Ignite
Definition(s): to set afire.
To subject to fire or intense heat.
To set in motion.
Saying something was set on fire is bland and uninteresting, but to say it was “ignited” has much greater power. This is a word that truly conveys the strength and impression of what a blaze is meant to be.
Fortitude
Definition(s): Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.
You don’t want to say that someone has strength, when you can use fortitude instead. It digs a little deeper.
Grim
Definition(s): Fierce in disposition or action.
Stern or forbidding in action or appearance.
Ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character.
I often project a grim appearance, so I like to use this word as often as possible. It gives a gloomier, more gray, more severe impression and is more descriptive than simpler words.
Elation
Definition(s): The quality or state of being elated.
Pathological euphoria.
Why would you simply be happy, when you can be elated?
Forlorn
Definition(s): Sad and lonely because of isolation or desertion.
Being in poor condition.
Nearly hopeless.
Like grim, I like my more “depressing” adjectives to be all or nothing. Go big or go home. Don’t be sad – be forlorn!
Frostwritten 