Difficult word with easy meaning

50 Difficult Words with Meanings. Really? Is it something that matters in the preparation for competitive exams? Or is it even something you should bother going through? The simple answer is YES. Good vocabulary can take you to places in competitive exams as well as in life. Are you ready to learn new difficult words with meanings? Here is the complete list of 50 difficult words with meanings!

This Blog Includes:
  1. Why Improve Your Vocabulary?
  2. 50 Difficult Words with Meanings and Examples
  3. How to Learn the Unfamiliar Words with Meaning?
  4. 20 Hard Words with Meanings
  5. Difficult English Words to Pronounce
  6. [BONUS] 50 Simple Words with Meaning
  7. Importance of Difficult Words in Competitive Exams
  8. Use of English Vocabulary in GMAT
  9. Use of English Vocabulary in GRE
  10. Best Vocabulary Books 
  11. FAQs

Why Improve Your Vocabulary?

Here are some reasons why you must improve your vocabulary:

  1. Study abroad tests such as GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, SAT, etc. include vocabulary sections to test your English proficiency. Hence, practising vocabulary daily can help you score well on these tests.
  2. Developing your vocabulary will sharpen your mind.
  3. Knowing the correct word can help you express your thoughts more accurately.
  4. Developing your vocabulary is a great way to improve your communication skills.

Must Read: Daily Used English Words

50 Difficult Words with Meanings and Examples

  1. Abnegation /abnɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/: Renouncing a belief or doctrine
    Example: “I believe in the abnegation of political power”
  2. Aggrandize /əˈɡrandʌɪz/: enhance power, wealth or status
    Example: It was an action intended to aggrandize the Frankish dynasty.
  3. Alacrity /əˈlakrɪti/: Eagerness
    Example: He accepted the invitation with alacrity.
  4. Anachronistic /ənakrəˈnɪstɪk/: misplaced chronologically
    Example: He is rebelling against the anachronistic morality of his parents.
  5. Archetypal /ˌɑːkɪˈtʌɪp(ə)l/: quintessential of a certain kind
    Example: She is the archetypal country doctor.
  6. Ascetic /əˈsɛtɪk/: one who practices self-denial as part of spiritual discipline
    Example: She has adopted an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour.
  7. Beguile /bɪˈɡʌɪl/: influence someone in a deceptive way
    Example: He beguiled the voters with his good looks.
  8. Blandishment /ˈblandɪʃm(ə)nt/: intentional flattery for persuasion
    Example: The blandishments of the travel brochure.
  9. Cajole /kəˈdʒəʊl/: persuade by flattery or coaxing
    Example: He hoped to cajole her into selling the house.
  10. Callous (/ˈkaləs/: disregard for others
    Example: Her callous comments about the murder made me shiver.
  11. Camaraderie /kaməˈrɑːd(ə)ri/: a sense of solidarity arising out of familiarity and sociability
    Example: I like the enforced camaraderie of office life.
  12. Circumlocution /ˌsəːkəmləˈkjuːʃ(ə)n/: expressing someone in an indirect way
    Example: His admission came after years of circumlocution.
  13. Clamour/ˈklamə/: proclaim something noisily
    Example: The questions rose to a clamour in the meeting.
  14. Cognizant /ˈkɒ(ɡ)nɪz(ə)nt/: awareness or realization
    Example: Politicians must be cognizant of the political boundaries within which they work.
  15. Construe /kənˈstruː/: interpret or assign meaning
    Example: His words could hardly be construed as an apology.
  16. Convivial /kənˈvɪvɪəl/: enjoyable atmosphere or jovial company
    Example: It is a convivial cocktail party.
  17. Demagogue /ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/: a political leader who uses rhetoric to appeal to prejudices and desires of ordinary citizens
    Example: The minister is a gifted demagogue with particular skill in manipulating the press.
  18. Denigrate /ˈdɛnɪɡreɪt/: belittle someone
    Example: Many doom and gloom merchants denigrate their own country.
  19. Didactic /dɪˈdaktɪk/: instructive with a moral intent
    Example: It is a didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice.
  20. Disparate /ˈdɪsp(ə)rət/: of a distinct kind
    Example: They inhabit disparate worlds of thought.

Time to take a breather! You’re almost there! Let’s quickly finish up our list of 50 difficult words with meanings!

50 Difficult Words with Meanings
  1. Eclectic /ɪˈklɛktɪk/: deriving the best ideas and styles from a diverse range of sources
    Example: My university is offering an eclectic mix of courses.
  2. Egregious /ɪˈɡriːdʒəs/: reprehensible or outrageously bad
    Example: It is an egregious abuse of copyright.
  3. Embezzlement /ɛmˈbɛzlm(ə)nt/: misappropriation of funds
    Example: He has charges of fraud and embezzlement.
  4. Enervate /ˈɛnəveɪt/: lacking in vitality or mentally/ morally drained
    Example: The weather has an enervating heat today.
  5. Ephemeral /ɪˈfɛm(ə)r(ə)l/: lasting for a short duration
    Example: Fads are ephemeral: new ones regularly drive out the old.
  6. Equanimity /ˌɛkwəˈnɪmɪti/: maintaining composure in stressful situations
    Example: He accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity.
  7. Fatuous /ˈfatjʊəs/: devoid of intelligence
    Example: It was a fatuous comment.
  8. Gratuitous /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/: uncalled for or unwarranted
    Example: Gratuitous violence was reported.
  9. Iconoclast /ʌɪˈkɒnəklast/: 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. Idiosyncratic /ˌɪdɪə(ʊ)sɪŋˈkratɪk/: something peculiar to an individual
    Example: He emerged as one of the great, idiosyncratic talents of the nineties.
  11. Incumbent /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/: something that is morally binding
    Example: The government realized that it was incumbent on them to act.
  12. Inveterate /ɪnˈvɛt(ə)rət/: habitual
    Example: She is an inveterate gambler.
  13. Libertarian /ˌlɪbəˈtɛːrɪən/: someone who cherishes ideas of free will
    Example: He is studying libertarian philosophy.
  14. Licentious /lʌɪˈsɛnʃəs/: someone who is promiscuous
    Example: The ruler’s tyrannical and licentious behaviour.
  15. Largess /lɑːˈ(d)ʒɛs/: Kindness or Generosity in bestowing gifts or money
    Example: The king can’t bestow these costly jewels with such a largess
  16. Multifarious /ˌmʌltɪˈfɛːrɪəs/: multifaceted or diverse
    Example: The university offers multifarious activities.
  17. Obdurate /ˈɒbdjʊrət/: being stubborn and refusing to change one’s opinion
    Example: I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate.
  18. Ostracism /ˈɒstrəsɪz(ə)m/: excluding a person or certain section from society by majority consent
    Example: “I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate”
  19. Pejorative /pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv/: showing disapproval
    Example: Permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term.
  20. Pertinacious /ˌpəːtɪˈneɪʃəs/: someone who is stubbornly unyielding
    Example: She worked with a pertinacious resistance to interruptions.
  21. Phlegmatic /flɛɡˈmatɪk/: expressing little or no emotion
    Example: He portrays the phlegmatic British character on the show.
  22. Promulgate /ˈprɒm(ə)lɡeɪt/: to broadcast or announce
    Example: These objectives have to be promulgated within the organization.
  23. Quotidian /kwɒˈtɪdɪən/: something that is of daily occurrence
    Example: The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic.
  24. Recalcitrant /rɪˈkalsɪtr(ə)nt/: resistant to authority
    Example: A class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds raided the store.
  25. Sanctimonious /ˌsaŋ(k)tɪˈməʊnɪəs/: the pretence of being morally pious to exhibit moral superiority
    Example: What happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?
  26. Solipsism /ˈsɒlɪpsɪz(ə)m/: the philosophical theory that only the self-existence is known and all that exists
    Example: We cannot avoid the popularity of the solipsism mentality.
  27. Travesty /ˈtravɪsti/: distorting facts or imitation
    Example: The absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice.
  28. Ubiquitous /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/: omnipresent or existing everywhere
    Example: His ubiquitous influence was felt by the family.
  29. Vicissitude /vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/: an unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune
    Example: Her husband’s sharp vicissitudes of fortune.
  30. Vociferous /və(ʊ)ˈsɪf(ə)rəs/: something or someone who is offensively/ conspicuously loud.
    Example: He was a vociferous opponent of the takeover.

