुण है । भारतीय संस्कृति की प्रेरक व्यवस्था व्यक्ति को नैतिक रूप से दृढ़ कर मानव बनाती है । भारतीय संस्कृति का सौंदर्य सार्वभौमिक है ।

Question 78

The appropriate one-word substitute for the phrase 'आत्मा से संबंधित ज्ञान' (knowledge related to the soul) is -

  1. Aसार्वभौमिक
  2. Bध्येय
  3. Cअध्यात्म
  4. Dआत्मसात्

Explanation

आत्मा और परमात्मा से संबंधित ज्ञान या चिंतन को ‘अध्यात्म’ कहते हैं। ‘सार्वभौमिक’ का अर्थ सब जगह लागू होने वाला, ‘ध्येय’ का अर्थ लक्ष्य और ‘आत्मसात्’ का अर्थ अपने में समा लेना है।

निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के आधार पर प्रश्न संख्या 31 से 40 तक के उत्तर लिखिए : भारतवर्ष पर प्रकृति की विशेष कृपा रही है । यहाँ पर सभी ऋतुएँ समय पर आती हैं और पर्याप्त काल तक रहती हैं । ऋतुएँ अपने अनुकूल फल-फूलों का सृजन करती हैं । धूप और वर्षा के समान अधिकार के कारण यह भूमि शस्यश्यामला हो जाती है । यहाँ का नगाधिराज हिमालय कवियों को सदा से प्रेरणा देता रहा है और मुक्ति पाने के इच्छुक व्यक्तियों के लिए यहाँ की नदियाँ मोक्षदायिनी समझी जाती रही हैं । यहाँ कृत्रिम धूप और रोशनी की आवश्यकता नहीं पड़ती । यद्यपि भारतीय मनीषी जंगल में रहना पसंद करते थे तथापि वे लोक-व्यवहारों से भी परिचित थे । आज भी वृक्षों में पानी देना एक धार्मिक कार्य समझते हैं । सूर्य और चन्द्र दर्शन शुभ माने जाते हैं ।

Question 37

The appropriate one-word substitution for the phrase 'मुक्ति पाने का इच्छुक' (one who desires liberation) is –

  1. Aमुमूर्ष
  2. Bमुमुक्षु
  3. Cपिपासु
  4. Dजिज्ञासु

Explanation

मोक्ष या मुक्ति पाने की इच्छा रखने वाले को ‘मुमुक्षु’ कहते हैं। ‘मुमूर्षु’ मरणासन्न (मरने की इच्छा/अवस्था वाला) व्यक्ति है, ‘पिपासु’ प्यासा और ‘जिज्ञासु’ जानने की इच्छा रखने वाला होता है।

निर्देश : निम्नलिखित गद्यांश के आधार पर प्रश्न संख्या 45 से 50 तक के उत्तर दीजिए : आज हमारा सामाजिक ढाँचा चरमराने लगा है । भाई-बहिन के संबंधों में भी प्रेम तिरोहित होता जा रहा है । निकम्मे रहकर मनुष्यों की चिन्तन-शक्ति थक गई है । बिस्तरों और आसनों पर सोते-सोते मन के घोड़े हार गये हैं । सारा जीवन निचुड़ चुका है । स्वप्न पुराने हो चुके हैं । आज मनुष्य पैसा कमाने की मशीन बन चुका है । सारा समाज अर्थ प्रधान होता जा रहा है । सिर्फ धन और धन कमाने की लालसा के चलते व्यक्ति यह भूल बैठा है कि- ‘अणूतो धन सुख सान्ति ने खोस लेवे ।’ भौतिक वस्तुओं को पाने की चाहना अग्नि सदृश सदैव प्रज्वलित रहती है ।

Question 46

The meaning of the word 'तिरोहित' is

  1. Aलुप्त
  2. Bप्रकाशित
  3. Cलालायित
  4. Dतिरस्कार

Explanation

‘तिरोहित’ का अर्थ है छिपा हुआ या लुप्त (ओझल) हो जाना। गद्यांश में ‘प्रेम तिरोहित होता जा रहा है’ का आशय है कि प्रेम लुप्त होता जा रहा है। ‘तिरस्कार’ ध्वनि में मिलता-जुलता है पर अर्थ (अपमान) भिन्न है।

Practice questions

Question 1

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जिसे बुलाया न गया हो' (one who has not been invited) is

  1. Aआमंत्रित
  2. Bअनाहूत
  3. Cअभ्यागत
  4. Dआगंतुक

Explanation

One who was not invited is called ‘अनाहूत (anahut)’. ‘आमंत्रित (Aamantrit)’ gives the opposite meaning (one who was invited), and ‘अभ्यागत (abhyagat)’/‘आगंतुक (aagantuk)’ mean guest/visitor, which don’t relate to being invited.

Question 2

The suitable word for the phrase 'जो कहा न जा सके' (that which cannot be said) is

  1. Aअकथनीय
  2. Bअकल्पनीय
  3. Cअगम्य
  4. Dअटल

Explanation

That which cannot be spoken is called ‘अकथनीय (akathaneeya)’. ‘अकल्पनीय (Akalpaneeya)’ means unimaginable, ‘अगम्य (agamya)’ means unreachable, and ‘अटल (atal)’ means unshakeable — all three carry a different sense.

