Daily Vocabulary from Leading Indian Newspapers: May 1, 2024

Daily Vocabulary Words: List of Daily Used Words in Leading Indian Newspapers
Hi there. Welcome to this special section @ Wordpandit. Our endeavour here is straightforward: highlighting daily vocabulary words that you would come across in leading newspapers in the country. We have included the following newspapers in our selection:
• The Times of India
• The Economic Times
• Hindustan Times
• Mint
• Indian Express
We are putting in extensive work to develop your vocabulary. All you have to do is be regular with this section and check out this post daily. This is your repository of commonly used words; essentially, we are posting a list of daily used words. Hence, this has significant practical application as it teaches you words that are commonly used in leading publications mentioned above.
Visit the website daily to learn words from leading Indian newspapers.

WORD-1: esoteric

CONTEXT: Technology policy is arguably too esoteric to figure in India’s election discourse this season.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you have a special club with your friends where you share secrets that only you know. That’s like “esoteric.” It means something that is only known by a few people who have special knowledge or interest.

MEANING: Understood by or meant for only a small number of people with special knowledge (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: es-uh-TER-ik

SYNONYMS: obscure, arcane, cryptic, complex, abstruse

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The book is full of esoteric references that only scholars can understand.
2. He has an interest in esoteric philosophies.
3. The discussion quickly turned to esoteric matters of the industry.
4. Her musical tastes are quite esoteric and not widely shared.

WORD-2: hierarchy

CONTEXT: The Chinese Communist Party’s new campaign is quite central to Beijing’s current ambition to overtake Washington in the production of advanced science and technology and rise to the top of the global power hierarchy.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think about when you play a game where someone is the leader, then there are other helpers, and then all the players. This kind of order, where some people are above others, is called a “hierarchy.”

MEANING: A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.

PRONUNCIATION: HY-uh-rahr-kee

SYNONYMS: ranking, pecking order, ladder, chain of command, gradation

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The company’s hierarchy was clear, with the CEO at the top.
2. In the military, hierarchy is very strict and everyone knows their rank.
3. The social hierarchy in ancient times was much more rigid than today.
4. He climbed the hierarchy of the organization very quickly.

WORD-3: Bipartisan

CONTEXT: The Biden administration successfully mobilised bipartisan support in the US Congress to pass three pieces of legislation — the Infrastructure Investment Act, the CHIPS Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if two different teams at school, usually competing against each other, decide to work together on a big project. This cooperation between two groups is what we call “bipartisan.”

MEANING: Representing, characterized by, or including members from two parties or factions.

PRONUNCIATION: bye-PAR-ti-zuhn

SYNONYMS: cross-party, two-party, cooperative, non-partisan, joint

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The legislation was passed with bipartisan support.
2. The committee was formed as a bipartisan effort to address the issue.
3. He praised the bipartisan approach to the new policy.
4. The bill needed bipartisan consensus to succeed.

WORD-4: Sovereignty

CONTEXT: Calling for strengthening of Europe’s “industrial and technological sovereignty” and closing the gap with the US and China that are boosting their technological sectors with massive subsidies, Macron demanded big investments in AI, quantum computing, space, biotechnology, and such new energy technologies as green hydrogen and nuclear fusion.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of sovereignty like being the king or queen of your own castle, where you make all the rules and no one can tell you what to do in your castle. That’s what sovereignty means—it’s having complete control over a place.

MEANING: Supreme power or authority of a state or organization to govern
itself (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: SOV-rin-tee

SYNONYMS: authority, rule, dominion, control, power

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The country declared its sovereignty from the colonial powers.
2. The issue of state sovereignty is often debated in politics.
3. They fought to protect their sovereignty against foreign invasion.
4. Sovereignty allows a nation to govern itself independently.

