17 August 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Date: 17-Aug-2026

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

EDITORIAL 1: A PREDICTABLE RISE: ON INFLATION

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Consecutive	Following one after another without interruption	Successive	Intermittent
Simple Example: This is the second consecutive month that retail inflation has stayed above the RBI’s 4% target.
Elevated	Raised to a higher than normal level	Heightened	Reduced
Simple Example: Transport continues to have a wider impact, pointing to elevated input-cost pressures.
Quickened	Made faster or more rapid	Accelerated	Slowed
Simple Example: Transport inflation quickened to 4.43% in July from 4.31% in June.
Recoup	To regain or make good a loss	Recover	Forfeit
Simple Example: Restaurants are yet to recoup revenues and margins lost following the steep operating costs from March through May.
Worryingly	In a manner that causes anxiety or concern	Alarmingly	Reassuringly
Simple Example: More worryingly, Ukraine-related disruptions around Russia’s Black Sea export infrastructure could raise freight and risk premiums.
Moderated	Made or become less extreme or intense	Eased	Intensified
Simple Example: Potato and tomato prices moderated even as staples such as onion and garlic fuelled the rise.
Premiums	Amounts paid or charged in addition to a standard rate, reflecting added risk	Surcharges	Discounts
Simple Example: Disruptions to Russian exports could raise freight and risk premiums for Russian crude.
Amplifying	Increasing the strength, size or effect of something	Intensifying	Diminishing
Simple Example: The rupee’s depreciation is further amplifying imported inflation.
Persistent	Continuing firmly or obstinately over a long period	Continuing	Fleeting
Simple Example: The RBI is likely to remain on hold as it weighs persistent supply-side inflation against weakening momentum.
Momentum	The impetus or driving force gained by movement or a series of events	Impetus	Stagnation
Simple Example: The HSBC composite PMI showed a sharp fall, signalling weakening economic momentum.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
A foregone conclusion	An outcome that is predictable or certain before it actually happens	Something you already know will happen

EDITORIAL 2: STICKS AND GOALS: ON INDIA AT THE FIH HOCKEY WORLD CUP 2026

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Agonising	Causing great distress or anxiety	Excruciating	Comforting
Simple Example: Because of hockey’s emotional connection with Indians, the wait has been agonising for the eight-time Olympic champion.
Drought	A prolonged period without a particular thing, especially success	Dearth	Abundance
Simple Example: India’s men’s hockey team aims to end a 51-year medal drought at the World Cup.
Jinx	A period of persistent bad luck attributed to a supposed curse	Curse	Charm
Simple Example: India broke a 41-year Olympic jinx with bronze in Tokyo in 2021.
Regrouped	Gathered together again as an organised group after a setback	Reorganised	Disbanded
Simple Example: After experiencing experimentation, defeats and controversies, the squad has regrouped for its first World Cup.
Formidable	Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively powerful	Redoubtable	Weak
Simple Example: After Wales, the eighth-ranked side faces a formidable England and traditional rival Pakistan.
Custodian	A goalkeeper, viewed as the guardian of the goal	Guardian	Attacker
Simple Example: The squad has regrouped following the retirement of legendary custodian P.R. Sreejesh.
Berth	A place or position secured, especially in a competition or team	Place	Exclusion
Simple Example: India targets a higher finish before a mission to retain Asian Games gold, which will earn it a berth in the 2028 Olympics.
Cohesive	Characterised by unity and close connection	United	Fragmented
Simple Example: Both the Indian teams must play as cohesive units to build towards Los Angeles 2028.
Turmoil	A state of great disturbance, confusion or uncertainty	Upheaval	Calm
Simple Example: The women’s team has rebuilt under coach Sjoerd Marijne after turmoil caused by off-field issues.
Embarking	Beginning a new course of action or venture	Undertaking	Concluding
Simple Example: India targets a higher finish before embarking next month on a mission to retain the Asian Games gold.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 3: A QUESTION IN KERALAM: WHAT’S IN AN ‘M’?

