Word Power — Thursday, 21 May 2026

"The pusillanimous response of international bodies to humanitarian crises has severely undermined the credibility of global governance."

"The protagonist's pusillanimous behavior during the trial revealed his inability to stand up against the corrupt administration."

💡 Mnemonic: Pussy + animus: A 'pussy' cat's spirit is tiny and scared, so it is pusillanimous.

📋 CSS Relevance: International Relations / Current Affairs

"Critics frequently inveigh against the systemic corruption that stifles economic development in developing nations."

"The editorial continued to inveigh against the university’s decision to curtail funding for the humanities department."

💡 Mnemonic: In-veigh sounds like 'in-weigh'—when you weigh into someone with angry words, you inveigh.

📋 CSS Relevance: Essay writing / Editorial critique

"The state-sponsored media’s tendentious portrayal of historical events serves to manufacture consent rather than inform the public."

"The professor warned students that the author’s tendentious narrative should be read with a critical eye."

💡 Mnemonic: Tendentious: Has a 'tendency' to be biased; it has a specific agenda or slope.

📋 CSS Relevance: General Knowledge / Political Science

"Political discourse in the country has devolved into toxic vituperation, leaving no space for consensus-based policy."

"Despite the vituperation leveled against him by his rivals, the scientist remained focused on his research."

💡 Mnemonic: Vitu-peration sounds like 'bitter-operation'—using bitter words like a surgical operation to cut someone down.

📋 CSS Relevance: Pakistan Affairs / Political Analysis

"The widening chasm between the sybaritic lifestyle of the elite and the grinding poverty of the masses threatens social stability."

"After years of sybaritic living in the capital, the artist found the simplicity of the countryside both jarring and restorative."

💡 Mnemonic: Sybaritic sounds like 'sea-bar-it'—a life spent lounging at a sea bar is sybaritic.

📋 CSS Relevance: Sociology / Economic Inequality

"Entrenched feudal structures are a dangerous anachronism in a modern democratic state."

"The film’s inclusion of a smartphone in a 19th-century setting was a glaring anachronism."

💡 Mnemonic: Ana (against) + chron (time): A thing that works 'against time' by appearing in the wrong era.

📋 CSS Relevance: History / Governance

"The false dichotomy between economic growth and environmental preservation is a major barrier to sustainable development policy."

"There is often a perceived dichotomy between scientific inquiry and spiritual belief, though many argue they are complementary."

💡 Mnemonic: Dicho (cut) + tomy (part): Like 'anatomy', this is a 'cut into two' parts.

📋 CSS Relevance: Philosophy / Environmental Science

"The bureaucratic machinery must respond with greater alacrity to the urgent needs of climate-displaced populations."

"She accepted the challenging assignment with an alacrity that impressed her supervisor."

💡 Mnemonic: A-lack-rity: If you lack 'rity' (sloth), you have the opposite—which is speed and eagerness.

📋 CSS Relevance: Public Administration

"The struggle to challenge regional hegemony remains the defining feature of contemporary South Asian geopolitics."

"The hegemony of the digital giants has sparked intense debate over the nature of market competition in the 21st century."

💡 Mnemonic: He-gem-ony: The 'he' who owns the 'gem' (power/resource) of the group has the hegemony.

📋 CSS Relevance: International Relations

"The economist offered a trenchant analysis of the fiscal deficit, exposing the underlying flaws in the current budget."

"His trenchant criticism of the social structure made him an unpopular but highly respected figure in academic circles."

💡 Mnemonic: Trench-ant: Like a sharp spade used to dig a trench, his words were sharp and cutting.

📋 CSS Relevance: Essay Writing / Analytical Skills