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: Trivialisation
Context: The use of the term ‘child pornography’” can lead to a trivialisation of the crime.
Source: The Hindu
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine if you had a really cool toy that was super important to you, but someone said, “It’s just a silly toy, it doesn’t matter.” That’s what “trivialisation” means—making something seem less important than it really is.
Meaning: The act of making something seem less important or serious than it actually is (noun).
Pronunciation: tri-vee-uhl-uh-ZAY-shun
Synonyms: downplaying, minimizing, belittling, dismissing, underestimating, marginalizing
Usage Examples:
1. The discussion about the issue felt like a trivialisation of the problem.
2. She was upset by the trivialisation of her hard work in the project.
3. It’s harmful to engage in the trivialisation of mental health issues.
4. The trivialisation of his concerns made him feel unheard.
Word 2: Malevolent
Context: They both share a “common, malevolent intent.
Source: The Hindu
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine a character in a movie who does mean things just because they want to hurt others—that’s what “malevolent” means. It describes someone who wants to cause harm or is very unkind.
Meaning: Having or showing a desire to cause harm to others (adjective).
Pronunciation: muh-LEV-uh-luhnt
Synonyms: evil, malicious, wicked, cruel, spiteful, hostile
Usage Examples:
1. The malevolent witch in the story tried to curse the village.
2. He gave her a malevolent look when she ignored him.
3. The malevolent actions of the villain hurt many people.
4. Her malevolent behavior made everyone uncomfortable.
Word 3: Delegitimization
Context: The kind of delegitimization of the president that we saw when Barack Obama was in office and some conservatives claimed he was not a natural-born citizen.
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine someone telling everyone that your favorite game isn’t a real game and shouldn’t be played. “Delegitimization” is when people try to make something or someone seem unworthy or not real.
Meaning: The act of making something or someone seem not valid or real (noun).
Pronunciation: dee-lih-jit-uh-muh-ZAY-shun
Synonyms: discrediting, undermining, nullifying, disparaging, invalidating, devaluing
Usage Examples:
1. The delegitimization of the election caused widespread protests.
2. He feared the delegitimization of his work by critics.
3. The campaign focused on the delegitimization of their opponent’s policies.
4. Some people engage in the delegitimization of science when they disagree with the findings.
Word 4: Ominous
Context: What’s happening in Georgia is particularly ominous.
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Have you ever felt like something bad might happen, like when the sky gets really dark before a storm? That’s what “ominous” means—it’s when something feels like it’s a sign that bad things are coming.
Meaning: Giving the feeling that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen (adjective).
Pronunciation: OM-uh-nuhs
Synonyms: threatening, foreboding, scary, sinister, gloomy, alarming
Usage Examples:
1. The ominous clouds made us hurry inside before the rain started.
2. She felt an ominous silence as they walked through the dark alley.
3. The movie’s ominous music made everyone nervous.
4. There was an ominous feeling in the air before the argument started.
WORD-5: Delegitimize
CONTEXT: It means we cannot continue to easily delegitimize Israel in the West.
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Imagine if someone said your favorite game isn’t real or that you’re not allowed to play it. That’s like trying to delegitimize it, meaning they’re trying to make it seem less important or valid.
MEANING: To undermine or make something seem less valid or legitimate (verb).
PRONUNCIATION: dee-LEJ-it-uh-mize
SYNONYMS: undermine, discredit, invalidate, diminish, question
USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. The false rumors were meant to delegitimize the company’s reputation.
2. His opponents tried to delegitimize his achievements with unfounded allegations.
3. The goal of the campaign was to delegitimize the authority of the government.
4. It’s unfair to delegitimize someone’s accomplishments based on rumors.
Word 6: Plaintiffs
Context: In the meantime, conservative judges who appear to have been intentionally chosen by plaintiffs continue to act in high-profile cases.
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine if someone breaks your favorite toy and you go to a grown-up to get help. In court, the person asking for help is called the “plaintiff.” They are the ones who feel someone did something wrong to them.
Meaning: The person who brings a case against someone else in a court of law (noun).
Pronunciation: PLAYN-tiffs
Synonyms: accusers, claimants, complainants, suers, petitioners, prosecutors
Usage Examples:
1. The plaintiffs argued that their rights were violated.
2. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking compensation.
3. The court will hear the plaintiffs’ testimony next week.
4. The plaintiffs presented strong evidence against the company.
Word 7: Litigants
Context: Liberal and conservative litigants alike use judge shopping to “zealously advocate for their clients.”
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine two people arguing over who gets to play with a toy, and they ask a grown-up to decide. In a court, both sides of the argument are called “litigants.” They are the ones involved in the case.
Meaning: People or parties involved in a lawsuit (noun).
Pronunciation: LIT-uh-gunts
Synonyms: disputants, parties, contenders, claimants, suers, participants
Usage Examples:
1. The litigants met in court to resolve their dispute.
2. Both litigants presented their cases to the judge.
3. The litigants couldn’t agree, so the case went to trial.
4. The judge reminded the litigants to remain respectful during the hearing.
Word 8: Antagonism
Context: In a social media landscape that rewards antagonism, why not make it your mission to attack someone else’s platform?
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Have you ever argued with a friend and felt like you were both mad at each other? That feeling of being against someone, of not getting along, is called “antagonism.”
Meaning: Active hostility or opposition (noun).
Pronunciation: an-TAG-uh-niz-um
Synonyms: hostility, conflict, opposition, rivalry, enmity, friction
Usage Examples:
1. There was clear antagonism between the two classmates.
2. Their constant antagonism made group projects difficult.
3. The antagonism between the teams led to several fights.
4. She couldn’t hide her antagonism towards the new rules.
WORD-9: Involuntarily
CONTEXT: As the homeless plaintiffs wrote, this would be “punishing the city’s involuntarily homeless residents for their existence.”
SOURCE: New York Times
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Sometimes when you’re sleepy, your eyes close by themselves. That’s happening involuntarily—it’s when something happens without you wanting or trying to do it.
MEANING: Without intentional control or will (adverb).
PRONUNCIATION: in-VOL-uhn-ter-uh-lee
SYNONYMS: automatically, spontaneously, instinctively, reflexively, unwittingly
USAGE EXAMPLE:
1. She involuntarily flinched when the loud noise startled her.
2. His muscles tensed involuntarily in response to the sudden movement.
3. The medicine caused her hand to shake involuntarily.
4. Laughter erupted involuntarily at the comedian’s funny joke.
Word 10: Denigrating
Context: Moscow especially set on denigrating Vice President Kamala Harris.
Source: The Washington Post
Explanatory Paragraph: Imagine if someone kept saying mean things about something you love, trying to make it seem bad. That’s what “denigrating” means—it’s when someone talks badly about something or someone to make them look less important.
Meaning: Saying unkind or unfair things to make someone or something seem less important (verb).
Pronunciation: DEN-ih-gray-ting
Synonyms: belittling, insulting, criticizing, demeaning, degrading, disparaging
Usage Examples:
1. She was upset by his denigrating comments about her artwork.
2. They kept denigrating the project, even though it was well done.
3. The boss was known for denigrating his employees in front of others.
4. Denigrating others will not make you feel better in the long run.
