compulsory · CSS study notes
Bucket 62 — Declining & Worsening
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Best for: economic crises and social decay. 5 words.
1. BLIGHT (n./v.)
- Urdu: آفت، بربادی کا سبب؛ پودوں کی بیماری
- Meaning: a plant disease; anything that spoils or damages
- Syn: scourge, curse, plague, affliction · Ant: blessing, boon, benefit, godsend
- ✍️ Use: Child labour remains a blight on the conscience of the nation.
- 🧠 Hook: a light goes out and the crop dies. "Urban blight."
2. DEGRADE (v.)
- Urdu: معیار گرانا، ذلیل کرنا، بوسیدہ کرنا
- Meaning: lower in quality, value or dignity; break down chemically
- Syn: debase, deteriorate, demean, erode · Ant: improve, enhance, upgrade, elevate
- ✍️ Use: Overgrazing has degraded large tracts of rangeland in Balochistan.
- 🧠 Hook: lower the grade. "Environmental degradation."
3. ERODE (v.)
- Urdu: آہستہ آہستہ کمزور کرنا، کٹاؤ کرنا
- Meaning: gradually wear away or destroy
- Syn: wear away, corrode, undermine, weaken · Ant: build up, strengthen, reinforce, fortify
- ✍️ Use: Double-digit inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the salaried class.
- 🧠 Hook: Latin rodere (gnaw, as in rodent) → gnawed away bit by bit.
4. SULLY (v.)
- Urdu: داغدار کرنا، بدنام کرنا
- Meaning: damage the purity or integrity of; stain
- Syn: tarnish, stain, taint, besmirch · Ant: clean, purify, honour, enhance
- ✍️ Use: One scandal can sully an institution's reputation for decades.
- 🧠 Hook: a silly mess on a clean shirt. Mostly used for reputation.
5. VITIATE (v.)
- Urdu: خراب کرنا، بگاڑنا، قانونی طور پر کالعدم کرنا
- Meaning: spoil or impair the quality of; make legally invalid
- Syn: spoil, impair, corrupt, invalidate · Ant: improve, purify, validate, strengthen
- ✍️ Use: Rigging in a few polling stations can vitiate the credibility of the entire election.
- 🧠 Hook: Latin vitium (fault, vice) → add a vice and it's spoiled.