The Hindu Editorial (​Tragedy and farce) – Jan 05, 2026

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The Hindu Editorial (​Tragedy and farce) – Jan 05, 2026:

1. farce (noun) – absurdity, mockery, sham, joke, waste of time, laughing stock.
2. strike (noun) – attack, bombing.
3. imperialism (noun) – an action that involves a country (usually an empire or a kingdom) extending its power by the acquisition of territories.
4. farcical (adjective) – ridiculous, absurd, comical, laughable, senseless, pointless, useless, ineffectual, hysterical, foolish
5. Theatre of the Absurd (phrase) – A type of drama that attempts to depict the absurdity (illogicality/stupidity) of human life using unreasonable, irrational, meaningless, and intentionally confusing action and dialogue. In layman’s terms, it was originally used to refer to a breach or violation of logic.
6. invasion (noun) – attack, offensive, onslaught, incursion, assault.
7. premise (noun) – assertion, supposition, thought, belief.
8. depose (verb) – bring down, topple, unseat, overthrow, dethrone, oust.
9. “export” democracy (noun) – a concept in foreign policy and international relations that refers to the active promotion or imposition of democratic institutions and values in other countries. This can be achieved through various means, ranging from diplomatic efforts and economic incentives to, in controversial cases, military intervention.
10. render (verb) – cause to be/become; make.
11. asunder (adverb) – apart, up, in two.
12. birth (verb) – give birth to
13. outfit (noun) – organization, group, unit.
14. destabilise (verb) – undermine, weaken, impair, damage, subvert, sabotage.
15. playbook (noun) – a set of strategies.
16. orchestrate (verb) – initiate, organize, coordinate, mobilize, stage, engineer, mastermind,  choreograph, influence.
17. coercive (adjective) – strong-arm, aggressive, forceful, bullying, oppressive, threatening, intimidatory. 
18. diplomacy (noun) – international politics, foreign affairs, foreign policy; negotiations, discussions, talks, dialogue (related to international politics).
19. campaign (noun) – military operations, offensive, attack, war, battle.
20. naval (adjective) – relating to a navy (ships).
21. blockade (noun) – barrier, barricade, roadblock, hurdle, obstacle, stumbling block, impediment, hindrance.
22. apprehension (noun) – arrest, detention, incarceration, imprisonment.
23. exile (noun) –  expulsion, expelling, banishment, expatriation, deportation, eviction, extradition, expatriation, repatriation; removal, dismissal.
24. flagrant (adjective) – shockingly noticeable, evident, glaring, blatant, obvious, conspicuous, transparent, palpable, disgraceful.
25. violation (noun) – breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance.
26. flout (verb) – violate, break, contravene, go against, defy, ignore, disregard.
27. Article 2 of the UN Charter (noun) – it sets the core rules for UN members: all states are sovereign and equal, must act in good faith, settle disputes peacefully, avoid using force, support UN actions, and generally prevent interference in a country’s internal affairs except for UN-authorized peace and security measures.
28. charter (noun) – body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles.
29. interdiction (noun) – the action of preventing banned people’s movement.
30. civilian (noun) – non-military person, ordinary citizen.
31. under the guise of (phrase) – under the pretence or outward/external appearance of something; posture, semblance, (false) show/display.
32. anti-narcotics (noun) – an act/step/measure which is opposing illicit drugs and their use and distribution. 
33. bypass (verb) – avoid, circumvent, find a way round, sidestep, evade, dodge (something problematic).
34. UN Security Council (UNSC) (noun) – it is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security.
35. executioner (noun) – hangman, official killer.
36. drive (verb) – cause to happen.
37. calculus (noun) –  a method of calculation.
38. resurrection (noun) – re-emergence recovery, revival, renewal, reintroduction, restoration.
39. Monroe Doctrine (noun) – a key U.S. foreign policy statement announced by President James Monroe in 1823. It warned European powers against further colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere (North and South America).
40. Hegemony (noun) – leadership, dominance, authority, control, power.
41. the Americas (noun) – it refers collectively to North, Central, and South America, encompassing the entire landmass of the Western Hemisphere.
42. regime (noun) – government.
43. sought past tense of seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
44. upend (verb) – overturn, overthrow, topple over, knock down, capsize, cancel; turn something upside down.
45. sever (verb) – terminate, end, stop, discontinue, break off, put an end to.
46. ties (noun) – association, relationship, bond, connection.