Good job! How many of these 50 Difficult Words with Meanings do you remember? No, don’t peep. Be honest. It’s okay even if you remember none of these hard words for now. The task of making yourself familiar with the new difficult words, especially those that we don’t use in our everyday conversations can seem impossible and exhaustive, but fret not for a few simple tricks can help you go a long way. 

Must Read: 50 Difficult Phrases with Meaning

How to Learn the Unfamiliar Words with Meaning?

50 Difficult Words with Meanings

Our mind tends to be more active and learn better when we engage in activities that seem more fun, learning difficult words in English can seem boring but you can make this task more fun and exciting. You and your friends can make placards with difficult words and challenge each other with meanings, the fun activity will keep you engaged and help you keep those difficult words in mind.

If group activities don’t seem like the ideal situation for you, you can make lists of the difficult words and revise them before going to bed, our brain tends to revise the things we learn and observe through the day while we sleep so this might help you learn better.

20 Hard Words with Meanings

Have you memorized 50 difficult words? If yes, we have got another set of hard words that will help you ace competitive exams. Here is the list of hard words in English that you must remember:

  1. Abject /ˈabdʒɛkt/: Experienced or present to the maximum degree
    “The result plunged her into abject misery”
  2. Abscond /əbˈskɒnd,abˈskɒnd/: Leave hurriedly and secretly
    “After her secret was revealed she absconded from the party”
  3. Bereft /bɪˈrɛft/: Deprived of or lacking“
    The house bereft of colours and painting”
  4. Calumny /ˈkaləmni/: The making of false and defamatory statements about someone to damage their reputation
    “He doesn’t seem like a person who would spread a calumny of others”
  5. Capitulate /kəˈpɪtjʊleɪt/: Cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand
    “Our forces were prepared to capitulate enemies”
  6. Umbrage /ˈʌmbrɪdʒ/: Annoyance or offence
    “She took umbrage of his rude comment.”
  7. Emollient /ɪˈmɒlɪənt/: Having the quality of softening or soothing the skin
    “I prefer using an emollient shampoo over others”
  8. Dirge /dəːdʒ/: A lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite
    “When Rachel sang a dirge for her father, everyone had teary eyes”
  9. Dispel /dɪˈspɛl/: make doubt disappear
    “The calmness of the morning dispel Ross’s disappointment”
  10. Epistolary /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌləri/: In the form of letters
    “My grandparent’s college times epistolary collection is very interesting.”
  11. Epistolary /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌləri/: In the form of letters or documents
    Example: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a perfect example of Epistolary.
  12. Exacerbate /ɪɡˈzasəbeɪt,ɛkˈsasəbeɪt/: To make a situation, a bad feeling or a problem worse
    Example: According to a survey stress can cause or exacerbate health conditions the humans.
  13. Forbearance /fɔːˈbɛːr(ə)ns/: Self-control, Patience, Tolerance
    Example: Without forbearance, Ray wouldn’t have cleared his house loan.
  14. Gourmand /ˈɡʊəmənd,ˈɡɔːmənd/: A person who likes and enjoys eating food
    Example: If you are a dessert gourmand, then you must try Kentucky Chocolate Pie.
  15. Heterogeneous /ˌhɛt(ə)rə(ʊ)ˈdʒiːnɪəs/: Diverse in content or character
    Example: I gave him heterogeneous ideas for his master’s thesis topics.
  16. Impecunious /ˌɪmpɪˈkjuːnɪəs/: Having less money or no money at all
    Example: After buying a new house, Sam was so impecunious that he couldn’t even afford Christmas cards.
  17. Pellucid /pɪˈl(j)uːsɪd,pɛˈl(j)uːsɪd/: Clear, Easy to understand, comprehensible
    Example: His pellucid explanation of why he wants to leave the job made higher authorities release him without any conditions.
  18. Philanthropic /.fɪlənˈθrɒpɪk/: An organisation or person promoting the welfare of others
    Example: Because of the financial aid received by the philanthropic bodies, Kate managed to complete her higher education.
  19. Protean /ˈprəʊtɪən,prəʊˈtiːən/: Frequently changing, Trending, Versatile
    Example: Vicky Kaushal is a protean actor who is capable of performing any kind of role.
  20. Spurious /ˈspjʊərɪəs/: Illegitimate, False
    Example: They made spurious claims of accidents just to get the insurance funds.

