Daily Vocabulary Words: List of Daily Used Words
Hi there. Welcome to this special section @ Wordpandit.
Our endeavour here is straightforward: highlighting important daily vocabulary words, you would encounter in The Hindu. 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 a leading publication such as The Hindu.
Visit the website daily to learn words from The Hindu.
WORD-1: Fruition
CONTEXT: Economists believe a combination of backlogged orders attaining fruition and demand improvements may be at work.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Fruition is like when you plant a seed and take care of it, watering and watching it grow, and finally, you see it turn into a beautiful flower or a yummy fruit. It’s like waiting for something really good to happen after you’ve worked hard for it.
MEANING: The point at which a plan or project is realized or completed (noun)
PRONUNCIATION: froo-ish-un
SYNONYMS: Achievement, fulfillment, realization, completion, actualization
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. After years of hard work, her dream of becoming a doctor came to fruition.
2. The project finally reached fruition after months of dedication.
3. The garden they planted in spring came to full fruition in summer.
4. His efforts to learn the piano reached fruition when he gave his first concert.
WORD-2: Derailed
CONTEXT: Some modest gains in the first quarter of 2024 may be seen owing to the base effects of a weak 2023, but any such gains could be easily derailed by regional conflicts and geopolitical tensions, the WTO has warned.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Derailed is like when you’re playing with your toy train and it suddenly goes off the tracks and can’t move forward like it was supposed to. It means something got stopped or changed direction in a way it wasn’t meant to.
MEANING: To cause to fail or to go off course (verb)
PRONUNCIATION: dee-rayld
SYNONYMS: Disrupt, throw off, divert, sidetrack, obstruct
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The project was derailed by unexpected costs.
2. His concentration was derailed by the loud noise outside.
3. The train was derailed after hitting an obstacle on the track.
4. Their plans for a picnic were derailed by the sudden rainstorm.
WORD-3: Surpassing
CONTEXT: Policymakers may have turned upbeat about surpassing last year’s record overall exports (merchandise and services combined), but must not lose sight of the lingering risks and challenges, including the impact of freight hikes on margins.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Surpassing is like when you jump higher than you ever have before, going beyond what you or others thought you could do. It means doing better than expected or being greater than something else.
MEANING: Exceeding or going beyond what is expected or normal (verb)
PRONUNCIATION: ser-pas-ing
SYNONYMS: Exceeding, outdoing, outstripping, transcending, eclipsing
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. Her grades are surpassing all her classmates.
2. The beauty of the sunset was surpassing anything she had ever seen.
3. His performance surpassed our highest expectations.
4. The athlete is surpassing all previous records in the competition.
WORD-4: Annexation
CONTEXT: He brought wars within Russian territories to an end, ensured economic and political stability and expanded the country’s borders with the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Annexation is like when you have a small piece of playdough and then you take another piece and squish it together to make it bigger. It means adding something to something else to make it larger or to take control of it.
MEANING: The act of adding or attaching something, especially territory, to something else, usually larger (noun)
PRONUNCIATION: an-ek-sey-shun
SYNONYMS: Acquisition, incorporation, takeover, absorption, amalgamation
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The annexation of the territory expanded the kingdom.
2. There was a dispute over the annexation of the land.
3. The city’s growth was partly due to the annexation of neighboring areas.
4. The annexation of the smaller company by the larger one took place last year.
WORD-5: Counterbalancing
CONTEXT: But he also turned the state into a militaristic, authoritarian machinery that sought complete dominance at home and counterbalancing against the West abroad.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Counterbalancing is like when you put blocks on both sides of a seesaw to make it level and not tilt to one side. It means doing something to balance out or correct something else so that things stay even.
MEANING: Act to oppose or balance the effect of something else (verb)
PRONUNCIATION: koun-ter-bal-uhns-ing
SYNONYMS: Offset, counteract, neutralize, balance, equalize
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. They planted trees to counterbalance the carbon emissions from their factory.
2. Exercise can counterbalance the effects of overeating.
3. The new policy was introduced to counterbalance the economic downturn.
4. Her kindness counterbalanced her husband’s harshness.
WORD-6: Muzzled
CONTEXT: Two of his most vocal political opponents are gone — Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny — while several others are in jail. The media have been muzzled.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Muzzled is like when you put a cover over a dog’s mouth to stop it from biting or barking. It means something or someone is being kept from speaking or making noise.
MEANING: Prevent from expressing opinions or from speaking freely (verb)
PRONUNCIATION: muhz-uhld
SYNONYMS: Gagged, silenced, restrained, suppressed, stifled
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The press was muzzled under the strict regime.
