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: Purging
CONTEXT: It meant purging the language of borrowings from Persian and Arabic and making it Sanskritic.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Purging is like when you’re cleaning your room and you decide to take out all the toys you don’t play with anymore, so you have more space for new toys.
MEANING: The act of getting rid of something unwanted, or cleaning out (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: PUR-jing
SYNONYMS: Clearing, Cleansing, Removing, Eliminating, Exterminating
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The software is purging old files to make the computer faster.
2. She spent the weekend purging her wardrobe of unworn clothes.
3. The new manager is purging the company of inefficiency.
4. The garden was purged of all the dead plants.
WORD-2: Cosmopolitan
CONTEXT: Hindi continued to develop as an eclectic, all-embracing language with a cosmopolitan vision.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Cosmopolitan is when a place is full of people from all over the world, kind of like how different superheroes come from different places but work together in one big city.
MEANING: Describes a place or person that is worldly and familiar with different cultures (adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: koz-mo-POL-i-tan
SYNONYMS: Worldly, Sophisticated, Multicultural, Diverse, Metropolitan
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She has a cosmopolitan outlook after living in many countries.
2. The cosmopolitan city was bustling with tourists from everywhere.
3. The festival had a cosmopolitan flair, with food and music from around the globe.
4. His cosmopolitan attitude was appreciated in the international conference.
WORD-3: Emancipation
CONTEXT: it has valued the plurality of India and stood for the emancipation and well-being of all.
SOURCE: Hindustan Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Emancipation is like when you’re allowed to do things on your own without your parents telling you what to do, like picking out your own clothes or making your own lunch.
MEANING: The process of being set free from restrictions or control (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: e-man-si-PAY-shun
SYNONYMS: Liberation, Freedom, Release, Independence, Deliverance
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Emancipation can be a key moment in a young adult’s life.
2. The emancipation proclamation was an important step towards ending slavery.
3. Financial emancipation means not having to rely on someone else for money.
4. The story is about her struggle for emotional emancipation from her family.
WORD-4: Dissenting
CONTEXT: the foregoing account of its development as an essentially questioning, dissenting, heterodox and catholic language may have belied those fears.
SOURCE: Hindustan Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Dissenting is when you don’t agree with what everyone else thinks or says, like if all your friends say vanilla is the best ice cream flavor but you like chocolate more.
MEANING: Expressing a different opinion or disagreement (adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: di-SENT-ing
SYNONYMS: Disagreeing, Opposing, Contrary, Objecting, Nonconforming
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The dissenting opinion was that the project was too costly.
2. She was known for her dissenting views in the meetings.
3. The judge wrote a dissenting opinion to the court’s decision.
4. There was a single dissenting voice against the proposed law.
WORD-5: Denouement
CONTEXT: The ultimate denouement of the US-China contestation will be shaped by the contour and content of the bilateral relationship.
SOURCE: Indian Express
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Denouement is like when you finish building a puzzle and you can see the whole picture clearly. It’s the part where everything in a story makes sense and comes to an end.
MEANING: The final part of a story where everything is explained or settled (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: day-noo-MAHN
SYNONYMS: Conclusion, Finale, Resolution, End, Climax
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The movie’s denouement left the audience in tears.
2. She enjoyed books with a surprising denouement.
3. The play’s denouement tied up all the loose ends of the plot.
4. The detective novel built up to an exciting denouement.
WORD-6: Contentious
CONTEXT: After arriving at a modus vivendi over the contentious nuclear issue in late 2008.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Contentious is when people can’t agree and start arguing, like when you and your friends can’t decide which game to play and everyone starts bickering.
MEANING: Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial (adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: kon-TEN-shus
SYNONYMS: Disputable, Controversial, Debatable, Argumentative, Quarrelsome
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The debate became contentious when both sides couldn’t agree.
2. He was known for his contentious nature, always ready to argue.
3. The issue of school uniforms is a contentious topic in the community.
4. The law was contentious and led to widespread protests.
WORD-7: Underpinning
CONTEXT: The India-US partnership has acquired a strategic underpinning and become more robust in recent years.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Underpinning is like the strong legs of a table that hold it up so it doesn’t fall down. It’s the support or basis for something.
