The Hindu Editorial (Freedom and power) – Dec 13, 2021

Since his election campaign last year, U.S. President Joseph Biden had promised to hold a “Summit for Democracy” in order to highlight the worrying trends around the world of growing authoritarianism,… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Freedom and power) – Dec 13, 2021.

To read this article, click “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (Freedom and power) – Dec 13, 2021:

summit (noun) – meeting, conference, conclave.
Summit for Democracy (noun) – On December 9-10, 2021, President Biden will host the first of two Summits for Democracy, which will bring together leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.
keep your word/promise (phrase) – do what you have promised.
campaign (noun) – canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.
hold (verb) – convene, call, assemble, summon (a meeting).
in order to (phrase) – with the purpose/aim of.
highlight (verb) – underline, underscore, emphasize.
growing (adjective) – increasing.
authoritarianism (noun) – dictatorship, tyranny, autocracy, totalitarianism, despotism.
bolster (verb) – strengthen, support, reinforce/buttress.
falter (verb) – oscillate, fluctuate, change one’s mind, be undecided, be irresolute.
credit (verb) – praise, acclaim, commend, compliment, applaud, admire.
throw up (phrasal verb) – produce.
The State Department (noun) – The United States Department of State, or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the nation’s foreign policy and international relations.
arbitrarily (adverb) – randomly/casually, irrationally, erratically, inconsistently, unreasonably, illogically.
invitee (noun) – guest, visitor.
lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on, bring about, call forth, give rise to.
along with (phrase) – together with, accompanying.
criterion (noun) – basis, standard, norm, specification (criteria is the plural form of criterion).
judgement (noun) – decision, conclusion, determination.
roundly (adverb) – vehemently, fiercely, forcefully, sharply, bitterly, severely.
notable (adjective) – important, significant, obvious, striking, glaring, visible.
editorial (noun) – criticism, critique, report.
ambassador (noun) – envoy, diplomat, consul.
in practice (phrase) – in reality, actually, in real life, realistically, practically, effectively.
regime (noun) – government.
entrant (noun) – new member, newcomer.
revert to (verb) – return, go back.
autocratic (adjective) – undemocratic, totalitarian, authoritarian.
cast (verb) – cause, produce, form, create, make.
efficacy (noun) – effectiveness, efficiency, power/ability to give estimated results.
enforce (verb) – impose, implement, execute.
intervention (noun) – the process of intervening in something; involvement, interference; intrusion, meddling.
inclusive (adjective) – all-inclusive, including all the parties/groups involved in something.
as a result (phrase) – subsequently, therefore, thus.
to begin with (phrase) – to start with.
the administration (noun) – the government.
violation (noun) – breach, breaking, contravention, non-observance.
inclusion (noun) – the condition of including a person within a group.
transparency (noun) – clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.
dignity (noun) – self-esteem, self-respect, morale.
responsive (adjective) – receptive, approachable/accessible, answering.
grievance (noun) – complaint, protestation, protest, criticism, problem, objection.
redressal (noun) – solution/remedy for a grievance.
decentralisation (noun) – the process of distributing or dispersing functions, powers, people or things away from a central location or authority.
Big Tech (noun) – the largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States, namely Amazon, Apple, Google & Facebook.
speak of (phrasal verb) – mention, talk about, discuss, refer to.
devastating (adjective) – destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic.
climate change (noun) – a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth (Courtesy: NASA).
inequality (noun) – Inequality is simply defined as “the state of not being equal, especially in status, rights and opportunities; imbalance, unevenness, disproportion, disparity.
stumbling block (noun) – obstacle, hurdle, barrier, hindrance.
concede (verb) – admit, acknowledge, accept, recognize.
shortcoming (noun) – fault, flaw, imperfection/defect.
hyper- (prefix) – over; beyond; excessively.
hyper-nationalism (noun) – extreme nationalism, ultra-nationalism.
xenophobia (noun) – Greek phrase meaning fear/hatred of foreigners; racism.
majoritarianism (noun) – a philosophy that states that a majority (sometimes categorized by religion, language, social class, or some other identifying factor) of the population is entitled to a certain degree of primacy (priority) in society, and has the right to make decisions that affect the society.
sap (verb) – erode, deplete, reduce, lessen, lower, undermine, exhaust, impair.
representational (adjective) – relating to representation.
representative government/representative democracy (noun) – a government where citizens elect people to represent them and make laws on their behalf, instead of always voting directly on laws and other government actions.
pluralistic (adjective) – relating to a system in which people of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups coexist in harmony irrespective of their various differences.
governance (noun) – administration, rule.
rather than (phrase) – instead of.
pledge (noun) – promise, undertaking, vow, word, commitment, assurance, oath, agreement, guarantee.
make up (phrasal verb) – comprise, compose, constitute.