No need for these two words to duke it out; each one has its place. Fight refers to, among other things, a physical struggle or contest between two or more people, with or without weapons: sent home from school for fighting. Fracas has a much more particular and vivid meaning. For fracas to be a strong substitute for fight, the conflict in question must be a loud and disorderly scuffle and involve anywhere from two people to a small group. A fracas could break out or erupt among football supporters in the stands, between a belligerent drunk and the police, or even on the floor of a government’s parliament.

To urge is to insistently and earnestly ask someone to take a particular action: urge someone to see a doctor. Urge suggests pressing or leading someone verbally, similar to the way an urge we have can move us to act. Exhort, from a Latin verb meaning “to encourage,” suggests a high or moral endeavor relying on passionate arguments to persuade. Exhorting may take the form of advising or warning in the effort to convince (“Ask not what your country can do for you…”), and it is often on a larger scale: a crowd, followers, troops, or readers who are exhorted by a leader. You might use exhort instead of urge when the context calls for this word’s particularity, but it is also used as an alternative to urge in everyday contexts: she exhorted her child to eat the oatmeal.

Aha! Both of these nouns describe a moment of clarity, when we intuitively discover the true nature or meaning of something. An insight often appears as something given or provided to us by another person, or by a book, documentary, or article: provides a valuable insight into the poet’s process. Even putting aside the overuse of insight (Thank you for your insights!), an epiphany is an insight on a much grander scale, so much so that many of us are more familiar with it as a literary device. Epiphany suggests a sudden revelation or realization of a truth of great significance to us, usually triggered, sparked, or inspired by something ordinary or commonplace. Typical adjectives used with epiphany are personal, sudden, spiritual, and life-changing. An epiphany is a personal paradigm shift, which changes the way one sees everything.