| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | acute | severe and intense |
| 2. | afflicted | suffering from something bad |
| 3. | alarming | causing fear or concern |
| 4. | apprehensive | anxious about what may happen |
| 5. | arduous | requiring great effort |
| 6. | awkward | hard to manage smoothly |
| 7. | beset | troubled on all sides |
| 8. | besieged | surrounded by troubles |
| 9. | bristling with | packed with tense elements |
| 10. | bumpy | marked by difficulties |
| 11. | burdened by | weighed down by |
| 12. | burdensome | hard to bear |
| 13. | charged | full of strong emotion or tension |
| 14. | combustible | easily set off or inflamed |
| 15. | complex | having many difficult parts |
| 16. | complicated | hard to understand or handle |
| 17. | contentious | likely to cause argument |
| 18. | controversial | causing public disagreement |
| 19. | critical | very serious or dangerous |
| 20. | dangerous | likely to cause harm |
| 21. | delicate | requiring careful handling |
| 22. | dicey | risky or uncertain |
| 23. | difficult | hard to deal with |
| 24. | disquieting | causing anxiety or unease |
| 25. | distressing | causing sorrow or anxiety |
| 26. | disturbing | causing unease or alarm |
| 27. | dogged | persistently troubled by |
| 28. | edgy | tense and irritable |
| 29. | encumbered | burdened and hindered |
| 30. | explosive | likely to provoke violence |
| 31. | fateful | having serious future effects |
| 32. | fearful | feeling afraid or worried |
| 33. | foreboding | suggesting bad things ahead |
| 34. | fretful | worried and uneasy |
| 35. | grave | serious and worrying |
| 36. | grueling | extremely tiring and difficult |
| 37. | hairy | dangerous or difficult |
| 38. | hampered | held back by problems |
| 39. | harrowing | extremely distressing |
| 40. | hazardous | dangerous or unsafe |
| 41. | heavy | serious and emotionally weighty |
| 42. | high-stakes | involving serious consequences |
| 43. | iffy | uncertain or doubtful |
| 44. | impeded | slowed by obstacles |
| 45. | inflammatory | likely to provoke anger |
| 46. | insecure | not firm or safe |
| 47. | intense | very strong or extreme |
| 48. | jittery | nervous and uneasy |
| 49. | knife-edge | extremely tense or precarious |
| 50. | laden | heavily loaded with something |
| 51. | loaded | charged with significance or tension |
| 52. | menacing | threatening harm |
| 53. | messy | complicated and troublesome |
| 54. | momentous | very important and serious |
| 55. | nerve-racking | causing intense anxiety |
| 56. | ominous | suggesting future trouble |
| 57. | on a knife-edge | in a very tense state |
| 58. | on edge | tense and uneasy |
| 59. | onerous | burdensome and difficult |
| 60. | oppressive | causing discomfort or stress |
| 61. | painful | causing emotional distress |
| 62. | perilous | full of danger or risk |
| 63. | plagued | continually troubled by |
| 64. | precarious | uncertain and dangerously unstable |
| 65. | pregnant with | full of meaning or risk |
| 66. | problematic | causing difficulties or concern |
| 67. | provocative | causing strong reactions |
| 68. | racked | tormented by pain or worry |
| 69. | restive | uneasy and hard to control |
| 70. | riddled with | full of unwanted things |
| 71. | rife with | full of something bad |
| 72. | risky | involving possible harm or loss |
| 73. | rocky | full of difficulties |
| 74. | rough | difficult and unpleasant |
| 75. | serious | important and worrying |
| 76. | shaky | weak and uncertain |
| 77. | sticky | awkward and difficult |
| 78. | stormy | full of conflict or trouble |
| 79. | strained | showing tension or stress |
| 80. | stressful | causing stress or pressure |
| 81. | taxing | demanding much effort or patience |
| 82. | tense | filled with strain or anxiety |
| 83. | thorny | difficult and sensitive |
| 84. | touch-and-go | uncertain and risky |
| 85. | treacherous | dangerous and deceptive |
| 86. | tricky | difficult to handle |
| 87. | troubled | full of problems or distress |
| 88. | trying | hard to endure |
| 89. | uncertain | not settled or sure |
| 90. | unnerving | making someone uneasy |
| 91. | unsafe | not safe |
| 92. | unstable | likely to change badly |
| 93. | upsetting | causing emotional disturbance |
| 94. | uptight | tense and anxious |
| 95. | volatile | likely to change violently |
| 96. | weighed down | oppressed by troubles |
| 97. | weighty | serious and important |
| 98. | worrisome | causing worry |
| 99. | wound-up | tense and nervous |
| 100. | wracked | severely troubled or damaged |
