When something is "ruffled", it is literally taken out of order or arrangement. We often speak of "ruffling" someone's hair or some other semi-arranged set of items. As an emotional state, "ruffled" means disturbed or not calm. In contrast to this, the term "placid" means calm with little disturbance or change.

To exasperate someone is to make that person completely tired and irritated about something. For instance, "The arduous and tedious process of reviewing the details of the exam exasperated the young man, for he knew all of the answers already." An exasperated person is likely quite angry, so "delighted" is an excellent antonym for this word.

A stolid person is calm and dependable. Often, such people are unemotional as well. Such a personality is greatly contrasted to one that could be called "tempestuous"—which takes its name from the idea of a strong storm (a "tempest"). A tempestuous personality is very emotional, with changes and conflicts in overall emotional character.

Valor is a courage that will face almost anything. To be "valiant" is to have such courage and to lack fear. Someone who is "temerarious" might lack fear but such a person is more than likely just rash and unthinking. The words "trepidatious" and "tremulous" are generally synonymous of "fearful". The best option, therefore, is "valiant."

Something that is "superior" is above another thing. The prefix "super-" or "supra-" means above—either physically or metaphorically. A "superior" can be a person who is placed "above" another person in rank. When something is "subordinate," it is below something or someone else. The prefix "sub-" means under (as in "submarine," "subconscious," and "subpar"). To be "subordinate" is literally to be ordered below. Its general English meaning is lower in position.

When things are strewn, they are spread apart or scattered. We rarely use the verb "strew," but the participial adjective "strewn" is much more common. For instance, we say, "The papers were strewn all over the floor," meaning "The papers were spread all over the floor." The opposite of being "strewn" is being gathered up. This is the case with an "accumulation," literally meaning, a gathering together. An "accumulation" of snow is so called because of the gathering of the snowflakes together.

The "prox-" in "proximate" comes from Latin roots for close or near. When things are in proximity, they are close to each other. When we "approximate" a number, we try to find a number that is "close" to the actual value needed. Something that is "proximate" is close. A "proximate cause" is a cause that is very close to the effect. The electric stove burner is the proximate cause of the heat in the kettle. In contrast to this, the dead matter making up the coal that is used in the power plant is a "remote" cause—one that is distant and somewhat "removed" from the direct causal situation.

The prefix "post-" comes from the Latin meaning after. A "post-mortem" investigation is one that happens after death, and a "post-prom party" is one that happens after the prom itself. Something that is "posterior" comes after something else. For example, we could say, "The night class was posterior to a much more interesting class that Tom took in the morning." The prefix "ante-" means before. Something that "antecedes" comes before another thing.

When someone is fastidious, that person pays attention to details with great care. For instance, a "fastidious dresser" is someone who likely cleans, presses, and matches his or her clothes very well—down to the last detail. In contrast to such a personality, we can consider someone who is lax with such details. We would describe such a person as being "heedless." If we heed something, we pay attention to it. To be "heedless" is to give no such "heed"—i.e. attention—to matters.

The character trait "industry" means diligence. To be industrious is to be very careful and strenuous about the needs of work to be done. In contrast to this, the vice "sloth" indicates a kind of laziness and unwillingness to work. Someone who is "slothful" is quite the opposite of an "industrious" person.