Difficult English Words to Pronounce

Want to know the hardest word? Here are the most difficult words to pronounce in English:

  1. Otorhinolaryngologist: oh-toh-RYE-noh-LAR-ən-GOL-ə-jee
  2. Anemone: uh·neh·muh·nee
  3. Anathema: uh·na·thuh·muh
  4. Worcestershire: vu·stuh·shuh
  5. Balmoral: bal·maw·ruhl
  6. Antidisestablishmentarianism: an·tee·dis·uh·sta·bluhsh·muhnt·euh·ree·uhn·i·zm
  7. Asterisk: a·stuh·ruhsk
  8. Brewery: broo·uh·ree
  9. Defibrillator: duh·fi·bruh·lei·tuh
  10. February: feh·bruh·ree
  11. Rural: roo·ruhl
  12. Floccinaucinihilipilification: Flok-si-no-si-ny-hil-i-pil-i-fi-kay-shuhn
  13. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Hi-poh-po-toh-mon-stroh-ses-kwee-peh-dah-leejoh-foh-beeja
  14. Colonel: kuh·nuhl
  15. Choir: kvai·uh
  16. Chores: chawz
  17. Isthmus: is·muhs
  18. Library: lai·bruh·ree
  19. Strait: streit
  20. Gibraltar: ji·braal·tuh
Source: The Urban Fight

[BONUS] 50 Simple Words with Meaning

Here is a collection of simple words with meanings that are commonly used in everyday life, some of which are as follows:

  1. Back: The rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips.
  2. Base: The lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported.
  3. Behaviour: How one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
  4. Belief: An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.
  5. Birth: The emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being.
  6. Answer: A thing that is said, written, or done as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation.
  7. Approval: The belief that someone or something is good or acceptable.
  8. Bread: Food made of flour, water, and yeast mixture and baked.
  9. Breath: An inhalation or exhalation of air from the lungs. 
  10. Brother: A man or boy concerning other sons and daughters of his parents. 
  11. Building: It is a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory. 
  12. Burn: (Of a fire) produces flames and heat while consuming a material such as coal or wood.
  13. Business: It refers to a person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade.
  14. Butter: It is a pale yellow edible fatty substance made by churning cream and used as a spread or in cooking. 
  15. Current: Belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now.
  16. Damage: Physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something. 
  17. Danger: The possibility of suffering harm or injury. 
  18. Daughter: A girl or woman concerning either or both of her parents. 
  19. Day: Each of the twenty-four-hour periods, reckoned from one midnight to the next, into which a week, month, or year is divided, and corresponding to a rotation of the earth on its axis.
  20. Death: The action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism.
  21. Decision: A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
  22. Detail: An individual fact or item
  23. Development: The process of developing or being developed.
  24. Direction: A course along which someone or something moves.
  25. Comparison: A consideration or estimate of the similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people. 
  26. Competition: The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.
  27. Connection: A relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.  
  28. Cook: To prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by mixing, combining, and heating the ingredients.
  29. Country: A nation with its government, occupying a particular territory.
  30. Cover: To put something on top of or in front of (something), especially to protect or conceal it. 
  31. Credit: A customer can obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made in the future.
  32. Cry: To shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow.
  33. Care: The provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something. 
  34. Cause: A person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition. 
  35. Chance: It is the probability of something desirable happening. 
  36. Change: Make (someone or something) different; alter or modify. 
  37. Cloth: A woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fibre. 
  38. Colour: The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light. 
  39. Comfort: A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. 
  40. Company: A commercial business. 
  41. Art: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
  42. Attack: Take aggressive military action against (a place or enemy forces) with weapons or armed force.
  43. Attention: When a notice is taken of someone or something; the regarding of someone or something as interesting or important. 
  44. Blood: The red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.
  45. Blow: (Of wind) move creating an air current.
  46. Body: The physical structure, including the bones, flesh, and organs, of a person or an animal.
  47. Account: A report or description of an event or experience OR a record or statement of financial expenditure and receipts relating to a particular period or purpose. 
  48. Air: The invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
  49. Amount: A quantity of something, especially the total of a thing or things in number, size, value, or extent.
  50. Animal: A living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and a nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

Importance of Difficult Words in Competitive Exams

Some difficult words in English can be a pest for everyone, whether it be a native speaker or a new learner. There are multiple tough words in the language which are troublesome. It becomes impossible to get a hold of these words, especially for those who are preparing for competitive exams. Students, however, invent new techniques to ease the learning process like using music to learn new words or making flashcards with hard words on one side and meaning on the other. Another fascinating method for memorizing difficult words is to associate a story around it as remembering the story is much easier than retaining the meaning of a tough word. 

We know that for all those who wish to pursue an education abroad or even appear for entrances, you must fare well in the verbal ability section of the test, it can seem like a never-ending task-learning new difficult words and their meanings, so we have curated a list of few difficult words that can give you an edge over others while you prepare for your SAT/ACT or GMAT/GRE as well as IELTS/TOEFL/PTE.

This list is also going to help students with English for competitive exams. Even those who enjoy the English language or wish to improve their vocabulary can go through our list and learn 50 Difficult Words with Meanings.

Must Read: Not Just Mandarin, These are the Most Difficult Languages in the World!

Use of English Vocabulary in GMAT

The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) mainly comprises 4 sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Writing, and Integrated Reasoning. A thorough English vocabulary is a must to score on 3 of these sections of the GMAT syllabus, with only the quantitative section relying more on your mathematical and logical skills. In the various sections of the GMAT exam pattern, students are assessed on their ability to read and understand the written material and apply those to the subsequent questions to conform to standard written English. Moreover, GMAT verbal reasoning questions and critical reasoning problems imperatively evaluate one’s knowledge of English proficiency in terms of reasoning and analytical skills.

Use of English Vocabulary in GRE

The GRE pattern includes 3 sections: Quantitative, Verbal, and Analytical Writing. While studying the GRE syllabus, you must master English grammar along with hundreds of hard words to get a good score on two of these three sections excluding the quantitative reasoning section.

Sample Question Under the Category of Sentence Equivalence: Although it does contain pioneering strategies, one would hardly describe the work as ____________. 

  1. Original
  2. Orthodox
  3. Eccentric
  4. Conventional
  5. Innovative
  6. Trifling

The answer is (1) and (5)

Explanation: We first eliminate the words “Orthodox” and “Conventional” because they are very similar in meaning and do not complete the sentence sensibly. The word “Although” and “Hardly” are crucial signposts here. The work contains some pioneering strategies, but apparently, it is not completely a pioneering work.

Best Vocabulary Books 

Why do you want to limit yourself to only 50 difficult words? Become a master of vocabulary with the help of reference books. Here is a list of some best-selling vocabulary books that can help you to ace the word meaning section of any competitive exam: 

Reference Books Link
1100 Words You Need to Know by Murray Brombert, Melvin Gordon  Click Here, to get your copy!
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis Click Here, to get your copy!
Verbal Advantage: Ten Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary by Charles Harrington Elster  Click Here, to get your copy!
The Vocabulary Builder Workbook by Chris Lele Click Here, to get your copy!
Six Weeks to Words of Power by Wilfred Funk Click Here, to get your copy!
Little Red Book of Word Power by Terry O’Brien  Click Here, to get your copy!
Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder by  Mary Wood Cornog Click Here, to get your copy!
Instant Word Power by Norman Lewis Click Here, to get your copy!

FAQs

Q1. What are some difficult words?

Ans. Here are the 10 most confusing English words: 

1. Literally
2. Ironic
3. Regardless
4. Colonel
5. Colonel
6. Nonplussed
7. Disinterested
8. Enormity
9. Accretion
10. Commensurate

Q2. Which are the difficult words in English?

