10 words starting with Q

• quaff verb

  to drink something quickly and in large amounts

  After the long hike, the trekkers quaffed cold water from the spring.

  Like gulp, guzzle, swig

• quagmire noun

  a soft, wet area of land that you sink into; a difficult situation hard to escape

  After the heavy rain, the football field turned into a muddy quagmire.

  Like bog, swamp, morass

• quail verb

  to feel or show fear and lose courage

  The young climber quailed at the sight of the steep ice wall ahead.

  Like cower, flinch, shrink

• querulous adjective

  complaining in a whining, irritable way

  The querulous passenger grumbled about the bus seats for the whole journey.

  Like peevish, whiny, petulant

• quibble verb

  to argue about small, unimportant details

  Let’s not quibble about who gets the window seat; we can take turns.

  Like cavil, nitpick, bicker

• quiddity noun

  the essential nature that makes a thing what it is

  The poet tried to capture the quiddity of a mountain morning in just a few lines.

  Like essence, nature

• quiescent adjective

  quiet and inactive, often for a time

  The volcano has been quiescent for centuries, but scientists still watch it closely.

  Like dormant, inactive, still

• quietus noun

  something that finally ends or settles a matter

  The new evidence gave the quietus to the long argument about the bridge’s design.

  Like end, finish

• quixotic adjective

  full of noble but unrealistic ideals; not practical

  His quixotic plan to plant a tree for every person on Earth by Friday made us smile.

  Like idealistic, impractical, romantic

• quotidian adjective

  ordinary and happening every day

  The diary records quotidian details like breakfast, the weather, and the bus ride to school.

  Like everyday, daily, mundane