A word with its meaning and sentence

One of the best and most efficient ways to
learn new words quickly and build up your vocabulary is to see how they are used in a sentence.

Learning words by seeing how they are used in a sentence is called
learning vocabulary in context. It is considered much more efficient than just memorizing the word and its meanings. It’s also much more interesting. 

When you learn vocabulary in context, you look at the word and its meaning, then read or hear a sentence that uses that word. This helps you internalize the meaning of the word and can also help you see how to use that word to make your own sentences. So, you are not just improving your vocabulary, you are also
picking up grammar tips as well. 

In this post, we’re going to show you 50 words with their meanings and sentences. We’re also going to provide you

with a PDF file of the words and their meanings and the example sentences at the end of this post.

1. Accommodate

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means that you gave consideration to someone. It’s often used to say that you agreed to a request.

Sentence:

The shopkeeper accommodated Jack’s request to buy a toothbrush, even if he was already closing up.

2. Advantageous

Meaning:

This is an adjective that means that you gave or were given an advantage. It is
a synonym for favorable.

Sentence:

They specifically looked for a hostel near the train station as it would be advantageous for their travel plans.

3. Absolve

Meaning:

This verb is used to say that you have forgiven someone or decided that they are not guilty

Sentence:

After listening to their story, the policeman absolved them and turned their attention to the truck driver.

4. Antidote

Meaning:

An antidote is a noun that means something that will relieve or counteract the negative effects of something. It’s commonly used to talk about a cure for poison.

Sentence: 

A stroll in the sunny park was the perfect antidote to Mark’s bad mood.

5. Boredom

Meaning: 

You can use this noun to say that you, or someone else, are very disinterested in what is happening or about the current state of affairs. Most of the time, people who are suffering from boredom need to try something new.

Sentence:

Boredom drove me to finally pursue my dream of
learning Russian.

6. Broach

Meaning: 

You can
use this verb if you want to say that someone introduced a topic into the conversation.

Sentence:

The teacher broached the subject about different
swear words in Chinese.

7. Clannish

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to describe a group of people who are very close and as such rather closed off or standoffish towards others.

Sentence:

Their clannish behavior makes it hard to approach them to ask for help.

8. Competence

Meaning:

This noun is used to indicate that someone is considered capable of
doing a good job.

Sentence:

Fred’s competence as an engineer led to his being entrusted with several projects for the organization.

9. Compassion

Meaning:

This is a noun that is used to describe acting with kindness or pity.

Sentence:

Show some compassion for those left homeless by the fire and donate some clothes you no longer use.

10. Consider 

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means to think carefully about a decision you need to make.

Sentence:

Before deciding what language to learn, you need to consider what language is
important for your career.

11. Cull

Meaning:

This is a noun that means to reduce the population of a group of animals by killing a select few.

Sentence:

The farmer will cull sickly chickens in the hope of saving the flock.

12. Dauntless

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe a person or a person’s actions that are considered bold or brave. It also implies that they are persistent in the face of danger or people advising them to change their minds.

Sentence:

The most famous explorers in history needed to be dauntless in the face of the unknown.

13. Dreary

Meaning: 

The adjective is used to describe a situation or a person that is gloomy or cheerless.

Sentence:

Dark clouds and the hint of rain cast a dreary light over the beach.

14. Evident

Meaning:

This adjective is used to say that something is clear, easily seen, or understood.

Sentence:

Bert’s eagerness to learn is evident in the way he keeps asking for
new lists of idioms and their meanings.

15. Flurry

Meaning: 

This noun is a synonym for the commotion. It means that a lot of activity is taking place.

Sentence:

The news that their mother was on the way home caused a flurry of activity as the children put away their toys.

16. Fickle

Meaning:

You can use this adjective to indicate that someone changes their mind often.

Sentence:

Mark was very fickle when we were younger; he first wanted to be a doctor, then an actor, before he decided to just go to culinary school.

17. Fictitious

Meaning:

This word is an adjective that describes something that is imaginary. A character in a fiction book is fictitious.

Sentence:

I know he is a fictitious character, but I would love to find my own Mr. Darcy.

18. Irate

Meaning:

You use this adjective when you want to say that someone is angry and irritated.

