some difficult words from editorials , which is important and very helpful for IBPS PO/CLERK/LIC AAO/RRB & SSC CGL EXAM and other exams !!!
The Hindu: Fire and fury: on existing violence in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated once again that his regime cares little about the lives of its own people. The barbaric campaign of airstrikes and bombardments launched by government forces in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, have killed at least 270 people in three days. Eastern Ghouta, with an estimated population of 400,000, is one of the last significant areas held by militants fighting the regime. It fell into the hands of the rebels in the early stages of the seven-year-long civil war, and repeated government attempts to overrun it were foiled. It was here that chemical weapons were used in 2013, killing hundreds of people. When most other rebel-held parts of Syria, including Aleppo, were recaptured by government troops, militants have moved to Eastern Ghouta and Idlib. Now both areas are under attack. In the use of heavy firepower, the assault resembles the government campaign in Aleppo and elsewhere. In Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, Syrian and Russian jets pounded rebel targets in late 2016; this was followed by a ground attack by government troops and Iran-trained militants. Similarly, Eastern Ghouta, which was under a government blockade for years, appears to have been surrounded by ground forces, which could advance to rebel positions inside the city any time.
There is a wide range of militant groups in Eastern Ghouta, including the Saudi-backed Jaysh al-Islam, the Qatar-funded Faylaq al-Rahman, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. The government says the city is occupied by terrorists from these groups and that the few civilians remaining there are used as human shields. The militants in Eastern Ghouta and the jihadist elements amongst them have repeatedly shelled government-controlled neighbourhoods in Damascus. Generally the rebels appear to have lost the momentum against Mr. Assad in the civil war. Nonetheless, the government narrative is problematic as it holds all residents of Eastern Ghouta responsible for the occupation of the area by militants. The years-long blockade of the area that has deprived Eastern Ghouta of food and medicines, and the indiscriminate bombing, killing of unarmed civilians including children, expose the monstrosity of the Assad regime. From the very beginning of the civil war, the regime and its Russian and Iranian backers have paid little attention to human suffering, be it in Hama, Homs, Aleppo or Eastern Ghouta. Given the brutality it has unleashed now, the government could capture Eastern Ghouta as well. But at what cost? After seven years of war and 400,000 deaths, Syria is a broken, bleeding land, thanks to Mr. Assad and his friends and foes. The real tragedy is that none of the parties involved is interested in ending this war.
1. Demonstrated (verb) : साबित
Meaning : clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.
Synonyms : reveal, bespeak, indicate, signify, signal, denote, show, display, exhibit, express, manifest, evince, evidence, be evidence of, be an indication of, bear witness to, testify to; imply, intimate, give away; informalspell; literarybetoken.
Antonyms : conceal,hide.
Usage : their shameful silence demonstrates their ineptitude.
2. Barbaric (adjective) : असभ्य
Meaning : savagely cruel.
Synonyms : brutal, barbarous, brutish, bestial, savage, vicious, fierce, ferocious, wicked, cruel, nasty, ruthless, remorseless, merciless, villainous, murderous, heinous, nefarious, monstrous, base, low, low-down, vile, inhuman, infernal, dark, black, black-hearted, fiendish, hellish, diabolical, ghastly, horrible.
Antonyms : calm, easy-going, laid-back.
Usage : the regime’s barbaric crimes were exposed after the war was over.
3. Rebels (noun ) : विद्रोहियों
Meaning : a person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or leader.
Synonyms : revolutionary, insurgent, revolutionist, mutineer, agitator, subversive, guerrilla, anarchist, terrorist; freedom fighter, resistance fighter; traitor, renegade.
Antonyms : complaisant, compliant, obedient.
Usage : the rebels took control of the capital.
4. Overrun (verb) : लंघन
Meaning : spread over or occupy (a place) in large numbers.
Synonyms : invade, storm, march into, occupy, infest, swarm over, surge over, flow over, inundate, swamp, overwhelm, permeate, penetrate, spread over, spread like wildfire over, run riot over, overgrow, grow over.
Antonyms : lose, surrender.
Usage : the Mediterranean has been overrun by tourists.
5. Foiled (verb) : नाकाम कर दिया
Meaning : prevent (something considered wrong or undesirable) from succeeding.
Synonyms : thwart, frustrate, counter, oppose, baulk, disappoint, impede, obstruct, hamper, hinder, snooker, cripple, scotch, derail, smash, dash; stop, check, block, prevent, defeat, nip in the bud; informalmess up, screw up, do for, put paid to, stymie, cook someone’s goose; informalscupper, nobble, queer.
Antonyms : abet,aid,assist,help.
Usage : a brave policewoman foiled the armed robbery.
6. Assault (verb) : हमला
Meaning : make a physical attack on.
Synonyms : hit, strike, physically attack, aim blows at, slap, smack, beat, thrash, spank, thump, thwack, punch, cuff, swat, knock, rap; pummel, pound, batter, pelt, welt; cane, lash, whip, club, cudgel, box someone’s ears; informalclout, wallop, belt, whack, bash, clobber, bop, biff, sock, deck, slug, plug.
Antonyms : aid, defend, protect, resist, retreat, shelter, shield, submit, support, surrender, sustain.
Usage : he pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer.
7. Occupied (adjective) : कब्जा कर लिया
Meaning : (of a building, seat, etc.) being used by someone.
Synonyms : busy (vs. idle), engaged, in use(predicate)filled, inhabited (vs. uninhabited).
Antonyms : abstain, pick.
Usage : only the ground floor is fully occupied.
8. Shelled (adjective) : खोलीदार
Meaning : having a protective outer case or covering.
Synonyms : carapace, case, chassis, crust, frame, framework, hull, husk, integument, nut, pericarp, plastron, pod, scale, shard, shuck, skeleton, skin.
Antonyms – center, inside, interior, middle.
Usage : crabs and other shelled creatures.
9. Narrative (noun) : कथा
Meaning : a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
Synonyms : account, story, tale, chronicle, history, description, record, portrayal, sketch, portrait, statement, report, rehearsal, recital, rendering.
Antonyms : rambling.
Usage : a chronological narrative of Stark’s life.
10. Indiscriminate (Noun) : अविवेकी
Meaning : done at random or without careful judgement.
Synonyms : non-selective, unselective, undiscriminating, uncritical, aimless, hit-or-miss, haphazard, random, unsystematic, unmethodical; wholesale, general, sweeping, blanket; broad-based, wide, catholic, eclectic, varied, miscellaneous, heterogeneous, motley, confused, chaotic; thoughtless, unthinking, unconsidered, casual, careless; rarepromiscuous.
Antonyms : chosen, critical, definite, discriminatory, methodical, particular, selective, specific, systematic.
Usage : the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can cause problems.
