Obdurate: Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action. (Usage: The leader’s obdurate stance led to further isolation).
Sclerotic: Becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt.(Usage: Sclerotic despotism at home resulted in economic stagnation).
Decimated: Kill, destroy, or remove a large percentage or part of. (Usage: The intelligence ranks were decimated in the strike).
Genuflect: To bend one knee to the ground as a sign of respect, submission, or worship. (Usage: The leader refused to genuflect before foreign powers).
Cathartic: Providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions. (Usage: Watching the emotional resolution on screen was a cathartic experience).
Edifice: A complex system of beliefs or a large, imposing building. (Usage: The question is whether the successor can hold the political edifice together). *
Preemptive: An action taken to prevent an anticipated event, especially an attack. (Usage: A preemptive strike was launched to neutralize the missile threat).
Ablation (Noun): The surgical removal of body tissue, or (in physics/aerospace) the removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporization, chipping, or other erosive processes (e.g., a spacecraft’s heat shield).
Sabre-rattling (Noun): The display or threat of military force.
Genuflect (Verb): To lower one’s body briefly by bending one knee to the ground, typically in worship or as a sign of respect; to show extreme subservience.
Scaremongering (Noun): The spreading of frightening or ominous reports or rumors.
Valorise (Verb): To give or ascribe value or validity to something.
Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD) (Noun/Concept): The difference between the amount of moisture in the air and how much moisture the air can hold when it is saturated. (Crucial metric for plant transpiration).