Sentence:

Polly was irate that John and his friends insisted on playing loud music as she tried to study.

19. Gambol

Meaning: 

You can use this verb if you want to say that someone or something is running and jumping around in a playful manner.

Sentence:

Watching the children gambol with their new puppy really lifted my spirits.

20. Grotesque

Meaning: 

You can use this adjective to say that you think something is very ugly and odd-looking. 

Sentence:

The gargoyles on medieval cathedrals were deliberately carved to be as grotesque as possible.

21. Jubilant

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to imply that someone is extremely, visibly happy about something.

Sentence:

Henry and Paul were so jubilant over their football team winning they were dancing in the street.

22. Justifiable

Meaning: 

When you use this adjective, you are saying that someone’s actions were reasonable or acceptable.

Sentence:

Given the fact that she needed to take her cat to the vet this morning, it was justifiable that Karen was later to our lunch.

23. Laud

Meaning: 

This is a verb that means that someone is praising someone else in a public setting.

Sentence:

The mayor lauded the efforts of the city’s firemen in quickly putting out the blaze.

24. Laconic

Meaning:

This is an adjective that means brief. It’s usually meant to describe a short answer to a question. A laconic person is someone who can be referred to by
the idiom “man of few words”.

Sentence:

The always laconic Pedro just said “yes” to the proposal.

25. Mammoth

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe something that is very, very big. Synonyms for this word are huge and enormous.

Sentence: 

The huge burger also came with a mammoth heap of fries.

26. Meddlesome

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe behavior that is considered interfering or intrusive. The English idiom “stick their nose in” describes a meddlesome person.

Sentence: 

The problem with a small town is the many meddlesome neighbors.

27. Misstep

Meaning:

People use this verb when they want to say someone misjudged the situation and did the wrong thing.

Sentence:

Mary made a misstep when she mentioned the professor’s ex-wife.

28. Obtuse

Meaning: 

This adjective is basically a synonym for stupid. Someone who is obtuse doesn’t seem to comprehend what is happening around them.

Sentence:

Bobby is so obtuse he didn’t understand that Fred was making fun of him.

29. Officious

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is overeager and offering unwanted help.

Sentence:

Allan and Betty just wanted to browse, but the officious salesperson trailing them around made them uncomfortable.

30. Opulence

Meaning:

This is a noun that denotes a show of wealth or abundance.

Sentence:

The opulence of the grand hotel had them staring around in awe.

31. Overt

Meaning:

This adjective is used to say that something is obvious. It is a synonym for apparent.

Sentence:

There were no overt signs that Zoe had heard Dan and Ben talking about her.

32. Pallid

Meaning: 

This adjective is used to describe someone who is pale and white. It’s usually meant to say that someone looks unhealthy.

Sentence:

After coming home from the hospital, friends were concerned about how pallid John still looked.

33. Paragon

Meaning: 

A paragon is someone who is considered a perfect example. This noun is a synonym for model.

Sentences:

Superheroes were originally meant to be paragons of humanity.

34. Pariah

Meaning: 

This is a noun that is used to describe someone who is a social outcast or who is being shunned by the majority of their social group.

Sentence:

After Ben was caught trying to pass off Mandy’s work as his own, he became the office pariah.

35. Perfunctory

Meaning:

This adjective is used to describe how someone performs a dull and routine task. Someone performs their duty perfunctory if they do it and do it properly but have little interest in it.  

Sentence:

Alice was a perfunctory employee; she accomplished her tasks and went home.

36. Precocious

Meaning:

This adjective is usually used when describing children. It means that someone displays behavior that is advanced for their age.

Sentence: 

Sally was always precocious; she was reading Shakespeare by age seven.

37. Propensity

Meaning: 

This is a noun that is used to say that someone has a natural inclination or preference for something.

Sentence:

While Sam is very smart, he has a propensity to be dismissive of others’ opinions.

38. Quandary

Meaning:

This is a noun that means a difficult situation or decision.

Sentence:

 Having to decide between his job and an
opportunity to study abroad had Harry in a quandary.

39. Querulous

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is fretful or has a habit of whining or complaining.

Sentence:

While Mindy loved working at the nursing home, Mr. Santos strained her patients with his querulous questions about meals.

