choppiest
Waves at maximum
Choppiest is the superlative of choppy—the most agitated or broken up.
Water is choppiest when waves are short, irregular, and rough: The lake was choppiest near the inlet where currents collided.
Prose or film editing can be choppiest when transitions are abrupt and jarring.
Enlarges or billows
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- whitecapsFoam-topped breaking waves
- breakersWaves that collapse shoreward
- billowsRolling masses that surge
surge · squall · tempest · gales · stormy · raging · heaving · tossing
Lacking orderly sequence
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- staccatoShort, separated note style
- abruptSharp and unexpected
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
inconsistent · halting · stilted · patchy · irregular · jerky · clipped · terse
Moving unsteadily, abruptly
- buffetingRepeated striking or jolting
- bouncingSpringing back repeatedly
- joltingShaking with sudden force
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
jerky · bumpy · shaky · unsteady · pitching · rocking · swaying · vibrating
Severs or reduces
- splicedBound by interweaving
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- discontinuousHaving breaks or gaps
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
abrupt · jump-cuts · segmented · disjointed · montage · pacing · transitions · footage
swells
Enlarges or billows
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- whitecapsFoam-topped breaking waves
- breakersWaves that collapse shoreward
billows · surge · squall · tempest · gales · stormy · raging · heaving · tossing · roiling
disjointed
Lacking orderly sequence
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- staccatoShort, separated note style
- abruptSharp and unexpected
uneven · inconsistent · halting · stilted · patchy · irregular · jerky · clipped · terse · broken
lurching
Moving unsteadily, abruptly
- buffetingRepeated striking or jolting
- bouncingSpringing back repeatedly
- joltingShaking with sudden force
jarring · jerky · bumpy · shaky · unsteady · pitching · rocking · swaying · vibrating · rattling
cuts
Severs or reduces
- splicedBound by interweaving
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- discontinuousHaving breaks or gaps
jarring · abrupt · jump-cuts · segmented · disjointed · montage · pacing · transitions · footage · sequences