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belligerent - Hostile and aggressive, with an implied threat of violence

Germany's occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and early 1939 was a belligerent action that the world chose to ignore.

verb

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spurn - To reject and push away with disdain, scorn, and contempt

The boss spurned his employee when the employee asked to see the confidential memo.

adjective

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intolerant - Refusing to allow others to do or believe things that you don't agree with.

When people try to dialog with others, and both are intolerant of each others' points of view, it often just degenerates into a shouting match, with neither side listening.

verb

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chastise - To scold or criticize someone severely for doing something wrong.

He was chastised by his coach for not following the game plan.

verb

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rankle - To act in a way that is annoying and irritating.

Drake would get angry when his coworkers would rankle him with ridiculous requests.

verb

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sully - To damage the purity or integrity of something; to defile.

Martha spread rumors about Anne, and even though it came out later that the rumors were false, the damage had been done and Anne's reputation was sullied.

verb

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slash - To cut - or to reduce the size of something - with a sweeping movement.

The first thing the new president of the company did was to slash the budget in half, eliminating all the waste he could find.

noun

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mockery - Teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing

"Saturday Night Live" frequently engages in mockery, especially when it comes to impersonating U.S. presidents.

verb

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glower - To have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl

Ron glowered at Ben when Ben criticized the mayor of Ron's home town.

adjective

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hostile - To be unfriendly towards someone you see as an enemy

In couples therapy, the first thing Emily tried to do was to get both people to feel less hostile towards each other.

verb

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undermine - To weaken or damage something, especially gradually or secretly; to sabotage or erode the foundation or support.

Constant criticism from a parent or a boss can undermine a person's self-esteem.

noun

See verb

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rebuke - An expression of sharp disapproval or criticism

After Jimmy embarrassed his family, they all participated in a rebuke of him so that he wouldn't repeat the same mistake.