The Hindu Editorial (a piece of board) – Jan 23, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (​a piece of board) – Jan 23, 2026:

1. eschew (verb) – avoid, ignore, reject, rebuff, refuse.
2. temptation (noun) – appeal, lure, desire, urge.
3. charter (noun) – code, body of law, system of rules.
4. held past tense/past participle of hold (verb) –  conduct, organize, convene.
5. Davos (noun) – a town in the Swiss Alps. Every January, Davos hosts the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
6. humanitarian aid (noun) – material and logistic assistance that’s used to relieve suffering during emergency situations.
7. Gaza (noun) – a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.
8. pursue (verb) – engage, conduct, take part in (an activity).
9. conflict (noun) – war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.
10. talk (noun) – discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, parley.
11. two-state solution (noun) – The two-state solution refers to a political deal in which Israel and a Palestinian state exist separately.
12. single-state solution (noun) – The single-state solution refers to a political deal in which Israel and a Palestinian state exist together.
13. unanimously (adverb) – without opposition, agreed to (by everyone involved).
14. UN Security Council (UNSC) (noun) – it is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security.
15. abstain (verb) – not vote, decline to vote, refuse to vote (for/against a resolution).
16. ceasefire (noun) – a temporary stoppage of a war, truce, armistice.
17. truce (noun) – an ad-hoc (temporary/makeshift) arrangement, arrived at by the combatants (fighters), to pause the fighting.
18. cessation of hostilities (phrase) – it means that the combatants are willing to stop fighting and to restrain their forces.
19. hostage (noun) – a person captured or held as security for the fulfilment of certain conditions/terms.
20. relentless (adjective) – persistent, continuing, constant, continuous, non-stop, unending.
21. campaign (noun) – military operation(s), attack, offensive.
22. retaliation (noun) – revenge, vengeance, retribution, tit for tat, counter-attack.
23. strike (noun) – attack, assault, bombing.
24. principled (adjective) – right-minded, respectable, righteous, ethical.
25. cause (noun) – matter.
26. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) (noun) – a United Nations agency established to provide relief, education, healthcare, and social services to Palestinian refugees in the Middle East.
27. brutalised (adjective) – attacked, assaulted, beaten, thrashed; humiliated, dehumanized, degraded, subverted.
28. follow suit (phrase) – emulate, copy, follow, take (another’s actions as an example).
29. rupture (noun) – quarrel, rift, break-up, feud, division, separation, split.
30. ties (noun) – association, relationship, bond, connection.
31. fragility (noun) – vulnerability, riskiness, unreliability; the quality of being easily damaged, broken or harmed.
32. negotiation (noun) – discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, talk, parley.
33. cause (noun) – reason, grounds, purpose, pretest, motive.
34. rebuff (verb) – avoid, ignore, reject, spurn, refuse.
35. invoke (verb) – cause, bring forth, evoke, induce, create, bring out
36. ire (noun) – anger, rage, fury, wrath.
37. pragmatism (noun) – realism, practicability, common sense, matter-of-factness.
38. in haste (phrase) – quickly, rapidly, in a rush, in a hurry; speedily.
39. standing (noun) – stance, stand, position, perspective, attitude, point of view, viewpoint.
40.  influence (noun) – power, authority, domination, leverage, sway, weightage, clout, muscle.
41. to begin with (phrase) – at first; at the outset; at the beginning.
42.  back (verb) – support, endorse, approve, advocate, champion.
43. mandate (noun) – instruction, directive, command, order.
44. unilaterally (adverb) – used to indicate something done by a person or country without approval or agreement from other people or countries involved in the situation.
45. venture (noun) – activity, operation, campaign, deed.
46.  suggest (verb) – indicate, denote, point to, signify.
47.  seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
48. supplant (verb) – replace, displace, supersede, take the place of, take over from; oust, overthrow, remove, dethrone.
49. in any way (phrase) – by any means; in any manner; at all.
50. affront (noun) – an open insult or offensive act.
51. recognise (verb) – (formally) acknowledge or accept (e.g., statehood).
52. genocide (noun) – mass murder, massacre, ethnic cleansing, mass slaughter.
53.  add to (phrasal verb/phrase) – increase, intensify, heighten; aggravate, worsen, make worse or compound.
54.  injustice (noun) – lack of justice, unfairness, misdeed, unjust/unfair act.
55. red-flag (noun) – caveat, warning, caution.
56. tier (noun) – a level, rank, or grade
57. on board (phrase) – to join a team/group as a member (to be included or accepted into a group).
58. cavil (verb) – complain, grumble/moan; find fault with (especially over trivial matters).
59. International Stabilization Force (ISF) (noun) – it is a peacekeeping mission, comprising armed personnel from several countries, tasked with training a new Palestinian police force and working toward disarming Hamas. It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council in November 2025 as part of a comprehensive ceasefire plan for the Israel-Hamas War.
60. rubber-stamp (noun) – an organisation, body, or person that gives automatic approval without checking or debate.
61. arbitrary (adjective) – based on personal choice or whim rather than reason or rule; capricious, personal (whim/choice), discretionary, random, illogical, unreasonable.
62. llegitimate (adjective) – illegal, unlawful, illicit, against the law.
63. diktat (noun) – order, regulation, decree; authoritative command.
64. the way forward (phrase) – something (a plan or action) that leads to success in the future (a method or approach that helps progress toward goals).
65. keep one’s own counsel (phrase) – to say nothing about one’s opinions or intentions; to remain silent about your thoughts or plans; not reveal what you think; to keep a secret for someone else.

Note :

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc. from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (a piece of board) – Jan 23, 2026: