The Hindu Editorial (Strategic misfire) – Jun 27, 2025

To read this article, click  “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (Strategic misfire) – Jun 27, 2025:

1. strategic (adjective) – relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.
2. misfire (noun) – failure, flop, mess, mishap, total loss, washout, disappointment.
3. conflict (noun) – war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.
4. rein in (phrasal verb) – to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something.
5. stability (noun) – steadiness, firmness, solidity, secureness, strength.
6. tense (adjective) – anxious, nervous, restless, edgy, strained, stressed.
7. ceasefire (noun) – a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.
8. truce (noun) – an ad-hoc (temporary/makeshift) arrangement, arrived at by the combatants (fighters), to pause the fighting. Temporary cessation/suspension (of hostilities); A deal to stop fighting for a certain time.
9. cessation of hostilities (phrase) – it means that the combatants are willing to stop fighting and to restrain their forces.
10. claim (verb) – assert, affirm, avow, declare, state, insist.
11. set back (phrasal verb) – delay, hold back, decelerate, slow down, put a brake on, hinder, impede, obstruct.
12. key (adjective) – main, major, important, significant.
13. facility (noun) – centre, station, location, premises
14. top chain command (noun) – top-Level management; top-level officials.
15. virtually (adverb) – practically, effectively, in effect, actually, in reality.
16. ineffective (adjective) – useless, unsuccessful.
17. civilian (noun) – non-military person, ordinary citizen.
18. decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
19. imbalance (noun) – disparity, variation, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness.
20. capitulate (verb) – surrender, give in, yield, submit, succumb
21. swiftly (adverb) – quickly, instantly, promptly, immediately, suddenly, expeditiously.
22. sustained (adjective) – continuous, continued, endless, persistent, ongoing.
23. retaliatory (adjective) – revenging, vengeful, avenging.
24. campaign (noun) – military operation(s), offensive, attack, manoeuvre(s), engagement..
25. missile (noun) – a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile.
26. cruise missile (noun) – it is a guided missile that flies with constant speed to deliver a warhead at specified target over long distance with high accuracy.
27. ballistic missile (noun) – a missile, which is shot from the ground, takes a long distance to travel well outside the atmosphere and falls to the earth to explode on its target (due to the gravity).
28. drone (noun) – unmanned aircraft/missile; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
29. expose (verb) – reveal, uncover, disclose, exhibit, manifest, lay bare.
30. vulnerability (noun) – weakness, defencelessness, unprotectedness, susceptibility.
31. much-vaunted (adjective) – much-acclaimed, much-admired, much-praised, much-acknowledged.
32. multi-layered (adjective) – having many layers.
33. lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.
34. regime (noun) – government.
35. eventually (adverb) – finally, ultimately, in the end
36. strike (verb) – attack, hit.
37. unconditional (adjective) – unquestioning, unrestricted, complete/total.
38. de-escalation (noun) – reduction, lessening, decrease (the intensity of a potentially violent situation).
39. strike (noun) – attack.
40. (military) base (noun) –  a place where armed forces are stationed and military operations are conducted; it typically includes housing, training, and support facilities for military personnel.
41. far-reaching (adjective) – extensive, sweeping, broad, deep, comprehensive, expansive, widespread. 
     
42. implications (noun) – consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion.
43. regional order (noun) – the arrangement of power and authority that provides the system for the conduct of diplomacy and regional politics in relation to the particular region of the world.
44. reassert (verb) – reaffirm, assert again, affirm, insist, maintain, contend, declare, claim.
45. counterbalance (noun) – counterweight, counter-force; 
46. unipolar (adjective) – (in international politics), relating to a distribution of power in which one state (country/person) exercises most of the cultural, economic, and military influence.
47. likely (adverb) – probably, presumably, doubtlessly.
48. conventional (adjective) – non-nuclear.
49. arsenal (noun) – a range of resources (or weaponry) ready for a particular use; collection, range, battery, line-up, array.
50. bolster (verb) – strengthen, support, make stronger, give strength to, fortify, reinforce, underpin, buttress.
51. reset (verb) – re-establish (something).
52. ties (noun) – association, relationship, bond, connection.
53. over-reliance (noun) – excessive dependency.
54. lay bare (phrasal verb) – reveal, disclose, expose, unveil, show, display, exhibit, manifest, highlight, pinpoint
55. on one’s own (phrase) – alone, all alone, unaccompanied.
56. in the defence of (phrase) – to support/protect someone/something.
57. intercept (verb) – prevent, check, block, hinder, impede, obstruct.
58. projectile (noun) – missile.
59. exit strategy (noun) – In war, an exit strategy refers to the plan for how a military force will disengage from a conflict, either after achieving its objectives or to mitigate further losses.
60. strategy (noun) – plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).
61. burn one’s fingers (phrase) – to suffer unpleasant results; to suffer a loss; to suffer consequences of one’s actions.
62. entangle (verb) – involve, bog down, mix up, mire, implicate, embroil.
63. forever (adjective) – lasting, continuing, permanent
64. overthrow (verb) – bring down, depose, unseat, topple, dethrone, oust.
65. intelligence (noun) – (military/political) information, facts, details, particulars.
66. in effect (phrase) – in reality, in fact, effectively, practically, virtually.
67. objective (noun) – target, intention, purpose, goal/aim.
68. come full circle (phrase) – it means that something returns to its original starting point usually after going through many changes.
69. diplomatic (adjective) – tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy.
70. diplomacy (noun) – international politics, foreign affairs, foreign policy; negotiations, discussions, talks, dialogue (related to international politics).
71. engage in (verb) – to take part in or do something.
72. talks (noun) – discussion, dialogue, consultation, deliberation, negotiation, parley.
73. credible (adjective) – acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable.
74. as long as (phrase) – so long as, on the condition that, until, inasmuch as, insofar as.
75. ally (noun) – a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.
76. impunity (noun) – exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, immunity, indemnity, non-liability.
77. out of reach (phrase) – inaccessible, unattainable, unreachable, unavailable, unapproachable.

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 (Strategic misfire) – Jun 27, 2025: