claim without proof | allege |
complete, utter, downright | arrant |
playful conversation; discussion with a lot of jokes | badinage |
make calm; win over | conciliate |
command to cancel a previous order or command | countermand |
level or rank | echelon |
to make worse | exacerbate |
very stupid; unreal | fatuous |
impossible to deny or prove wrong | irrefutable |
large, unstoppable force or power that crushes whatever is in its way | juggernaut |
showing no interest or enthusiasm | lackadaisical |
long list of things that someone talks about | litany |
gruesome or frightening, usually involving death | macabre |
lack; few in number | paucity |
predict or foreshadow; give warning of | portend |
demolish; destroy to the ground | raze |
take back a statement made earlier | recant |
soak, fill, or load to capacity | saturate |
to shed, get rid of (esp. skin) | slough |
gloomy, bitter, and overly serious | saturnine |