The Hindu Editorial (Pyrrhic peace) – Jan 20, 2025

To read this article, click  “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (​Pyrrhic peace) – Jan 20, 2025:

1. pyrrhic (adjective) – meaningless, valueless, worthless, useless, profitless, pointless, futile, of no use, of no value (a pyrrhic victory is a victory that causes such a severe damage on the victor that it is equivalent to defeat).
2. ceasefire (noun) – a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.
3. truce (noun) – an ad-hoc (temporary/makeshift) arrangement, arrived at by the combatants (fighters), to pause the fighting.
4. cessation of hostilities (phrase) – it means that the combatants are willing to stop fighting and to restrain their forces.
5. administration (noun) – government, regime, leadership.
6. Palestinian Authority (PA) (noun) – formally Palestinian National Authority, it is a self-declared State of Palestine, governing body of the Palestinian autonomous regions of the West Bank and Gaza Strip established in 1994 as part of the Oslo Accords peace agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
7. in place (phrase) – set up, ready, established.
8. Gaza (noun) – a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.
9. painstaking (adjective) – careful, meticulous, attentive, scrupulous, exacting, demanding.
10. negotiation (noun) – discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, talks, parley.
11. venture out (phrasal verb) – to go somewhere although you know that it might be dangerous.
12. bombardment (noun) – bombing, shelling (continuous attack).
13. come to an end (phrase) – to finish; to reach an end; to become completed.
14. uncertainty (noun) – unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness/precariousness.
15. linger (verb) – continue, go on, carry on, persist, extend, remain, stay, last.
16. difference (noun) – disagreement, difference of opinion, misunderstanding, dispute, quarrel, wrangle.
17. hostage (noun) – a person captured or held as security for the fulfilment of certain conditions/terms.
18. come into force (phrase) – effective, in operation, in action, into effect.
19. given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
20. pause (noun) – stop, cease, halt, discontinue, break off, hold back.
21. security prisoner (noun) – security prisoner is defined as “A prisoner who was convicted and sentenced for committing a crime, or who is imprisoned on suspicion of committing a crime, which due to its nature or circumstances was defined as a security offense or whose motive was nationalistic.
22. in charge of (phrase) – at the helm of, responsible for, in control of.
23. objective (noun) – target, intention, purpose, goal/aim.
24. degrade (verb) – reduce, devalue, deteriorate, degenerate.
25. militant (adjective) – radical, fanatic, extremist, fundamentalist, sectarian, partisan.
26. infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.
27. reinvent oneself (verb) – to change yourself as a different kind/type of person.
28. insurgency (noun) – uprising, revolt, rebellion.
29. outgoing (adjective) – departing, retiring, leaving.
30. The U.S. Secretary of State (noun) – a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser.
31. offensive (noun) – attack, assault, onslaught, raid, act of war, incursion, invasion.
32. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) (noun) – The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are the armed forces of Israel, comprising the Israeli army, navy, and air force. it is was established in 1948 and commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Tzahal.
33. probably (adverb) – perhaps, maybe, possibly, likely, presumably, in all probability.
34. persuade (verb) – influence, convince, induce, prompt (someone to do something through reasoning/analysis/thinking/justification/rationalization).
35. committed (adjective) –  obligated, pledged, steadfast, dedicated, concerned, purposeful.
36. bring to an end (phrase) – to stop, finish, or complete something.
37. withdrawal (noun) – retreat, pullout, pullback, disengagement, departure (of military troops from an area of conflict).
38. roadblock (noun) – hindrance, obstruction.
39. the fact that (phrase) – used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.
40. welcome (adjective) – pleasing, agreeable, favourable, promising, much needed.
41. desperately (adverb) – urgently, pressingly, intensely, eagerly; seriously, severely.
42. talks (noun) – deliberation, discussion, discourse, dialogue, negotiation.
43. mediator (noun) – negotiator, arbiter, intervenor, moderator, intermediary.
44. bridge the gulf/gap (phrase) – try to find a way to reduce the gap and bring the two separate viewpoints together.
45. scenario (noun) – situation, background, context.
46. force (noun) – a person regarded as exerting power or influence.
47. pragmatic (adjective) – factual, actual, real, verifiable, practical, emperical, hands-on, experimental
48. recognise (verb) – (of a statehood) accepted, acknowledged, admitted, realized formally.
49. prevail (verb) – exist, be in existence, be present, be prevalent.

Note : 

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc. from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (​Pyrrhic peace) – Jan 20, 2025: