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: EGALITARIAN
CONTEXT: we were never truly egalitarian. Even during the era of widely shared prosperity that followed World War II, many Americans, particularly people of color, were poor, and a few were very wealthy.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a big cake at a party, and everyone, no matter how tall, short, young, or old they are, gets the same size piece of cake. That’s what “egalitarian” means—it’s when everyone is treated the same and has the same chances.
MEANING: Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and
deserve equal rights and opportunities (adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: eh-guh-LAYR-ee-uhn
SYNONYMS: equal, fair, unbiased, impartial, democratic
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The club has an egalitarian policy that allows anyone to join.
2. She gave an egalitarian speech about the rights of all workers.
3. Their approach to education is very egalitarian, with all students getting the same resources.
4. An egalitarian society treats everyone equally, no matter their background.
WORD-2: DIMINISHMENT
CONTEXT: It’s tempting to assume that their diminishment was inevitable in the face of global competition and the falling share of manufacturing, their traditional stronghold, in employment.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: If you have a big pile of blocks and someone takes some away, your pile gets smaller. That’s like “diminishment”—it means something is becoming less or getting smaller.
MEANING: The act of making something smaller or less important (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: dih-MIN-ish-ment
SYNONYMS: reduction, decrease, decline, weakening, abatement
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The company faced a diminishment in profits this quarter.
2. There was a noticeable diminishment of noise as the car drove away.
3. The new policy led to a diminishment of their powers.
4. Over time, there was a gradual diminishment in the strength of the lights.
WORD-3: PERSECUTING
CONTEXT: they became giants in an era when employers were effectively free to pull out all the stops in blocking and, in some cases, persecuting union organizers.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think about when someone is not nice to another person because they are different or because they don’t agree with them. “Persecuting” is like being very mean and unfair to someone many times because they are different or you don’t like them.
MEANING: Subjecting someone to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: PUR-suh-kyoo-ting
SYNONYMS: oppressing, harassing, victimizing, tormenting, abusing
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The group was persecuted for their beliefs.
2. She felt persecuted by her colleagues who did not understand her background.
3. Historical records show that many were persecuted unfairly.
4. He spoke out against the persecution faced by minorities.
WORD-4: BOLSTERING
CONTEXT: Right now there are two forces bolstering workers’ bargaining position. One is a tight labor market: We’ve just experienced the longest stretch of unemployment below 4 percent since the 1960s.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you’re building a tower with blocks, but it starts to lean over. You might put more blocks around the bottom to make it strong so it doesn’t fall. That’s like “bolstering”—it means making something stronger or better supported.
MEANING: Supporting or strengthening (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: BOHL-stuh-ring
SYNONYMS: reinforcing, supporting, strengthening, shoring up, fortifying
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The team is bolstering their defense before the next game.
2. She did extra research to bolster her argument.
3. Financial aid is needed to bolster the company’s growth.
4. They are taking steps to bolster the community’s resilience.
WORD-5: SHRUGGED
CONTEXT: For one thing, that tight labor market might not persist. So far, the Biden economy has shrugged off all those confident predictions of recession, but that won’t always be the case.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine someone asks you where your toy is, but you don’t know and don’t really think it’s a big deal, so you just lift your shoulders up and down. That’s called “shrugging.” It shows you’re not sure or you don’t care much about something.
MEANING: Raised (one’s shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or indifference (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: SHRUGD
SYNONYMS: dismiss, disregard, ignore, overlook, brush off
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. He just shrugged when asked about his plans for the weekend.
2. She shrugged off the criticism and continued with her project.
3. When he heard the rumor, he merely shrugged.
4. They asked her why she was late, and she shrugged in response.
WORD-6: NECESSITATING
CONTEXT: The axis of resentment — China, Russia and Iran — is on the march, making the world a more dangerous place and possibly necessitating a surge in military spending and a rapid need to beef up our military manufacturing infrastructure.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you want to paint a picture, but you don’t have any paintbrushes. You need to go and get some before you can start painting. This is like “necessitating”—it means something is needed to be done before you can do something else.
MEANING: Making something necessary (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: neh-SESS-ih-tay-ting
SYNONYMS: requiring, demanding, calling for, needing, obliging
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The broken window necessitated a call to the repairman.
2. The increase in orders necessitated hiring more staff.
3. His absence necessitated a change in the meeting schedule.
4. The new regulations necessitated updates to the software.
WORD-7: AGGRIEVEMENT
CONTEXT: We are living in a golden age of aggrievement. No matter who you are or what your politics, whatever your ethnic origin, economic circumstance, family history or mental health status, chances are you have ample reason to be ticked off.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if someone took your favorite toy and wouldn’t give it back, and you felt really upset and treated unfairly. That feeling is called “aggrievement”—it’s when you feel someone has been unfair to you.