Ans. Words that are hard to read, write, spell and understand are considered to be difficult words in English.

Q3. Do all words have vowels?

Ans. No, not all words need to have vowels. Here are some examples to show the same – Mythm, Sync, Rhythm, Hymn, etc.

Q4. Which is the best way to remember difficult words for a longer period?

Ans. Students should always read, write, and learn the words before attempting to put them together in sentences.

We hope this list of 50 Difficult Words with Meanings and these tricks will help you engage with new difficult words and help you in your test preparation. If you wish to seek further guidance on your test preparation and your career, you can check out Leverage Edu today and schedule a free consultation session now. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.

Started preparing for your IELTS, TOEFL, or GRE exams and saw how hard the Vocabulary Section is? Don’t worry! Our list of 50 difficult words with meanings, explanations, and examples has got you covered. Read on!

Table of Contents
  1. Benefits of improving your vocabulary
    1. 1. It will help you tackle aptitude tests
    2. 2. It will make it easier for you to interact with your peers abroad
    3. 3. It will sharpen your mind
    4. 4. It will help you express yourself better
    5. 5. It will help you succeed in your career
  2. Why should I care about your list of 50 difficult words with meaning?
  3. 50 difficult words with meanings and sentences
    1. 40 more to go!
    2. 30 more to go!
    3. 20 more to go!
    4. 10 more to go!
  4. Some bonus words for you
  5. I can’t remember difficult English words with meanings
  6. How to remember difficult English words?
  7. What are some of the most misspelled words?
  8. Some confusing words you should know about 
  9. Difficult words to pronounce in English 
  10. Where can I find more such words?
    1. 1. Word Power by Norman Lewis
    2. 2. The GRE Vocabulary Flashcards on Magoosh
    3. 3. 500 Absolutely Essential Words 
    4. 4. English Vocabulary in Use Series
    5. 5. Oxford Learner’s Pocket Word Skills
  11. How can I improve my vocabulary?
  12. Key takeaways 
  13. FAQs

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?

Difficult words test prep

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

Difficult words with meaning

Take it slow and learn a few new words each day and quiz yourself.

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

How to remember difficult words

There are many tips out there to boost your memory, but what works for you?

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

uhpituhmee

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. 

50 Difficult Words New With Meanings: We use many thousands of words in a day. We may not know all the meanings of each word, and we may not even be aware of all the synonyms for the words we use. Vocabulary books are a good tool for learning new vocabulary and finding synonyms; they can also help improve your knowledge base. Complete List of 50 Difficult Words new with Meanings and Examples. write, read, spell and understand are considered to be difficult words in English. Well, this list of 50 Difficult Words with Meanings, is carefully curated and includes some difficult words that you would surely like In our daily life, we use so many English words while interacting with people, but do you even think of how many words and their meaning we miss out? List of 50 Difficult English Words With Meanings. 50 difficult words with meaning| Words for TOEFL, IELTS & more. 50 Hard Words with Meanings – How to Learn the Most Difficult Words in English?. Most of the words we are using while communicating have synonyms, but we never use them. list of 50 Difficult Words with Senses, which is carefully prearranged and contains difficult words which you can surely use while presenting yourself and for your profile on social apps. Using difficult words can be a good grace for the applicants while conversation, difficult words attract people that make the people impress the other person. Here is the list of 50 Difficult new English Words with Meanings:

Here are 50 difficult New words 2023 with their meanings:

  1. Abhor: to hate or detest
  2. Acrimonious: bitter or harsh in tone or temper
  3. Acrophobia: a fear of heights
  4. Acumen: keenness of judgment or insight
  5. Adage: a long-established saying or proverb
  6. Aeon: an extremely long period of time
  7. A fortiori: with even greater reason
  8. Agnostic: a person who believes that the existence of God or gods is unknown or unknowable
  9. Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning
  10. Altruism: unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others
  11. Amalgam: a mixture of two or more things, especially metals
  12. Amorphous: without definite shape or form
  13. Anachronism: something that is out of place in time
  14. Anathema: something that is deeply detested
  15. Apathy: lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
  16. Apocryphal: of doubtful authenticity
  17. Apoplectic: relating to or affected by apoplexy (a sudden loss of consciousness and control of bodily functions caused by a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain)
  18. Appall: to fill with dismay or horror
  19. Apocryphal: of doubtful authenticity
  20. Arcanum: a secret or mystery
  21. Ascetic: a person who practices severe self-discipline and self-denial, typically for religious reasons
  22. Atrocity: an act of extreme cruelty or barbarity
  23. Augury: the practice of interpreting omens
  24. Auspicious: giving promise of success or good fortune
  25. Avarice: extreme greed for wealth or possessions
  26. Baffle: to confuse or perplex
  27. Banal: lacking in originality or interest
  28. Bard: a poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with a particular oral tradition
  29. Bastion: a defensive wall or fortified position
  30. Belligerent: aggressively hostile
  31. Benevolent: characterized by or showing goodwill or kindness
  32. Bewilder: to confuse or perplex utterly
  33. Bilious: bad-tempered or irritable
  34. Blight: a plant disease causing withering and death
  35. Blithe: carefree and happy-go-lucky
  36. Bogus: not genuine or true
  37. Bombast: extravagant language that is intended to impress but is usually ineffective
  38. Brash: offensively confident or self-assertive
  39. Burgeon: to grow or develop rapidly
  40. Callous: insensitive or unfeeling
  41. Cantankerous: bad-tempered and quarrelsome
  42. Captivate: to attract and hold the attention of someone completely
  43. Caricature: a picture, description, or imitation of someone or something that exaggerates certain features in order to create a comic or grotesque effect
  44. Cataclysm: a violent upheaval or disaster
  45. Catty: spiteful or malicious
  46. Celibacy: the state of being unmarried and not having sexual relations
  47. Censure: to express strong disapproval of
  48. Chagrin: a feeling of deep disappointment or vexation
  49. Charlatan: a person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or abilities
  50. Chicanery: trickery or deception

50 New English Words with Meaning and Sentences

How can remembering difficult words help you?

Difficult words can be used in the exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, GRE exams, etc. Understanding words and answering the questions correctly will fetch you outstanding marks in the examinations. Plus, your vocabulary will improve as a result of remembering difficult words.

Difficult english words with meanings and sentences, Here is the list of 50 Difficult new English Words with Meanings. In today’s time it is very important for everyone to know the English language. If you want to have a good command over English then you have to learn the words everyday. Start with 10 words daily and then increase your capacity to learn them. Also make sentences with these words so that you can know the use of these difficult words very well.

50 Words With Difficult-to-Remember Meanings. Most of the words we are using while communicating have synonyms, but we never use them. list of 50 Difficult Words with Senses, which is carefully prearranged and contains difficult words which you can surely use while presenting yourself and for your profile on social apps. Using difficult words can be a good grace for the applicants while conversation, difficult words attract people that make the people impress the other person. Consequently,

Speaking good English is regarded as a skill in today’s society. Even for the eligibility of several competitive exams such as GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS, one must be well- acquainted with good vocabulary. A good comprehensive list with 50 difficult words and their meaning along with examples which will be sufficient to make a good first impression.

