Daily Vocabulary from Leading International Newspapers: September 7, 2023

Daily Vocabulary from Leading International Newspapers: September 7, 2023
Daily Vocabulary Words: List of Daily Used Words in Leading International Newspapers
Hi there. Welcome to this special section @ Wordpandit.
Our endeavour here is very simple: to highlight important daily vocabulary words, which you would come across in leading newspapers in the country. We have included the following newspapers in our selection:
• The New York Times
• The Washington Post
• Scientific American
• BBC
• The Guardian
• Psychology Today
• Wall Street Journal
• The Economist
We are putting in extensive work for developing your vocabulary. All you have got to do is be regular with this section and check out this post on a daily basis. This is your repository of words that are commonly used and essentially, we are posting a list of daily used words. Hence, this has significant practical application as it teaches you words that are used commonly in leading publications mentioned above.
Visit the website daily to learn words from leading international newspapers.

WORD-1: PURGATORY

CONTEXT: Every once in a while, Sarah Palin tries to escape the purgatory of irrelevancy by doing or saying something that the failed Congressional candidate is likely convinced will inject her back, however briefly, into the cultural zeitgeist.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine being in a waiting room, not sure if you’ll be called into a happy place or a not-so-happy place. “Purgatory” is like that waiting room. Some people believe it’s a place where souls go to be cleaned before they can enter heaven.

MEANING: A place or state of temporary suffering where souls are purified before going to heaven (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: PUR-guh-toh-ree

SYNONYMS: Limbo, Intermediate state, Holding area, Middle ground, Halfway house, Twilight zone, Interim

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. Many believe that souls in purgatory are awaiting judgment.
2. The waiting room felt like a purgatory to anxious patients.
3. She described her time in the village as a purgatory of boredom.
4. The legend speaks of a purgatory for wayward spirits.

WORD-2: ZEITGEIST

CONTEXT: Every once in a while, Sarah Palin tries to escape the purgatory of irrelevancy by doing or saying something that the failed Congressional candidate is likely convinced will inject her back, however briefly, into the cultural zeitgeist.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine the mood or spirit of a time when everyone is doing or feeling something similar. Like when everyone starts playing the same game or wearing the same kind of clothes. “Zeitgeist” is a fancy word for the spirit or mood of a particular time.

MEANING: The general mood, ideas, or beliefs of a particular time period (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: ZITE-guyst

SYNONYMS: Spirit of the age, Mood, Atmosphere, Trend, Climate, Tone, Vibe

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The film captures the zeitgeist of the 1960s.
2. Social media has become part of the zeitgeist of this century.
3. The novel reflects the zeitgeist of post-war America.
4. Art often mirrors the zeitgeist of its era.

WORD-3: GALLING

CONTEXT: It must be galling for the former Republican “it girl”– who was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the ego-swelling limelight as John McCain’s running mate in 2008 – to watch from afar as the diabolical duo of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert slowly and inevitably overtook her in the calcified hearts and conspiracy-consumed minds of the party’s looney tunes faithful.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine something that really annoys you, like when your toy is taken away. “Galling” is a word that describes that super annoying feeling.

MEANING: Very annoying or irritating (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: GAL-ing

SYNONYMS: Irritating, Annoying, Vexing, Infuriating, Aggravating, Maddening, Frustrating

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. It was galling to see him succeed so easily.
2. The delay was a galling inconvenience.
3. She found his arrogance quite galling.
4. It’s galling that I have to work late again.

WORD-4: OBSCURITY

CONTEXT: It must be galling for the former Republican “it girl”– who was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the ego-swelling limelight as John McCain’s running mate in 2008 – to watch from afar as the diabolical duo of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert slowly and inevitably overtook her in the calcified hearts and conspiracy-consumed minds of the party’s looney tunes faithful.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a hidden treasure that no one knows about. “Obscurity” is like that hidden treasure; it’s about being unknown or hard to see or understand.

MEANING: The state of being unknown or not clear (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: ob-SKYOOR-ih-tee

SYNONYMS: Uncertainty, Ambiguity, Darkness, Vagueness, Ambiguousness, Unclearness, Indistinctness

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The poet spent many years in obscurity before gaining fame.
2. The reason for his decision remains shrouded in obscurity.
3. She rose from obscurity to stardom.
4. The old manuscript was saved from obscurity by a historian.

WORD-5: DIABOLICAL

CONTEXT: It must be galling for the former Republican “it girl”– who was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the ego-swelling limelight as John McCain’s running mate in 2008 – to watch from afar as the diabolical duo of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert slowly and inevitably overtook her in the calcified hearts and conspiracy-consumed minds of the party’s looney tunes faithful.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a cartoon where the villain laughs evilly and plots wicked plans. “Diabolical” is a word that describes something really evil or wicked, just like that villain.