2. He felt muzzled by the company’s rules against speaking out.
3. The dangerous dog was muzzled for safety.
4. The activist was muzzled by legal threats.
WORD-7: Overzealous
CONTEXT: the meticulous way in which the regime staged the election, with the goal of bolstering Mr. Putin’s numbers, and its overzealous attempt to stamp out even the slightest dissent expose the underlying weakness rather than endorsing the strongman image that hangs on the facade of the regime Mr. Putin has built.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Overzealous is like being super, super excited about something, so much that you might forget to think about other people’s feelings or the rules. It means being too enthusiastic or eager in a way that can cause problems.
MEANING: Too enthusiastic or eager in a way that is excessive or extreme (adjective)
PRONUNCIATION: oh-ver-zel-uhs
SYNONYMS: Fanatical, excessive, obsessive, overenthusiastic, fervent
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The overzealous fan caused a scene at the concert.
2. Her overzealous approach to cleaning left the room spotless but her family annoyed.
3. He was overzealous in his pursuit of success.
4. The teacher’s overzealous behavior intimidated the students.
WORD-8: Potency
CONTEXT: The potency of India’s nuclear deterrent is enhanced because this variant is integrated with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs).
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Potency is like when a superhero has a lot of power to do things, like lifting heavy things or running super fast. It means having a lot of strength or power to make a big effect.
MEANING: The power or strength of something to affect or influence (noun)
PRONUNCIATION: po-tuhn-see
SYNONYMS: Power, strength, effectiveness, forcefulness, vigor
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The medication’s potency decreased over time.
2. They debated the potency of the new policy to change behavior.
3. The potency of her speech moved the audience.
4. The herb is known for its healing potency.
WORD-9: Arsenal
CONTEXT: the MIRV-capable Agni-5 will be required to render the Indian nuclear ballistic missile arsenal more credible as the end-user – the Indian armed services are unlikely to be satisfied with a single test.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Arsenal is like a big box where you keep all your toys and games so you can use them whenever you want. It means a collection of weapons or tools that someone can use to do something or solve problems.
MEANING: A collection of weapons and military equipment (noun)
PRONUNCIATION: ahr-suh-nuhl
SYNONYMS: Armory, stockpile, cache, repertoire, collection
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. The country’s arsenal includes various advanced weapons.
2. She has an arsenal of skills at her disposal for problem-solving.
3. The team has a vast arsenal of digital tools for the project.
4. The police discovered an arsenal in the suspect’s home.
WORD-10: Improbable
CONTEXT: it is improbable that it can carry more than three warheads.
SOURCE: The Hindu
EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Improbable is like thinking that an elephant can fly with tiny wings; it’s something that seems very unlikely or hard to believe could happen.
MEANING: Not likely to be true or happen (Adjective)
PRONUNCIATION: im-prob-uh-buhl
SYNONYMS: Unlikely, doubtful, implausible, far-fetched, questionable
USAGE EXAMPLES:
1. It seemed improbable that he could win the race, but he did.
2. The theory was considered improbable by many experts.
3. The idea of living on Mars is still improbable to many people.
4. They dismissed the rumor as highly improbable.
vocabulary games for adults
Learning new words and expanding one’s lexical range should not be confined to the four walls of a classroom nor should it be deemed an activity exclusively meant for children. Yes, we’re talking about ‘vocabulary games for adults,’ a fun and interactive way to intensify language skills and broaden intellectual horizons.
Often, people associate the term ‘vocabulary games for adults’ with something overwhelming or tedious. However, its essence is quite the opposite: to transform the otherwise mundane process of vocabulary augmentation into an engaging, enjoyable experience. Such games enable adults to step out of their comfort zone, explore the vast world of words, and become more articulate and proficient in communication.
Vocabulary games for adults are ideally designed to challenge the mind and stimulate curiosity. Rather than the constant flipping of flashcards or poring through dictionaries, these games incorporate a playful element, ensuring the learning experience is not just effective but also entertaining. They help in retaining new words better and applying them more fluidly in everyday conversation.
Ranging from online crossword puzzles, word searches to mobile applications, there are umpteen vocabulary games for adults available at the tips of your fingers, seamlessly merging learning with leisure. Not forgetting the traditional Scrabble or Boggle which not only test players’ vocabulary but also their strategic abilities.
But how should vocabulary games for adults be learned and incorporated into daily life? The key here is not to complicate it. Committing to fifteen or twenty minutes of gameplay a day, perhaps during your commute or break time, can lead to significant improvement over time. Remember, it’s not about winning; it’s about progressively expanding your diction.
In conclusion, vocabulary games for adults are not only an excellent tool for wordsmiths but also for those seeking to reinforce their linguistic competence or simply with the desire to learn. So why wait? Add a fun twist to your daily routine with vocabulary games for adults and become a wordsmith yourself!