Why should you learn difficult words? 

The answer is to prepare for competitive exams, you can interact more easily with interviewers when you go for any kind of interview, it sharpens your mind and it improves your confidence and skills.  If you use advanced and high-level words in your conservation, then the interviewer gets a good impression that you are good at communication skills and you have a vast knowledge of things.

A lot of novels contain difficult words, so an understanding of such words makes it easy to read and understand them. You can also read novels for improving your vocabulary. If you find any difficult words in it, you can search for the meaning on the internet and note them down for future reference.

How to remember difficult words?

With continuous practice, you will be able to memorize these difficult words.

Hard English Words

List of 50 Difficult English Words With Meanings: As a follow up to our article on confusing words, here are ten of the most difficult words in English. Most of the words we are using while interaction have synonyms, but we never use them. Really? Do you think difficult words are helpful when you are preparing for the competitive exams? Or it is something that is bothering you? The answer to this is very simple which is YES. Good vocabulary takes you ahead in competitive exams as well as in your life. Well, here is the list of 50 Difficult Words with Meanings, which is carefully organized and contains difficult words which you can surely use while introducing yourself and for your profile on social apps. Learn Difficult English Words with Meaning and Sentence and Improve Your English Vocabulary .

Personality development can be shown by your talking ways and along with the person behavior. Communication can be the key of various things mainly it can enhance your value if you speak frequent english along with use attractive words into your language.

Using of difficult words can be a good grace for the candidates while conversation, difficult words attract people that make the people impress the other person. Consequently, if you want to attract the other person to impress them with your personality and skills add these difficult words into your conversation.

  1. Adamant- refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind
  2. Acumen- the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions
  3. Ascetic -a person practices self-denial as part of spiritual discipline
  4. Anachronistic -antique, misplaced chronologically
  5. Aggrandize– to increase or enhance power, wealth or status
  6. Alacrity -great willingness, eagerness
  7. Abnegation -the action of renouncing a belief or doctrine
  8. Awedde – to overcome anger
  9. Bagel – Something that is transitive
  10. Baffle- totally bewilder
  11. Beseech– ask urgently and fervently to do something
  12. Beguile -charm, influence someone in a deceptive way
  13. Brusque – short and abrupt
  14. Blandishment -a flattering or pleasant statement
  15. Callous -not caring or disregard for others
  16. Camaraderie -a feeling of solidarity arising out of familiarity and sociability
  17. Cajole -to persuade a person to do something by flattery or coaxing
  18. Clamor -proclaim or demand something noisily
  19. Circumlocution -expressing someone with too many words in an indirect way
  20. Cognizant – realization or awareness 
  21. Construe – to interpret or assign meaning
  22. Convivial -happy and enjoyable atmosphere or jovial company
  23. Denigrate -to criticize someone
  24. Dispel – make doubt disappear
  25. Didactic  – designed to teach people something
  26. Demagogue -a political leader who uses rhetoric to appeal to prejudices and desires of ordinary citizens
  27. Disparate – consisting of people or things of a distinct kind
  28. Egregious – outrageously bad
  29. Embezzlement -misappropriation of funds.
  30. Ephemeral– lasting or used for an only short duration
  31. Eclectic -deriving the best ideas and styles or taste from a diverse range of sources
  32. Enervate -feel drained in vitality or energy.
  33. Equanimity -maintaining a calm state of mind in stressful situations
  34. Fatuous -pointless or devoid of intelligence
  35. Gratuitous -given or done free of charge, uncalled for or unwarranted
  36. Impeccable – flawless
  37. Incumbent -something that is morally binding
  38. Idiosyncratic -something which is peculiar to an individual
  39. Iconoclast -a person who criticizes or attacks cherished beliefs
  40. Inveterate -having a particular habit or habitual
  41. Kvetchy- Ill-tempered
  42. Libertarian -someone who believes in ideas of free will
  43. Licentious -disregarding accepted conventions, someone who is promiscuous
  44. Mendacious -not telling the truth, deceitful
  45. Multifarious -multifaceted or diverse types
  46. Ostracism -excluding a person from society by majority consent
  47. Obdurate -being stubborn to change one’s opinion
  48. Obfuscate – unclear; confuse
  49. Obsequious – try to win favor from influential people
  50. Obstreperous – noisy and difficult to control
  51. Ostensible – appearing to be true
  52. Pallid – abnormally pale or lacking intensity of color
  53. Pertinacious -holding to an opinion, someone who is stubbornly unyielding
  54. Promulgate-to promote or broadcast or announce
  55. Pejorative -showing or expressing disapproval
  56. Phlegmatic -having little or no emotion
  57. Quotidian -something that is occurring daily 
  58. Recalcitrant -resistant or uncooperative to authority
  59. Sanctimonious -pretending being morally pious to exhibit moral superiority
  60. Solipsism -the theory that only the self-existence is known 
  61. Travesty -a false or distorting fact or imitation
  62. Ubiquitous -omnipresent or appearing everywhere
  63. Unfathom – Puzzling
  64. Vicissitude – an unpleasant change in fortune or circumstances 
  65. Vociferous -someone who is offensively/ conspicuously loud.
  66. Timbre- Voicetone
  67. Boorish- Rude, Uncultured
  68. Uncouth– Impolite, Unrefined
  69. Querulous– Complaining, Showing that one is irritated.
  70. Plumes– Soft features
  71. Throng– Crowd, In large numbers
  72. Irk– Annoy
  73. Sordid– Dishonest or immoral
  74. Invigorate– give strength or energy to
  75. Alienate– cause to feel isolated

Some English words can be annoying for everyone, whether it is a professional or a beginner. There are many difficult words that cause trouble. It is very difficult for a person to get used to these words, especially for a student. Students use different ways like music to get used to these words or by making flashcards with difficult words and their meaning. Some other method of learning difficult words is to create a story for remembering the difficult words as it is easy to remember a story rather than learning the meaning of a difficult word. As we all know for the people who want to get education from abroad or while giving an entrance exam you must perform well in the verbal ability section in that test.  

Vocabulary is the major and necessary aspect for the person who wants to prepare for the competitive exam, and it is very important to master it when you are giving a test. You cannot learn so many words at a time, there is a limit for cramming of words at a time. Learn just a few difficult words at a time and after that properly understand their meaning. Try to make sentences using difficult words and use them in your day-to-day life while interacting with the people.

Use of English vocabulary in The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) consists of Integrated Reasoning, Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing. A complete English vocabulary is necessary to score on these sections, with the quantitative section which includes mathematical and logical skills. Some sections of GMAT, measure your understanding and ability to read the written content.      

