Allege
(v) to assert without proof or confirmation
s- contend
a- prove
Arrant
(adj) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant
s- egregious
Badinage
(n) light and playful conversation
s- banter
a- sermon
Conciliate
(v) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent
s- mollify
a- alienate
Countermand
(v) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first
s- recall
a- reaffirm
Eschelon
(n) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement
s- rank
Exacerbate
(v) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful
s-worsen
a- alleviate
Fatuous
(adj) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
s- silly
a- intelligent
Irrefutable
(adj) impossible to disprove; beyond argument
s- indisputable
a- disputable
Juggernaut
(n) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path
s- inescapable force
Lackadaisical
(adj) lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted
s- indolent
a- energetic
Litany
(n) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternation with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list
s- catalog
Macabre
(adj) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject
s- ghoulish
Paucity
(n) an adequate quantity, scarcity, dearth
s- dearth
a- glut
Portend
(v) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen to give advance warning of
s- foretell
Raze
(v) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out
s- demolish
a- construct
Recant
(v) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract
s- repudiate
a- reassert
Saturate
(v) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully
s- imbue
a- drain
Saturnine
(adj) gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood
s- morose
a- cheerful
Slough
(v) to cast off, discard; to get rd of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n) a mire; a state of depression
s- slog
a- acquire