17 September 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Word Power

Date: 17-Sep-2026

MockToOfficer.in — Daily Vocabulary & Editorial SeriesWebsite: mocktoofficer.in  |  YouTube  |  Telegram  |  Instagram | Android App

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

EDITORIAL 1: AI COOPERATION: ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT A CROSSROADS

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Fledgling	New and inexperienced; still developing	Nascent	Established
Simple Example: India’s AI ecosystem is relatively fledgling, which shapes its cautious middle-path approach.
Insulated	Protected from being affected by something	Shielded	Exposed
Simple Example: India has underscored the need to keep AI development insulated from national rivalries.
Proliferation	A rapid increase in the number or spread of something	Spread	Decline
Simple Example: Proliferation of defensive AI capabilities is only possible when nations collaborate broadly.
Belligerent	Hostile and aggressive in manner	Aggressive	Peaceable
Simple Example: Open collaboration can insulate nations from belligerent and unpredictable policymaking on AI.
Weaponisation	The act of adapting something for use as a weapon	Militarisation	Disarmament
Simple Example: Prime Minister Modi warned against the weaponisation of technology and minerals at the Summit.
Concentration	The focusing of power, control or resources in one place	Centralisation	Dispersal
Simple Example: BRICS’s joint AI initiatives are building avenues for cooperation to combat this concentration.
Frontier	The extreme limit of current achievement or knowledge in a field	Cutting-edge	Mainstream
Simple Example: The U.S. government is disregarding frontier AI developers’ own call for a development slowdown.
Astronomical	Extremely large in amount or scale	Enormous	Negligible
Simple Example: Astronomical sums are being funnelled into data centres and related AI investments.
Underscoring	Emphasising the importance of something	Emphasising	Downplaying
Simple Example: India has taken a middle path while underscoring the need to insulate AI from rivalries.
Supercharged	Greatly increased in power, speed or intensity	Amplified	Diminished
Simple Example: Such hacking capabilities can be supercharged or minimised depending on who is in control.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Hold their ground	To maintain one’s position firmly, without retreating, especially under pressure	To not give up or back down in a competition or argument

EDITORIAL 2: STABILITY AT THE TOP: ON THE TENNIS AND THE U.S. OPEN

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Perpetual	Continuing without interruption; constant	Continuous	Temporary
Simple Example: The women’s game has been in a state of perpetual flux in recent years.
Flux	A state of continuous change or instability	Instability	Stability
Simple Example: Women’s tennis has been in a state of perpetual flux while men’s tennis stayed predictable.
Indisputably	In a way that cannot be questioned or denied	Undeniably	Debatably
Simple Example: Zverev remains indisputably among the three best players in the world.
Existential	Relating to survival or the fundamental nature of one’s existence	Fundamental	Trivial
Simple Example: The setback leaves the 39-year-old Serbian great facing an existential threat.
Reign	A period during which someone holds a dominant position	Dominance	Subjugation
Simple Example: Rybakina’s win ended Sabalenka’s reign of 99 straight weeks at the pinnacle.
Sandwiched	Fitted tightly between two other things or events	Wedged	Isolated
Simple Example: Sandwiched between his two 2026 title runs was a hard-fought Wimbledon final appearance.
Ascent	A rise to a higher position or level of achievement	Rise	Decline
Simple Example: Zverev’s ascent reinforces the idea of a new Big Three in men’s tennis.
Reinforces	Strengthens or supports a belief, idea or feeling	Bolsters	Undermines
Simple Example: Zverev’s ascent reinforces the idea of a new Big Three alongside Alcaraz and Sinner.
Anomaly	Something that deviates from what is standard or expected	Irregularity	Norm
Simple Example: Sabalenka’s poor finals record while ranked No. 1 is an anomaly requiring quick correction.
Worryingly	In a manner that causes concern or anxiety	Troublingly	Reassuringly
Simple Example: Worryingly, Sabalenka has only a 50% success rate in finals while the top-ranked woman.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Tooth and nail	With great ferocity, determination and effort	Fighting as hard as possible, using every available means
Back to back	One after another, in immediate succession	Happening consecutively, without a gap in between

EDITORIAL 3: THE GIBBON’S SONG, THE NOISE OF MAN

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Cacophony	A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds	Discord	Harmony
Simple Example: In the jungle, the sound of silence is actually a cacophony of overlapping animal calls.
Adept	Very skilled or proficient at something	Skilled	Inept
Simple Example: The dark lar is a particularly adept vocalist, its range likened to an opera singer’s.
Chorus	A sound produced by many voices or creatures together	Ensemble	Solo
Simple Example: A chorus of insects, birds, mammals and reptiles communicates within and across species.
Predators	Animals that naturally prey on other animals	Hunters	Prey
Simple Example: The gibbon’s calls serve as an alarm for approaching predators and intruders.
Intruders	People or animals that enter a place without permission	Trespassers	Hosts
Simple Example: The gibbon’s alarm calls warn of predators and intruders threatening the troupe.
Vocal	Expressing oneself or communicating freely through sound	Expressive	Silent
Simple Example: The dark lar is less vocal when it lives close to human settlements and traffic.
Influence	The capacity to have an effect on the character or behaviour of something	Impact	Irrelevance
Simple Example: There is no realistic return to a kind of nature without human influence, the piece notes.
Tragedies	Events causing great suffering, destruction or distress	Disasters	Triumphs
Simple Example: In some tragedies, the editorial observes, there are no clear villains at all.
Villains	People or things blamed for causing trouble or harm	Culprits	Heroes
Simple Example: In some tragedies there are no villains, only cumulative and overlooked costs.
Unfortunately	Used to express regret about something	Regrettably	Fortunately
Simple Example: Unfortunately, the soprano of the simians — the dark lar — is singing less these days.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 4: PRICE PRESSURES STRENGTHEN THE CASE FOR HIGHER RATES

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Disaggregated	Broken down into its separate component parts	Segregated	Aggregated
Simple Example: The disaggregated data shows food-segment inflation rising sharply in August.
Volatile	Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably	Unstable	Stable
Simple Example: Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices, has also risen.
Elevated	Raised to a higher level than normal	Heightened	Reduced
Simple Example: Inflation was elevated in the personal care and hospitality segments in August.
Broad-based	Involving or affecting many different areas or sectors	Widespread	Narrow
Simple Example: All this seems to suggest that price pressures are getting broad-based, the report notes.
Generalised	Made to apply broadly rather than to specific parts	Widespread	Localised
Simple Example: SBI economists note that the process of inflation getting generalised has started.
Vulnerability	The quality of being easily harmed, affected or damaged	Susceptibility	Immunity
Simple Example: Deficient rainfall has raised vulnerability in cotton, bajra, maize, tur, groundnut and soybean.
Escalation	A rapid increase or intensification of a situation	Intensification	De-escalation
Simple Example: Global energy prices surged after the escalation in the West Asia crisis.
Hovering	Remaining at or near a particular level without much change	Fluctuating around	Plummeting
Simple Example: Brent crude oil is currently hovering around $106 per barrel.
Resilient	Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions	Robust	Fragile
Simple Example: With resilient growth, broad-based price pressures strengthen the case for a rate hike.
Withdraw	To remove or take back something previously provided	Retract	Inject
Simple Example: The RBI continues to work on withdrawing excess liquidity from the financial system.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 5: IN WEST BENGAL, A WRONG ROUTE TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Troubling	Causing worry, concern or disturbance	Disquieting	Reassuring
Simple Example: The new legislation sets a troubling precedent for higher education governance in the state.
Precedent	An earlier event or decision regarded as an example for later cases	Example	Anomaly
Simple Example: The Bill’s passage sets a troubling precedent for institutional autonomy in higher education.
Ostensibly	Apparently or purportedly, though perhaps not genuinely so	Apparently	Genuinely
Simple Example: The transfers are meant, ostensibly, to redistribute experienced staff to weaker universities.
Discretion	The freedom to decide what should be done in a particular situation	Judgment	Constraint
Simple Example: Making faculty composition conditional on governmental discretion risks weakening independence.
Accountability	The state of being answerable or responsible for one’s actions	Responsibility	Impunity
Simple Example: The Chief Minister said the law would balance university autonomy with accountability.
Mired	Deeply involved in difficulties or an unpleasant situation	Entangled	Freed
Simple Example: Public universities in the state have for years been mired in governance-related disputes.
Prolonged	Continuing for an unusually long time	Extended	Brief
Simple Example: Governance disputes have included prolonged vacancies in vice-chancellor positions.
Redeploying	Moving personnel or resources to a different position or use	Reallocating	Retaining
Simple Example: Redeploying existing staff will merely redistribute an existing shortage, not fix the deficit.
Formidable	Inspiring respect through being impressively capable or powerful	Impressive	Feeble
Simple Example: The deficit has chipped away at the state’s once-formidable higher education system.
Infrastructure	The basic physical structures and facilities needed for an institution to function	Facilities	Void
Simple Example: Many universities announced in 2017-18 still lack permanent campuses or adequate infrastructure.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
For the long haul	For a long period of time, especially with future difficulty anticipated	Committing to something over an extended, sustained period
Chip away at	To gradually make something smaller or weaker	Slowly and persistently reduce or wear something down