Use of English vocabulary in The Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

The Graduate Record Examination consists of 3 sections: Verbal, Analytical Writing and Quantitative. GRE is a kind of difficult exam to crack. Many people say that GRE is much more difficult in comparison to GMAT. The vocabulary of GRE is more difficult because so many rare words are given in the question paper that is difficult to understand. So, students should prepare in the best way possible and should learn new words as many as possible. One should be good in English grammar along with hundreds of difficult words to score well in two of the 3 sections without including the quantitative section. Thus, when it is about GRE examination students should be completely prepared in their vocabulary skills.  

Our mind works properly, and it learns things better when we engage in fun activities, when we learn difficult words it looks boring, but we can make it exciting and full of fun. You along with your friends challenge one another by making placards with meanings, this kind of activity will keep you busy and you can easily keep the hard words in your mind. If these kinds of group activities do not suit you, make a list of the difficult words and just before sleep revise them, this will help you in learning the words better.   

Books to improve vocabulary

Want to improve your vocabulary? If yes, then here is a compilation of essential books for you.

  • 504 Absolutely Essential Words
  • Build Your Vocabulary Skills
  • Word Power Made Easy
  • The Elements of Style
  • The Meaning of Everything
  • Word by Word

new English words you should know in 2023

So, let’s make this vocabulary list interesting by adding some latest and trendy English words to it. Check out the list here:

Stan

Meaning: An extremely excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan (stalker-fan).

Nomophobia

Meaning: Fear or worry at the idea of being without your phone or unable to use it.

Peoplekind

Meaning: A gender-neutral alternative to mankind’.

Bottle episode

Meaning: An episode of a television series that is confined to one setting and isn’t expensive to produce.

Carbon sink

Meaning: A forest, ocean, or another natural environment’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Buzzy

Meaning: Something that generates excitement and gets people talking.

Sober-curious

Meaning: Experimenting with a period of not drinking alcohol.

Permaculture

Meaning: It is a portmanteau word, which means it combines two words to make a new one.

Hellacious

Meaningan awful experience and is often used to describe traffic, weather or even a period of time.

Climate emergency

Meaning: defined as a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.

Flamboyant

Meaning: easily able to attract the attention of others due to some qualities like exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.

Inquisitive

Meaning: displaying interest in knowing different things, being very curious about a particular thing.

Exuberant

Meaning: Having a lot of energy, being cheerful and excited.

Vitriolic

Meaning: Being harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone

Vivacious

Meaning: Being vigorous and excited

Abstruse

Meaning: difficult to understand and grasp

Contrite

Meaning: feeling or expressing pain or sorrow

Covet

Meaning: wishing, longing, or craving for something

Mawkish

Meaning: State of being very sentimental or emotional

The conversation is key to language that enhance our personality and develops us. While conversation it can help others to know your knowledge. Using these words into your conversation can enhance your personality. Different word into our daily conversation can enhance your personality along with can give a good impact on others.

Henceforth try to add these difficult words into your daily conversation or use them in your vocabulary so that they can enhance your English, your knowledge. These words can add stars in your impression. As if we interact with someone or go or an interview job our personality, our language our way of talking is the first thing which comes in the notice by the others. So if we use these difficult words or non-common words so they can add extra stares into your personality along with can enhance your confidence level, that will boast you high towards your work or among people. You and your friends can make plug cards with difficult words and challenge each other with meanings, the fun activity will keep you engaged and help you keep those difficult words in mind.

How to learn difficult words with meanings

Following are some steps through which it will be easier to learn difficult English words with meanings:

  • Students can maintain a notebook for vocabulary
  • They should learn at least one word on daily basis.
  • Students should solve crossword puzzle to increase their knowledge
  • Students should have a habit of reading novels.
  • A handy dictionary should be with you. You can download it on your mobile. So wherever you be, you can learn easily some hard words of English. As we all know that it is a world of technology, and mobile phones are used on a very large scale. You must be aware of various applications on your mobile. You can also download a dictionary application using the play store or apple store. When you open the dictionary app, you will be able to find the meaning of all the difficult words.
  • You might be confused about which application to use as there are millions of applications available on the internet, then you must refer to the following applications to learn the English language- Rosetta Stone, FluentU, Hello English, Duolingo, etc.
  • When you listen your favorite songs, you also learn the lyrics of that songs, so in case of when you learning English learn it as in the form.
  • You can also start watching English movies, and series to practice high-level English. You will get to know more about the tone of speaking used by the native English people.

Apart from these today in English language you’ll see the so called Gen Z kids using different different kinds of acronyms on Social Media. Which apparently seems very fun and there is always some or the other new word or new acronyms coming up. For example – brb which means be right back, Ikr which means I know right and several such acronyms are used informally.

Difficult Words why we need to remameber ?

We need to remember the why because it’s the reason we do things. The why is our purpose, our motivation- it’s what drives us to do what we do. If we don’t have a strong why, we won’t be as likely to stick with something when it gets tough. Remembering the why helps us to stay focused and motivated. The motive is to learn the language in depth and to become fluent in it. Using difficult yet standard words in writing or speaking increases vocabulary and leave a good impact on the listeners.

Have you heard of the word ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis’? OMG!! This is the longest word in English with 43 letters. The meaning corresponds to the name of lung disease as a result of inhaling silica dust, such as from a volcano. General English is the common part of every competitive examination, whether it is State-wise PSC, UPSC, Banking exams like SBI PO, SBI Clerk, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, IBPS RRB, NABARD. The language tests consist of the testing of the vocabulary skills of the candidates. The skills are easy to be developed in a long-term course, but for the examination purpose, candidates have to prepare within a short span. This article will be focused on this particular need of aspirants, and discuss the difficult English words with meaning, and synonyms. Also, check how to memorize the words and expand your vocab.

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Vocabulary can be defined as the body of words used in a particular language. We usually use millions of words, still, we may not be familiar with the other million! And, it is usually, a greater number of unheard words will be there and that we are not using in our daily life. Reading books, newspapers, watching English films, etc. will help us to improve our skills on vocabulary.

Covid was selected as the top word of 2020 according to Global Language Monitor, an American data-research company. The word Pandemic was also chosen by many Dictionaries as the word of 2021.

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English Words and Its Importance for Competitive Exams

While reading a book or newspaper, it is easy to grasp the words according to the circumstance it is used. But, while coming to find its synonyms, antonyms, it becomes difficult for the fluent ones and also for the starter. There are many tough English words, and the chance for these to be your question is more. And these huge number becomes hectic for the learners. The questions will be almost 5-6 numbers, and these really are important in the case of sectional marks and overall marks. The negative marking in many examinations, really finds it hard to crack.

So, a timely, best preparation of English vocab is a must to crack the verbal ability section of the competitive examination. The detailed preparation tips and weekly vocabulary quizzes are available on Entri’s page.

