Daily Vocabulary from ‘The Hindu’: November 16, 2023

Daily Vocabulary Words: List of Daily Used Words
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WORD-1: Prolonged

CONTEXT: A prolonged and wider conflagration could risk a reversal of these hard-won diplomatic gains.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Prolonged is when something takes a really long time, much longer than usual. Like if your playtime is extended for a lot more minutes, that’s prolonged playtime.

MEANING: Lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: proh-longd

SYNONYMS: Extended, Lengthy, Drawn-out, Protracted, Long-lasting

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The city experienced a prolonged period of rain.
2. She had a prolonged stay in the hospital.
3. There was a prolonged silence during the meeting.
4. He was recovering from a prolonged illness.

WORD-2: Existential

CONTEXT: It could draw in Iran which has become a more potent existential threat.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Existential is a big word that means something really important about life and being alive. It’s like asking big questions like why we are here or what makes us us.

MEANING: Relating to existence, especially human existence; concerning the most important aspects of life and existence (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: eg-zis-ten-shuhl

SYNONYMS: Fundamental, Essential, Life-related, Philosophical, Core

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. She had an existential crisis about her future.
2. The movie raises existential questions.
3. It was an existential threat to the species.
4. They discussed the existential aspects of modern life.

WORD-3: Dimmed

CONTEXT: Israel’s abject failures on October 7 have dimmed its role as the possible anchor of a regional anti-Iran security alliance.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Dimmed is like when the lights are turned down low, so everything looks a little darker and not as bright as before. It’s like when it starts to get dark at sunset.

MEANING: Made less bright or less visible; reduced in brightness (Verb).

PRONUNCIATION: dimd

SYNONYMS: Darkened, Faded, Lowered, Subdued, Dull

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The lights dimmed in the theater.
2. Her enthusiasm dimmed after the bad news.
3. The streetlights dimmed at dawn.
4. His smile dimmed as he heard the story.

WORD-4: Fragility

CONTEXT: The Ukraine-Russia war, China-United States frictions and global economic fragility are lurching around.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Fragility is when something is really easy to break or damage, like a thin glass or a delicate flower. It needs to be handled very carefully.

MEANING: The quality of being easily broken or damaged; delicacy and weakness (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: fra-jil-i-tee

SYNONYMS: Delicacy, Breakability, Vulnerability, Weakness, Brittleness

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The fragility of the ancient vase was obvious.
2. They discussed the economic fragility of the country.
3. The fragility of life was evident in the situation.
4. She was aware of her emotional fragility.

WORD-5: Centrality

CONTEXT: It has dramatically re-established the centrality of the “Palestine Cause”, demonstrating that 35 years of U.S.-sponsored peace-making has failed to bury it.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Centrality means being in the very middle or the most important part of something. Like being the center of a circle or the main part of a story.

MEANING: The state of being in the center or of primary importance; the central or most important aspect (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: sen-tral-i-tee

SYNONYMS: Importance, Core, Middle, Focus, Heart

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The centrality of education in society is well recognized.
2. His theory emphasized the centrality of human emotions.
3. The centrality of the capital city in the country’s economy.
4. They discussed the centrality of the issue in the debate.

WORD-6: Multipolarity

CONTEXT: the conflict has demonstrated that despite all talk of West Asia’s growing multipolarity, the U.S. remains the ultimate arbiter of the region’s security and stability.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Multipolarity is like having many centers of power or important parts, instead of just one. Imagine a game where many players are equally strong and important, not just one.

MEANING: The state of having multiple centers of power or influence, especially in international politics (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: mul-ti-po-lar-i-tee

SYNONYMS: Diversity, Pluralism, Decentralization, Varied centers, Power distribution

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The world is moving towards a multipolarity in global politics.
2. Multipolarity in the economy can lead to more stability.
3. The concept of multipolarity was discussed in the conference.
4. Multipolarity challenges traditional power structures.

WORD-7: Denouement

CONTEXT: The Israel-Hamas war seems to be moving towards a denouement.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Denouement is a

fancy word for the end of a story where everything gets solved or finished. Like when you find out who took the last cookie in a mystery book.

MEANING: The final part of a story where the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: day-noo-mahn

SYNONYMS: Conclusion, Finale, Resolution, Climax, Outcome

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The movie’s denouement left the audience speechless.
2. They eagerly awaited the denouement of the mystery.
3. The denouement tied up all the loose ends of the story.
4. The novel builds towards an exciting denouement.

WORD-8: Besieging

CONTEXT: Israel has gone for broke by besieging the major Gazan hospitals by alleging that Hamas uses them as human shields.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Besieging is like surrounding something on all sides so it can’t get out or get help. It’s like playing a game where you try to keep a toy inside a circle.

MEANING: Surrounding a place with armed forces to capture it or force its surrender; crowding around in an overwhelming way (Verb).

PRONUNCIATION: bi-see-jing

SYNONYMS: Surrounding, Encircling, Overwhelming, Bombarding, Assailing

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The castle was besieged by enemy troops.
2. She felt besieged by the media.
3. The town was besieged during the war.
4. Fans were besieging the celebrity at the event.

WORD-9: Tumult

CONTEXT: Israel does not have time on its side after six weeks of tumult.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Tumult is a lot of noise and confusion all at once. Imagine being in a room where everyone is talking loudly and running around – that’s tumult.

MEANING: Loud, confused noise, especially caused by a large mass of people; a state of confusion or disorder (Noun).

PRONUNCIATION: too-muhlt

SYNONYMS: Commotion, Turmoil, Chaos, Uproar, Pandemonium

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The room was filled with tumult during the argument.
2. He could hear the tumult of the crowd outside.
3. The political scene was marked by tumult.
4. The tumult in the streets indicated unrest.

WORD-10: Confined

CONTEXT: If war remains confined to Gaza, it could be financially ruinous, with cost estimates running to $51 billion, or a tenth of the national annual GDP.

SOURCE: The Hindu

EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH: Confined is when you are in a small space and can’t move around much. Like when you’re playing hide and seek and you hide in a small closet.

MEANING: Kept in a small or restricted space; limited in area or volume (Adjective).

PRONUNCIATION: kun-fynd

SYNONYMS: Restricted, Limited, Enclosed, Trapped, Bound

USAGE EXAMPLES:

1. The animals were confined in a small pen.
2. She felt confined in the tiny room.
3. His work was confined to his office.
4. The patient was confined to bed.