The Hindu Editorial (​​​​​Familiar impasse) – Aug 19, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (Familiar impasse) – Aug ​19, 2025:

1. impasse (noun) – deadlock, stalemate, checkmate, stand-off.
2. be built on (phrase) – be based on, be developed on, be established on.
3. resistance (noun) – opposition, confrontation, defiance, fight; refusal to accept, reluctance to accept; ability to fight back.
4. treaty (noun) – agreement, deal, settlement, protocol, contract.
5. The Global Plastics Treaty (noun) – it is an international agreement currently being negotiated by around 175 countries to end plastic pollution at every stage of the material’s lifecycle, from manufacturing to disposal.
6. stubborn (adjective) – strict, firm, adamant.
7. the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (noun) – it is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
8. address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
9. run into (phrasal verb) – encounter, experience, be faced with, meet with, reach.
10. vortex (noun) – figuratively to refer confusion, disturbance, commotion; it usually means countercurrent, counter flow, whirlwind/eddy (circular movement). 
11. bloc (noun) – group.
12. comprehensively (adverb) – systematically, thoroughly, fully, extensively, exhaustively, widely, completely, minutely.
13. ubiquitous (adjective) – present everywhere, everywhere, all-over, omnipresent, all-pervasive, prevalent, very common
14. practicability (noun) – feasibility.
15. affordability (noun) – the capacity to afford the cost/price of something.
16. balloon (verb) – increase, spread, grow, develop, expand, snowball, mushroom, burgeon.
17. civic crisis (noun) – a serious problem in society or the community that disrupts normal life and affects people’s well-being, safety, or trust in public systems.
18. compound annual growth rate (CAGR) (noun) – growth of something (economy, investment, etc.) calculated over a period of years, showing the percentage increase for each year over the previous year.
19. induce (verb) – cause, bring about, produce, effect, give rise to.
20. degree (noun) – extent, level.
21. behavioural change (noun) – (in public health) it refers to efforts put in place to change people’s personal habits and attitudes, to prevent disease.
22. reliance (noun) – dependence.
23. reflective (adjective) –  typical of a particular situation or thing;
24. global picture (noun) – (overall) view, notion, impression, idea.
25. short-lived (adjective) – temporary, short-term, momentary, passing, unstable, impermanent, fleeting, brief, quick.
26. landfill (noun) – excavated pit made to dispose waste material; rubbish/garbage dump, or dumping ground.
27. landfill (verb) – bury in a landfill.
28. litter (noun) – waste, scrap, garbage, rubbish, thrash, discarded matter.
29. derivate (noun) – something derived, particularly a by-product obtained chemically from a raw material.
30. fossilised crude or fossil fuel (noun) – non renewable resources (or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are formed from the buried/deposited organic materials).
31. greenhouse gas (GHGs) (noun) – heat-trapping gas; a gas (such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc.) in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation, causing the greenhouse effect and warming of Earth’s temperature.  
32. carbon emission (noun) – the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
33. (carbon) emissions (noun) – Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; Carbon dioxide is also a greenhouse gas produced as a byproduct of human activities. Burning fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—is the number one source of global CO2 emissions.
34. incentive (noun) – impetus, boost, stimulus, fillip.
35. point to (phrasal verb) – indicate, suggest, signal, signify, denote, reveal.
36. decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
37. line (noun) – a series of related things.
38. add to this/that (phrase) – used to introduce more details to support to what you are saying.
39. pile up (phrasal verb) – amass, accumulate, collect, garner, hoard.
40. non-biodegradable (adjective) – not-decaying, enduring, imperishable.
41. biodegradable (adjective) – disposable, one-use; That undergoes degradation resulting from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. There is no reference to the amount of time needed for degradation or the type of physical and chemical quality attributes of the end product.
42. make one’s way (phrase) – go/proceed to a particular place.
43. marine (adjective) – sea, oceanic, maritime.
44. swamp  (verb) – engulf, flood, inundate.
45. wash up on shore (phrase) – to bring (something) onto the shore by waves.
46. granular (adjective) – powdered, powdery, granulated, sandy.
47. microplastic (noun) – tiny plastic particles that are less than five millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter/length.
48. potential (noun) – possibility, potentiality, prospects, chance.
49. at source (phrase) – at the point of origin
50. toxicity (noun) – hatefulness, nastiness, venom; the quality of being very harmful/dangerous. 
51. talks (noun) – discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, parley.
52. call (noun) – appeal, plea, demand, request.
53. tariff/trade barriers (noun) – taxes established by each country to restrict foreign trade.
54. trade barriers (noun) – government-induced restrictions on international trade.
55. non-tariff barriers (noun) – it refer to any measures, other than customs tariffs, that regulate imports or exports into a country. Non-tariff barriers include embargoes, sanctions, and levies.
56. add to (phrasal verb) – intensify, increate, heighten, amplify, magnify, deepen, exacerbate, aggravate, worsen.
57. climate (noun) – atmosphere, condition, feeling, attitude.
58. tariff (noun) – a tax imposed by one country on the goods and services imported from another country.
59. uncertainty (noun) – unpredictability, unreliability, changeability, inconstancy, riskiness/precariousness; apprehension, quandary, dilemma, misgiving.
60. hear out (phrasal verb) – to listen to someone.
61. futile (adjective) – pointless, useless, valueless.
62. halcyon (adjective) – calm, serene, quiet, still, pleasant, tranquil, peaceful.
63. steer (verb) – helm, drive, navigate, guide, direct, control.
64. resolution (noun) – decision, declaration, solution, settlement.
65. common good (noun) – general welfare, or public benefit.
66. incontrovertible (adjective) – unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable, irrefutable, undeniable unquestionable; clear, crystal clear, well defined, explicit, categorical, outright, certain, decisive.

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 (​​​​Familiar impasse) – Aug 19, 2025: