22 September 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Today’s Highlight: Today’s standout word is Impunity — it turns up in Banking and SSC passages on crime and governance, and it pairs neatly with its antonym Accountability. The Tata Sons editorial is also worth a close read for Banking Awareness aspirants.

Editorial 1: Serious Escalation: On the U.S., Russia Sanctions Act and India

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

1. Impending
Synonym: Imminent | Antonym: Distant
Example: The impending storm forced fishermen to return to the harbour.

2. Substantially
Synonym: Considerably | Antonym: Marginally
Example: Fuel prices have risen substantially since last year.

3. Rescinded
Synonym: Revoked | Antonym: Enforced
Example: The college rescinded its order after students objected.

4. Mitigated
Synonym: Alleviated | Antonym: Aggravated
Example: Good drainage mitigated the damage caused by the floods.

5. Unsustainable
Synonym: Untenable | Antonym: Viable
Example: Spending beyond income is unsustainable for any household.

6. Waiver
Synonym: Exemption | Antonym: Imposition
Example: The student received a fee waiver for the course.

7. Uncompetitive
Synonym: Unviable | Antonym: Competitive
Example: High costs made the local product uncompetitive in export markets.

8. Complied
Synonym: Obeyed | Antonym: Defied
Example: The shop complied with the new safety rules.

9. Constrained
Synonym: Restricted | Antonym: Unrestricted
Example: Supplies remained constrained because of the port strike.

10. Hasten
Synonym: Accelerate | Antonym: Delay
Example: Better roads will hasten the delivery of goods.

Idioms

1. Over and above
Meaning: Apart from; besides

Editorial 2: Antidote to Drugs: Counterfeit Medicine Racket in Bengaluru

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

1. Ramifications
Synonym: Consequences | Antonym: Causes
Example: The ramifications of the ban were felt across the industry.

2. Elaborate
Synonym: Intricate | Antonym: Simple
Example: Police uncovered an elaborate plot to sell fake tickets.

3. Illicit
Synonym: Unlawful | Antonym: Legal
Example: Customs officers seized illicit goods at the port.

4. Impunity
Synonym: Immunity | Antonym: Accountability
Example: Corrupt officials acted with impunity for years.

5. Spurious
Synonym: Counterfeit | Antonym: Genuine
Example: He was cheated by a spurious certificate.

6. Woefully
Synonym: Dismally | Antonym: Admirably
Example: The hospital was woefully short of trained nurses.

7. Stringent
Synonym: Strict | Antonym: Lenient
Example: The bank introduced stringent checks on large transfers.

8. Scrutiny
Synonym: Inspection | Antonym: Neglect
Example: The contract came under close scrutiny by auditors.

9. Thriving
Synonym: Flourishing | Antonym: Declining
Example: A thriving market surrounds the old bus stand.

10. Complicity
Synonym: Collusion | Antonym: Innocence
Example: Officials denied any complicity in the fraud.

Idioms

1. In cahoots with
Meaning: Secretly teaming up to do wrong

2. Blow the lid off
Meaning: To expose a hidden scandal

Editorial 3: Punjab’s Drug Scourge Needs Policy, Not Slogans

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

1. Menace
Synonym: Threat | Antonym: Safeguard
Example: Stray dogs became a menace on the busy road.

2. Outlived
Synonym: Survived | Antonym: Succumbed
Example: The old temple has outlived three generations of caretakers.

3. Scourge
Synonym: Plague | Antonym: Blessing
Example: Corruption remains a scourge on public life.

4. Culminating
Synonym: Concluding | Antonym: Beginning
Example: The festival ends with a grand parade culminating in fireworks.

5. Contraband
Synonym: Smuggled goods | Antonym: Legal goods
Example: Officers seized contraband hidden inside the truck.

6. Abdicate
Synonym: Relinquish | Antonym: Assume
Example: A government cannot abdicate its duty to protect citizens.

7. Dismantle
Synonym: Demolish | Antonym: Assemble
Example: Police moved to dismantle the smuggling ring.

8. Rehabilitation
Synonym: Recovery | Antonym: Relapse
Example: The centre offers rehabilitation to people recovering from addiction.

9. Recurring
Synonym: Repeated | Antonym: One-off
Example: Recurring power cuts upset the shopkeepers.

10. Persistence
Synonym: Continuance | Antonym: Cessation
Example: The persistence of poverty worries economists.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

Editorial 4: Divided Tata House Does Not Inspire Confidence

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

1. Precipitate
Synonym: Trigger | Antonym: Avert
Example: Heavy rain can precipitate landslides on steep slopes.

2. Protracted
Synonym: Prolonged | Antonym: Brief
Example: The protracted dispute finally ended in court.

3. Simmering
Synonym: Brewing | Antonym: Subsiding
Example: Simmering anger among workers finally led to a strike.

4. Ouster
Synonym: Removal | Antonym: Appointment
Example: The ouster of the manager shocked the staff.

5. Machinations
Synonym: Intrigues | Antonym: Candour
Example: Political machinations delayed the project.

6. Ambiguity
Synonym: Vagueness | Antonym: Clarity
Example: Ambiguity in the rules caused confusion among applicants.

7. Delineated
Synonym: Outlined | Antonym: Blurred
Example: The rulebook clearly delineated each member’s duties.

8. Accountability
Synonym: Answerability | Antonym: Irresponsibility
Example: Public officials must accept accountability for their decisions.

9. Finality
Synonym: Conclusiveness | Antonym: Indecision
Example: The judge’s ruling brought finality to the long dispute.

10. Instability
Synonym: Volatility | Antonym: Stability
Example: Political instability scared away foreign investors.

Idioms

1. At loggerheads
Meaning: Disagreeing strongly

2. Put their house in order
Meaning: To fix one’s own mess first

Test Yourself – 5 Questions

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

(A) Impendng
(B) Impanding
(C) Impending
(D) Impennding
(E) Impedding

Answer: C

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Impending’, meaning about to happen.
Logic: standard English spelling.
Elimination: the remaining options drop, double or substitute letters.

Q2. Identify the correctly spelt word among the options below.

(A) Ramificasions
(B) Ramifications
(C) Ramificatoins
(D) Rammifications
(E) Ramificatons

Answer: B

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Ramifications’, meaning complicated consequences of an action.
Logic: standard English spelling.
Elimination: the remaining options substitute, transpose or drop letters.

Q3. The ______ with which the scamsters operated points to weak checks on the quality of drugs in the market. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) accountability
(B) punishment
(C) caution
(D) impunity
(E) liability

Answer: D

Meaning: Impunity means freedom from punishment or bad consequences.
Logic: ‘impunity’ fits the sense of scamsters operating without fear of penalty.
Elimination: accountability, punishment, caution and liability all imply consequences or care, which contradicts the sentence.

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

(A) Substantially
(B) Substancially
(C) Substantialy
(D) Substanshially
(E) Substantiallly

Answer: A

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Substantially’, meaning to a large extent.
Logic: standard English spelling.
Elimination: the remaining options substitute, drop or double letters.

Q5. Investigators said the farmhouse was used for an ILLICIT operation involving the repacking of fake and expired drugs, the editorial notes. Select the option that is the closest synonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Lawful
(B) Approved
(C) Unlawful
(D) Licensed
(E) Permitted

Answer: C

Meaning: Illicit means forbidden by law or rules.
Logic: ‘Unlawful’ is its closest synonym.
Elimination: Lawful, Approved, Licensed and Permitted all denote something allowed, the opposite sense.

Quick Recap – Today’s Words

Impending (Imminent) | Substantially (Considerably) | Rescinded (Revoked) | Mitigated (Alleviated) | Unsustainable (Untenable) | Waiver (Exemption) | Uncompetitive (Unviable) | Complied (Obeyed) | Constrained (Restricted) | Hasten (Accelerate) | Ramifications (Consequences) | Elaborate (Intricate) | Illicit (Unlawful) | Impunity (Immunity) | Spurious (Counterfeit) | Woefully (Dismally) | Stringent (Strict) | Scrutiny (Inspection) | Thriving (Flourishing) | Complicity (Collusion) | Menace (Threat) | Outlived (Survived) | Scourge (Plague) | Culminating (Concluding) | Contraband (Smuggled goods) | Abdicate (Relinquish) | Dismantle (Demolish) | Rehabilitation (Recovery) | Recurring (Repeated) | Persistence (Continuance) | Precipitate (Trigger) | Protracted (Prolonged) | Simmering (Brewing) | Ouster (Removal) | Machinations (Intrigues) | Ambiguity (Vagueness) | Delineated (Outlined) | Accountability (Answerability) | Finality (Conclusiveness) | Instability (Volatility)

Idioms: Over and above, In cahoots with, Blow the lid off, At loggerheads, Put their house in order

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