The Hindu Editorial (​Cowardly bully) – Mar 25, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (​Cowardly bully) – Mar 25, 2026:

1. cowardly (adjective) – lacking courage in the face of danger or difficulty; fainthearted, spineless, craven, timid.
2. bully (noun) – oppressor, persecutor, intimidator, tyrant.
3. leave someone alone (phrase) – to refrain from disturbing, interfering with, or bothering a person, nation, or entity; let be, give peace, back off, ignore.
4. postpone (verb) – delay, defer, put off, adjourn.
5. power plant (noun) – an industrial facility equipped to generate electrical energy from primary energy sources; power station, generating plant, powerhouse, energy installation.
6. ultimatum (noun) – final demand, definitive condition, final warning, threat.
7. Strait of Hormuz (noun) – a strategically important, narrow sea channel connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, functioning as a vital global maritime chokepoint for oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
8. sign (noun) – indication, signal.
9. yet (adverb) – thus far, so far, until now, as yet.
10. according (adverb) – as stated by; in conformity with; pursuant, correspondingly, consistently, proportionally.
11. claim (verb) – assert, declare, state, content.
12. strike (noun) – offensive, air strike, assault, bombardment.
13. defence capability (noun) – military strength, defensive power,.
14. yet (conjunction) – but at the same time, or in spite of that; nevertheless, however, nonetheless, notwithstanding.
15. launch (verb) – to start a military attack; initiate, begin, commence.
16. missile (noun) – a weapon that is self-propelled or directed by remote control, carrying a conventional or nuclear explosive warhead; projectile, ballistic weapon.
17. Persian Gulf countries (noun) – the sovereign nations bordering the Persian Gulf (primarily Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman) that collectively hold and export a massive share of the world’s petroleum resources.
18. extricate (verb) – to free someone or something from a constraint, difficulty, or complex geopolitical entanglement; extract, free, release, disentangle.
19. conflict (noun) – dispute, hostilities, fight, war, warfare, clash, confrontation.
20. economic cost (noun) – financial burden, economic toll, fiscal loss, monetary impact.
21. cost (noun) – the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain a strategic goal; toll, price, expense, consequence.
22. mount (verb) – increase, grow, escalate, multiply.
23. largely (adverb) – to a great extent, or on the whole; mostly, mainly, primarily, principally.
24. escalation (noun) – a rapid increase or intensification of an armed conflict or serious diplomatic crisis; intensification, aggravation, exacerbation, amplification.
25. counter-escalation (noun) – a retaliatory strategic action designed to match or exceed an opponent’s increase in military hostilities; retaliatory intensification, reciprocal aggression, counter-surge, defensive escalation.
26. bomb (verb) – bombard, shell, blast, strike.
27. Kharg Island (noun) – a small Iranian coral island in the northern Persian Gulf that serves as the premier maritime terminal for processing and exporting the vast majority of Iran’s crude oil.
28. struck past tense of strike (verb) – attack, hit, bombard, assault.
29. American base (noun) – a military facility operated by the United States armed forces located in a foreign country; US military installation, US outpost, American garrison, US military camp.
30. base (noun) – military forces’ headquarters, camp, installation, station.
31. South Pars (noun) – the world’s largest natural gas field located offshore in the Persian Gulf, whose ownership is shared territorially between Iran and Qatar, acting as a vital energy hub for the region.
32. hit (verb) – strike, attack.
33. energy facility (noun) – power plant, refinery.
34. Natanz nuclear facility (noun) – Iran’s primary, heavily fortified uranium enrichment plant located southeast of Tehran, functioning as a central hub of the country’s nuclear development program.
35. host (verb) – house, accommodate, hold, harbor.
36. nuclear facility (noun) – atomic plant.
37. warn of (phrase) – caution about, notify about, alert to, forewarn about.
38. energy asset (noun) – a valuable resource, facility, or physical infrastructure related to the production and supply of oil, gas, or electricity; power resource, energy infrastructure.
39. financial interest (noun) – an investment, economic stake, or monetary involvement in a business, property, or regional stability; economic stake, monetary investment, financial stake, pecuniary interest.
40. interest (noun) – a strategic stake, share, or involvement in an undertaking or geopolitical outcome; stake, share, claim, investment.
41. U-turn (noun) – a complete reversal in a nation’s political policy, diplomatic direction, or military strategy; volte-face, reversal, about-face, turnaround.
