13 August 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Date: 13-Aug-2026

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All words from today’s editorials, in one place.

EDITORIAL 1: NO PATH TO PEACE: ON ISRAEL’S REJECTION OF PEACE PLAN

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Decimation	The destruction or killing of a large part of something	Devastation	Preservation
Simple Example: Israel’s strikes have continued the decimation of Gaza a year after the ceasefire.
Restricted	Limited in extent, amount or availability	Limited	Unrestricted
Simple Example: Aid into Gaza remains severely restricted despite the ceasefire.
Decommission	To take out of active service or dismantle	Disarm	Arm
Simple Example: Hamas agreed to decommission and store its heavy weapons in phases.
Subjugation	The action of bringing someone or something under domination or control	Domination	Liberation
Simple Example: Israel appears keen on the total subjugation of Gaza, at a continuing cost to civilians.
Jingoistic	Showing extreme and aggressive patriotism	Chauvinistic	Pacifist
Simple Example: Netanyahu has relied on the support of the jingoistic right wing to stay in power.
Repercussions	Unintended consequences of an action, occurring some time afterwards	Consequences	Benefits
Simple Example: Any concession on withdrawal would invite political repercussions for his right-wing coalition.
Waning	Gradually decreasing in strength or extent	Declining	Growing
Simple Example: Waning sympathy for Israel ahead of the U.S. mid-term elections shaped the Board’s proposal.
Farcical	Ridiculous or absurd, resembling a farce	Absurd	Serious
Simple Example: The farcical Board’s vision of a ‘New Gaza’ resembles an attempt at naked profiteering.
Profiteering	Making an unfair profit from a situation, especially a crisis	Exploitation	Philanthropy
Simple Example: Critics see the free-trade zone plan as an attempt at naked profiteering.
Imperative	Of vital importance; absolutely necessary	Essential	Optional
Simple Example: For Hamas, which has few cards left, disarmament is an imperative.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Faustian bargain	A pact in which something of great value, such as one’s integrity or long-term interest, is sacrificed for immediate power or advantage, from the legend of Faust who sold his soul to the devil	A deal where you give up something very important just to get a short-term gain

EDITORIAL 2: IN THE WAY: ON THE TRIBUNAL REFORMS BILL 2026

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Statutory	Required, permitted or enacted by statute (law)	Legal	Discretionary
Simple Example: The Supreme Court recommended an independent, statutory National Tribunals Commission.
Reinstate	To restore to a former position or condition	Restore	Remove
Simple Example: Parliament used an ordinance to reinstate conditions the Court had earlier rejected.
Objectionable	Causing disapproval or opposition; unacceptable	Unacceptable	Agreeable
Simple Example: The Court struck down the objectionable provisions Parliament had re-enacted.
Consonance	Agreement or compatibility between opinions or actions	Harmony	Discord
Simple Example: The Bill claims consonance with the 2025 judgment while permitting fresh delegation.
Delegation	The act of entrusting a task or authority to another	Devolution	Retention
Simple Example: The Bill makes room for the sort of delegation the judge’s reasoning had resisted.
Insulate	To protect or shield from outside influence	Shield	Expose
Simple Example: The NTC was meant to insulate tribunals from executive control.
Forsaking	Abandoning or giving up something	Relinquishing	Retaining
Simple Example: The government must make the NTC independent by forsaking its power to appoint or remove members at will.
Autonomy	The right or condition of self-government or independence	Independence	Dependence
Simple Example: The Bill still does not give the NTC enough institutional autonomy.
Vague	Of uncertain, indefinite or unclear character	Ambiguous	Precise
Simple Example: Experts have flagged similarly vague language in Section 3.
Elaborate	Involving many carefully arranged parts or details	Detailed	Simple
Simple Example: The screening process is more elaborate than it was in 2021.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
The final straw	The last in a series of unwelcome events that finally makes a situation unbearable and prompts action, from the proverb ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’	The last small problem that makes someone finally act after putting up with a lot

