Difficult Words from Hindu Editorial | May 2021- Download PDF

When it comes to improving your vocabulary, The Hindu Editorial is considered the best. We at PracticeMock, keep publishing the daily analysis of The Hindu Editorials. In this analysis, we cherrypick the difficult words/phrases/terms used in the editorial. Now, these difficult words connote more than 1 sense of the word and it may become confusing to you which sense to use in the editorial. It’s only to ease your reading that we only provide the contextual meaning of the word in our analysis. Reading only the contextual meaning will ensure that you retain that very meaning which is relevant in the editorial.

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Reading these editorial analyses on a daily basis will definitely help you improve your word power. As you come across difficult words on a daily basis (and some of them might get repeated in the editorial as well), you will slowly and steadily start remembering their meanings. In this article, we have compiled a list of all the difficult words/ phrases/ terms used in The Hindu Editorial in the month of May 2021. Keep revising this list to ensure that you don’t forget the meanings of these difficult words.

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📥 PDF- Difficult Words from Hindu Editorial- May 2021

Important Days/Dates 2020-21 with Themes for Banking/ SSC/ RRB NTPC/ Govt. Exams

Difficult Word/ Phrase	Contextual Sense
Strife	angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues; conflict
Gloss over	try to conceal or disguise something unfavourable by treating it briefly or representing it misleadingly
Go to great lengths	to make a great or extreme effort to do something
Unilaterally	used to indicate that something is done by only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of others
Vindictive	having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge
Acrimony	bitterness or ill feeling
Hand in hand	in close association
Apportion	divide and allocate
Belittle	make (someone or something) seem unimportant
Trounce	defeat heavily in a contest
Windfall	a large amount of money that is won or received unexpectedly
Ferocious	savagely fierce
Upend	set or turn (something) on its end or upside down
Payout	a large payment of money
Truncate	shorten the duration of
Mop up	to gather as if by absorbing
Buffer	something or someone that helps protect from harm
Coffer	Treasury
Wiggle	move or cause to move up and down or from side to side with small rapid movements
Behove	it is a duty or responsibility for someone to do something; it is incumbent on
Vagueness	lack of certainty
Incitement	the action of provoking unlawful behavior or urging someone to behave unlawfully
Sexual orientation	a person’s identity in relation to the gender or genders to which they are sexually attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual, etc.
Immigration	the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country
Doctrine	a stated principle of government policy, mainly in foreign or military affairs
Vulnerable	easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally
Backdrop	the general situation in which particular events happen
Pitfall	a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty
Lacuna	a gap
Imminent	about to happen
Imperious	assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering
Archipelago	a group of islands
Idyllic	extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque
Long arm	power, esp far-reaching power
Rummage	search unsystematically and untidily through a mass or receptacle
Upend	set or turn (something) on its end or upside down
Recast	To change the form of something
Impede	delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder
Fragile	(of an object) easily broken or damaged
Ecosystem	a group of businesses or business activities that affect each other and work well together:
Curb	a check or restraint on something
Plethora	a large or excessive amount of (something)
Break down	(of a relationship, agreement, or process) cease to continue; collapse
Stand-off	a deadlock between two equally matched opponents in a dispute or conflict
Back-story	the things that have happened to someone before you first see or read about that person in a film or story
Strained	having problems
Stonewalling	delay or obstruct (a request, process, or person) by refusing to answer questions or by being evasive
Make a noise	speak or act in a way designed to attract a lot of attention or publicity
Take on board	to decide to accept or deal with (something, such as a suggestion or idea)
high-handed	using power or authority without considering the feelings of others
Functionary	a person who has to perform official functions or duties; an official
Legal leg to stand on	If you say that someone does not have a leg to stand on, or hasn’t got a leg to stand on, you mean that a statement or claim they have made cannot be justified or proved
Go any length	If you say that someone goes to great lengths to achieve something, you mean that they try very hard and perhaps do extreme things in order to achieve it
Tarnish	to make people think that someone or something is less good
Disparage	regard or represent as being of little worth
Forge	copied fraudulently; fake
Propagandist	a person who promotes or publicizes a particular organization or cause
Baffling	impossible to understand
Arbitrary	based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system
Intimidate	frighten or overawe (someone), especially in order to make them do what one wants
Throw up	abandon or give up something, especially one’s job
Mortality	death, especially on a large scale
Mould	a furry growth of minute fungal hyphae occurring typically in moist warm conditions, especially on food or other organic matter
Steroid	an artificial form of a natural chemical substance that is used for treating particular medical conditions
