Example: Analysts say that it remains to be seen whether the “constructive , t” at Xiamen will yield “solid anchorage” capable of withstanding the regional headwinds that India and China are likely to encounter in the future, as they deepen their ties in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific.
1. Anchorage [ang-ker-ij]
Noun: that portion of a harbor or area outside a harbor suitable for anchoring or in which ships are permitted to anchor; a charge for occupying such an area; the act of anchoring or the state of being anchored.
Synonyms: dock, harbor, haven, port, refuge, roadstead, slip, wharf.
2. Headwind [hed-wind]
Noun: a wind opposed to the course of a moving object, especially an aircraft or other vehicle (opposed to tailwind ).
Example: From foreign secretary S. Jaishankar’s brief interaction with the media after the meeting, it appeared that the focus of the bilateral was on border Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), rather than fresh ideas to resolve the festering boundary dispute between the two countries.
3. Fester [fes-ter]
Verb: to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate; to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh; to putrefy or rot; to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.
Noun: an ulcer; a rankling sore; a small, purulent, superficial sore.
Synonyms: smolder, aggravate, blister, canker, chafe, decay, gall, gather, irk, maturate, putrefy, rankle, rot, suppurate.
Antonyms: build, delight, flourish, grow, improve.
Example: Pyongyang residents threw their arms aloft in triumph as a television newsreader hailed the “unprecedentedly large” blast.
4. Aloft [uh-lawft, uh-loft]
Adverb: high up; far above the ground; in or into the air.
Preposition: on or at the top of.
Synonyms: above, over, overhead, up.
Antonyms: below, under.
5. Triumph [trahy-uh mf, -uhmf]
Noun: the act, fact, or condition of being victorious or triumphant; victory; conquest; a significant success or noteworthy achievement; instance or occasion of victory.
Verb: to gain a victory; be victorious; win; to gain mastery; prevail.
Synonyms: celebration, joy, pride, elation, exultation, festivity, jubilance, jubilation, jubilee, merriment, rejoicing, reveling, exultance.
Antonyms: disaster, failure, forfeit, loss.
6. Hail [heyl]
Verb: to cheer, salute, or greet; welcome; to acclaim; approve enthusiastically; to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc; to call out in order to greet, attract attention, etc..
Noun: a shout or call to attract attention; a salutation or greeting.
Synonyms: barrage, bombardment, hailstorm, rain, salvo, shower, storm, volley, broadside, cannonade, pelting.
Example: The flow of credit in the economy has thinned to a trickle, as the government moved on bad bank loans belatedly and inefficaciously.
7. Trickle [trik-uh l]
Verb: to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream; to come, go, or pass bit by bit, slowly, or irregularly; to cause to trickle.
Noun: a trickling flow or stream; a small, slow, or irregular quantity of anything coming, going, or proceeding.
Synonyms: crawl, creep, dribble, flow, leak, ooze, percolate, seep, stream, distill, drip, drop, exude, issue, trill, weep.
Antonyms: pour, flow.
Example: But the policy response so far has been feeble and misses urgency.
8. Feeble [fee-buh l]
Adjective: physically weak, as from age or sickness; frail; weak intellectually or morally; lacking in volume, loudness, brightness, distinctness, etc.; lacking in force, strength, or effectiveness.
Synonyms: ailing, decrepit, flabby, fragile, frail, incompetent, inefficient, infirm, lame, paltry, puny, sickly, tame, weak, weakened, aged, chicken, debilitated, delicate, doddering, dopey, effete, emasculated, enervated, enfeebled, etiolated, exhausted, failing, faint.
Antonyms: able, capable, competent, efficient.
Example: What’s more, he strutted and stammered more than once at the question and answer session, exhibiting his inability to answer the questions extempore.
9. Strut [struht]
Verb: to walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers.
Noun: the act of strutting; a strutting walk or gait.
Synonyms: prance, sashay, stalk, stride, swagger, flaunt, flounce, grandstand, mince, parade, peacock, swank, sweep.
Antonyms: conceal, hide.
Example: Global trade and intellectual property are at a crossroads.
10. Crossroad [kraws-rohd, kros-]
Noun: a road that crosses another road, or one that runs transversely to main roads; a by-road.
Synonyms: crisis, pass, turning point.