EDITORIAL 3: A BIT OF PUNJABI, A BIT OF SPANISH AND AN ODE TO IMMIGRANTS

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Nativist	Favouring the interests of established inhabitants over immigrants	Isolationist	Cosmopolitan
Simple Example: At a time of growing nativist backlash, the duo’s music celebrates immigrant ties.
Backlash	A strong negative reaction by a large number of people	Opposition	Support
Simple Example: Growing nativist backlash has coincided with renewed interest in immigrant history.
Contributions	Something given or done to help achieve a result	Input	Withdrawal
Simple Example: The song highlights immigrants’ contributions to the United States.
Controversial	Giving rise to public disagreement	Contentious	Uncontroversial
Simple Example: Elagabalus went on to have a colourful and controversial reign.
Assassination	The murder of a prominent person, typically for political reasons	Killing	Protection
Simple Example: The young emperor’s reign ended with his assassination four years later.
Confederacy	An alliance or league of nations, states or people	Alliance	Division
Simple Example: The Khazar Khaganate was a Turkic confederacy straddling Asia and Europe.
Obscurity	The state of being unknown or forgotten	Anonymity	Fame
Simple Example: These cultural interactions have slipped into obscurity over time.
Tightening	The act of making stricter or more restrictive	Restriction	Loosening
Simple Example: Indian immigration to the U.S. flourished before the tightening of restrictions.
Dignified	Having or showing a composed, serious and worthy manner	Noble	Undignified
Simple Example: Talibelico found the turban beautiful and dignified.
Fusion	The blending of different things to form a whole	Blend	Separation
Simple Example: Their Punjabi-Spanish fusion is drawing millions of views online.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 4: INFANTINO FOUL PLAY, FIFA OWN GOAL

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Entrusted	Assigned responsibility for something to someone	Assigned	Withheld
Simple Example: Infantino was accused of placing himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority.
Abandoned	Given up or discontinued	Discarded	Pursued
Simple Example: The letter called for a review of the now-abandoned proposal to sell World Cup stakes.
Controversy	Prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion	Dispute	Consensus
Simple Example: This is hardly Infantino’s first brush with controversy.
Transparency	Openness and accountability in operations or decisions	Openness	Secrecy
Simple Example: FIFA must be administered with transparency and accountability.
Accountability	The obligation to accept responsibility for one’s actions	Answerability	Impunity
Simple Example: The article calls for greater transparency and accountability at FIFA.
Unilateral	Performed by one party without the agreement of others	One-sided	Collective
Simple Example: Infantino’s increasingly unilateral style of decision-making threatens to fracture the footballing world.
Fracture	To break or cause to break; a division	Split	Unite
Simple Example: Unilateral decisions threaten to fracture the footballing world.
Revelling	Enjoying oneself with unrestrained pleasure or celebration	Delighting	Mourning
Simple Example: Instead of revelling in the World Cup’s success, Infantino is fighting for survival.
Colossal	Extremely large or great	Immense	Tiny
Simple Example: Private investors could gain a claim on something as colossal as the World Cup.
Scrutiny	Close and critical examination or observation	Examination	Negligence
Simple Example: The deal was struck without the consent or scrutiny of FIFA’s 211 member associations.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 5: WHEN TEAR GAS CLEARS, WHAT REMAINS IN RANCHI

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Discontent	Dissatisfaction with one’s circumstances	Dissatisfaction	Contentment
Simple Example: The discontent in Ranchi reflects a deeper crisis of confidence among the youth.
Allegations	Claims or assertions made without proof	Accusations	Facts
Simple Example: Allegations of a paper leak have snowballed into demands for cancellation of the tests.
Irregularities	Deviations from what is standard, normal or expected; improprieties	Anomalies	Regularities
Simple Example: Protestors are demanding accountability for alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam.
Snowballed	Rapidly increased or grew in size, seriousness or importance	Escalated	Diminished
Simple Example: Allegations of manipulation have snowballed into demands for a CBI probe.
Misguided	Showing faulty judgement; mistaken	Mistaken	Sound
Simple Example: The Soren government would be misguided in treating the protests as a one-off reaction.
Aspirational	Having or characterised by ambitions for social or economic advancement	Ambitious	Complacent
Simple Example: Jharkhand has struggled to create opportunities for its aspirational class.
Dogged	Persistently troubled or plagued something	Plagued	Spared
Simple Example: Allegations of unfair practices have dogged recruitment examinations for years.
Backlog	An accumulation of uncompleted work or unresolved matters	Accumulation	Clearance
Simple Example: The government attempted to clear the backlog by conducting exams in one batch.
Roiled	Thrown into a state of turmoil or agitation	Agitated	Calmed
Simple Example: The state was roiled by protests by job aspirants two years ago.
Credibility	The quality of being trusted and believed in	Trustworthiness	Dubiousness
Simple Example: The credibility of these recruitment exercises was also questioned.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

Test Yourself — 5 Questions

Answer all before you scroll down — then comment your score below!