Question 3

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जिसे जीता न जा सके' (that which cannot be won/conquered) is

  1. Aअजेय
  2. Bअटल
  3. Cअद्वितीय
  4. Dअक्षय

Explanation

One who cannot be defeated is called ‘अजेय (ajeya)’. ‘अटल (Atal)’ means unwavering, ‘अद्वितीय (adwitiya)’ means unique, and ‘अक्षय (akshay)’ means never diminishing.

Question 4

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जो हमेशा रहने वाला हो' (that which lasts forever) is

  1. Aशाश्वत
  2. Bक्षणिक
  3. Cअस्थायी
  4. Dनश्वर

Explanation

One that lasts forever is called ‘शाश्वत (shaashwat)’. ‘क्षणिक (Kshanik)’ means momentary, ‘अस्थायी (asthaayi)’ means temporary, and ‘नश्वर (nashwar)’ means perishable — all three carry the opposite sense.

Question 5

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जिसका कोई शत्रु न हो' (one who has no enemy) is

  1. Aअजातशत्रु
  2. Bनिडर
  3. Cअद्वितीय
  4. Dशत्रुहीन

Explanation

One with no enemy is called ‘अजातशत्रु (ajaatshatru)’ (famously used as Yudhishthira’s title). ‘निडर (Nidar)’ means fearless, which is a different sense altogether.

Question 6

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जो पहले कभी न हुआ हो' (that which has never happened before) is

  1. Aअभूतपूर्व
  2. Bअसंभव
  3. Cअकल्पनीय
  4. Dअनुपम

Explanation

Something that never happened before is called ‘अभूतपूर्व (abhootpoorv)’. ‘असंभव (Asambhav)’ means impossible, and ‘अनुपम (anupam)’ means incomparable — both give a different sense.

Question 7

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जो उपकार करने वाला हो' (one who does good to others) is

  1. Aस्वार्थी
  2. Bपरोपकारी
  3. Cकृतघ्न
  4. Dधर्मपरायण

Explanation

One who does good deeds for others is called ‘परोपकारी (paropkaari)’. ‘स्वार्थी (Swaarthi)’ gives the opposite sense, ‘कृतघ्न (kritaghn)’ means ungrateful, and ‘धर्मपरायण (dharmparaayan)’ means devoted to religion — different senses altogether.

Question 8

While teaching 'आत्मा से संबंधित ज्ञान' (knowledge related to the soul), the most suitable classroom approach for the teacher is

  1. Aकेवल सूची बोर्ड पर लिखकर रटवाना
  2. Bवाक्यांश को कहानी/उदाहरण से जोड़कर अर्थ स्पष्ट करना, फिर वाक्य-प्रयोग कराना
  3. Cबच्चों को खुद से शब्दकोश खोजने के लिए छोड़ देना
  4. Dइस टॉपिक को छोड़कर आगे बढ़ जाना

Explanation

Abstract phrases (like ‘knowledge related to the soul’) are remembered properly only when tied to a story or example and clarified, followed immediately by usage in a sentence — rote memorisation alone is quickly forgotten.

Question 9

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जो कम बोलता हो' (one who speaks little) is

  1. Aमितभाषी
  2. Bवाचाल
  3. Cमूक
  4. Dवाग्मी

Explanation

One who speaks little is called ‘मितभाषी (mitbhaashi)’. ‘वाचाल (Vaachaal)’ means one who talks too much (the opposite), ‘मूक (mook)’ means completely silent, and ‘वाग्मी (vaagmi)’ means an eloquent speaker.

Question 10

The one-word substitute for the phrase 'जो सब कुछ जानता हो' (one who knows everything) is

  1. Aसर्वज्ञ
  2. Bजिज्ञासु
  3. Cविद्वान
  4. Dअल्पज्ञ

Explanation

One who knows everything is called ‘सर्वज्ञ (sarvagya)’. ‘जिज्ञासु (Jigyaasu)’ means one who wishes to know (doesn’t know yet, wants to), and ‘अल्पज्ञ (alpagya)’ means one who knows very little — the exact opposite sense.

Frequently asked questions

What is meant by ‘one word for a phrase’?+

When the full sense of a longer phrase is expressed in a single word, it is called ‘one word for a phrase’ — for example, ‘अनाहूत (anahut)’ stands for ‘one who was not invited’.

How many REET questions come from this topic?+

REET 2024 had 4 questions from this topic, often tied to word-meanings inside a passage. It is a regular topic in Bhasha-I/II every year.

Why is it also called ‘one word for many words’?+

Because sometimes not a single word but the sense of several words (a phrase) is compressed into one word — both names are common and refer to the same idea.

What is the difference between this and plain word meaning?+

Word meaning asks for the direct meaning of a single word (roughly a synonym), while here the combined sense of an entire phrase (several words) must be expressed in one word.

Can this also be asked in reverse?+

Yes, sometimes you’re given a single word and asked for its phrase-meaning — for example, you could be asked what ‘अनाहूत (anahut)’ means — so practising in both directions is useful.

Read next

Shabd-Yugm (Word Pairs)

Previous topic

Vartani Shuddhi (Spelling Correction)

Next topic

REET Syllabus

The full syllabus in one place

REET 2024 Solved Paper

Solved questions from every subject

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked