The Hindu Editorial (Lessons in a loss) – May 15, 2023

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The Hindu Editorial (Lessons in a loss) – May 15, 2023:

mandate (noun) – approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).
definitive (adjective) – decisive, absolute, categorical, definite.
absolute majority (noun) – a condition in which a party is winning more than half of the seats/members in an election.
garner (verb) – receive, get, gain, obtain, acquire.
demographic (adjective) – relating to the statistical study/structure of populations, especially human beings.
accrue (verb) – (of a benefit) to receive/increase gradually over a period of time; accumulate, collect, gather, amass, build up, augment.
erosion (noun) – decline, decrease, deterioration, disintegration, weakening.
shrank past of shrink (verb) – lessen, reduce, decrease.
considerably (adverb) – substantially, largely, significantly.
suffer (verb) – be damaged, be impaired, fall off, get worse.
irreversible (adjective) – irreparable, unrectifiable, unchangeable, irrecoverable, irretrievable.
slide (noun) – fall, decline, slump, tumble, downturn, nosedive, deterioration.
syndicate (noun) – group, circle, league, union, association, organization.
devoid of (adjective) – lacking, without, free of/free from, bereft of, in need of, sans.
compass (noun) – scope
moral compass (noun) – an inner sense which distinguishes what is right from what is wrong, functioning as a guide (like the needle of a compass) for morally appropriate behavior; conscience, moral sense, sense of right and wrong.
forgive (verb) – pardon, excuse, let off; let go, overlook, disregard, ignore.
lean (verb) – incline, bend, tilt, bias.
opportunism (noun) – expediency, exploitation, taking advantage, pragmatism, realism.
hung Assembly (noun) – When no party or pre-poll alliance is able to secure a majority in the election, this leads to a hung Assembly.
weigh on (phrasal verb) – burden, trouble, bother, worry, trouble, afflict, beset; be burdensome to.
indecisive (adjective) – undecided, unclear, indefinite, inconclusive.
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.
dynamic (adjective) – energetic, powerful, strong, spirited, active, effective.
sought past and past participle of seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
settle a score (phrase) – take revenge, hit back at someone, retaliate, get even, pay someone back.
at cross purposes (phrase) – in a method that leads to confusion or failure as people are doing things or talking with different aims or purposes.
composure (noun) – equanimity, equilibrium, coolness, presence of mind, self-control, self-command.
make up for (phrasal verb) – compensate, make amends for, make reparation for, counterweigh, counterbalance, counteract, offset.
rake up (phrasal verb) – recollect, remember, revive/remind the memory of.
divisive (adjective) – disruptive, troublesome, controversial, controversial; alienating, isolating, disharmonious, discordant.
extraneous (adjective) – external, outside, pointless, irrelevant, immaterial, inappropriate.
accountable (adjective) – responsible, liable, answerable.
track record (noun) – (previous) performance, accomplishments, achievements.
intelligence (noun) – mental capacity, reasoning, understanding, judgement, sharpness.
opiate (noun) – drug, mind-altering drug, sleeping pill, sedative, narcotic.
stick to (phrasal verb) – follow, adhere to, conform to, abide by.
livelihood (noun) – means of making a living with the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing); means of support, subsistence, source of income.
deserve (verb) – justify, be worth, be qualified for.
linguistic (adjective) – relating to language; lingual.
strategy (noun) – plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).
the writing is on the wall (phrase) – sign, signal, indication, warning, presage, portent, omen, augury, harbinger (that some catastrophe/disaster is going to happen).
totalising (adjective) – treating something as having one character/principle.
violation (noun) – breach, contravention, infringement, breaking, non-observance.
long-cherished (adjective) – long-adored, long-esteemed, long-revered, long-admired, long-appreciated.
productive (adjective) – rich, fruitful, high-yielding.
aspiration (noun) – aim, ambition, objective, goal, target.
unsettling (adjective) – upsetting, discomfiting, disconcerting, disturbing, disquieting, troubling.
integrity (noun) – unity, unification, wholeness, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity; character, reputation, reliability, credibility.
undermine (verb) – weaken, subvert, sabotage, damage.
case in point (phrase) – example, sample, case.
acknowledge (verb) – accept, recognize, realize.
address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
hold on to (phrasal verb) – to keep something that is a benefit for you; retain, keep on, continue, carry on, persevere.
sectarianism (noun) – prejudice, bias, one-sidedness, partiality, partisanship, discrimination, unfairness, injustice.
welfarism (noun) – the principles/policies of a welfare state.
tired (adjective) – hackneyed, overworked, banal, stereotyped, clichéd, run-of-the-mill.
rhetoric (noun) – bombast, loftiness, hyperbole/extravagant language.
paradigm (noun) – a model or pattern of something; example, prototype, standard, criterion.
paradigm shift (noun) – a fundamental and important change with new ideas/thinking.
diversity (noun) – existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group; variety, variance, difference.
experimental (adjective) – empirical, observational, preliminary.
impart (verb) – communicate, pass on, convey, transmit (information/knowledge to someone).