Test Yourself — 5 Questions

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

Q1. India’s AI ecosystem is relatively FLEDGLING, which shapes its cautious middle-path approach on global AI governance, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Nascent   (B) Established   (C) Mature   (D) Seasoned   (E) Veteran

Answer: A

Meaning: Fledgling means new and inexperienced; still developing. Logic: ‘Nascent’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Established, Mature, Seasoned and Veteran all denote long-standing experience, the opposite sense.

Q2. The women’s game has been in a state of PERPETUAL flux in recent years, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest antonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Temporary   (B) Continuous   (C) Constant   (D) Unceasing   (E) Endless

Answer: A

Meaning: Perpetual means continuing without interruption; constant. Logic: ‘Temporary’ is its closest antonym. Elimination: Continuous, Constant, Unceasing and Endless are all near-synonyms of perpetual, not opposite.

Q3. The dark lar is a particularly ADEPT vocalist, its range likened to an opera singer’s, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Clumsy   (B) Inept   (C) Skilled   (D) Amateurish   (E) Unpractised

Answer: C

Meaning: Adept means very skilled or proficient at something. Logic: ‘Skilled’ is its closest synonym. Elimination: Clumsy, Inept, Amateurish and Unpractised all denote a lack of skill, the opposite sense.

Q4. (A) The new legislation lets the state move teaching and non-teaching employees between different state universities, / (B) public universities in the state has for years been mired in governance-related disputes, / (C) vacancies exceed half the sanctioned strength across state universities, / (D) redeploying existing staff will merely redistribute an existing shortage rather than fix the underlying deficit. Identify the segment containing the grammatical error.

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

Answer: B

Meaning: subject-verb agreement error. Logic: the plural subject ‘universities’ requires ‘have’, not ‘has’. Elimination: segments A, C and D are grammatically correct.

Q5. India has underscored the need to keep AI development INSULATED from national rivalries, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest antonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Shielded   (B) Protected   (C) Guarded   (D) Sheltered   (E) Exposed

Answer: E

Meaning: Insulated means protected from being affected by something. Logic: ‘Exposed’ is its closest antonym. Elimination: Shielded, Protected, Guarded and Sheltered are all near-synonyms of insulated, not opposite.

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

Quick Recap — Today’s Words

Fledgling (Nascent) | Insulated (Shielded) | Proliferation (Spread) | Belligerent (Aggressive) | Weaponisation (Militarisation) | Concentration (Centralisation) | Frontier (Cutting-edge) | Astronomical (Enormous) | Underscoring (Emphasising) | Supercharged (Amplified) | Perpetual (Continuous) | Flux (Instability) | Indisputably (Undeniably) | Existential (Fundamental) | Reign (Dominance) | Sandwiched (Wedged) | Ascent (Rise) | Reinforces (Bolsters) | Anomaly (Irregularity) | Worryingly (Troublingly) | Cacophony (Discord) | Adept (Skilled) | Chorus (Ensemble) | Predators (Hunters) | Intruders (Trespassers) | Vocal (Expressive) | Influence (Impact) | Tragedies (Disasters) | Villains (Culprits) | Unfortunately (Regrettably) | Disaggregated (Segregated) | Volatile (Unstable) | Elevated (Heightened) | Broad-based (Widespread) | Generalised (Widespread) | Vulnerability (Susceptibility) | Escalation (Intensification) | Hovering (Fluctuating around) | Resilient (Robust) | Withdraw (Retract) | Troubling (Disquieting) | Precedent (Example) | Ostensibly (Apparently) | Discretion (Judgment) | Accountability (Responsibility) | Mired (Entangled) | Prolonged (Extended) | Redeploying (Reallocating) | Formidable (Impressive) | Infrastructure (Facilities)

Idioms: Hold their ground, Tooth and nail, Back to back, For the long haul, Chip away at

Stay Connected

Subscribe on YouTube: MockToOfficer

Join the Telegram channel: https://t.me/Mocktoofficer_group

Visit mocktoofficer.in for full courses and practice

Scroll Down to download the detailed CA PDF

Watch Today Current Affairs Video

Join Our Community to Share your Knowledge

Share this PDF with your Friends and Study Groups