Q1. Israel’s strikes have continued the DECIMATION of Gaza a year after the ceasefire. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Devastation   (B) Restoration   (C) Celebration   (D) Reconstruction   (E) Preservation

Answer: A

Meaning: Decimation means the destruction or killing of a large part of something. Logic: ‘Devastation’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Restoration, Celebration, Reconstruction and Preservation all convey rebuilding or safeguarding, the opposite sense.

Q2. (A) Tribunals have a raison d’être in the justice system, allowing specialists to settle technical disputes faster than the judiciary could, / (B) and in Rojer Mathew (2019), the Court recommend an independent, statutory National Tribunals Commission to oversee tribunals, / (C) but Parliament used the Finance Act 2017 to give the executive more control over appointments, / (D) and the final straw was the Court’s judgment in Madras Bar Association (2025), which struck down the objectionable provisions Parliament had re-enacted. Identify the segment containing the grammatical error.

(A) (A)   (B) (B)   (C) (C)   (D) (D)   (E) No error

Answer: B

Meaning: The segment contains a tense/agreement error. Logic: the narrative is in the past tense throughout, so it should read ‘the Court recommended’, not ‘the Court recommend’. Elimination: segments A, C and D are grammatically correct.

Q3. Aid into Gaza remains severely RESTRICTED despite the ceasefire. Select the option that is the closest antonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Limited   (B) Constrained   (C) Curtailed   (D) Controlled   (E) Unrestricted

Answer: E

Meaning: Restricted means limited in extent, amount or availability. Logic: ‘Unrestricted’ is its direct opposite. Elimination: Limited, Constrained, Curtailed and Controlled are all near-synonyms of restricted.

Q4. Parliament used an ordinance to REINSTATE conditions the Court had earlier rejected. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Abolish   (B) Suspend   (C) Restore   (D) Ignore   (E) Revise

Answer: C

Meaning: Reinstate means to restore to a former position or condition. Logic: ‘Restore’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Abolish, Suspend and Ignore all convey ending or disregarding, and Revise implies altering rather than bringing back unchanged.

Q5. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Decommission   (B) Decomission   (C) Decommision   (D) Deccommission   (E) Decomissioin

Answer: A

Meaning: Decommission means to take out of active service or dismantle. Logic: ‘Decommission’ correctly spells the prefix ‘de-‘ plus ‘commission’. Elimination: the remaining options drop or double a letter incorrectly.

How many did you get right? Comment your score below — we read every one!

Quick Recap — Today’s Words

Decimation (Devastation) | Restricted (Limited) | Decommission (Disarm) | Subjugation (Domination) | Jingoistic (Chauvinistic) | Repercussions (Consequences) | Waning (Declining) | Farcical (Absurd) | Profiteering (Exploitation) | Imperative (Essential) | Statutory (Legal) | Reinstate (Restore) | Objectionable (Unacceptable) | Consonance (Harmony) | Delegation (Devolution) | Insulate (Shield) | Forsaking (Relinquishing) | Autonomy (Independence) | Vague (Ambiguous) | Elaborate (Detailed) | Nativist (Isolationist) | Backlash (Opposition) | Contributions (Input) | Controversial (Contentious) | Assassination (Killing) | Confederacy (Alliance) | Obscurity (Anonymity) | Tightening (Restriction) | Dignified (Noble) | Fusion (Blend) | Entrusted (Assigned) | Abandoned (Discarded) | Controversy (Dispute) | Transparency (Openness) | Accountability (Answerability) | Unilateral (One-sided) | Fracture (Split) | Revelling (Delighting) | Colossal (Immense) | Scrutiny (Examination) | Discontent (Dissatisfaction) | Allegations (Accusations) | Irregularities (Anomalies) | Snowballed (Escalated) | Misguided (Mistaken) | Aspirational (Ambitious) | Dogged (Plagued) | Backlog (Accumulation) | Roiled (Agitated) | Credibility (Trustworthiness)

Idioms: Faustian bargain, The final straw

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