40. Ransack

Meaning: 

When you use the verb ransack you are saying that someone was searching for something so frantically, that they made a huge mess.

Sentence:

I ransacked my room looking for my phone and it turned out to be behind the sofa cushions. 

41. Rebuke

Meaning:

This is a verb that means to scold or criticize someone.

Sentence:

Seeing how hurt Peter was at Alice’s words, Lucy rebuked her friend.

42. Revelry 

Meaning:

This is a noun to denote a feeling of festivity or celebration.

Sentence: 

The revelry of the town festival is something you don’t want to miss.

43. Rift

Meaning: 

A rift is a division or a gap. You can use this noun to say that two people disagreed about something and it ruined their relationship.

Sentence:

The rift between Tom and Nick happened when they found themselves competing for the same job.

44. Simpleton

Meaning:

This noun is used for someone who is not very bright or who has a low mental capacity.

Sentence:

He’s a simpleton and doesn’t really understand why people laugh at him.

45. Spurious

Meaning:

The use of this adjective implies that something is false or counterfeit.

Sentence:

Politicians make a lot of spurious promises during the campaign trail.

46. Strain

Meaning:

When someone or something is under strain, they cannot meet the demands of the situation. This noun means that the resources available are just barely meeting the need or are on the verge of running out.

Sentence:

Between losing her job and her mortgage, having to pay for car repairs really strained Jenny’s budget.

47. Teem

Meaning:

You can use this verb to say that something is full or overflowing.

Sentence: 

The bar was teeming with language learners hoping to practice their conversational skills.

48. Tout

Meaning: 

This verb means that someone is praising or promoting a person or a product.

Sentence:

Much of my makeup collection consists of products touted by my favorite beauty bloggers.

49. Tranquil

Meaning: 

This is an adjective that is used to describe someone who is at peace or to say that the mood is peaceful.

Sentence:

The tranquil mood of the quiet beach was just what I needed to destress after a tough week.

50. Unscathed

Meaning:

This adjective describes someone or something that was untouched or unhurt by a bad situation like an accident.

Sentence: 

While Kyle had a small cut on his forehead, Lindsey was unscathed by the accident.

Conclusion

Here is a PDF of these 50 words with meaning and sentences that you can download, print, and study at your leisure.

If you really want to learn how to use these words in daily conversation, however, we suggest you take this list and go through the words with an online native English language speaking tutor. 

A good tutor can provide you with other examples of how to use these words properly and help you work on your pronunciation and accent. 

Synonym: communicate, express, phrase, put, say, tell, voice. Similar words: in a word, in other words, cord, order, work, record, in order, border. Meaning: [wɜrd /wɜːd]  n. 1. a unit of language that native speakers can identify 2. a brief statement 3. new information about specific and timely events 4. the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity (incarnate in Jesus) 5. a promise 6. a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group 7. an exchange of views on some topic 8. the sacred writings of the Christian religions 9. a verbal command for action 10. a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory. v. put into words or an expression. 

But one is obliged to find the meaning of the conflict, that collision of selves which the Middle Passage entails.
The meaning of the text has been the subject of considerable debate among scholars for many years.
Counterfactual verbal irony, in which the literal meaning of an utterance is directly opposite its intended meaning, is a figurative language form.
This paper explores how multivocal appeals, meaning appeals that have distinct meanings to different audiences, work with respect to religious language.
The literal meaning of Wrocensaete is ‘those dwelling at Wrocen’, which Higham interprets as Wroxeter.
Many sources state the meaning of Rhondda as ‘noisy’, though this is a simplified translation without research.
Cultural conflict over a brand’s meaning have also been shown to influence the diffusion of an innovation.
The following mental exercise may illustrate the meaning of topographic prominence.
Alternatively, it can mean verse which has a monotonous rhythm, easy rhyme, and cheap or trivial meaning.
The term raptor is derived from the Latin word rapere, meaning to seize or take by force.
Lassiter ended there with dry humor, yet behind that was meaning. Jane blushed and made arch eyes at him.
The genus name Circus is derived from Ancient Greek kirkos, meaning ‘circle’, referring to a bird of prey named for its circling flight.
Lineation is very much a matter of syntax, organizing the poem’s grammar across its lines in ways significant and central to the poem’s meaning.
A long list of code words were developed to help make messages both quick to send and clear in meaning.
Derivatives give an exact meaning to the notion of change in output with respect to change in input.
The original meaning was confined to systems in which the government operates health care facilities and employs health care professionals.
Because Plato allowed them to co-exist, the meaning and connotations of the one overlap those of the other, and ambiguities arise.
The second half of the compound word, lore, proves easier to define as its meaning has stayed relatively stable over the last two centuries.
However it is now accepted that technology and materials were part of conscious choices indivisible from their social meaning.
Laws are a dead letter, without courts to expound and define their true meaning and operation.
Show More Sentences

Have you ever come across a word and deciphered its meaning only to know at the end that it meant something different? If this sounds familiar, this blog on 50 difficult words with meaning is for you. 

You must be wondering about the importance of learning difficult words in English. Well, these words can help you sail through competitive exams, enhance your communication skills, and many such things. Read ahead to learn about more such benefits of learning difficult words.

Benefits of improving your vocabulary

1. It will help you tackle aptitude tests

Popular study abroad tests like GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, SAT, etc. all have vocabulary sections and are very important when you’re applying to a university or looking for a job after graduation.

2. It will make it easier for you to interact with your peers abroad

You don’t wanna feel lost when they drop one of these words in your conversation. Because you may not believe it, they use these words way more often than we do.

3. It will sharpen your mind

That’s right, learning new words and languages hones the critical side of your brain! Which, as I’ve already said, is super important to nail your aptitude tests.

4. It will help you express yourself better

Have you ever felt like you can’t express yourself through words? The more you expand your vocabulary, the more opportunity you have to express your thoughts and emotions accurately.

5. It will help you succeed in your career

The more effective your communication skills are higher the chance you have of climbing the ladder of success! When you communicate smartly, you can influence and inspire people all around.

Case in point, let’s take a look at these 50 difficult words with meaning and expand our knowledge! But wait-

Why should I care about your list of 50 difficult words with meaning?

The first thing you should do while preparing for your GMAT or GRE is take a mock test. This will give you an idea of what your current aptitude levels are.

So what does that have to do with learning difficult words?

When you take the mock tests, you may find it difficult to understand the questions.

Not because the questions are difficult in themselves, but because they are written using words that are difficult to understand.

What’s more, the options given for the answer are even tougher to comprehend!

For example, here’s a Sentence Completion question from the Verbal Section of GRE–

Question

Colleagues describe Padgett as both forthright and reticent, humble and (i)………….., good-natured and (ii) …………. . And in her behavior as a businesswoman, Padgett herself does little to (iii) …………. these contradictions. She says she is pro-employee but is avowedly anti-union. She calls herself a pro customer but acknowledges that she runs a store with higher profit margins and prices than almost any other grocer.

Answer

(i) – a) diffident b) eccentric c) arrogant

(ii) – a) pricky b) solicitous c) phlegmatic

(iii) – a) dispel b) fulfill c) accentuate

Do you see what I’m trying to say?

GRE has 3 sections, with Verbal being one of the toughest ones.

The GMAT has 4 sections, namely, Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Integrated Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. You need a strong vocabulary to score well in 3 of these sections in the exam.

This is where our list of 50 difficult words with meanings comes in.

50 difficult words with meanings and sentences

Without further ado-

1. Belie – To give a false representation to; misrepresent
   Example – The smile on his lips belies the pain he’s been feeling 
2. Arrant – Complete and wholly
   Example – You are an arrant fool
3. Untoward – Inconvenient
   Example – I find attending lectures on Zoom untoward as it does not make me feel included in the class
4. Byzantine – Complex and intricate
   Example – You can’t just end a marriage like that, you have to complete the byzantine procedures of filing a divorce case in the courts
5. Conciliate – To make peace with
   Example – All attempts at conciliation have failed and civil war seems inevitable
6. Equivocate – To speak vaguely, with the intention of misleading someone
   Example – Politicians often say that they will work on the issue of climate change, but they are just equivocating to get the votes
7. Truculent – Have a fierce, savage nature
   Example – The truculent attitude of farmers to cheaper imports is inspiring
8. Diatribe – A verbal attack against a person
   Example – Because Sheila was unhappy with the administration, she launched a lengthy diatribe against the board during lunch.
9. Quisling – A traitor
   Example – He had the quisling owner of the factory arrested
10. Artless – without cunning or deceit
    Example – My artless comment was mistaken for rudeness

40 more to go!