47. cynical (adjective) – distrustful, sceptical, pessimistic, disbelieving.
48. drive (noun) – ambition, motivation, push, initiative.
49. crude oil (noun) – the raw natural resource that is extracted from the earth and refined into products such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products.
50. crude oil reserves (noun) – the estimated volume of recoverable crude oil located underground, determined by current technology and economic conditions.
51. in any case (phrase) – whatever happens or happened; moreover; anyway, anyhow, at any rate, however, notwithstanding, nevertheless.
52. claim (noun) – assertion, statement, affirmation, contention.
53. pyrrhic (adjective) – meaningless, valueless, worthless, useless, profitless, pointless, futile, of no use, of no value (a pyrrhic victory is a victory that causes such a severe damage on the victor that it is equivalent to defeat).
54. authoritarian (adjective) – oppressive, draconian, undemocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian.
55. base (noun) – a group of people considered as supporting an organization/party.
56. Bolivarian (adjective) – referring to the political ideology inspired by Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar who led the revolutions against Spanish rule.
57. movement (noun) – campaign, crusade, drive, push.
58. rampant (adjective) – uncontrolled, unrestrained, unchecked, out of control; widespread, very common, pervasive, omnipresent, ubiquitous, prevalent, rife.
59. inequality (noun) – Inequality is simply defined as “the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities; imbalance, unevenness, disproportion, disparity.
60. foster (verb) – encourage, promote, develop.
61. backed (adjective) – supported.
62. elite (noun) – high society people; the group of most powerful people in a society.
63. install (verb) – introduce, establish, put in place.
64. looting (noun) – robbery, plunder, stealing.
65. hypocrisy (noun) – an act of saying something and doing something else; double-dealing, dishonesty, humbug/empty talk, duplicity.
66. stark (adjective) – clear, distinct, evident, obvious, striking.
67. label (verb) – categorize, classify, tag, designate, describe, identify.
68. cartel (noun) – a group of manufacturers/businesses fixing a high price to avoid competition and to make more money.
69. trafficking (noun) – the activity of buying and selling goods/animal/people illegally; (illegal/illicit) trading, dealing.
70. convict (verb) – declare/find/pronounce guilty; give someone a sentence.
71. facilitate (verb) – make easy, make possible, enable, assist, help/aid.
72. yield (verb) – provide, produce, bring in, furnish, contribute.
73. the Cold War (noun) – The Cold War was a state of political and military tension after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States and a group of countries) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and a group of countries).
74. belie (verb) – contradict, misrepresent, falsify, give the lie to, distort, be at odds with, call into question.
75. withdraw (verb) – leave, pull out of, quit, move out of.
76. Climate Treaty or Paris Agreement/Accord/pact (noun) – The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
77. escalate (adjective) – increase, heighten, exacerbate, intensify, deepen, aggravate.
78. trade war/tariff war (noun) – a condition in which a country increases tariffs on foreign goods and imposes quota restrictions to restrict other countries’ trade.
79. contempt (noun) – it refers to the offence of showing disrespect to the dignity or authority of a court (& its officers).
80. norm (noun) – standard, convention, regulation.
81. surpass (verb) – exceed, be better than, be greater than, transcend, go beyond; be more than something; to do more than something.
82. egregious (adjective) – shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad.
83. isolationist (adjective) – sectarian, chauvinist, jingoistic; excessively patriotic, excessively nationalistic.
84. isolationism (noun) – a policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one’s country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to make one’s economy entirely self-reliant.
85. imperialist (adjective) – relating to imperialism.
86. Trumpism (noun) – a political ideology, style of governance, political movement and set of mechanisms for governance associated with United States president Donald Trump.
87. ratify (verb) – support, approve, uphold, justify.
88. world/international/global order (noun) – the arrangement of power and authority that provides the system for the conduct of diplomacy and world politics in relation to the entire world.
89. sovereignty (noun) – autonomy, independence, self-government, self-rule, freedom.  
90. at someone’s pleasure (phrase) – at the time when someone desires/wishes; as and when someone prefers.

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 (​Tragedy and farce) – Jan 05, 2026: