25 August 2026 | FREE Editorial PDF

Date: 25-Aug-2026

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

EDITORIAL 1: TRIPLE TEST, ADRIFT: ON THE RULING ON DEFINITION OF ‘INDUSTRY’

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Adrift	Lacking direction or purpose; unmoored	Unmoored	Anchored
Simple Example: Without a clear judicial anchor, the old definition now seems adrift.
Discarded	Got rid of as no longer useful	Abandoned	Retained
Simple Example: The Bench discarded a workable legal test without a stronger alternative in hand.
Sovereign	Possessing supreme or unrestricted authority	Supreme	Subordinate
Simple Example: Only functions performed in a sovereign capacity were excluded from the definition.
Repealed	Formally revoked or withdrawn, as of a law	Revoked	Enacted
Simple Example: The old Industrial Disputes Act was repealed once the new labour code came into force.
Dissenting	Holding or expressing an opinion different from the majority	Disagreeing	Concurring
Simple Example: The dissenting judge argued that the reference to a larger Bench was unnecessary.
Compelling	Evoking strong interest, attention or conviction	Persuasive	Unconvincing
Simple Example: Her compelling dissent won support from three fellow judges.
Bulwark	A defensive wall or safeguard against harm	Safeguard	Vulnerability
Simple Example: An expansive definition of industry acts as a bulwark for workers in the private sector.
Severing	Cutting off or ending a connection	Cutting	Joining
Simple Example: Severing the old precedent from the new law removes a useful interpretive anchor.
Retrenchment	The dismissal of employees, especially for economic reasons	Layoff	Recruitment
Simple Example: The law sets out a regulated route to retrenchment so employers cannot dismiss workers at will.
Incumbent	Necessary for someone as a duty or responsibility	Obligatory	Optional
Simple Example: It is now incumbent upon tribunals to interpret the new law in the same protective spirit.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Sheet anchor	A person or thing depended upon as the chief support in a crisis or emergency	The main thing everyone relies on for support

EDITORIAL 2: CORE CONCERNS: ON THE INDIAN ECONOMY, THE ROAD AHEAD

Source: The Hindu

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Slowdown	A reduction in speed or activity	Deceleration	Acceleration
Simple Example: The slowdown in core-sector growth points to easing demand across the economy.
Contraction	A reduction in size, output or activity	Decline	Expansion
Simple Example: The coal sector’s high growth followed a sharp contraction a year earlier.
Robust	Strong and vigorous	Vigorous	Feeble
Simple Example: Iron ore output posted robust growth even as the pace slowed from the previous month.
Blistering	Extremely fast or intense	Scorching	Sluggish
Simple Example: June’s blistering growth rate in iron ore was hard to sustain into July.
Heartening	Encouraging; giving comfort or reassurance	Encouraging	Disheartening
Simple Example: The refinery sector’s return to growth looked heartening at first glance.
Whetted	Stimulated or sharpened, as of an appetite	Stimulated	Dulled
Simple Example: Rising imports show that the economy’s appetite for energy is being whetted from abroad.
Levy	To impose a tax, fee or tariff	Impose	Waive
Simple Example: Washington is preparing to levy steep tariffs on countries importing Russian oil.
Marginal	Small in size or importance	Negligible	Substantial
Simple Example: LNG imports grew only marginally compared with the sharp rise in crude oil imports.
Prevalent	Widespread or common at a particular time	Widespread	Rare
Simple Example: Prevalent heatwave conditions had earlier pushed up electricity demand across the country.
Slack	Lacking in activity, tension or firmness	Sluggish	Brisk
Simple Example: The economy looks set for a period of slack demand and moderating growth.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Bright spot(s)	A positive or encouraging feature within an otherwise disappointing situation	One good part of an otherwise bad situation

EDITORIAL 3: EXPRESS VIEW: TO BUILD DELHI’S FUTURE, LEARN FROM PAST MISSTEPS

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Notified	Formally announced or given official notice of	Announced	Concealed
Simple Example: Delhi’s fourth Master Plan was notified last week after years of preparation.
Acute	Severe or intense	Severe	Mild
Simple Example: Neighbouring cities’ civic infrastructure has come under acute stress from rapid growth.
Intractable	Difficult to solve, control or deal with	Unmanageable	Manageable
Simple Example: Delhi’s air-quality gains of the 2000s gave way to an almost intractable pollution crisis.
Redevelopment	The process of developing land or buildings again, usually to a new design	Renewal	Demolition
Simple Example: The plan’s emphasis on redevelopment aims to make better use of scarce urban land.
Futility	Pointlessness or uselessness	Pointlessness	Usefulness
Simple Example: The plan recognises the futility of rigidly separating residential and commercial zones.
Longstanding	Having existed for a long time	Enduring	Recent
Simple Example: Mixed land use could help ease the city’s longstanding traffic congestion.
Inertia	A tendency to remain unchanged or resist action	Sluggishness	Dynamism
Simple Example: Municipal inertia has long been the biggest obstacle to implementing Delhi’s master plans.
Deficits	Shortfalls or shortcomings	Shortfalls	Surpluses
Simple Example: Governance deficits, not just policy design, undermined the previous Master Plan’s vision.
Fragmented	Broken up into separate, disconnected parts	Disjointed	Unified
Simple Example: Fragmented responsibilities among civic agencies have worsened Delhi’s building-safety risks.
Liveability	The degree to which a place is pleasant or suitable to live in	Habitability	Unliveability
Simple Example: Delhi has a blueprint for improving liveability, but implementation remains the real test.

Idioms

No idioms found in the editorial.

EDITORIAL 4: MARATHI LANGUAGE MANDATE FOR CABS, AUTOS IS A WRONG TURN

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Employability	The quality of being suitable for paid work	Hireability	Unemployability
Simple Example: Linking a driver’s employability to a language test raised constitutional concerns.
Assimilation	The process of becoming similar to or fully absorbed within a group or culture	Integration	Segregation
Simple Example: Critics said the rule made jobs conditional on linguistic assimilation rather than skill.
Irrational	Not logical or reasonable	Illogical	Rational
Simple Example: The editorial called the new language requirement both irrational and unconstitutional.
Unconstitutional	Not in accordance with a country’s constitution	Illegal	Constitutional
Simple Example: A rule that restricts free movement and choice of profession risks being unconstitutional.
Backsliding	A relapse into former, usually worse, behaviour or ways	Regression	Progress
Simple Example: The move was described as part of a wider backsliding into narrow linguistic politics.
Bogey	A cause of fear or annoyance, often exaggerated	Scare	Reassurance
Simple Example: The Hindi “imposition” bogey has repeatedly been used to stoke linguistic anxieties.
Hooliganism	Rowdy, violent or destructive behaviour	Vandalism	Civility
Simple Example: Incidents of hooliganism have been used by fringe groups to enforce their idea of pride.
Proficiency	A high degree of competence or skill	Competence	Incompetence
Simple Example: The state wants drivers to demonstrate basic proficiency in the local language.
Insular	Narrow-minded or isolated in outlook	Narrow-minded	Open-minded
Simple Example: The state could pursue inclusive growth instead of indulging insular impulses.
Cramp	To restrict or hinder the growth or activity of	Restrict	Liberate
Simple Example: Such rules cramp individual liberties guaranteed under the Constitution.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Back and forth	Repeated movement or exchange between two positions, without reaching resolution	Going one way then the other, again and again, without settling anything

EDITORIAL 5: ON INTEREST RATES, MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE CAN’T BE BOTH DOVISH AND HAWKISH

Source: The Indian Express

Vocabulary

Vocabs	Simple Meaning	Synonym	Antonym
Grappling	Struggling to deal with or understand a difficult problem	Struggling	Mastering
Simple Example: Central banks worldwide are grappling with uncertainty over inflation.
Unanimously	With the agreement of everyone; without dissent	Uniformly	Divisively
Simple Example: The Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to hold the repo rate steady.
Dovish	Favouring cautious or accommodative policy, especially lower interest rates	Accommodative	Hawkish
Simple Example: The policy statement’s dovish tone surprised many analysts at the time.
Imminent	About to happen very soon	Impending	Distant
Simple Example: Markets had concluded that rate hikes were not imminent after the dovish statement.
Divergence	A difference or separation between two things	Disparity	Convergence
Simple Example: The divergence between the committee’s tone and its members’ actual views is striking.
Hawkishness	A tendency to favour higher interest rates or stricter monetary policy	Aggressiveness	Dovishness
Simple Example: The minutes revealed a distinct hawkishness among the RBI’s own members.
Pegged	Fixed or set at a particular level	Fixed	Floated
Simple Example: The RBI has pegged its inflation projection at 5.9 per cent for the third quarter.
Resilient	Able to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties	Robust	Fragile
Simple Example: The RBI credits resilient domestic demand for supporting overall growth.
Sustained	Continued over an extended period without interruption	Prolonged	Sporadic
Simple Example: Sustained expansion in manufacturing and services has kept growth on track.
Underlying	Forming the basis or cause of something, often not immediately obvious	Fundamental	Superficial
Simple Example: The central bank’s next projections will shed light on underlying price pressures.

Idioms

Idiom	Actual Meaning	Simple Meaning
Stop short (of)	To not go as far as doing something, holding back at the last moment	To almost do something but not quite go all the way

Test Yourself — 5 Questions

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

Q1. The Supreme Court DISCARDED a workable legal test without a stronger alternative in hand, the editorial argues. Select the option that is the closest antonym of the word given in capitals as used in the passage.

(A) Abandoned   (B) Rejected   (C) Dropped   (D) Dismissed   (E) Retained

Answer: E

Meaning: Discarded means got rid of as no longer useful. Logic: ‘Retained’ is its closest antonym. Elimination: Abandoned, Rejected, Dropped and Dismissed are all near-synonyms of discarded, not opposite.

Q2. (A) The slowdown in India’s core industries have surprised few analysts, the editorial notes, / (B) since the Manufacturing PMI had already eased to its lowest level since August 2021, / (C) with much of July’s headline growth resting on a statistical low-base effect / (D) rather than on any genuine improvement in underlying demand conditions. 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 ‘the slowdown’ requires ‘has surprised’, not ‘have surprised’. Elimination: segments B, C and D are grammatically correct.

Q3. The law sets out a regulated route to ______ so employers cannot dismiss workers at will, the editorial explains. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) audit   (B) bulwark   (C) levy   (D) retrenchment   (E) inertia

Answer: D

Meaning: Retrenchment means the dismissal of employees, fitting a regulated dismissal-process context. Logic: ‘retrenchment’ completes the sentence about a structured dismissal route. Elimination: audit, bulwark, levy and inertia do not fit an employee-dismissal context.

Q4. LNG imports registered only ______ growth compared with the sharp rise in crude oil imports, the editorial notes. Select the option that best fits the blank in the sentence.

(A) sovereign   (B) robust   (C) prevalent   (D) blistering   (E) marginal

Answer: E

Meaning: Marginal means small in size or importance, fitting a modest-growth context. Logic: ‘marginal’ completes the sentence contrasting small LNG growth with sharp oil-import growth. Elimination: sovereign, robust, prevalent and blistering do not fit a small-growth context.

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

(A) Contracton   (B) Contraccion   (C) Contractoin   (D) Contraction   (E) Contrction

Answer: D

Meaning: The correctly spelt word is ‘Contraction’, meaning a reduction in size or output. Logic: standard English spelling. Elimination: the remaining options misspell the suffix or drop letters.

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

Quick Recap — Today’s Words

Adrift (Unmoored) | Discarded (Abandoned) | Sovereign (Supreme) | Repealed (Revoked) | Dissenting (Disagreeing) | Compelling (Persuasive) | Bulwark (Safeguard) | Severing (Cutting) | Retrenchment (Layoff) | Incumbent (Obligatory) | Slowdown (Deceleration) | Contraction (Decline) | Robust (Vigorous) | Blistering (Scorching) | Heartening (Encouraging) | Whetted (Stimulated) | Levy (Impose) | Marginal (Negligible) | Prevalent (Widespread) | Slack (Sluggish) | Notified (Announced) | Acute (Severe) | Intractable (Unmanageable) | Redevelopment (Renewal) | Futility (Pointlessness) | Longstanding (Enduring) | Inertia (Sluggishness) | Deficits (Shortfalls) | Fragmented (Disjointed) | Liveability (Habitability) | Employability (Hireability) | Assimilation (Integration) | Irrational (Illogical) | Unconstitutional (Illegal) | Backsliding (Regression) | Bogey (Scare) | Hooliganism (Vandalism) | Proficiency (Competence) | Insular (Narrow-minded) | Cramp (Restrict) | Grappling (Struggling) | Unanimously (Uniformly) | Dovish (Accommodative) | Imminent (Impending) | Divergence (Disparity) | Hawkishness (Aggressiveness) | Pegged (Fixed) | Resilient (Robust) | Sustained (Prolonged) | Underlying (Fundamental)

Idioms: Sheet anchor, Bright spot(s), Back and forth, Stop short (of)

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