Allege
(v) to assert without proof or confirmation
(s) claim, contend
(a) prove, deny
Arrant
(adj) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant
(s) egregious, unmitigated
Badinage
(n) light and playful conversation
(s) banter, persiflage, repartee
(
a) sermon
Conciliate
(v) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent
(s) placate, mollify, propitiate
(a) antagonize, alienate, estrange
Countermand
(v) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first
(s) recall, revoke
(a) reaffirm, reassert
Echelon
(n) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement
(s) level, rank
Exacerbate
(v) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful
(s) aggravate, intensify, worsen
(a) alleviate, mitigate, ameliorate
Fatuous
(adj) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
(s) silly, vapid, inane, doltish, vacuous
(a) sensible, intelligent, perceptive, bright
Irrefutable
(adj) impossible to disprove; beyond argument
(s) indisputable, incontrovertible, undeniable
(a) disputable, indefensible, untenable
Juggernaut
(n) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path
Lackadaisical
(adj) lacking spirit or interest; half-hearted
(s) listless, indolent, indifferent, lax
(a) energetic, vigorous, wholehearted
Litany
(n) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list
(s) rigmarole, catalog, megillah
Macabre
(adj) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject
(s) grotesque, grim, ghoulish
Paucity
(n) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth
(s) lack
(a) abundance, glut, plenitude, deluge
Portend
(v) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of
(
s) bode, foretell, foreshadow, suggest
Raze
(v) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out
(s) pull down, demolish, shave off
(a) build, construct, raise, erect
Recant
(v) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract
(s) repudiate, disavow
(a) reaffirm, reassert
Saturate
(v) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully
(s) permeate, drench, flood, imbue
(a) drain
Saturnine
(adj) of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood
(s) sullen, morose
(a) lighthearted, cheerful, vivacious
Slough
(v) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud
(n) a mire; a state of depression
(s) shed, slog
(a) take on, acquire, assume