The Hindu Editorial (​Cuban sorrow) – Mar 26, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (​Cuban sorrow) – Mar 26, 2026:

1. sorrow (noun) – deep distress, sadness, or regret caused by loss or suffering; grief, anguish, misery, heartbreak.
2. asphyxiation (noun) – the process of being deprived of oxygen; in this context, the severe economic suffocation or choking of a country’s economy; suffocation, choking, strangulation, smothering.
3. condemnation (noun) – the expression of very strong disapproval; censure, criticism, denunciation, rebuke.
4. even as (phrase) – at the same time as; while, whilst.
5. feel the pinch (phrase) – to experience hardship/difficulty, especially financially; suffer, be in difficulty, find things hard.
6. ill-thought-out (adjective) – not carefully considered and planned; poorly thought out, ill-conceived, misguided, uncalculated.
7. cruel (adjective) – brutal, savage, harsh, callous.
8. attack (noun) – assault, strike, offensive, onslaught.
9. loose-cannon (adjective) – behaving in an unpredictable manner and liable to cause unintentional damage; unpredictable, uncontrollable, risky, reckless.
10. ally (noun) – a country that has agreed officially to give help and support to another one; partner, supporter, confederate, collaborator.
11. heinous (adjective) – utterly odious or wicked; extremely bad, horrific, terrible, atrocious.
12. imperial (adjective) – domineering, overbearing, dictatorial, authoritarian.
13. act (noun) – deed, action, step, move.
14. under way (adjective) – in progress, happening, taking place, going on.
15. draw little attention (phrase) – to fail to attract notice or interest; go unnoticed, be ignored, be overlooked, remain obscure.
16. administration (noun) – the government or executive branch in power; government, regime, executive, leadership.
17. effectively (adverb) – practically, virtually, essentially, fundamentally.
18. blockade (verb) – to seal off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving; besiege, surround, cut off, barricade.
19. pressure (verb) – coerce, force, push, compel.
20. regime change (noun) – a forceful replacement of one government/regime with another by a foreign/outside power; overthrow, deposition, coup, ouster.
21. interdict (verb) – to intercept and prevent the movement of a prohibited commodity or person; stop, cut off, halt, block.
22. punitive tariff (noun) – a tax or duty intended to punish a foreign country for a certain behavior; retaliatory tariff, punishing tax, penal duty.
23. deter (verb) – discourage, dissuade, prevent, stop.
24. crude oil (noun) – unrefined petroleum; raw petroleum, fossil fuel.
25. strangle (verb) – to suppress, hinder, or restrict the growth/development of; choke, asphyxiate, smother, stifle.
26. drive (verb) – to provide the power to operate a machine or system; propel, power, operate, run.
27. power generation (noun) – electricity production.
28. consequence (noun) – outcome, result, repercussion, ramification.
29. devastating (adjective) – highly destructive or damaging; ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic.
30. grid collapse (noun) – a total loss of power across a widespread electrical network; power failure, blackout, grid failure, outage.
31. garbage (noun) – rubbish, trash, waste, debris.
32. pile up  (phrasal verb) – accumulate, amass, collect, gather.
33. perishable (adjective) – likely to decay or go bad quickly; easily spoilt, short-lived, biodegradable, prone to spoiling.
34. rot (verb) – to decay or cause to decay by the action of bacteria and fungi; decay, spoil, go bad, decompose.
35. criminally (adverb) – unlawfully, illegally, illegitimately, culpably.
36. international law (noun) – a body of rules established by custom or treaty and recognized by nations as binding in their relations with one another; international conventions.
37. claim (verb) – assert, state, maintain, declare, profess.
38. seeing the end (phrase) – witnessing the final days or collapse of something; witnessing the downfall, facing destruction, nearing the conclusion, fading away.
39. boast (verb) – to talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction; brag, crow, swagger, gloat.
40. honour (noun) – high respect or privilege; privilege, distinction, glory, prestige.
41. call on (phrasal verb) – to appeal to or request someone to do something; appeal to, ask, urge, request.
42. make a deal (phrase) – to reach an agreement; strike a bargain, negotiate an agreement, come to terms, reach a compromise.
43. term (noun) – condition, stipulation, provision, requirement.
44. see against (phrasal verb) – to view or evaluate something in the context of something else; consider in light of, evaluate against, contrast with, contextualize.
45. decade long (adjective) – lasting for a period of ten years; ten-year.
46. embargo (noun) – an official ban on trade or other commercial activity with a particular country; ban, restriction, boycott, blockade.
