| 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 |