List of 50 Difficult English Words with Meaning

Here is a brief list of some of the tough English words with meaning and synonyms. Interested candidates go through the whole list.

  • Sesquipedalian – ‘a foot and a half long, this word literally stands for ‘long-winded’ words
  • Onomatopoeia – similar to sounds or noises, these words are often used for boom or buzz.
SI.NO English Word Synonyms Word Meaning
1 Anachronistic antiquated. archaic. out-of-date. outmoded misplaced chronologically
2 Ephemeral transient, passing, momentary lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory
3 Inane Ridiculous, stupid lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly
4 Maverick a free spirit, individualist, nonconformist an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
5 Iconoclast Critic, sceptic, Questioner, heretic someone who criticizes or attacks cherished ideas and beliefs
6 Bilk Cheat, fleece. exploit to defraud; cheat
7 Emollient Balsamic, soothing, Softening, humectant Having the quality of softening or soothing the skin
8 Proclivity Leaning, disposition, propensity, bent, bias a strong natural liking for something that is usually bad
9 Incumbent mandatory, necessary, compulsory something that is morally binding
10 Abscond escape, bolt, clear out Leave hurriedly and secretly
11 Licentious dissipated, debauched, degenerate someone who is promiscuous
12 Protean variable, changeable, mutable Frequently changing, Trending, Versatile
13 Convivial warm, sociable, outgoing, gregarious enjoyable atmosphere or jovial company
14 Eclectic wide, broad deriving the best ideas and styles from a diverse range of sources
15 Penance atonement, expiation, self-punishment The punishment inflicted on oneself for expressing repentance for any wrongdoing of one’s own
16 Epistolary epigram, parodic In the form of letters or documents
17 Promulgate publicize, spread, communicate to broadcast or announce
18 Demagogue rabble-rouser, agitator a political leader who uses rhetoric to appeal to prejudices and desires of ordinary citizens
19 Multifarious different, heterogeneous, eclectic multifaceted or diverse
20 Ostracism shun, spurn, cold-shoulder excluding a person or certain section from society by the majority
21 Unremitting Ceaseless, constant, incessant continuing forever; or for an indefinitely long time
22 Grandiloquence pomposity, mouthiness, antiloquence a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language
23 Quotidian conventional, mainstream, unremarkable something that is of daily occurrence
24 Pejorative disparaging, derogatory showing disapproval
25 Exacerbate worsen, inflame, compound To make a situation, a bad feeling or a problem worse
26 Cognizant conscious, apprised awareness or realization
27 Sanctimonious self-righteous, churchy the pretense of being morally pious to exhibit moral
28 Tutelage Care, charge, guardianship attention, and management implying responsibility for safety
29 Trite banal, clichéd not interesting or effective because of being used too often: not fresh or original
30 Didactic instructional, educational instructive with a moral intent
31 Enervate tire, fatigue, weary lacking in vitality or mentally/ morally drained
32 Luxate Dislocate, splay move out of position
33 Ablutionary Cleansing, purifying cleaning the body by washing
34 Coronate Crown invest with legal power; enthrone
35 Raspingly Gratingly, harshly in a harsh and granting manner
36 Objurgation Chiding, scolding rebuking a person harshly
37 Surreptitious undercover, covert to bring under complete control or subjection; conquer; master
38 Upstart Nouveau-riche, parvenu, parvenue characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
39 Scallywag Knave, rapscallion, rogue a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel or one who is playfully mischievous
40 Vicissitude Change, alteration, instability an unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune
41 Henchman Collaborator, confederate someone who assists in a plot
42 Denunciation stigmatization. castigation public condemnation of someone or something / informing against someone
43 Capitulate submit, back down, climb down Cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand
44 Dispel banish, eliminate make doubt disappear
45 Circumlocution tautology, repetition, euphemism expressing someone in an indirect way
46 Pellucid translucent, transparent Clear, Easy to understand
47 Travesty misrepresentation, distortion, mockery, parody distorting facts or imitation
48 Gratuitous unjustifiable, needless, unnecessary uncalled for or unwarranted
49 Zephyr light breeze air-sea breeze a gentle, mild breeze
50 Vociferous outspoken, vocal, plain-spoken, frank something or someone who is offensively/ conspicuously loud

List of New English words with Meaning

SI.NO English Word Synonyms
1 Buzzy Something that generates excitement
2 Awesomesauce extremely good
3 Stan A devoted fan
4 Chicken headed Foolish, stupid
5 Deepfake an image or recording that has been convincingly altered to misrepresent someone
6 Bagel Something that is transitive
7 E-waste worthless electronic text
8 Kvetchy Ill-tempered
9 Squelch use force to compress
10 Awel any of various types of hooks or hook instrument
11 Eye lessness lack of fear or respect for authority
12 Screen time amount of time spent looking at screens of electronic devices
13 Futzing Ineffectual
14 Covid 19 An acute respiratory illness in human beings
15 Social distancing act of maintaining a physical distance
16 Self-isolate to isolate oneself from others
17 Unfathom Puzzling
18 People-kind gender-neutral
19 Theonomous Ruled or governed by God
20 WIP work in progress
21 Puggle a young or baby echidna
22 Hellacious an awful experience
23 Freegan A person who eats thrown away food
24 Permaculture combine two words to make a new one
25 Next tomorrow day after tomorrow

List of Common Homonyms

Check some of the homonyms from the English Vocabulary

  1. Accept– to receive something

Except– to take or leave out

  1. Veracity: it means, truthfulness, correctness, accuracy

Voracity: it refers to the quality of being voracious

  1. Reign: refers to the period during which authority is on the throne.

Rein: harness; to restrict

  1. Mendacious: it refers to telling lies

Mendicant: it refers to the act of begging

  1. Altogether – entirely

All Together– gathered, with everything in one place

  1. Complement –something that completes; verb, to complete

Compliment- praise; verb, to praise

  1. Flaunt- means ‘display ostentatiously’

Flout- means ‘openly disregard (a rule)’.

  1. Elicit: to draw or bring out

Illicit-illegal

  1. Amiable – showing good-natured personal qualities, affable, friendly

Amicable- peaceful, agreeable, harmonious

  1. Principal-adjective, most important; noun, a person who has authority

Principle-a general or fundamental truth

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Train yourself to Remember Difficult English Words with Meaning

The words as discussed above, we may be confused over the tricky questions, and the synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, which are the favorite areas for vocabulary questions.  The chance to ask words repeatedly will be tough, as we know there are lots of words available. Many online platforms are providing coaching on words and meaning, quizzes. Mugging up will be easy for some, but not for all. Because of that, learning and remembering a large number of words is not an easy task. So, given are some tips to remember the difficult English words with meaning.