MEANING: The feeling of being wronged or offended (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: uh-GREEV-ment
SYNONYMS: injustice, resentment, displeasure, dissatisfaction, upset
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. There was a sense of aggrievement among the employees over the unfair policies.
2. He expressed his aggrievement at not being invited to the meeting.
3. Her aggrievement was evident when she discussed the issue.
4. The community’s aggrievement led to protests.
WORD-8: CARICATURED
CONTEXT: If you’re on the right, you’ve been ignored, overlooked, demeaned, underestimated, shouted down, maligned, caricatured and despised — in Trumpspeak: wronged and betrayed.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think about a funny drawing of a person where some features like a big nose or curly hair are drawn very big to make it look silly. When you make such a drawing, you are “caricaturing” someone. It’s like a funny way to show how someone looks.
MEANING: Made a drawing or description of someone that exaggerates certain features to create a silly or comic effect (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: KAIR-ih-kuh-churd
SYNONYMS: distorted, mocked, lampooned, exaggerated, spoofed
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. He was often caricatured by the media as a clumsy politician.
2. The cartoonist caricatured the celebrity with a huge smile.
3. Her ability to caricature famous people made her very popular.
4. They enjoyed the skit where the teacher was caricatured humorously.
WORD-9: PERVASIVE
CONTEXT: Nor had the urge to leverage powerlessness as a form of power felt quite so universal — more pervasive on the left, if considerably more threatening on the right.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a smell of cookies baking that goes all through the house so that you can smell it everywhere. That smell is “pervasive”—it means it spreads to all parts of something.
MEANING: Existing in every part of something or being spread throughout
(Adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: pur-VAY-siv
SYNONYMS: widespread, prevalent, ubiquitous, omnipresent, rife
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The pervasive smell of popcorn filled the cinema.
2. Technology has a pervasive influence on our daily lives.
3. Corruption was pervasive in the previous administration.
4. There was a pervasive sense of excitement at the festival.
WORD-10: HIERARCHY
CONTEXT: its reflection in just one phenomenon: progressive stacking, in which an assumed hierarchy of privilege is inverted so that the most marginalized voices are given precedence.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a game where players earn points to move up levels, and the higher levels have players who have been playing longer and are very good. This system where some players are higher than others is called a “hierarchy”—it’s a way of arranging people or things where some are above others.
MEANING: A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
PRONUNCIATION: HI-uh-rahr-kee
SYNONYMS: pecking order, ranking, grading, ladder, structure
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The company’s hierarchy was clearly defined, from the CEO down to the interns.
2. In the military, hierarchy is very important for maintaining order.
3. He climbed the social hierarchy to become a respected leader.
4. The hierarchy in the animal kingdom can be complex, with different species asserting dominance.
Vocabulary Hard Words
The experience of unraveling the depths of language learning often leads us to ‘vocabulary hard words’. These challenging jargons might seem daunting initially, but with the right learning strategies, the enigma of ‘vocabulary hard words’ can turn into an enticing quest. But how can these ‘vocabulary hard words’ be learned effectively?
Firstly, to master ‘vocabulary hard words’, it’s vital to break down the process into manageable steps. Instead of tackling several words at once, focus on understanding a few each day. This gradual approach ensures effective retention and understanding.
Multimedia resources tremendously aid in comprehending ‘vocabulary hard words’. Movies, podcasts, or even music in the target language contribute a comprehensive perspective. They provide real-life contexts and usages of ‘vocabulary hard words’, making them more understandable and less intimidating.
The incorporation of memory-enhancing techniques, such as flashcards or digital apps, can significantly bolster the retention of ‘vocabulary hard words’. Such tools encourage active recall, helping to cement these words into your long-term memory. Mnemonic devices can also aid in making these words more approachable by associating the hard words with relatable images or stories.
Practice is decisive when learning ‘vocabulary hard words’. Using these words in your conversations, written communications, or even social media posts will facilitate a robust understanding and recall.
Finally, do not worry about making mistakes while using ‘vocabulary hard words’. Mistakes are essential stepping stones in the learning process. They provide insights into areas that need more focus and help refine your grasp over these words.
In conclusion, grasping ‘vocabulary hard words’ is undoubtedly a challenging task but not an insurmountable one. With the aid of effective strategies including graded learning, multimedia resources, memory-enhancing tools, and regular practice, the process of mastering ‘vocabulary hard words’ can become an engaging and rewarding journey.
