15 September 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Word Power

Date: 15-Sep-2026

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

EDITORIAL 1: BUILDING CONSENSUS: ON THE 18TH BRICS SUMMIT, THE NEW DELHI DECLARATION

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Reaffirming	Stating again firmly; confirming once more	Reasserting	Retracting
Simple Example: Reaffirming the importance of reformed multilateralism was the Summit’s binding theme, the editorial notes.
Riven	Split or divided through violent internal conflict	Divided	United
Simple Example: The Declaration was adopted in a world riven with unilateral actions by superpowers, the editorial notes.
Formidable	Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively powerful	Powerful	Weak
Simple Example: The New Delhi Declaration presented BRICS as a formidable front in its 20th year, the editorial notes.
Scepticism	An attitude of doubt about the truth or value of something	Doubt	Certainty
Simple Example: The Declaration was issued despite scepticism about all the differences within the grouping, the editorial notes.
Ballast	Something that provides stability or steadiness	Stability	Instability
Simple Example: India’s fourth BRICS chairship has given ballast to its reputation as a Global South balancer, the editorial notes.
Assuaging	Making an unpleasant feeling less intense	Soothing	Aggravating
Simple Example: Modi’s attention to Iran’s President would have gone some way in assuaging hurt feelings, the editorial notes.
Commended	Praised formally for an achievement	Praised	Criticised
Simple Example: The government should be commended for ensuring Iran and the UAE’s highest-level bilateral meeting, the editorial notes.
Ambiguous	Open to more than one interpretation; unclear	Unclear	Unambiguous
Simple Example: Saudi Arabia’s position within BRICS remains ambiguous, the editorial notes.
Retaliatory	Done in return for an injury or wrong; done as revenge	Vengeful	Conciliatory
Simple Example: The statement omitted references to Iran’s retaliatory attacks on its neighbours, the editorial notes.
Solidarity	Unity or agreement of feeling among a group	Unity	Discord
Simple Example: This BRICS Summit will be remembered for a moment of solidarity among countries with many differences, the editorial notes.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 2: A RISING GRAPH: ON THE DOPING CULTURE IN INDIAN SPORTS

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Notoriously	In a way that is famous or well known, typically for something bad	Infamously	Reputably
Simple Example: India has been notoriously leading the global doping charts for three consecutive years, the editorial notes.
Spate	A large number of similar things happening within a short time	Surge	Trickle
Simple Example: The spate of positive results across disciplines has robbed India of some berths in prestigious events, the editorial notes.
Trickle	To come out slowly and in small quantities	Dribble	Flood
Simple Example: More dope-tainted names are expected to trickle out in the coming weeks, the editorial notes.
Lucrative	Producing a great deal of profit	Profitable	Unprofitable
Simple Example: Lucrative cash incentives for Asian Games medallists drive athletes to take shortcuts, the editorial notes.
Menace	A person or thing likely to cause harm; a threat	Threat	Safeguard
Simple Example: National Sports Federations are not strict to the core to curb the menace, the editorial notes.
Understaffed	Not having enough staff to function properly	Short-staffed	Overstaffed
Simple Example: Despite being seriously understaffed, NADA has increased the number of tests and raids, the editorial notes.
Bolster	To support or strengthen	Reinforce	Weaken
Simple Example: The government can bolster the fight against doping by increasing the budget allocation, the editorial notes.
Resolutely	In a determined and unwavering manner	Determinedly	Hesitantly
Simple Example: India needs to act resolutely to weed out a deep-rooted doping culture, the editorial notes.
Curb	To restrain or keep something in check	Restrain	Encourage
Simple Example: Sports federations are not strict enough to curb the doping menace, the editorial notes.
Deep-rooted	Firmly established; difficult to remove	Entrenched	Superficial
Simple Example: Doping is now a deep-rooted culture in Indian sports, the editorial argues.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 3: AFTER OIL SURGE, FED RATE HIKE WILL SHAPE CHALLENGE

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Prudence	Cautiousness and care, especially in managing resources	Caution	Recklessness
Simple Example: There is a need for fiscal prudence to guard against overspending, the editorial notes.
Elevated	Raised to a higher level than usual	Raised	Lowered
Simple Example: Elevated international energy prices widen India’s current account deficits, the editorial notes.
Widen	To make or become broader or larger	Expand	Narrow
Simple Example: Elevated energy prices widen India’s current account deficits, the editorial notes.
Mobilised	Organised and brought into use for a particular purpose	Marshalled	Immobilised
Simple Example: The $127.2 billion of FCNR(B) deposits mobilised through the RBI’s special swap facility helped stabilise the rupee, the editorial notes.
Stemmed	Stopped or slowed the spread or flow of something	Curbed	Accelerated
Simple Example: The mobilised deposits have also stemmed the run on the rupee, the editorial notes.
Chokepoints	Narrow points where flow or passage can be blocked or restricted	Bottlenecks	Thoroughfares
Simple Example: The hope is to manage shipping through the now-threatened Bab el-Mandeb chokepoints, the editorial notes.
Entails	Involves something as a necessary part or consequence	Involves	Excludes
Simple Example: The latter entails creating an environment where investors are confident about India, the editorial notes.
Predictability	The quality of being predictable or foreseeable	Consistency	Unpredictability
Simple Example: India must offer policy predictability and stability to attract investors, the editorial notes.
Weathered	Endured a difficult situation without serious damage	Endured	Succumbed
Simple Example: India has weathered the Iran war-induced energy supply shock relatively well, the editorial notes.
Soaring	Increasing rapidly to a high level	Surging	Plummeting
Simple Example: Diesel prices have been soaring to a record $6.20 a gallon, the editorial notes.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 4: AT BRICS, MORE OPTIONS, A WIN FOR DIPLOMACY

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Plurality	A large number or variety of something	Multiplicity	Uniformity
Simple Example: The New Delhi Declaration emphasises that a plurality of voices must be heard and heeded, the editorial notes.
Heeded	Paid attention to and taken notice of	Noted	Ignored
Simple Example: A plurality of voices must be heard and heeded, the editorial argues.
Ineffectual	Not producing the desired effect; feeble	Futile	Effective
Simple Example: According to one view, multilateral forums like BRICS are ineffectual pageantry, the editorial notes.
Pageantry	Elaborate display or ceremony, often seen as superficial	Spectacle	Substance
Simple Example: Critics dismiss such forums as ineffectual pageantry, the editorial notes.
Hegemonic	Relating to the dominance of one group or state over others	Dominant	Subordinate
Simple Example: Critics paint BRICS as a vehicle for great powers to build spheres of hegemonic influence, the editorial notes.
Beholden	Owing thanks or having an obligation to someone	Indebted	Independent
Simple Example: Diplomacy need not be beholden to the ideologies and interests of great powers, the editorial argues.
Aggravate	To make a problem or situation worse	Worsen	Alleviate
Simple Example: Iran and the UAE called for avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation, the editorial notes.
Salient	Most noticeable or important	Prominent	Insignificant
Simple Example: For developing countries of the Global South, the energy question is particularly salient, the editorial notes.
Chimaera	A thing that is illusory or impossible to achieve; a fantasy	Illusion	Reality
Simple Example: Rather than chasing the chimaera of a BRICS currency, the Declaration focuses on linking payment systems, the editorial notes.
Detractors	People who criticise something or someone, often persistently	Critics	Supporters
Simple Example: BRICS’s grand ambitions have led its detractors to paint it as anti-West, the editorial notes.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Agree to disagree	To accept that two parties hold different views and stop trying to change each other’s mind	To accept differing opinions without further argument

Test Yourself — 5 Questions

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

Q1. (A) The 18th BRICS Summit and its New Delhi Declaration reaffirmed the importance of reformed multilateralism in a world riven with unilateral actions, / (B) the participation of members at the highest levels and the consensus achieved by Indian negotiators reflect the summit’s success, / (C) India’s fourth BRICS chairship has given ballast to its reputation as a Global South balancer, / (D) Modi’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping afforded the two countries a chance to reaffirm their political will to normalise ties. Identify the segment containing the grammatical error.

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

Answer: E

Meaning: all four segments are grammatically correct. Logic: subject-verb agreement, tense and structure are consistent throughout. Elimination: no segment contains an error, so the correct answer is ‘No error’.

Q2. India has been ______ leading the global doping charts for three consecutive years, the editorial notes. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) reputedly   (B) admirably   (C) commendably   (D) notoriously   (E) favourably

Answer: D

Meaning: Notoriously means in a way that is famous or well known, typically for something bad. Logic: ‘notoriously’ fits the negative sense of leading the doping charts. Elimination: reputedly, admirably, commendably and favourably all carry a positive connotation, the opposite sense.

Q3. The New Delhi Declaration presented BRICS as a FORMIDABLE front in its 20th year, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Powerful   (B) Feeble   (C) Weak   (D) Fragile   (E) Flimsy

Answer: A

Meaning: Formidable means inspiring fear or respect through being impressively powerful. Logic: ‘Powerful’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Feeble, Weak, Fragile and Flimsy all denote a lack of strength, the opposite sense.

Q4. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Spate   (B) Spait   (C) Spatte   (D) Speat   (E) Spatee

Answer: A

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Spate’, meaning a large number of similar things happening within a short time. Logic: standard English spelling. Elimination: the remaining options misspell the vowel or double a letter.

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

(A) Skepticisim   (B) Scepticisim   (C) Scepticism   (D) Sceptisism   (E) Scepticismm

Answer: C

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Scepticism’, meaning an attitude of doubt about the truth or value of something. Logic: standard UK English spelling uses ‘sc-‘, not ‘sk-‘. Elimination: the remaining options misspell or double letters.

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

Quick Recap — Today’s Words

Reaffirming (Reasserting) | Riven (Divided) | Formidable (Powerful) | Scepticism (Doubt) | Ballast (Stability) | Assuaging (Soothing) | Commended (Praised) | Ambiguous (Unclear) | Retaliatory (Vengeful) | Solidarity (Unity) | Notoriously (Infamously) | Spate (Surge) | Trickle (Dribble) | Lucrative (Profitable) | Menace (Threat) | Understaffed (Short-staffed) | Bolster (Reinforce) | Resolutely (Determinedly) | Curb (Restrain) | Deep-rooted (Entrenched) | Prudence (Caution) | Elevated (Raised) | Widen (Expand) | Mobilised (Marshalled) | Stemmed (Curbed) | Chokepoints (Bottlenecks) | Entails (Involves) | Predictability (Consistency) | Weathered (Endured) | Soaring (Surging) | Plurality (Multiplicity) | Heeded (Noted) | Ineffectual (Futile) | Pageantry (Spectacle) | Hegemonic (Dominant) | Beholden (Indebted) | Aggravate (Worsen) | Salient (Prominent) | Chimaera (Illusion) | Detractors (Critics)

Idioms: Agree to disagree

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