adverse

(adj.) unfavorable, negative; working against, hostile

s:  difficult, trying

a:  favorable, positive, helpful, beneficial

arid

(adj.) extremely dry; uninteresting, dull

s:  waterless, parched, boring, unimaginative

a:  waterlogged, soggy, fertile, lush

assailant

(n.) a person who attacks violently with blows or words

s:  assaulter, attacher, mugger

a:  victim, prey, injured party

billow

(n) a large wave; (v) to rise or swell like a wave

s:  (n) breaker; (v) surge, bulge, balloon

a:  (n) trough; (v) deflate, collapse

confront

(v) to meet face-to-face, especially as a challenge; come to grips with

s:  face, encounter

a:  avoid, evade, sidestep

constrain

(v) to force, compel, to restrain, hold back

s:  pressure, restrict, confine, limit

a:  loosen, liberate, unfetter, relax

contemporary

(adj.) belonging to the same period of time as oneself;  (n) a person of the same time

s:  (adj) present day, modern, current (n) peer

a:  (adj) ancient, prehistoric, antique, antiquated

depict

(v) to portray; to represent or show in the form of a picture

s:  sketch, draw, picture, illustrate

disinterested

(adj) fair-minded, free from selfish motives; indifferent

s:  neutral, impartial, unbiased, apathetic

a:  partial, biased, prejudiced

encompass

(v) to encrcle, go or reach around; to enclose; to include with a certain group or class

s:  surround, envelop, comprise

a:  leave out, omit, exclude

groundless

(adj) withough any good reason or cause, unjustified

s:  baseless, unsupported

a:  well-founded, reasonable, justified

hypocrite

(n) a person who pretends to be what he or she is not or better than he or she really is; a two-faced person

s:  phony, charlatan, fraud

incomprehensible

(adj) impossible to understand

s:  baffling, confusing, bewildering

a:  understandable, clear, plain, intelligible

manipulate

(v) to handle or use skillfully; to manage or control for personal gain or advantage

s:  work, maneuver, exploit, influence

maximum

(n) the greatest possibleamount or degree; (adj) reaching the greatest possible amount or degree

s:  largest, highest, utmost

a:  least, lowest, minimum, smallest

mimic

(n) a person who does imitations; (v) to imitate; to make fun of

s:  (n) copycat, impersonator; (v) parrot, impersonate

ruffle

(v) to wrinkle, make uneven; to annoy, upset; to flip through (N) a gathered strip of material used for trimming edges; a ripple, a low drumbeat

s:  (v) disturb; (n) frill

a:  (v) smooth out, soothe

serene

(adj) peaceful, calm, free of emotional upset; clear and free of storm, majestic, grand

s:  tranquil, composed, fair, august

a:  agitated, troubled, stormy, inclement

Sheepish

(adj) embarrassed, resembling a sheep in meekness, timid

s:  shamefaced, meek

a:  bold, saucy, brazen, confident

stamina

(n) the strength needed to keep going or overcome physical or mental strain, staying power

s:  endurance