42. set (verb) – establish, formulate, outline, determine.
43. ambitious (adjective) – formidable, challenging, demanding, arduous.
44. objective (noun) – goal, aim, target, purpose.
45. shut down (phrasal verb) – close, halt, suspend, terminate.
46. ship out (phrasal verb) – export, transport, dispatch, send off.
47. enriched uranium (noun) – a type of processed uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased, serving as fuel for nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons.
48. cut off (phrasal verb) – sever, halt, interrupt, suspend.
49. non-state (adjective) – non-governmental, independent, private, unaligned.
50. militia (noun) – a military or paramilitary force raised from the civil population to supplement a regular army or act as an independent proxy; paramilitary group, guerrilla unit.
51. dismantle (verb) – take apart, deconstruct, demolish, disband.
52. missile capability (noun) – missile power, ballistic potential.
53. break out (phrasal verb) – start suddenly; erupt, flare up, commence suddenly, burst forth.
54. talk (noun) – formal conversations or diplomatic discussions; negotiation, dialogue, discussion, parley.
55. make a deal (phrase) – to reach a formal agreement; negotiate an agreement, reach a compromise, come to terms, strike a bargain.
56. authorise (verb) – permit, sanction, approve, empower.
57. ground operation (noun) – a comprehensive military campaign or offensive conducted by armed forces operating on land; land/ground offensive, land invasion, infantry operation.
58. suggest (verb) – put forward; propose, recommend, advocate, advise.
59. despatch (verb) – dispatch, send, transmit, deploy.
60. marine (noun) – a member of a specialized body of troops trained to serve on land or at sea, notably referring to the US Marine Corps; naval infantryman.
61. weigh (verb) – consider, evaluate, ponder, assess.
62. dismiss (verb) – reject, disregard, brush aside, repudiate.
63. claim (noun) – assertion, statement, allegation, contention.
64. negotiation (noun) – dialogue, discussion, mediation, arbitration.
65. underway (adjective) – in progress, ongoing, happening, proceeding.
66. outline (verb) – summarize, describe, delineate, draft.
67. condition (noun) – prerequisite, stipulation, requirement, provision.
68. guarantee (noun) – assurance, promise, pledge, commitment.
69. aggression (noun) – hostility, belligerence, offensive, provocation.
70. reparation (noun) – compensation, amends, restitution, indemnification.
71. infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a state, military, or economy; facilities, physical framework.
72. recognition (noun) – the formal acknowledgment; acceptance, validation, endorsement.
73. legitimate rights (noun) – lawful entitlements, legal rights, justified claims, valid privileges.
74. interpret (verb) – construe, understand, explain, decipher.
75. sanctions (noun) – coercive economic or political penalties applied by one or more countries against a targeted nation to compel a change in its behavior; penalties, embargoes, punitive measures.
76. relief (noun) – alleviation, mitigation, easing, respite.
77. administration (noun) – government, regime, executive, leadership.
78. ease (verb) – alleviate, relieve, mitigate, lessen.
79. look for (phrasal verb) – seek, search for, explore, pursue.
80. Tehran (noun) – the capital city of Iran, used here as a metonym to represent the Iranian government or state leadership; Iranian government, Iranian regime, Iran’s leadership.
81. reciprocate (verb) – respond in kind, return the favor, reply, match.
82. common ground (noun) – mutual understanding, shared interests, consensus, agreement.
83. diplomatic (adjective) – relating to the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations and avoiding armed conflict; ambassadorial.
84. rein in (phrasal verb) – control, curb, restrain, check.
85. ally (noun) – a sovereign state formally cooperating with another for a shared military, economic, or strategic purpose; partner, confederate, associate, friend.
86. pound (verb) – bombard, batter, pummel, strike.
87. unhinged (adjective) – mentally unbalanced, deranged, or highly unstable and irrational (in geopolitical decision-making); deranged, unstable, erratic, unbalanced.
88. embrace (verb) – accept, adopt, welcome, espouse.
89. least damaging (adjective) – least harmful, least destructive, minimally injurious, safest.
90. way out (noun) – a viable solution, exit, escape route, resolution.
91. strike a deal (phrase) – to reach a formal reach an agreement, negotiate a settlement, come to terms, finalize a contract.
92. get out (phrasal verb) – to strategically withdraw; exit, escape, depart, withdraw.

Note:

1. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are our personal work. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context. 

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