MEANING: Very wicked or cruel (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: dye-uh-BOL-ih-kul

SYNONYMS: Evil, Demonic, Devilish, Fiendish, Infernal, Sinister, Satanic

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. He hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.
2. The villain’s diabolical laughter echoed in the chamber.
3. The movie’s antagonist had a diabolical nature.
4. The experiment had diabolical consequences.

You’ve done a great job with formatting! Here are the details for the words you provided:

WORD-6: CONTRIVED

CONTEXT: Despite her diminished profile, Palin has been busy reconfirming those credentials. She told Bolling a few days earlier in the same contrived setting that Donald Trump’s arraignment in Georgia – on a slew of felony charges in connection with a mob-type scheme to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state – was going to provoke a “civil war”.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine making something using whatever things you have around, but it doesn’t seem natural or real. “Contrived” describes something that seems fake or forced.

MEANING: Deliberately created rather than arising naturally (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: kun-TRYVED

SYNONYMS: Artificial, Forced, Fake, Faked, Feigned, Pretend, Unnatural

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The movie had a contrived ending.
2. Her apology felt contrived and insincere.
3. The dialogue in the play seemed contrived.
4. They made a contrived attempt to look happy.

WORD-7: TRAVESTY

CONTEXT: “Those who are conducting this travesty and creating this two-tier system of justice, I want to ask them: What the heck. Do you want us to be in a civil war? Because that’s what’s going to happen. We’re not going to keep putting up with this,” Palin said. “We need to get angry. We do need to rise up and take our country back.”
SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a funny play where everything is silly and not at all like the real story. “Travesty” means a bad or silly imitation of something.

MEANING: A bad or distorted imitation of something (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: TRAV-uh-stee

SYNONYMS: Parody, Mockery, Caricature, Burlesque, Spoof, Lampoon, Charade

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The trial was a travesty of justice.
2. His performance was a travesty of the character.
3. The low-budget film was a travesty of the original.
4. What they did to that song is a travesty!

WORD-8: BROMIDES

CONTEXT: Palin’s rather lame rallying cry was chock-a-block with the predictable bromides meant to “fire up” – she forgot that one – Bolling’s tiny pool of perpetually seething, star burst-gravitating viewers. It was Palin’s explicit suggestion – framed, conveniently, as a consequence-free “question” – that a “civil war” was in the offing that caused, in her self-absorbed gambit, an agreeable stir.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of those sayings that people use a lot, like “better late than never,” which don’t really help or make you feel better. “Bromides” are those common sayings or things that are meant to make you feel better but are kind of boring.

MEANING: Commonplace remarks or actions intended to soothe or calm (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: BROH-mides

SYNONYMS: Clichés, Platitudes, Truisms, Commonplaces, Banalities, Trite sayings, Old chestnuts

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She offered the usual bromides about working hard and being patient.
2. His speech was filled with familiar bromides.
3. Instead of solutions, the mayor gave the public bromides.
4. I’m tired of hearing the same old bromides from politicians.

WORD-9: SEETHING

CONTEXT: Palin’s rather lame rallying cry was chock-a-block with the predictable bromides meant to “fire up” – she forgot that one – Bolling’s tiny pool of perpetually seething, star burst-gravitating viewers. It was Palin’s explicit suggestion – framed, conveniently, as a consequence-free “question” – that a “civil war” was in the offing that caused, in her self-absorbed gambit, an agreeable stir.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a pot of water boiling with bubbles going crazy. If someone is “seething,” it’s like they have those bubbles of anger or strong feelings inside them.

MEANING: Filled with intense but unexpressed anger (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: SEETH-ing

SYNONYMS: Boiling, Furious, Fuming, Burning, Raging, Simmering, Steaming

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She was seething with anger after the argument.
2. Beneath his calm exterior, he was seething.
3. The crowd was seething with excitement.
4. She gave him a seething look and walked away.

WORD-10: GAMBIT

CONTEXT: Palin’s rather lame rallying cry was chock-a-block with the predictable bromides meant to “fire up” – she forgot that one – Bolling’s tiny pool of perpetually seething, star burst-gravitating viewers. It was Palin’s explicit suggestion – framed, conveniently, as a consequence-free “question” – that a “civil war” was in the offing that caused, in her self-absorbed gambit, an agreeable stir.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: In games, sometimes players make a move at the beginning to get an advantage. “Gambit” is like that move; it’s something someone does or says at the start to gain an advantage.

MEANING: A tactic or move used to gain an advantage (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: GAM-bit

SYNONYMS: Ploy, Stratagem, Tactic, Move, Maneuver, Trick, Scheme

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Opening the negotiation with a high price was a clever gambit.
2. Her recent policy announcement is seen as a political gambit to attract younger voters.
3. He decided to use the famous King’s Gambit opening in the chess match.
4. She tried a new gambit to get the committee’s approval.