1. Blinkered – To have a limited perspective
   Example – They’ve got a very blinkered view of life
2. Maudlin – Overly emotional
   Example – You didn’t invite me out here to listen to my maudlin rambling.
3. Invective – Abusive language
   Example – A woman had hurled racist invective at the family.
4. Remonstrate – To make objections while pleading
   Example – Whenever I refuse my young daughter anything, she likes to remonstrate by stomping her feet on the floor
5. Sartorial – Related to fashion
   Example – The wedding party arrived in sartorial splendor.
6. Sybarite – A person who indulges in luxury
   Example – A Sybarite on an inadequate income, was ever the man of action.
7. Inundate – Flooded
   Example – Her office was inundated with requests for tickets.
8. Curmudgeon – A surly person
   Example – Clearly, I only play a curmudgeon in the newspaper. 
9. Anodyne – Something that soothes or relieves pain
   Example – Morphine is the greatest anodyne we possess, and no drug yet discovered equals it in pain-relieving power. 
10. Gaffe – A socially awkward act
    Example – He didn’t realize what a gaffe he’d made.

30 more to go!

1. Vie – Compete for something
   Example – They are both vying for the same managerial position.
2. Decimation – Killing a large part of the population
   Example – It is likely the category five hurricane will decimate the small beach town.
3. Garrulous – Talking too much
   Example – He was so garrulous that he could not keep a secret.
4. Hubris – Overbearing pride
   Example – Her humble attitude was refreshing in a society to be saturated by hubris.
5. Dovetail – To fit together tightly
   Example – I’m following up on a few things that might dovetail.
6. Impetuous – Characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
   Example – In the past, impetuous young men would drop out of college and run off to join the army.
7. Circumlocution – Expressing someone in an indirect way
   Example – His admission came after years of circumlocution.
8. Surreptitious – Taking pains not to be caught or detected
   Example – He made a surreptitious recording with a concealed hand-held machine. 
9. Peripatetic – Traveling by foot
   Example – He had a peripatetic career as a salesman.
10. Magisterial – Someone who exercises unwarranted power
    Example – Their jurisdictions coincide for the most part with the magisterial and fiscal boundaries.

20 more to go!

1. Asperity – Harsh in manner 
   Example – There was a touch of asperity in his tone.
2. Decry – Express strong disapproval of 
   Example – He is impatient with those who decry the scheme.
3. Puerile – Displaying a lack of maturity 
   Example – Since my son is thirty-three years of age, I do not find his puerile behavior amusing.
4. Incontrovertible – Impossible to deny
   Example – We have incontrovertible evidence of what took place.
5. Inviolate – Something that must be kept sacred 
   Example – The constitution proclaims that public property shall be inviolate.
6. Puissant – Powerful
   Example – The young man has a puissant body.
7. Cosset – Excessive indulgence
   Example – He cosseted her with flowers and champagne.
8. Eclectic – Deriving the best ideas and styles from a diverse range of sources
   Example – My universities offer an eclectic mix of courses.
9. Iconoclast – Someone who criticizes or attacks cherished ideas and beliefs
   Example – His son Gegnesius 722 was taken to Constantinople, where he won over to his opinions the iconoclast emperor, Leo the Isaurian. 
10. Anachronism – Something that is inappropriate for the given time period
    Example – In today’s computer world, a floppy disk is an anachronism. 

10 more to go!

