Example: The saffronisation of the air waves is staggering.
1. Stagger [stag-er]
Verb: to walk, move, or stand unsteadily; to falter or begin to give way, as in an argument or fight; to waver or begin to doubt, as in purpose or opinion; hesitate.
Synonyms: wobble, shake, lurch, careen, teeter, falter, reel.
Antonyms: carry on, continue, stay.
Example: The viral of farm loan waivers is acquiring epidemic proportions.
2. Epidemic [ep-i-dem-ik]
Adjective: affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent: extremely prevalent; widespread.
Noun: a temporary prevalence of a disease.
Synonyms: contagiousstarendemicstarinfectiousstarcatchingstargeneralstarpandemic.
Antonym: limited.
Example: When Big Brother tracks every channel, watches every tweet, and reads every word, why would anybody want to take a risk when the “caged bird” is a homing pigeon, striking targets with precision?
3. Precision [pri-sizh-uh n]
Noun: the state or quality of being precise; accuracy; exactness; mechanical or scientific exactness; punctiliousness; strictness.
Synonyms: rigor, attention, care, carefulness, correctness, definiteness.
Antonyms: carelessness, disregard, ignorance, inaccuracy, inattention, inexactness.
Example: Fear, anger, anxiety and paranoia have become normal.
4. Paranoia [par-uh-noi-uh]
Noun: Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission; baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.
Synonyms: insanity, mental disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia, craziness, delusions, depression.
Example: People, including journalists, try to prove their loyalty to the government by snitching on colleagues and neighbours.
5. Snitch [snich]
Verb: to turn informer; tattle.
Noun: Also called snitcher; an informer.
Synonyms: betrayer, blabbermouth, canary, double-crosser, fink, informant, narc.
Example: The siege began long ago with dodgy ownership; mercenary business practices; advertising and circulation revenue meltdowns; emerging technologies.
6. Dodgy [doj-ee]
Adjective: inclined to dodge; evasively tricky; risky; hazardous; chancy.
Synonyms: evasive, shifty, chancy, crafty, cunning, dicey, guileful.
Antonyms: direct, forthright, honest, straightforward, honorable, safe.
7. Mercenary [mur-suh-ner-ee]
Adjective: working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal; hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc.
Noun: a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army.
Synonyms: acquisitive, selfish, unscrupulous, grasping, avaricious, bribable.
Antonyms: generous, unselfish.
8. Meltdown [melt-doun]
Noun: the melting of a significant portion of a nuclear-reactor core due to inadequate cooling of the fuel elements, a condition that could lead to the escape of radiation; a quickly developing breakdown or collapse: a bond-market meltdown; a sudden loss of control over one’s feelings or behavior.
Synonyms: accident, adversity, calamity, casualty, cataclysm, crash, debacle, devastation, disaster.
Antonyms: advantage, aid, assistance, benefit, blessing, boon, creation.
Example: Today, as non-state actors throttle India’s foundational values in broad daylight, and much of a besieged media happily plays cheerleader.
9. Throttle [throt-l]
Noun: a lever, pedal, handle, etc., for controlling or manipulating a throttle valve; throttle valve; the throat, gullet, or windpipe, as of a horse.
Verb: to stop the breath of by compressing the throat; strangle; to choke or suffocate in any way; to compress by fastening something tightly around.
Synonyms: burke, control, gag, inhibit, silence, smother.
Antonyms: encourage, free, help, let gore, lease.
10. Besiege [bih-seej]
Verb: to lay siege to; to crowd around; crowd in upon; surround; to assail or ply, as with requests or demands.
Synonyms: beleaguer, beset, blockade, encircle, hem in, trap.
Antonyms: let go, leave alone.
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