47. term (verb) – to call, name, describe, or designate; call, label, dub, title.
48. blockade (noun) – an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving; siege, barrier, barricade.
49. revolution (noun) – rebellion, revolt, uprising, mutiny.
50. nationalise (verb) – take over, state-own, appropriate, expropriate.
51. enterprise (noun) – a business or company; business, firm, company, corporation.
52. trade embargo (noun) – a law or policy a state initiates that prohibits or otherwise restricts the importation/exportation of goods; trade ban, economic sanction, trade restriction.
53. progressively (adverb) – increasingly, continuously, steadily, gradually.
54. Helms-Burton Act of 1996 (proper noun) – formally known as the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996; it is a U.S. federal law designed to strengthen and continue the U.S. embargo against Cuba by penalizing foreign companies that trade with Cuba or traffic in property confiscated during the Cuban revolution.
55. conscript (verb) – to enlist someone compulsorily into an enterprise or system; draft, force, compel, recruit.
56. designation (noun) – classification, labelling, naming, identification.
57. state sponsor (noun) – a country that the government officially declares as repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism; state backer, state promoter, official patron.
58. restore (verb) – to bring back or re-establish; reinstate, put back, reintroduce.
59. lack (verb) – to be without or deficient in; be without, need, require, be short of.
60. rational (adjective) – logical, reasoned, sensible, sound.
61. cut off (phrasal verb) – to isolate or separate; isolate, block, sever, disconnect.
62. international banking (noun) – banking transactions crossing national boundaries; global banking, cross-border banking, transnational finance.
63. coercive (adjective) – authoritarian, overbearing, forceful, threatening.
64. measure (noun) – step, action, proceeding, procedure.
65. persist (verb) – to continue to exist; continue, last, remain, linger.
66. the Cold War (proper noun) – an ongoing political rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, characterized by political, economic, and propaganda conflicts without direct military confrontation.
67. national security (noun) – national defense.
68. appeasement (noun) – conciliation, pacification, accommodation, yielding.
69. right-wing (adjective) – belonging to the conservative or reactionary section of a political party or system; conservative, traditionalist, rightist.
70. U.S. Secretary of State (proper noun) – the head of the United States Department of State, serving as the U.S. President’s chief foreign affairs adviser and the nation’s chief diplomat responsible for carrying out U.S. foreign policy.
71. émigré (noun) – a person who has left their own country in order to settle in another, usually for political reasons; exile, expatriate, refugee, migrant.
72. military intervention (noun) – military action, forceful entry.
73. capture (verb) – to take into one’s possession or control by force; seize, take, apprehend, arrest.
74. sitting (adjective) – currently holding an office or position; current, present, active, incumbent.
75. seize control of (phrase) – to take hold of suddenly and forcibly; capture, take over, conquer, commandeer.
76. sever (verb) – to put an end to a connection or relationship; cut off, break off, end, dissolve.
77. doctors-for-fuel (noun) – referring to a bilateral agreement between Cuba and Venezuela where Cuba provides medical professionals in exchange for Venezuelan oil.
78. impunity (noun) – exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action; immunity, indemnity, exemption, non-liability.
79. embolden (verb) – encourage, hearten, strengthen, motivate.
80. asphyxiate (verb) – to severely restrict a system or country to the point of collapse; suffocate, choke, smother, strangle.
81. accompany (verb) – occur with, co-occur with, appear with, go with.
82. unchallenged (adjective) – unquestioned, undisputed, uncontested, unchecked.
83. imperial (adjective) – domineering, overbearing, dictatorial, authoritarian.
84. overreach (noun) – the act of doing more than your authority allows; overstepping, overstretching, overdoing, excess.
85. vulnerable (adjective) – at risk, endangered, unprotected, susceptible.
86. orbit (noun) – sphere of influence, domain, realm, territory.
87. very (adjective) – actual, exact, precise, specific.
88. framework (noun) – a basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text; structure, system, organization, scheme.
89. international order (noun) – the body of rules, norms, and institutions that govern relations between sovereign states; global order, world order, geopolitical framework.
90. gumption (noun) – courage, boldness, nerve, backbone.
91. condemn (verb) – to express complete disapproval of; censure, criticize, denounce, castigate.
92. humanitarian assistance (noun) – material and logistic assistance to people who need help, usually in response to humanitarian crises; aid, relief, support, charity.
93. under the aegis of (phrase) – with the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization; under the protection of, under the support of, under the guidance of, sponsored by.
94. the United Nations (proper noun) – an international organization founded in 1945 to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promote social progress, better living standards, and human rights.

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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