1. Enormity – An act of extreme wickedness
   Example – She stared at the fire, shocked by the enormity of what she had done.
2. Dolorous – Showing sorrow
   Example – Sally stopped. Then she uttered a dolorous phrase that we could all understand. My dog is dead, she said, as tears filled her eyes.
3. Solicitous – Showing hovering attentiveness
   Example – I appreciated his solicitous inquiry about my health.
4. Impugn – Attack as false or wrong
   Example – Her motives have been scrutinized and impugned.
5. Despot – A cruel and oppressive dictator
   Example – The despot claimed to be the chosen instrument of divine providence.
6. Splenetic – Very irritable
   Example – Next in line for the splenetic outburst of a disaffected supporter: Martin Chuffing Edwards.
7. Abrogate – To revoke 
   Example – The Supreme Court can abrogate laws deemed unconstitutional.
8. Inveterate – Habitual
   Example – She is an inveterate gambler.
9. Officious – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
   Example – ‘I’ll see,’ the nurse said, with an officious toss of her head.
10. Pillory – Ridicule or expose to public scorn
    Example – The offensive thing is that he has been so widely pilloried for doing so.

Some bonus words for you

1. Abject- without any hope 

Example- He lives in abject poverty. 

2. Candor- Honest

Example- She treated the matter with great candor. 

3. Cogent- Persuasive

Example- He had a cogent argument to make. 

4. Dearth- Shortage/scarcity

Example- The team has no dearth of good players. 

5. Evanescent- Short-lived

Example- The photographer perfectly captured that evanescent moment.

6. Cognizant-Aware 

Example- He is cognizant of the ongoing issue. 

7. Fatuous- Lack of intelligence 

Example- I was shocked by his fatuous remark. 

8. Mendacious- Lying

Example- Do not give them another mendacious story. It’s time you tell the truth. 

9. Disparate- Distinct 

Example- We are trying to put all disparate ideas to execute this plan. 

10. Ubiquitous– Present everywhere 

Example- He is one of the most ubiquitous media personalities today. 

I can’t remember difficult English words with meanings

I know! I’ve been there. This is why I’m going to share an amazing trick that Memory Athletes use to remember difficult words.

Sure, you’ll find a lot of resources both online and offline (we’re gonna cover that soon). Some of them will tell you to speak out loud and memorize the words every day until the day of your exam. Others will ask you to look at examples and use these words in your everyday life.

But they can only help you remember these words for maybe a week or two.

The method used by Memory Athletes, on the other hand, helped me so much I can remember the meanings of these words even today!

How to remember difficult English words?

We have ten amazing tips that will blow your mind!

1. Read the word and try to relate it to something you already know.
2. Break it into two words if that makes things easier for you.
   For example – for the word Inundated – I broke it into 3 words – ‘in’ ‘a’ and ‘date’
3. Create a mental image of these words in your mind
   I imagined myself being on a date with a guy
4. Relate this image to the actual meaning of the word!
5. Have fun while learning. Play word puzzles and quiz yourself when you want to relax.
6. Be more observant of what you read. Instead of glancing over unknown words, look up the meaning and note them down. 
7. Learn with a friend. Sometimes learning words can become mundane, so take the help of your friends and build your knowledge. 
8. Learn a few words at a time and don’t overburden yourself. Learn around 8-10 words a day.
9. Use these new words in your day-to-day life to retain them better. 
10. Revise what you have learned a day later and then a week later. 

How? Let’s see-
Inundated means Flooded
So I imagined that the restaurant I was in started to flood!

I know what you’re thinking – it’s crazy.

But it works, doesn’t it? 

Now, you’ll never forget what inundated means.

Try out this trick with the words on this list and have fun while memorizing them. You’re welcome!

What are some of the most misspelled words?

When it comes to acing the English section, only learning the words is not enough. You need to learn to spell them the right way. So, here are some of the most misspelled words that you need to get right!

Misspelling	Correct spelling
Acomodate	Accommodate
Acheive	Achieve
Comitte	Committee
Definately	Definitely
Embaras	Embarrass
Fourty	Forty
Irrestable	Irresistible
Appearence	Appearance
Calender	Calendar
Concience	Conscience

Some confusing words you should know about 

Besides misspelling certain words, you might get confused with the usage of some words. So, here are some of the most commonly misused words. 

• Accept and Except 

Accept refers to accepting something, whereas except means to exclude something. 

• Illicit and Elicit 

Illicit is the other name for being unlawful. On the other hand, elicit means to evoke. 

• Effect and Affect 

While effect means an outcome, affect means influence. 

• Their, There, and They’re

While ‘their’ is a possessive word, there means a location, and ‘they’re’ is the contraction of ‘they are.’

