Words To Describe Your Worst Fights

Think of an argument as the ultimate showcase for your commanding, compelling vocabulary and ways of expressing yourself. You’ve got to think fast! Deliver some zingers, and make a strong case!

Instead of scrambling for lightweight words in your next joust, you can throw off your opponent with carefully chosen vocables, sure to impress and dazzle. (Didn’t we impress you by our use of vocables, meaning “a word; term; name”?)

Whether you’re tangling with a filthy-mouthed foe or a gloomy Gus, there’s a word here to describe every type of argument and fight. Drop one of these and score some points, warrior!

anfractuous

Sometimes our opponents’ arguments are simply too loopy to make sense—rather than follow a direct line, the argument twists its way from one (probably unrelated) issue to another. This is where the wonderful word anfractuous comes in.

Used to describe anything that’s winding, sinuous, or circuitous, anfractuous wielded in a sentence might save your opponent’s breath … and your sanity: “I don’t have time to follow all the twists and turns of your anfractuous arguments.”

Did you know anfractuous was our Word of the Day on July 26, 2020. Learn more about it here!

animadversion

When a foe stings you with a hurtful criticism, a perfectly acceptable retort might be that “such animadversion is entirely uncalled for.”

We may have learned the rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” In fact, verbal attacks may be more dangerous than this rhyme leads us to believe; the Latin animadverto was a euphemism for “to punish with death.”

atrabilious

This is a good word to use if your opponent is irritable or bad-tempered.

With Latin origins, the word is related to “black” (attra) “bile” (bilis), and can also be used to describe a gloomy Gus. “You can flush that atrabilious attitude right down the toilet!”

bumptious

A rather bouncy word to describe someone who is offensively self-assertive—and for some people when challenged, there is no better description.

If your opponent happens to be that overly cocky, city-swaggering upstart, bounce bumptious in their direction. “I’m amazed that you have any friends, being so bumptious all the time. Your ego always gets in the way!”

edentulous

If you thought there might be an association between -dent- and dental, then you might have guessed this word relates somehow to teeth, or, as is the case here, the lack thereof. Edentulous means “lacking teeth, toothless.”

Does your foe’s argument figuratively lack the “teeth” to fight back? “I might have been hurt, if your argument weren’t completely edentulous.” Oh, snap!

Gehenna

A biblical reference with Late Latin, Greek, and Hebrew origins, Gehenna literally refers to the valley of the son of Hinnom near Jerusalem, where human sacrifices were made. By extension, Gehenna refers to a place or state of pain and torment.

For hyperbolic purposes (great in an argument, and actually really hard for beautifully imperfect humans to avoid), this word is ideally uttered while looking upward in frustrated anger: “Can someone please get me out of this @*#$ Gehenna!?”

WATCH: What Are Examples Of Hyperbole?

infandous

If you’ve just been bludgeoned by the worst insult imaginable—an insult that is too odious to be expressed (but was expressed anyway), or was unspeakably horrible (but was spoken freely)—then it’s high time to call your opponent a royal SOB, because you’ve succumbed to an infandous offense.

This obsolete word means “unspeakable, not to be spoken of; nefarious.” Hurl your last verbal darts (hopefully from this list) and get the Gehenna outta there!

jejune

Jejune is another zingy word to describe someone or something that is dull, insipid, or uninformed. Another of its meanings serves as a perfect mnemonic: jejune is also a great adjective to use in place of juvenile, or immature.

And (it can’t be helped), when your foe is so obviously “j-j-j-jaded,” she might also be (oh yeah, it’s coming…) j-j-j-jejune. Thank you for putting up with that.

misologist

A misologist is someone who engages in misology (not to be confused, dear friend, with misogyny, but still pretty detrimental). If you have the misfortune to spar with a misologist, you’ll probably be forced to unravel many anfractuous arguments, because misologists simply hate reason and reasoning.

Derived from the Greek miso- (“hatred”) and –logos (“word, speech, discourse, thought”), the word misologist can go so far as to denote someone who distrusts “the rational principle that governs and develops the universe.” Uh … that’s a majorly fatal prospect, so for your own safety: don’t mess with misologists.

otiose

For some of you, this word might recall odious, but otiose has nothing to do with odor, foul-smelling or otherwise.

Rather, if you find yourself in an argument that is just going nowhere (show of hands?), put the brakes on it with this word, meaning ineffective, futile, or useless. “This is such an otiose argument! We’re quibbling over minor details that have nothing to do with the issue.”

rodomontade

With so many ways to pronounce this word, how could you possibly keep from saying it? A bumptious person is very likely to engage in eyeroll-worthy rodomontade, or vainglorious, pretentious bluster, boasting, and braggery (that’s not a word, but maybe it should be).

We’ve all been witness to such peacock-strutting self-indulgence, and it’s jaw-clenching when on display in an argument. Let’s call it what it is and shut it down. “Rodomontade? I’m not swayed.”

Speaking of blustering, sometimes we find ourselves friends with people who have a habit of blustering, or even worse. Find out more about how to describe your most toxic friends here. 

scatology

When your adversary’s argument stinks, it might be because it’s rooted in scatology, or the study of or preoccupation with excrement or obscenity. Surely, there can only be one word for this odiferous topic, right? Think again. Feel free to opt for coprology to convey the same meaning.

Amazingly, there are at least two official words related to the preoccupation with poop and smut—and, woe are we, how often can they be applied! “Ugh, you must have majored in scatology—your mouth is filthy!”