Words from
unrelieved
lacking any break or alleviation from something difficult or unpleasant.
asperity
harshness of tone or manner; roughness of surface.
strident
having a loud, harsh, or insistent quality.
interregnum
a period when normal government is suspended, especially between successive reigns or regimes.
vagaries
unpredictable or erratic changes or actions.
vicissitudes
unwelcome or unpleasant changes of circumstances or fortune.