| abysmal |
of vast extent; unmeasurable; extreme. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| distraught |
mentally or emotionally unbalanced; crazed. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| neologism |
a new word, phrase, or usage. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| stately |
dignified. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |