Daily Vocabulary from Leading Newspapers and Publications: August 14, 2024

Daily Vocabulary Words: Enhance Your Lexicon with Leading Newspapers & Publications
Welcome to the Daily Vocabulary section at Wordpandit!
Our mission is straightforward: to bring you essential vocabulary words featured in top newspapers and publications worldwide. By focusing on words you’ll encounter in renowned sources, we aim to help you enhance your vocabulary effectively and practically.
Our selection includes words from:
– The New York Times
– The Washington Post
– Scientific American
– BBC
– The Guardian
– Psychology Today
– Wall Street Journal
– The Economist
– The Hindu
– The Times of India
– The Economic Times
– Hindustan Times
– Live Mint
– The Indian Express
– And many more.
We are committed to your vocabulary development. Simply visit this section regularly and explore the daily posts. This is your go-to repository for commonly used words, providing significant practical benefits by familiarizing you with vocabulary from the leading publications listed above.
Make it a habit to visit our website daily and expand your lexicon with words from top newspapers and publications.

WORD-1: INGRAINED
CONTEXT: This liberal dream is still ingrained in the nation’s bones. It’s been covered over by several years of bitterness, disillusion, and pessimism.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if you drew a picture with a crayon on a piece of paper and then tried to erase it, but no matter how hard you tried, the picture stayed there. That’s like something being “ingrained.” It’s stuck deep inside and very hard to change.
MEANING: Firmly fixed or established, often referring to habits, beliefs, or attitudes (adjective).
PRONUNCIATION: in-GRAYND
SYNONYMS: embedded, rooted, entrenched, fixed, deep-seated, habitual, ingrained
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The tradition of celebrating the festival is ingrained in their culture.
2. His ingrained habit of waking up early made it hard to sleep in on weekends.
3. Some beliefs are so ingrained that it’s difficult to change them.
4. The fear of the dark was ingrained in him since childhood.

WORD-2: UNCANNILY
CONTEXT: If all this feels uncannily like last January then there is one critical political difference.
SOURCE: Guardian
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if your friend could guess what you’re thinking without you saying a word. That would be “uncanny” because it’s surprising and a little strange, almost like magic. If something happens “uncannily,” it happens in that surprising or strange way.
MEANING: In a way that seems mysterious, strange, or difficult to explain (adverb).
PRONUNCIATION: un-KAN-uh-lee
SYNONYMS: eerily, spookily, strangely, mysteriously, oddly, weirdly
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The twins uncannily finished each other’s sentences.
2. The weather uncannily changed right after he mentioned it might rain.
3. The magician’s tricks were uncannily amazing, leaving the audience puzzled.
4. The cat seemed to uncannily appear every time the doorbell rang.

WORD-3: STRADDLING
CONTEXT: With a general election now on the horizon, MPs are starting to talk about the prospect of strikes straddling two administrations.
SOURCE: Guardian
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine sitting on a bike with one foot on each side. When you’re sitting like that, you’re “straddling” the bike. It means having your legs on both sides of something or being in between two things.
MEANING: Sitting, standing, or being positioned with a leg on either side of something (verb). Being in a position that connects or overlaps two different things (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: STRAD-ling
SYNONYMS: spanning, bridging, crossing, overlapping, bisecting
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The cowboy was straddling his horse, ready to ride.
2. The new bridge is straddling the river, connecting both sides of the town.
3. She found herself straddling two cultures, not fully belonging to either.
4. The tree was straddling the fence, with its roots in both yards.

WORD-4: CRUMBLING
CONTEXT: This strike seems to be about more than just pay or even the crumbling state of the NHS: it’s both more political and more fundamental than that.
SOURCE: Guardian
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if you had a cookie in your hand, and when you squeezed it too hard, little pieces fell off. That’s what happens when something is “crumbling.” It means it’s breaking into small pieces or falling apart.
MEANING: Breaking or falling apart into small fragments, typically due to age or decay (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: KRUM-bling
SYNONYMS: decaying, disintegrating, collapsing, falling apart, deteriorating, fragmenting
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The old castle walls were crumbling after years of neglect.
2. The cookie started crumbling in my hands before I could eat it.
3. Her confidence began crumbling after the repeated failures.
4. The team’s strategy was crumbling under pressure from the opponents.

