Daily Vocabulary from Leading International Newspapers: October 21, 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: Pulsion

CONTEXT: The Arab leaders condemned Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, and rejected America’s proposals for a “humanitarian corridor” that would de facto lead to the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you have a toy car and you push it forward to make it move. That push or force you give to the toy is called ‘pulsion’. It’s like a drive or a push inside that makes things move or act.

MEANING: A force or drive that pushes something forward (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: PULshun

SYNONYMS: Drive, Push, Thrust, Impulse, Force, Propulsion, Urge

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She felt a pulsion to paint after seeing the beautiful landscape.
2. The pulsion of the wind made the leaves rustle.
3. His pulsion towards science led him to invent new things.
4. The story had a strange pulsion that captivated the readers.

WORD-2: Widening

CONTEXT: Furthermore, Biden’s warnings against widening the Gaza war to the region fell on deaf ears in Iran and elsewhere, as border clashes between the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalated, and Israel bombed two airports in Syria, threatening a wider conflict.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine you have a narrow road, and you want to make it bigger so more cars can go on it. Making that road bigger or broader is called ‘widening’.

MEANING: Making something broader or more extensive (verb).

PRONUNCIATION: WHYduhning

SYNONYMS: Broadening, Expanding, Enlarging, Stretching, Extending, Amplifying, Spreading

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. They are widening the road to reduce traffic.
2. The widening gap between the rich and the poor is a concern.
3. Her smile kept widening as she heard the good news.
4. The river is widening as it approaches the sea.

WORD-3: Fragile

CONTEXT: But the hug of an American president is never innocent. When a superpower hugs a fragile ally in shock, whether it is Ukraine or Israel, it means, both to shelter it and also shape its behaviour, accordingly.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of a very thin glass that can break easily if you drop it or press it too hard. That glass is ‘fragile’, which means it can break or get damaged very easily.

MEANING: Easily broken or damaged (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: FRAHjuhyl

SYNONYMS: Delicate, Breakable, Brittle, Flimsy, Weak, Tender, Vulnerable

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Handle the vase with care; it’s very fragile.
2. Her fragile heart was broken by his harsh words.
3. The ecosystem in that region is fragile and needs protection.
4. The newborn’s skin is fragile, so be gentle.

WORD-4: Incumbents

CONTEXT: Incumbents generally get renominated with ease. But are there ways for another candidate to give him a real race?

SOURCE: The New York Times

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine there are people who already have jobs or positions and they’ve been there for a while. These people are called ‘incumbents’ because they currently hold those positions.

MEANING: People who currently hold a specific position or office (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: inKUMbents

SYNONYMS: Officeholders, Holders, Occupants, Possessors, Tenants, Officebearers, Officials

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The incumbents faced tough competition this election.
2. It’s challenging for newcomers to beat the incumbents in the industry.
3. Incumbents have an advantage because of their experience.
4. The conference was attended by the incumbents of the top managerial positions.

WORD-5: Ambivalent

CONTEXT: But the group was most revealing about how, even as they were somewhat ambivalent about aspects of Mr. Trump’s conduct and record, there was a deep bond with him and with his style of leadership.

SOURCE: The New York Times

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine sometimes feeling happy and sometimes sad about the same thing. That mixed feeling where you’re not sure if you’re happy or sad is called ‘ambivalent’.

MEANING: Having mixed or conflicting feelings about something (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: amBIVuhlent

SYNONYMS: Uncertain, Mixed, Conflicted, Torn, Vacillating, Undecided, Wavering

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She felt ambivalent about moving to a new city.
2. His ambivalent attitude confused everyone.
3. The film received an ambivalent response from the audience.
4. It’s okay to feel ambivalent; it means you see both sides.

WORD-6: Arenas

CONTEXT: Colleges and universities are investing heavily in “esports”—awarding hefty gaming scholarships, fielding competitive esports teams, and building on-campus esports arenas.

SOURCE: Scientific American

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine a big place where people gather to watch sports or concerts. This big place is called an ‘arena’. It’s like a huge stage or field for events.

MEANING: Open areas or places used for sports, entertainment, or activities (noun).

PRONUNCIATION: uhREENuhs

SYNONYMS: Stadiums, Amphitheaters, Coliseums, Venues, Stages, Halls, Fields

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Many famous musicians have performed in this arena.
2. The city plans to build new sports arenas next year.
3. The gladiators fought in ancient Roman arenas.
4. Modern esports arenas are equipped with the latest technology.

WORD-7: Hypermasculine

CONTEXT: Teamwork and relationship-building are common aspects of gaming, but so are hypermasculine atmospheres, rife with hostility, misogyny and racist attacks.

SOURCE: Scientific American

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine someone acting very, very tough or showing they’re super strong all the time. This extreme show of being strong or manly is called ‘hypermasculine’.

MEANING: Excessively strong, manly, or aggressive in character (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: HYperMASkyuhlin

SYNONYMS: Overly manly, Supermacho, Ultramasculine, Aggressively male, Overthetop manly, Extremely virile, Overbearing

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The movie’s protagonist was portrayed as a hypermasculine hero.
2. Some advertisements promote a hypermasculine image of men.
3. He felt the pressure to conform to hypermasculine standards.
4. Society’s hypermasculine ideals can be limiting for men.

WORD-8: Instantaneous

CONTEXT: The gaming environment is instantaneous, escalates quickly, and often is anonymous and not tied to a specific physical location, so schools and students have to actively build and maintain healthier cultures in gaming.

SOURCE: Scientific American

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of something happening super quickly, like the snap of your fingers. When something happens that fast, we can call it ‘instantaneous’.

MEANING: Happening immediately or very quickly (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: instanTAYneeus

SYNONYMS: Immediate, Instant, Sudden, Swift, Rapid, Quick, Flash

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The reaction was instantaneous when the chemicals mixed.
2. He had an instantaneous change of heart.
3. With modern technology, communication is almost instantaneous.
4. The magician’s trick appeared to be instantaneous.

WORD-9: Reinstate

CONTEXT: President Biden’s new Title IX civil rights rules will reinstate and strengthen protections to guarantee education free from sexual violence. Schools should take note.

SOURCE: Scientific American

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine someone taking away your favorite toy, but then they give it back to you later. When they give it back, they ‘reinstate’ your toy. It means to bring back or restore something.

MEANING: To bring back into use or existence (verb).

PRONUNCIATION: REEinstate

SYNONYMS: Restore, Return, Reestablish, Recover, Retrieve, Revive, Reintroduce

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The coach decided to reinstate the player after his apology.
2. After reviewing the evidence, they chose to reinstate her position.
3. The old law was reinstated after protests.
4. To reinstate trust, he had to prove his honesty.

WORD-10: Errant

CONTEXT: Hamas blamed the explosion on an Israeli airstrike; Israel said it was caused by an errant rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which denied the assertion.

SOURCE: The Washington Post

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Think of a little puppy that wanders away from its home and goes to places it shouldn’t. That puppy is being ‘errant’. It means wandering or not following the correct path.

MEANING: Straying from the proper course or standards (adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: ERRent

SYNONYMS: Wandering, Stray, Deviating, Wayward, Roaming, Misguided, Drifting

USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The teacher had to correct the errant behavior of the student.
2. She sent an errant text to the wrong person.
3. The knight went on an errant quest to prove his valor.
4. The errant child was quickly found by his mother in the store.