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When something bad or painful abates, it becomes less strong or severe.
When you abscond, you leave suddenly from a place that has imprisoned or persecuted you, or you leave from a place with something that doesn’t belong to you.
You accost a stranger when you move towards them and speak in an unpleasant or threatening way.
An affliction is something that causes pain and mental suffering, especially a medical condition.
A bastion is considered an important and effective defense of a way of life or principle; a bastion can also refer to a heavily fortified place, such as a castle.
When something bedevils you, it causes you a lot of problems and difficulties over a period of time.
When you beleaguer someone, you act with the intent to annoy or harass that person repeatedly until they finally give you what you want.
If you are beset by something, you are experiencing serious problems or dangers because of it.
When you buttress an argument, idea, or even a building, you make it stronger by providing support.
If you circumvent something, such as a rule or restriction, you try to get around it in a clever and perhaps dishonest way.
You coerce people when you force them to do something that they don’t want to do.
When you are constrained, you are forced to do something or are kept from doing it.
If something daunts you, it makes you worried about dealing with it because you think it will be very difficult or dangerous.
If something discomfits you, it makes you feel embarrassed, confused, uncomfortable, or frustrated.
If something disconcerts you, it makes you feel anxious, worried, or confused.
When someone feels disquiet about a situation, they feel very worried or nervous.
If a fact or idea eludes you, you cannot remember or understand it; if you elude someone, you manage to escape or hide from them.
If something encumbers you, it makes it difficult for you to move freely or do what you want.
If you exhibit equanimity, you demonstrate a calm mental state—without showing upset or annoyance—when you deal with a difficult situation.
When one nation extradites someone, it hands them over into the custody of a second nation, usually to stand trial for crimes committed against that second nation.
If someone is imperturbable, they are always calm and not easily upset or disturbed by any situation, even dangerous ones.
If you incarcerate someone, you put them in prison or jail.
Insouciance is a lack of concern or worry for something that should be shown more careful attention or consideration.
If you mitigate something that causes harm, you reduce the harmful or painful effects of it.
If you nettle someone, you irritate or annoy them.
Someone who is nonchalant is very relaxed and appears not to be worried about anything.
If you are oppressed by someone or something, you are beaten down, troubled, or burdened by them or it.
To parry is to ward something off or deflect it.
If someone is pilloried, they are publicly criticized or ridiculed by a lot of people, especially in the media.
If governments, companies, or other institutions retrench, they reduce costs and/or decrease the amount that they spend in order to save money.
When you stifle someone’s creativity or inner drive, you prevent it from being expressed.
When you subdue something, such as an enemy or emotions, you defeat or bring them under control.
If someone subjugates a group of people or country, they conquer and bring it under control by force.
When something is suppressed, it is blocked from occurring or kept contained in some way.
Something that is unsullied is unstained and clean.
If a problem or situation is vexing, it puzzles, worries, or annoys someone.
Noun
duress
DOOR-ess
Context
The boys finally admitted that they’d been at the scene of the crime; their confession came unwillingly under the duress of many hours of interrogation by detectives. The boys claimed they’d been forced into participating in the burglary under duress since they’d been threatened by the actual robbers. Though they were in serious trouble, they were good kids who wouldn’t do wrong unless they were the victims of extreme duress or pressure.
Quiz:Try again!
What does it mean to do something under duress?
Endure the Stress "I can't endure the stress! The pressure of duress is killing me! OK, OK, OK ... I'll eat your fruitcake! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH ..."
Examples
Kirchgessner says he plans to argue that hospital contracts, often signed under duress during a medical crisis, aren't valid.
—
NPR
Hamilton, who has broken his left ankle five times in wipeouts while surfing, motorcycling and snowboarding and has learned to hold his breath for well over a minute under duress, calls riding waves with seven-story faces "the ultimate sensation."
—
Sports Illustrated
If a defendant tries to retract or deny a confession in front of a jury, it will spotlight the issue and may lead to an eventual realization that confessions taken under such duress are inappropriate as evidence of guilt.
—
The Christian Science Monitor
Stephen Curry scored 27 points with four 3-pointers and became the [Golden State] Warriors' franchise assists leader . . . "He can make passes with either hand and he gets blitzed so often that a lot of his passes come in traffic and under duress and he does an incredible job of getting the ball out of the traps and finding the right guys," Kerr said before the game.
—
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Duress is the application of “hardness” or “harshness” when one is trying to forcefully get someone to do something.
Word Theater
Outer Limits A man under severe duress.
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