WORD-5: Overhaul

CONTEXT: the “new productive forces”, though, Delhi needs to undertake a sweeping overhaul of its technology departments, significantly raise the national expenditure on R&D, and encourage greater participation of the private sector in the research, development, and production of modern technologies.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine your toy car isn’t working right, so you take it apart and fix all the broken pieces, then put it back together. That’s like doing an “overhaul.” It means making big changes or repairs to fix something.

MEANING: An extensive examination and repair (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: OH-ver-hawl

SYNONYMS: revamp, refurbish, renovate, repair, modernize

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The software system was in need of a complete overhaul.
2. They overhauled the old car to make it run like new.
3. The organization underwent an overhaul to improve efficiency.
4. The engine requires an overhaul every few years.

WORD-6: Onslaught

CONTEXT: the first time in India’s electoral history, saving the Constitution from the onslaught of the BJP and RSS has become as much an election issue as a core agenda of the people.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine playing a video game where lots of monsters start coming at you all at once. This big wave of monsters trying to get you is called an “onslaught.” It’s like a big, sudden attack.

MEANING: A fierce or destructive attack, or a large quantity of people or things
that is difficult to cope with (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: ON-slawt

SYNONYMS: assault, attack, barrage, storm, offensive

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The castle withstood the onslaught of the enemy forces.
2. They faced an onslaught of questions from the press.
3. The small town was unprepared for the onslaught of tourists in summer.
4. The plants succumbed to the onslaught of the harsh winter.

WORD-7: Unequivocally

CONTEXT: The opening words of the Preamble — “We the People of India” — transmit unequivocally the idea that the people are united, regardless of religion, language and caste, and are resolved to constitute India into a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic”.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: When you really, really agree with something without any doubt, like knowing for sure ice cream is your favorite dessert, that’s “unequivocally.” It means being completely clear and sure about something.

MEANING: In a way that leaves no doubt (adverb).

PRONUNCIATION: un-ih-KWIV-uh-klee

SYNONYMS: clearly, unmistakably, undeniably, categorically, absolutely

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. She unequivocally denied the accusations.
2. The results unequivocally prove the theory.
3. He unequivocally supported her throughout the campaign.
4. The film was unequivocally a box office success.

WORD-8: Fraternity

CONTEXT: Muslims too fear that the architecture of equality, liberty, and fraternity enshrined in the Constitution would be dismantled.

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of a fraternity as a club at college where a group of friends promise to help and support each other, like a big family of friends. They do activities together and look out for one another.

MEANING: A group of people sharing a common profession or interests (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: fruh-TER-ni-tee

SYNONYMS: brotherhood, guild, fellowship, society, association

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. He joined the fraternity while in college.
2. There’s a strong sense of fraternity among team members.
3. The fraternity organized social events throughout the year.
4. They valued the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

WORD-9: Enunciated

CONTEXT: To this day, his laws enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the world’s admiration and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits, that means nothing.”

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you are saying a poem in front of your class and you speak so that every word can be clearly heard by everyone. That’s what it means to “enunciate.” It’s when you speak very clearly and carefully.

MEANING: Pronounced clearly and distinctly (verb).

PRONUNCIATION: ih-NUN-see-ay-tid

SYNONYMS: articulate, pronounce, express, voice, state

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. She enunciated each word carefully during her speech.
2. It’s important to enunciate your words when giving instructions.
3. He enunciated his disagreement with the decision.
4. The teacher enunciated the terms so that students could understand.

WORD-10: Conformity

CONTEXT: To this day, his laws enunciated in the Manusmriti excite the world’s admiration and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits, that means nothing.”

SOURCE: Indian Express

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Conformity is when you do things just like everyone else, like wearing the same type of clothes as your friends so you can fit in. It means following what others do or what the rules say you should do.

MEANING: Compliance with standards, rules, or laws (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: kuhn-FOR-mi-tee

SYNONYMS: compliance, obedience, accordance, uniformity, agreement

USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The building was designed in conformity with safety regulations.
2. There is a high level of conformity in fashion trends among teenagers.
3. He acted in conformity with the company’s guidelines.
4. Conformity to local customs is expected from visitors.