frightful
fright·ful /ˈfraɪtfəl/ adjective old-fashioned especially British English
- unpleasant or bad
- There’s been a frightful accident
- used to emphasize how bad something is
- Her hair was a frightful mess.
hiss
hiss /hɪs/ verb
- [intransitive and transitive] to say something in a loud whisper
- ‘Get out!’ she hissed furiously.
- hiss at
- She hissed at me to be quiet.
- [intransitive] to make a noise which sound like ‘ssss’:
- The cat backed away, hissing.
- Snakes only hiss when they are afraid.
- [intransitive and transitive] if a crowd hisses a speaker, they interrupt them with
angry sounds to show that they do not like them
- He was booed and hissed during a stormy meeting
insignia
in·sig·ni·a /ɪnˈsɪɡniə/ noun (plural insignia) [countable]
a badge or sign that shows what official or military rank someone has, or which
group or organization they belong to
- the royal insignia
- military insignia
miniature
min·ia·ture1 /ˈmɪnətʃə, ˈmɪnɪtʃə $ ˈmɪniətʃər/ adjective [only before noun]
much smaller than normal:
- miniature roses
- a miniature railway
- He looked like a miniature version of his father.
ruminate
ru·mi·nate /ˈruːməneɪt, ˈruːmɪneɪt/verb [intransitive]
- formal to think carefully and deeply about something
- ruminate on/over
- He sat alone, ruminating on the injustice of the world.
- technical if animals such as cows ruminate, they bring food back into their
mouth from their stomachs and chew it again
—rumination /ˌruːməˈneɪʃən, ˌruːmɪˈneɪʃən/ noun [uncountable and countable]
Reference
- Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English