Spore	a minute, typically one-celled, reproductive unit capable of giving rise to a new individual without sexual fusion, characteristic of lower plants, fungi, and protozoans
Susceptible	likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing
Inflammatory	(especially of speech or writing) arousing or intended to arouse angry or violent feelings
Dysfunction	abnormality or impairment in the function of a specified bodily organ or system
Corticosteroid	any of a group of steroid hormones produced in the adrenal cortex or made synthetically. There are two kinds: glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. They have various metabolic functions and some are used to treat inflammation
Wake-up call	a thing that alerts people to an unsatisfactory situation and prompts them to remedy it
Circumvention	the action of overcoming a problem or difficulty, typically in a clever and surreptitious way
Wield	have and be able to use (power or influence)
Federal country	a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism)
Obligation	an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment
Refrain	stop oneself from doing something
Ought	used to indicate something that is probable
Precedent	an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances
Stipulate	demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of a bargain or agreement
Resentment	a feeling of anger or displeasure about someone or something unfair
Invoke	cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument
Anecdotal	(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research
Backslide	return to a worse condition
Discretionary spending	money spent by consumers on things other than necessary things such as food, clothes, and fuel
In the doldrums	if something is in the doldrums, nothing new is happening and it is not doing well
Unscathed	without suffering any injury, damage, or harm
Dry up	(of something perceived as a continuous flow or source) decrease and stop
Palpable	so obvious that it can easily be seen or known
Precarity	the state of being uncertain
Stagflation	stagflation or recession-inflation is a situation in which the inflation rate is high, the economic growth rate slows, and unemployment remains steadily high
Expedited	make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly
Bad bank	a bank set up to buy the bad loans and other illiquid holdings of another financial institution
NPAs	A nonperforming asset (NPA) refers to a classification for loans or advances that are in default or in arrears
Vicious cycle	a negative series of events that build on and reinforce each other
Legacy bad loans	A legacy asset is an asset that has remained on a company’s balance sheet for a long period time and has since become obsolete or has lost nearly all of it’s initial value
Abate	(of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread
Dent	If one thing makes a dent in another, it reduces it by a large amount
Scrounge	seek to obtain something at the expense or through the generosity of others or by stealth
Rope in	to force or persuade someone to join a group or become involved in something
Fall prey to	to be harmed or affected in a bad way by (someone or something)
Inordinate	unusually or disproportionately large; excessive
Sedition	conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch
Dissenter	a person who does not agree with opinions that are officially or generally accepted
Detractor	a person who tries to make somebody/ something seem less good or valuable by criticizing them/ it
Vendetta	a strong desire to harm a person or group, often because of political reasons or feelings of hate
Stoke	encourage or incite (a strong emotion or tendency)
Rampant	(especially of something unwelcome or unpleasant) flourishing or spreading unchecked
Unedifying	distasteful; unpleasant
Offence	a breach of a law or rule; an illegal act
Imminent	about to happen
Vaguely	in a way that is uncertain, indefinite or unclear
Midst	In the middle of
Imperious	arrogant and domineering
Grandeur	splendor and impressiveness, especially of appearance or style
Irony	the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect
Colossus	a statue that is much bigger than life size
Befallen	(of something bad) happen to someone
Razing	completely destroy (a building, town, or other site)
Manuscript	a book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed
Artefact	an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest
Ripple effect	the continuing and spreading results of an event or action
Respite	a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant
Cast a pall on/over	to give (something) an unhappy mood
Softer	In a soft market/economy there are more goods for sale than there are people to buy them, so prices are usually low
Imputed	(of a value) assigned to something by inference from the value of the products or processes to which it contributes; estimated
Index of Industrial Production	an index which shows the growth rates in different industry groups of the economy in a stipulated period of time
Deflationary	Relating to a decrease in the amount of available money or credit in an economy that causes prices to go down
Stubbornly	in a manner that shows dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something
Gauge	estimate or determine the magnitude, amount, or volume of
Trajectory	the way in which a process or event develops over a period of time
Haulage	the commercial transport of goods
Perennial	continually recurring
Salience	the quality of being particularly noticeable or important
Parole	the temporary or permanent release of a prisoner before the expiry of a sentence, on the promise of good behaviour
Inmate	a person confined to a prison
Stringent	strict, precise, and exacting
Complicity	the state of being involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing
Vulnerability	the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally
Lay down	formulate and enforce or insist on a rule or principle
Undertrial	a person who is being held in custody awaiting trial for a crime
Arbitrarily	without restraint in the use of authority
Merit	deserve or be worthy of (something, especially reward, punishment, or attention)
Variant of concern	A variant for which there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures
Flag	mark (an item) for attention or treatment in a specified way
Evade	escape or avoid, especially by trickery
Mutation	an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s or the virus’s descendants
Afflict	(of a problem or illness) cause pain or suffering to; affect or trouble
Lineage	descent in a line from a common progenitor
Variant of interest	a variant of interest is one that is “suspected” to either be more contagious than the initial strain, cause more severe disease, or escape the protection offered by vaccines
Strain	A strain of an organism is a particular type of it
On your toes	Someone or something that keeps you on your toes forces you to continue directing all your attention and energy to what you are doing
Culmination	the highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time
Eviction	the action of expelling someone, especially a tenant, from a property; expulsion
Disperse	to break up in random fashion
Break out	(of war, fighting, or similarly undesirable things) start suddenly
Sovereignty	supreme power or authority
Tactic	an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end
Carte blanche	complete freedom to act as one wishes
Repression	the action of subduing someone or something by force
Mend ways	to change or improve one’s behavior
Yoke	something that connects two things or people, usually in a way that unfairly limits freedom
Outreach	the extent or length of reaching out
Overreach	reach too far
Usurp	take (a position of power or importance) by force
Flailing	beset by difficulties
Apotheosis	the highest point in the development of something
Remit	the task or area of activity officially assigned to an organization
Calibrated	carefully assessed, set, or adjusted
Flak	strong criticism
Succour	assistance and support in times of hardship and distress
Suo motu	on its own motion; the term is usually applied to actions by a judge taken without a prior motion or request from the parties
Ebb	gradually lessen or reduce
Stimulus	a thing or event that evokes a specific functional reaction in an organ or tissue
Pool	a quantity of a particular thing, such as money, collected together for shared use by several people or organizations
Bond yield	the return an investor realizes on a bond
Dearth	a scarcity or lack of something
Erratic	not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable
Upbeat	optimistic
Stock	to procure
Rebound	recover in value, amount, or strength after a decrease or decline
Ample	enough or more than enough
Ceiling	an upper limit
Strike down	to decide that a law is illegal and should not apply
Underscore	emphasizing the importance of something
Adhere	believe in and follow the practices of
Unpalatable	difficult to put up with or accept
Set aside	declare a legal decision or process to be invalid
Limb	a branching section
Denude	to deprive of something important
Clamour	a demand for something
In the offing	likely to happen or appear soon
Repose	place something, especially one’s confidence or trust, in
Unassailable	unable to be attacked, questioned, or defeated
Warhorse	a person with long experience in a field
Set the ball rolling	To set something, often a process, in motion
Make the cut	to be among the players allowed to continue playing
Marching order	instructions from someone in authority about what you should do
Crop	a group or amount of related people or things appearing or occurring at one time
Dash	strike or fling (something) somewhere with great force, especially so as to have a destructive effect
Take aback	to surprise or shock (someone)
Myriad	a countless or extremely great number
Transient	lasting only for a short time
Uptick	a small increase
In tandem	alongside each other
Spectre	something widely feared as a possible unpleasant or dangerous occurrence
Mere	that is solely or no more or better than what is specified
Recalibration	Adjustment of something again so that it can be used in an accurate and exact way
Plummet	fall or drop straight down at high speed
Build-up	an increase in the amount of something over a period of time
Foolhardy	recklessly bold or rash
Prickly	complicated and difficult to deal with
Douse	to end something
Incumbent	currently holding office
Herald	be a sign that (something) is about to happen
Come of age	relating to the fact or showing that something has become fully developed or successful
Juggernaut	a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force
Decimation	reducing something severely
Exacerbate	make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse
Throng	(of a crowd) fill or be present in (a place or area)
Solemnity	the state or quality of being serious and dignified
Wrest	forcibly pull (something) from a person’s grasp
Difficult Word/ Phrase	Contextual Meaning
Clampdown	a severe or concerted attempt to suppress something
Dissemination	the action or fact of spreading something, especially information, widely
Besetting	(of a problem or difficulty) trouble or threaten persistently
Despotic	a ruler who has total power and who often uses that power in cruel and unfair ways
Profiteering	the practice of making or seeking to make an excessive or unfair profit, especially illegally or in a black market
Tarnish	to damage or ruin
Propensity	an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way
Stifle	to withhold from circulation or expression
Precept	a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought
Calamitious	Causing a disastrous event marked by great loss and lasting distress and suffering