abate
The definition for abate is "Become less in amount or intensity." Used in a sentence: Just when it seemed the rain would never stop, the storm suddenly began to abate.
buffer
The definition for buffer is "Protective barrier." Used in a sentence: The dense trees acted as a buffer against the heavy rain.
catastrophic
The definition for catastrophic is "Relating to extreme misfortune." Used in a sentence: The effects of the massive hurricane were catastrophic.
demean
The definition for demean is "To lower status." Used in a sentence: The embarrassing photograph demeaned the candidate in the eyes of the voters.
polarize
The definition for polarize is "To break up into opposing groups." Used in a sentence: Thelma tended to polarize discussions rather than to encourage compromise.