Difficult words to pronounce in English 

Now that we have learned more than 50 new words with meaning, it’s time to pronounce some difficult words. Here you go! 

Word	Pronunciation
Accessory	ak-ses–uh-ree
Balmoral	bal-maw-ruh
Colonel	kur-nl
Epitome	uh–pi–tuh–mee
Hyperbole	hahy-pur-buh-lee

Where can I find more such words?

You’ll find online articles giving you multiple suggestions, including books like Six Weeks to Words of Power, Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder, and 1100 Words You Need to Know.

But instead of being swamped with so many books to read, I suggest you use only these 2 resources-

1. Word Power by Norman Lewis

This book is a delightful read!

In it, you will have to learn only 10 words a day.

But the teaching method (breaking down the word etymology) of the author is so phenomenal that you’ll end up understanding the meanings behind a thousand words by the end of this book.

What’s more, it has several exercises in the middle, that help you improve your grammatical and syntactic skills. This is perfect for those attempting tests like SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS, etc.

2. The GRE Vocabulary Flashcards on Magoosh

This app has hundreds of flashcards you can read from.

Go through a few flashcards every day, over and over again. Read the meanings, use the trick I gave above to remember these words, and look at the examples.

Then do it all over again. Because when it comes to remembering vocabulary words with meaning, practice will make you perfect!

3. 500 Absolutely Essential Words 

This is for people who want to build a foundation for strong English. The book has over 500 frequently used words with meanings and sample sentences, short reading passages, exercises, etc. This makes it quite helpful for students preparing for English proficiency exams.

4. English Vocabulary in Use Series

This series by Cambridge University Press can be used by students of all levels to improve their vocabulary. If you are preparing for TOEFL or IELTS, grab this series to score well in your exam. Each of these books is designed per various skill levels and gets more technical. It includes the following books-

• Elementary Vocabulary 
• Basic Vocabulary in Use
• Pre-intermediate and Intermediate Vocabulary
• Upper-Intermediate Vocabulary
• Advanced Vocabulary

5. Oxford Learner’s Pocket Word Skills

This book by Oxford has 32 modules, each covering various areas of different topics. It has over 180 topics with 3500 keywords and phrases presented in context. It also covers essay writing and spoken English sections. You can also test your knowledge with its ‘Cover and Check’ cards. This book is ideal for students preparing for Cambridge exams and IELTS.

How can I improve my vocabulary?

Here are a few ways you can learn more words and expand your vocabulary – 

• Build a habit of reading. You must read all kinds of texts – fiction, academic papers, articles, and interviews – to build a solid vocabulary and improve comprehension. 
• Keep a thesaurus and a dictionary handy, and learn to use the new words in the right context. 
• If you want to memorize words faster, you can try making flashcards for reference.
• Write. You can write about any topic that interests you, like laughter, your favorite movie, or a superhero. If you can’t come up with a topic, look for prompts online!
• Listening to music and watching movies in any language is a great way to build and strengthen your vocabulary.
• Moreover, making it a habit to converse in that language regularly can help you use the new words you learn effectively.

Key takeaways 

• Vocabulary is an important aspect of various competitive exams, including IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, SAT, GRE, etc. It is essential for you to enhance your vocabulary to ace these exams.
• To begin with, you can go through these difficult words with meanings and try to use these words in your everyday life. 
• You can also use these words to enhance your English speech to grab people’s attention. 
• Besides learning more than 50 difficult words with meaning, you can also read books, journals, listen to music, etc., to enhance your vocabulary.
• So, grab your notebook and prepare well by revising these words!  

There you have it – 50 (well, 60) difficult words with meaning, resources to find more, and tips to remember these oh-so-new words.

If you think we should add something more to our blog about ’50 difficult words with meaning,’ reach out to us.

Or…drop a comment!

Liked this blog? Read next: Top 9 motivational speeches students should listen to

FAQs

Q1. What are the 10 difficult words?

Answer – Here are 10 difficult words you should look at-

1. Capitulate
2. Divisive
3. Extant
4. Fetter
5. Hegemony
6. Inoculate
7. Linchpin
8. Mores
9. Pariah
10. Reprobate

Q2. What is the hardest word to say?