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Grappling	Engaging in a struggle to deal with or understand a difficult issue	Wrestling	Ignoring
Simple Example: Scholars were grappling with a very familiar question — the history of the Dravidian languages.
Flawed	Having a defect or imperfection; imperfect	Defective	Flawless
Simple Example: One man in the Sanskrit treatise made a flawed argument for his own purposes.
Assertion	A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief	Declaration	Denial
Simple Example: It’s the first known assertion of linguistic identity from Kerala.
Anomaly	Something that deviates from what is standard or expected	Irregularity	Norm
Simple Example: This will correct an anomaly — the official name of a linguistically formed state should be in its own language.
Anglicised	Made to conform to English forms or customs	Westernised	Nativised
Simple Example: Is it replacing an anglicised name? That’s debatable.
Pragmatic	Dealing with things sensibly and realistically	Practical	Idealistic
Simple Example: Beyond politics and sentiment, though, lie some pragmatic considerations.
Relabelling	The act of giving something a new label or name	Renaming	Retaining
Simple Example: There will be a cost to relabelling everything, and perhaps altering the names of institutions.
Dynasty	A line of hereditary rulers	Lineage	Republic
Simple Example: Kerala may come from a form of ‘Chera’, the Tamil dynasty that once ruled the region.
Sentiment	A view or opinion coloured by emotion	Feeling	Indifference
Simple Example: Beyond politics and sentiment, though, lie some pragmatic considerations.
Debatable	Open to question or argument; not certain	Questionable	Indisputable
Simple Example: Is it replacing an anglicised name? That’s debatable, given that the stem form of the noun in Sanskrit is also Kerala.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 4: MAJOR TRIAL FOR META, LARGE QUESTION FOR BIG TECH

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Whistleblower	A person who exposes wrongdoing or malpractice within an organisation	Informant	Accomplice
Simple Example: Five years after a whistleblower revealed that Meta had ignored evidence of Instagram’s harmful impact on teenagers.
Addictive	Causing a compulsive need to continue doing or using something	Habit-forming	Non-habit-forming
Simple Example: Four U.S. states allege the company deliberately made Facebook and Instagram addictive for children.
Landmark	Very important or significant, especially as marking a turning point	Groundbreaking	Insignificant
Simple Example: The trial comes months after a landmark case in which a jury held Meta and YouTube responsible.
Nuisance	A person, thing or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance	Menace	Boon
Simple Example: A New Mexico court, describing Meta as a ‘public nuisance’ akin to air pollution, ordered it to pay $567 million.
Endangering	Putting someone or something at risk of harm	Jeopardising	Protecting
Simple Example: The court ordered Meta to pay $567 million for endangering children.
Disquieting	Causing anxiety or a feeling of unease	Unsettling	Reassuring
Simple Example: The disquieting revelations have been reinforced by subsequent studies.
Reinforced	Strengthened or supported, especially with additional evidence	Bolstered	Weakened
Simple Example: The disquieting revelations have been reinforced by subsequent studies, including 2024 WHO data.
Frictionless	Free from resistance or difficulty; smooth and effortless	Seamless	Cumbersome
Simple Example: Infinite scroll and auto-playing videos have allegedly helped create a ‘frictionless’ experience.
Overriding	More important than any other consideration; predominant	Paramount	Secondary
Simple Example: What happens when keeping users hooked becomes the overriding design principle?
Transformative	Causing a marked change in form, nature or appearance	Revolutionary	Negligible
Simple Example: The implications of these questions extend to how any transformative technology is designed and governed.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 5: MONSOON SESSION WAS ARID, PARLIAMENT FELL SHORT

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Convulsed	Caused violent, uncontrollable disturbance or agitation in	Shook	Calmed
Simple Example: The Monsoon Session was the first held after students’ protests convulsed a nation.
Crackdown	Stern measures to restrict undesirable or illegal activity	Clampdown	Leniency
Simple Example: The heavy-handed police crackdown on protesting students was a turning point in the agitation.
Belatedly	After the appropriate or expected time; later than it should have been	Tardily	Promptly
Simple Example: The Home Minister’s offer to respond to the protests came much too belatedly.
Unseemly	Not conforming to accepted standards of behaviour or propriety	Improper	Dignified
Simple Example: MPs faced off with Opposition MPs in an unseemly war of the placards outside the Parliament gates.
Arid	Lacking in interest, vitality or excitement; barren	Barren	Fruitful
Simple Example: Given the students’ agitation raised fundamental questions, this Monsoon session looked especially arid.
Hardens	Makes stricter or more severe	Toughens	Softens
Simple Example: The Bill hardens the 2024 law meant to deal with exam leaks and irregularities.
Accommodation	A willingness to compromise or adjust to another’s needs	Compromise	Intransigence
Simple Example: For this, the government needs to show accommodation, and generosity.
Delimitation	The action of fixing the boundary or limits of something, especially electoral constituencies	Demarcation	Amalgamation
Simple Example: Parliament’s promise is not just the numbers it seats as the delimitation debate makes it out to be.
Onus	A duty or responsibility placed on someone	Burden	Exemption
Simple Example: The onus is on the people’s representatives to find ways to show that they are responsible and responsive.
Abysmally	In an extremely bad or appalling way	Dismally	Admirably
Simple Example: Parliament abysmally failed to step up to the special challenge before it.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