MEANING: Providing support or foundation for something (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: UN-der-pin-ning
SYNONYMS: Foundation, Basis, Support, Bedrock, Cornerstone
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Good research is the underpinning of any scientific discovery.
2. Trust is the underpinning of a strong friendship.
3. The underpinning of the argument was not very solid.
4. He explained the underpinning principles of the theory.
WORD-8: Intimidation
CONTEXT: Recent developments in the South China Sea (SCS) that have pitted the Philippines against Chinese intimidation are illustrative.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Intimidation is like when someone tries to scare you into doing what they want, like a bully in the playground who makes you give them your snack.
MEANING: The act of frightening or threatening someone into doing something (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: in-tim-i-DAY-shun
SYNONYMS: Bullying, Coercion, Threatening, Menacing, Pressuring
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Intimidation should never be used to win an argument.
2. The bigger team used intimidation to unsettle their opponents.
3. Intimidation in the workplace can lead to a toxic environment.
4. The new policy was seen as intimidation by the government.
WORD-9: Assertiveness
CONTEXT: the gauntlet apropos China’s not so subtle creeping maritime assertiveness in east Asian waters.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Assertiveness is when you stand up for yourself in a strong and confident way, like saying “no” when someone tries to take a toy that’s yours without being mean about it.
MEANING: The quality of being self-assured and confident without being aggressive (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: uh-SUR-tiv-ness
SYNONYMS: Confidence, Self-assurance, Decisiveness, Firmness, Boldness
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Assertiveness is important in effective communication.
2. She took a class to improve her assertiveness at work.
3. His assertiveness helped him become a leader in the group.
4. You can be polite and still show assertiveness.
WORD-10: Transgression
CONTEXT: Both nations accuse the other of transgression and violation of sovereignty.
SOURCE: Times of India
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Transgression is like when someone breaks a rule, such as when you’re told not to eat cookies before dinner, but you sneak one out of the jar anyway.
MEANING: An act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; a wrongdoing (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: tran-s-GREH-shun
SYNONYMS: Offense, Violation, Breach, Infringement, Misdeed
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The company faced a fine for a transgression of environmental laws.
2. Stealing is considered a serious transgression.
3. He apologized for his transgression.
4. The council decided to overlook the minor transgression.
vocabulary tricks
The proficiency of a language is often determined by the breadth of vocabulary. To effectively communicate, one must constantly expand their vocabulary. Many lean on ‘vocabulary tricks’ to speed up this process, enabling instantaneous recall and usage of new words. However, as these strategies require a methodological approach, the question becomes: how should vocabulary tricks be effectively learned?
The learning process involving vocabulary tricks commences with the practice of contextual reading. Engulfing oneself in a wide range of texts, from novels to scientific articles, presents new words in various contexts. This provides an understanding of their natural usage and subtler nuances. More importantly, it provides space for the application of the first trick – the Guessing Trick. This vocabulary trick forces the learner to deduce the meaning of the novel term based on its use in the text, sharpening linguistic intuition.
To cement new words, vocabulary tricks often suggest making personal connections. For instance, the Visualisation Trick is connecting visual images related to the word’s meaning. A vivid image associated with a word tends to stick longer in our brains, ensuring quick recall.
Yet another amongst clever vocabulary tricks is the Mnemonic Trick. Through this, learners construct an acronym or sentence using the new words. This trick involves more creativity and unique affiliations with the words, establishing stronger recall links.
Lastly, the Root Analysis Trick allows you to dissect unfamiliar words and identify parts you recognize – roots, prefixes, or suffixes. This vocabulary trick adds a new layer of understanding, making it easier to remember and recognize similar words.
However, the effectiveness of vocabulary tricks relies on their implementation and consistent usage. While they are dynamic tools, their absorption must be passive and continual. It is crucial, therefore, to incorporate these vocabulary tricks in your daily routine to get the most out of them. In the blink of an eye, words that once seemed alien become familiar friends. Hence, mastering these vocabulary tricks is the key to unlocking an expansive vocabulary and refining language proficiency.