WORD-5: INTERAGENCY
CONTEXT: The District also approved more than $11 million to support the office of deputy mayor for public safety and justice, which will “develop and lead interagency public safety initiatives that improve the quality of life in the District.
SOURCE: Washington Post
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if different groups, like the police, firefighters, and doctors, all had to work together to help someone in need. “Interagency” is when different groups or organizations work together for the same goal.
MEANING: Involving or relating to cooperation between different agencies, especially government departments (adjective)
PRONUNCIATION: in-ter-AY-juhn-see
SYNONYMS: collaborative, joint, cooperative, combined, shared
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The interagency task force was formed to handle the emergency response.
2. An interagency meeting was held to discuss the new regulations.
3. The project required interagency coordination to succeed.
4. The interagency effort improved communication between different departments.

WORD-6: GENEROUS
CONTEXT: Meanwhile shadow health secretary Wes Streeting is giving little sign that Labour would be more generous and must know that if he does, junior doctors will only be encouraged to wait this government out, with painful consequences for patients.
SOURCE: Guardian
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if you had a big bag of candy and you gave most of it to your friends because you wanted them to be happy. That’s being “generous,” which means giving more than expected or being very kind.
MEANING: Showing a readiness to give more of something, such as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected (adjective)
PRONUNCIATION: JEN-uh-ruhs
SYNONYMS: kind, giving, charitable, big-hearted, selfless, bountiful, unselfish
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She was generous with her time, always helping others.
2. The generous donation helped build the new playground.
3. He was known for being generous with compliments.
4. The neighbors were generous in offering their support during difficult times.

WORD-7: LUDICROUS
CONTEXT: FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, a Republican appointed by Mr. Trump, has testified categorically and under oath that there’s nothing to the “ludicrous” conspiracy theories that his agency played any role in urging people into the Capitol.
SOURCE: Washington Post
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine someone trying to use a spoon to eat soup while standing on their head. That would look silly, right? Something “ludicrous” is so silly or ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh.
MEANING: So absurd or ridiculous that it’s funny (Adjective)
PRONUNCIATION: LOO-di-kruhs
SYNONYMS: absurd, ridiculous, preposterous, silly, laughable, outrageous, nonsensical
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The idea of building a rollercoaster in the backyard was ludicrous.
2. Her claim that she could lift a car was absolutely ludicrous.
3. It was ludicrous to suggest that the small dog could guard the entire house.
4. The movie’s plot was so ludicrous that we couldn’t stop laughing.

WORD-8: PERILOUSLY
CONTEXT: Much-needed operations and appointments have been canceled and rotas ripped up to provide a bare minimum of emergency care for the six days of the strike, but things are stretched perilously thin.
SOURCE: Guardian
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine walking on a tightrope high above the ground. It would be very dangerous, right? “Perilously” means doing something in a way that’s very risky or dangerous.
MEANING: In a way that is full of danger or risk (adverb)
PRONUNCIATION: PER-uh-luhs-lee
SYNONYMS: dangerously, hazardously, riskily, precariously, treacherously
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. He was driving perilously fast on the icy road.
2. The mountain climbers were perched perilously on the edge of the cliff.
3. The boat sailed perilously close to the rocks.
4. The company was perilously close to going bankrupt.

WORD-9: SPLURGING
CONTEXT: It begins with his splurging on a nifty new scent-blocking hunting outfit. It ends with him splattered in blood.
SOURCE: Washington Post
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if you saved up your allowance for a long time, and then you spent it all on a big toy that you really wanted. That’s called “splurging.” It means spending a lot of money on something special or fun.
MEANING: Spending money freely or extravagantly, often on something special or luxurious (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: SPLUR-jing
SYNONYMS: indulging, spending, treating oneself, lavishing, shelling out, blowing money
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. She couldn’t resist splurging on a new dress for the party.
2. After saving for months, they were splurging on a fancy dinner.
3. He enjoyed splurging on gadgets, even if he didn’t need them.
4. The couple was splurging on a luxurious vacation.

WORD-10: IMPEACHMENT
CONTEXT: New York criminal investigation, that Trump enjoyed only “temporary presidential immunity,” while in office; in the second impeachment trial, that Trump could be criminally charged and so didn’t need to be convicted.
SOURCE: Washington Post
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if someone who is in charge, like the leader of a group, is accused of not doing their job right. “Impeachment” is when people officially decide if that person should be removed from their job because of their mistakes.
MEANING: The process of charging a government official with a serious crime or misconduct, often leading to their removal from office (noun).
PRONUNCIATION: im-PEECH-muhnt
SYNONYMS: indictment, accusation, charge, trial, prosecution
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The president faced impeachment after the scandal.
2. Impeachment proceedings were initiated against the judge.
3. The process of impeachment is a serious legal matter.
4. The news of impeachment spread quickly across the country.