Crunch time at WTO – The Hindu (Dec 11, 2017)

Crunch time at WTO – The Hindu (Dec 11, 2017)

As leaders at the World Trade Organisation’s 11th biennial Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires seek to define the future contours of multilateral global trade, the challenges the U.S. has….. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List-1 (To Improve English Vocabulary)

1. crunch time (noun) – moment of truth, critical point, zero hour.
2. biennial (adjective) – taking place/happening every two years.
3. contour (noun) – outline, shape, form.
4. mount on (verb) – produce, present, put in place.
5. backing (noun) – support, help, assistance.
6. trade-distorting farm subsidies – It is known in WTO parlance (language) as Aggregate Measurement of Support (AMS) or ‘Amber Box’ support, it said, adding that “Developed countries have more than 90% of global AMS entitlements amounting to nearly $160 billion. Most of the developing countries, including India and China, do not have AMS entitlements.” (Courtesy: The Hindu).
7. contentious (adjective) – controversial, debatable, disputed.
8. prerequisite (noun) – necessary condition, essential, requirement.
9. prevailing (adjective) – existing, present, prevalent.
10. imbalance (noun) – disparity, lack of harmony, unevenness.
11. unravel (verb) – solve/resolve, clarify, decipher/explain.
12. credence (noun) – credibility, reliability, plausibility/believability.
13. scepticism (noun) – doubt, suspicion, disbelief.
14. lukewarm (adjective) – unenthusiastic, half-hearted, uninterested.
15. substantive (adjective) – important & meaningful.
16. underpin (verb) – support, buttress, form (a basis).
17. bolster (verb) – strengthen, support, reinforce.
18. alleviation (noun) – suffering, reduction; soothing relief.
19. trade-off (noun) – a situation in which you must choose between or balance two things that are opposite or cannot be had at the same time; a compromise; swap, exchange.
20. stringent (adjective) – strict, firm, tough/rigorous.
21. existential (adjective) – relating to existence.
22. heighten (verb) – intensify, increase, make greater.
23. combative (adjective) – aggressive, argumentative, contentious.
24. appellate (adjective) – (of a court) dealing with cases on appeal to review the decision of a lower court.
25. rhetoric (noun) – heroics, hyperbole/extravagant language.
26. transient (adjective) – transitory, temporary, short-lived.
27. downside (noun) – drawback, disadvantage, stumbling block.
28. ill-afford (noun) – unable to afford; unable to bear/stand/sustain.
29. lose sight of (phrase) – pay no attention to, fail to consider, be lax about.
30. imperative (noun) – necessary condition, essential, requirement.

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 purpose only and they may vary in different context. Use it with the corresponding article published on the source (website) via the link provided. 

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