Test Yourself — 5 Questions

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

Q1. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Consecutive   (B) Concecutive   (C) Consecutve   (D) Consequtive   (E) Concequtive

Answer: A

Meaning: Consecutive means following one after another without interruption. Logic: ‘Consecutive’ correctly spells the root with a single ‘s’ and single ‘c’. Elimination: the remaining options drop or substitute a letter incorrectly.

Q2. India’s men’s hockey team aims to end a 51-year medal DROUGHT at the World Cup. Select the option that is the closest antonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Abundance   (B) Dearth   (C) Scarcity   (D) Shortage   (E) Famine

Answer: A

Meaning: Drought means a prolonged period without a particular thing, especially success. Logic: ‘Abundance’ is its direct opposite. Elimination: Dearth, Scarcity, Shortage and Famine are all near-synonyms of drought.

Q3. Transport continues to have a wider impact, pointing to ELEVATED input-cost pressures. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Heightened   (B) Reduced   (C) Diminished   (D) Lowered   (E) Suppressed

Answer: A

Meaning: Elevated means raised to a higher than normal level. Logic: ‘Heightened’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Reduced, Diminished, Lowered and Suppressed all convey a decrease, the opposite sense.

Q4. (A) As India marks its 80th Independence Day, its men’s hockey team open its World Cup campaign against Wales in Amstelveen, / (B) seeking to end a 51-year medal drought at the tournament, / (C) since the eight-time Olympic champion last won a World Cup medal in 1975, / (D) after breaking a 41-year Olympic medal jinx with bronze in Tokyo in 2021. Identify the segment containing the grammatical error.

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

Answer: A

Meaning: The segment contains a subject-verb agreement error. Logic: the singular subject ‘team’ requires ‘opens’, not ‘open’. Elimination: segments B, C and D are grammatically correct.

Q5. Transport inflation ______ to 4.43% in July from 4.31% in June. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) Slowed   (B) Stagnated   (C) Paused   (D) Quickened   (E) Reversed

Answer: D

Meaning: ‘Quickened’ means made faster or more rapid, matching the editorial’s account of rising transport inflation. Logic: fits the editorial’s month-on-month rise. Elimination: Slowed, Stagnated, Paused and Reversed all convey a decrease or halt, the opposite sense.

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

Quick Recap — Today’s Words

Consecutive (Successive) | Elevated (Heightened) | Quickened (Accelerated) | Recoup (Recover) | Worryingly (Alarmingly) | Moderated (Eased) | Premiums (Surcharges) | Amplifying (Intensifying) | Persistent (Continuing) | Momentum (Impetus) | Agonising (Excruciating) | Drought (Dearth) | Jinx (Curse) | Regrouped (Reorganised) | Formidable (Redoubtable) | Custodian (Guardian) | Berth (Place) | Cohesive (United) | Turmoil (Upheaval) | Embarking (Undertaking) | Grappling (Wrestling) | Flawed (Defective) | Assertion (Declaration) | Anomaly (Irregularity) | Anglicised (Westernised) | Pragmatic (Practical) | Relabelling (Renaming) | Dynasty (Lineage) | Sentiment (Feeling) | Debatable (Questionable) | Whistleblower (Informant) | Addictive (Habit-forming) | Landmark (Groundbreaking) | Nuisance (Menace) | Endangering (Jeopardising) | Disquieting (Unsettling) | Reinforced (Bolstered) | Frictionless (Seamless) | Overriding (Paramount) | Transformative (Revolutionary) | Convulsed (Shook) | Crackdown (Clampdown) | Belatedly (Tardily) | Unseemly (Improper) | Arid (Barren) | Hardens (Toughens) | Accommodation (Compromise) | Delimitation (Demarcation) | Onus (Burden) | Abysmally (Dismally)

Idioms: A foregone conclusion

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