The Hindu Editorial (From black to grey) – May 26, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (From black to grey) – May 26, 2026:

from black to grey (phrase) – a process of becoming older; ageing, growing old, maturing.
ageing (adjective) – becoming older; greying, growing old, maturing.
shifting (adjective) – changing, altering.
demographic (adjective) – relating to the statistical study/structure of populations, especially human beings.
bulletin (noun) – official communication, press release, report, statement.
figure (noun) – statistics, data, numbers, records.
Sample Registration System (SRS) – Statistical Report, 2024 (proper noun) – an official publication based on a large-scale demographic sample survey in India for providing reliable estimates of vital rates such as infant mortality, birth, and death rates at national and state levels.
incontrovertible (adjective) – indisputable, undeniable, unquestionable, unarguable.
falling (adjective) – decreasing, dropping, declining, diminishing.
fertility rate (noun) – the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime; birth rate, reproductive rate.
crude birth rate (noun) – the total number of live births per 1,000 population in a specific year and region.
pace (noun) – rate.
considerably (adverb) – significantly, substantially, largely, very much.
slow down (phrasal verb) – reduce speed, decelerate, lessen, drop.
pundit (noun) – expert, authority, specialist, intellectual.
decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
plunging (adjective) – decreasing rapidly, declining sharply, falling sharply, plummeting, dropping.
certainly (adverb) – surely, definitely, undeniably, undoubtedly.
command (verb) – require, demand, necessitate, entail.
pause (noun) – break, halt, brief stop, interruption.
contemplation (noun) – thought, reflection, consideration, deliberation.
forward planning (noun) – the process of making plans to account for the future; advance planning, preparation, strategizing.
crest (verb) – surmount, overcome, get to the top of, rise above.
drop (verb) – decrease, reduce, fall, decline.
replacement (noun) – substitution, exchange; the fertility level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next.
aid (verb) – help, assist, support, facilitate.
in large (phrase) – mostly, mainly, largely, for the most part.
birth rate (noun) – the number of live births per thousand of population per year; fertility rate.
fall (verb) – decrease, decline, drop, sink.
marginally (adverb) – slightly, somewhat, faintly, minimally.
go down (phrasal verb) – decrease, drop, fall, decline.
well (adverb) – considerably, very much, significantly, fully.
on one’s way (phrase) – on course, moving forward, progressing, advancing.
explosion (noun) – rapid increase, sudden growth, boom, escalation.
shrinking (adjective) – reducing, decreasing, diminishing, declining.
workforce (noun) – workers, employees, human resources, labour force.
expansion (noun) – growth, increase, enlargement, development.
reap (verb) – get, receive, obtain, gain.
dividend (noun) – benefit, advantage, reward, gain.
median age (noun) – the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups, with half the people being younger and half older.
in stark contrast (phrase) – completely distinct, completely different, unalike.
median (adjective) – mean, middle, average, midpoint.
roughly (adverb) – approximately, about, around, closely.
cohort (noun) – group, category, generation, section.
in demographic terms (phrase) – regarding the statistical study and structure of human populations.
reflect (verb) – indicate, show, display, demonstrate.
fertility (noun) – reproductive capability, ability to have children, reproduction.
access (noun) – availability, approach, means of entry, connection.
contraception (noun) – birth control, family planning; methods used to prevent pregnancy.
life expectancy (noun) – an estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live.
dipping (adjective) – dropping, falling, decreasing, declining.
transition paradigm (noun) – a theoretical framework or model outlining the shift of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.
paradigm (noun) – a typical example or pattern/model of something; model, pattern, standard, framework.
imply (verb) – suggest, hint, point to, indicate.
health care (noun) – medical services, medical treatment, wellness program, health protection.
reassess (verb) – re-evaluate, review, reconsider, re-examine.
path ahead (phrase) – the course of action for the future; future direction, way forward.
pivot to (verb) – turn to, shift to, switch to, orient toward.
greying (adjective) – ageing, becoming older, maturing.
demographic dividend (noun) – it is defined as a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents (or) it is the accelerated development that can arise when a population has a relatively large proportion of working-age people coupled with effective human capital investment.
disappear (verb) – vanish, fade away, evaporate, melt away.
however (adverb) – nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, but.
flag (verb) – indicate, identify, point out, highlight.
concern (noun) – issue, worry, problem, apprehension.
vast (adjective) – huge, massive, extensive, broad.
disparity (noun) – imbalance, inequality, unevenness, disproportion.
on a par with (phrase) – comparable with, equivalent to, as equal to, on a level with.
stay ahead (phrasal verb) – maintain a lead, keep in front, outpace, surpass.
child survival (noun) – the survival probability of children, focused on preventing early childhood mortality.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) (proper noun) – the number of infant deaths (children under one year of age) for every 1,000 live births in a population during a specified period.
high-burden (adjective) – relating to areas or states bearing a heavy load or high prevalence of a specific issue.
lag (verb) – fall behind, trail behind, linger, straggle.
targeted (adjective) – specific, exact, precise, focused.
intervention (noun) – involvement, interference, measure, action taken to improve a situation.
awareness (noun) – understanding, knowledge, realization, recognition.
facility (noun) – establishment, institution, centre, premises.
effect (verb) – achieve, accomplish, bring about, carry out.
convergence (noun) – coming together, union, junction, merging