Answer – Worcestershire is one of the hardest words to get right in English.

Q3. What is the most used word?

Answer – The most used word in English is ‘the.’

Q4. What is the oldest word?

Answer- Some of the words that researchers believe date back 15000 years include-

• Bark
• Mother
• Spit

Q5. Is vocabulary important for GRE?

Answer- Yes, having a strong vocabulary is crucial for you to score well on GRE. The Verbal Reasoning section is all about testing your vocabulary by asking questions on antonyms, analogies, sentence completion, etc. It is also one of the toughest sections of the exam. Therefore,  go through the difficult words with meaning to ace this section. 

Q6. What is contextual vocabulary?

Answer- Contextual vocabulary includes guessing the meaning of words by understanding the sentence without depending on a dictionary. 

Q7. What is the best way to retain difficult words for a longer period of time?

Answer- You can start by reading the words and jotting them down with the meaning. Then, try to use those difficult words in sentences to memorize them. 

Q8. What is a very long word?

Answer- Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is one of the longest difficult words in the English dictionary. 

A technology that strives to understand human communication must be able to understand meaning in language. In this post, we take a deeper look at a core component of our expert.ai technology, the semantic disambiguator, and how it determines word meaning and sentence meaning via disambiguation.

To start, let’s clarify our definitions of words and sentences from a linguistic point of view.

Word Meaning and Sentence Meaning in Semantics

Semantics is the study of the meaning of words, phrases, sentences and text. This can be broken down into subcategories such as formal semantics (logical aspects of meaning), conceptual semantics (cognitive structure of meaning) and today’s focus of lexical semantics (word and phrase meaning).

A “word” is a string of characters that can have different meanings (jaguar: car or animal?; driver: one who drives a vehicle or the part of a computer?; rows, the plural noun or the third singular person of the verb to row?). A “sentence” is a group of words that express a complete thought. To fully capture the meaning of a sentence, we need to understand how words relate to other words.

Going Back to School

To understand word meaning and sentence meaning, our semantic disambiguator engine must be able to automatically resolve ambiguities with any word in a text.

Let’s consider this sentence:

John Smith is accused of the murders of two police officers.

To understand the word meaning and sentence meaning in any phrase, the disambiguator performs four consecutive phases of analysis:

Lexical Analysis

During this phase, the stream of text is broken up into meaningful elements called tokens. The sequence of “atomic” elements resulting from this process will be further elaborated in the next phase of analysis.

• John > human proper noun
• Smith > human proper noun
• is > verb
• accused > noun
• of > preposition
• the > article

Grammatical Analysis

During this phase, each token in the text is assigned a part of speech. The semantic disambiguator can recognize any inflected forms and conjugations as well as identify nouns, proper nouns and so on.

Starting from a mere sequence of tokens, what results from this elaboration is a sequence of elements. Some of them have been grouped to form collocations (e.g., police officer) and every token or group of tokens is represented by a block that identifies its part of speech.

• John Smith > human proper noun
• is accused > predicate nominal

Syntactical Analysis

During this phase, the disambiguator operates several word grouping operations on different levels to reproduce the way that words are linked to one another to form sentences. Sentences are further analyzed to attribute a logical role to each phrase (subject, predicate, object, verb, complement, etc.) and identify relationships between them and other complements whenever possible. In our example, the sentence is made of a single independent clause, where John Smith is recognized as subject of the sentence.

• John Smith > subject
• is accused > nominal predicate

Semantic Analysis

During the last and most complex phase, the tokens recognized during grammatical analysis are associated with a specific meaning. Though each token can be associated to several concepts, the choice is made by considering the base form of each token with respect to its part of speech, the grammatical and syntactical characteristics of the token, the position of the token in the sentence and its relation to the syntactical elements surrounding it.

Like the human brain, the disambiguator eliminates all candidate terms for each token except one, which will be definitively assigned to the token. When it comes across an unknown element in a text (e.g., human proper names), it tries to infer word meaning and sentence meaning by considering the context in which each token appears to determine its meaning.

• Is accused > to accuse > to blame
• police officer > policeman, police woman, law enforcement officer

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Want to learn more about the disambiguation process? Take a deep dive in our brief, “Disambiguation: The Key to Contextualization“.