Tricks and tips to remember the difficult English words with meaning

  • As in our childhood, follow an organized pattern, better keep a notebook or papers.
  • Note down at least 5 words a day from various sources like books (stories, novels), Newspapers, or online platforms
  • Now, read the words regularly, each day, you will be adding and revising.
  • Make your own sentences to use the word. Connect with anything that you feel!
  • Attempt online and offline quizzes on words and their meanings. Go through previous question papers.

Summary

Obviously, this vocabulary section is a never-ending learning task. The English words are huge in number, and the candidates who lag in English Verbal Ability find it as a hard nut to crack. But, the daily practice without losing the spirit to learn and revise surely helps candidates to come up with flying colors and master the vocabulary.

Start speaking English like a native with our comprehensive course.

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Want to know about difficult words with meanings? If yes, then this blog post is for you. In this post, you will check out the list of more than 100+ difficult or hardest words along with their meanings.

Knowing difficult words is very useful in improving your communication and writing skills. Generally, students are advised to learn difficult words because it can help in improving their English and writing skills. Also, it can help in general as well as in competitive examinations.

Now, let’s move toward the list of difficult words with meaning.

difficult words with meaning

1. Abluvion: that which is washed off.

2. Accismus: a form of irony in which a person feigns indifference to or pretends to refuse something he or she desires.

3. Alalia: loss of power of speaking

4. Amaurosis: partial or total loss of sight

5. Anecdote: narrative, story

6. Brunette: dark-skinned and brown-haired woman with dark eyes.

7. Blare: utter loudly, roar, bellowing noise.

8. Billingsgate: abuse, foul language.

9. Bastinado: to best with a stick in the soles of feet.

10. Buoy: an an-chored floating seamark for showing navigable course.

11. Caoutchouc: raw rubber (India rubber)

12. Cauterisation: an act of burning or searing.

13. Chandelier: a kind of branched support for holding several lights.

14. Chiaroscuro: light and shade in painting.

15. Cotyloid: of the shape or a cup.

16. Dactyl: the metrical foot.

17. Daltonism: colourblindness.

18. Deglutinate: to separate what is glued.

19. Dirigible: an aircraft that is able to be guided.

20. Duelling: the act or practice of fighting in single combat.

21. Ecclesiast: the preacher, a clergyman, an author of one of the old testaments.

22. Eirenicon: a proposal for peace, a peace-making message.

23. Emolument: advantage, gain, salary.

24. Epicarp: the outer skin of fruits.

25. Euphemism: substitution of a mild expression for an unpleasant thing.

26. Fistulate: to become a pipe, to make hallow like a pipe.

27. Flageolet: a small wind instrument.

28. Fontanelle: a gap between the bones of the skull of a young animal or infant.

29. Formidableness: dreadfulness.

30. Fortuitist: one who depends on fate.

31. Fratricidal: pertaining to the killing of a brother or sister.

32. Galimatias: meaning-less talk.

33. Garrulous: loquacious, talkative.

34. Gnathic: pertaining to jaws.

35. Gossamer: the web of a spider floating in the air.

36. Gridiron: a frame of iron bars for broiling.

37. Hackneyed: trite, much used.

38. Hearsay: a rumour, gossip.

39. Helianthus: the sunflower.

40. Hereabouts: near here.

41. Hyacinthine: a kind of gem.

42. Idiosyncrasy: the peculiarity of mental constitution.

43. Impresario: an organiser of public entertainments.

44. Inalienability: the qua; it of being transferable.

45. Inkling: a hint, a whisper.

46. Inspissate: to make thick, to condense.

47. Jinricksha: a light two-wheeled carriage drawn by a man.

48. Johnsonian: abounding in difficult and pedantic words.

49. Juxtapose: to place side by side.

50: Jurisprudence: the science of human law.

Hard Words with Meanings (51-100)

51. Kedgy: merry, happy, lively.

52. Knapsack: a leather or canvas bag.

53. Kinship: blood relationship, alliance.

54. Kerseymere: twilled woollen cloth.

55. Kaleidoscope: an optical toy in which an endless variety of beautiful coloured designs is seen.

56. Lanchrymation: the burst of tears.

57. Lambrequin: a short piece of drapery over a door or window.

58. Languorously: in a dull manner.

59. Lithoglyph: an engraving on a gem.

60. Loquacious: talkative, chattering, noisy.

61. Magnanimous: having the greatness of mind, high-souled, high-minded.

62. Magniloquent: bragging, speaking pompously, boastful.

63. Maladministration: bad management.

64. Masquerade: a masked ball, a false show, pretence.

65. Melancholy: mental depression, sad, gloomy, depressing.

66. Nacarat: a bright orange-red colour, a fabric so coloured.

67. Naivety: unaffectedness, simplicity.

68. Nuptail: pertaining to marriage.

69. Nymphomania: uncontrollable sexual desire in women.

70. Nux Vomica: a tree yielding a poisonous fruit.

71. Obduracy: hardness of heart.

72. Obnubilation: confused condition.

73. Odontoloxia: irregularity of teeth.

74. Oneiromancy: the act of divining by dreams.

75. Ought: used in the force of expressing duty, to be morally necessary, should.

76. Palingenesis: a new birth, regeneration.

77. Pantisocracy: a community in which all should have equal power.

78. Pantophagist: he who eats all kinds of food.

79. Paronym: words alike in sound but different in spelling and meaning.

80. Pauperization: reducing poverty.

81. Quasi: that is to say, as if, almost.

82. Querulous: habitually complaining, peevish.

83. Quixotic: visionary, romantic, absurd.

84. Quoit: a heavy circular iron ring was thrown to encircle an iron peg.

85. Quotum: share, proportion.

86. Rejuvebescence: renewal of youth.

87. Reify: to convert mentally into a material thing.

88. Reliquiae: remains of animals or plants.

89. Relics: a dead body.

90. Retrospect: backward view, review of past time, a survey of past events.

91. Salubrious: wholesome, healthy.

92. Sarcophagous: feeding on flesh.

93. Scansorial: habitually climbing, fit for climbing.

94. Scathless: without injury.

95. Septifarious: turned in seven different ways.

96. Tautologize: to repeat the same thing.

97. Tellural: pertaining to the earth.

98. Tenaciousness: the quality of being adhesive.

99. Tergiferous: carrying on the back.

100. Thwaite: a piece of barren land.

Source – RealLife English

Difficult Words in English with Meanings

101. Umbrifererous: casting a shade.

102. Unforsaken: not deserted.

103. Ungenteel: impolite.

104: Unigeniture: state of being the only one begotten.

105. Unremunerative: not profitable.

106. Veracious: true, one who observes truth.

107. Vermiceous: pertaining to worms.

108. Vicegerency: the office of a deputy.

109: Vaxatious: distressing irritating, teasing.

110. Vicinage: neighbourhood.

111. Walrus: a large tusked carnivorous sea animal.

112. Wantwit: one who is destitute of wit, a fool.

113. Wssail: a festive occasion, a drinking bout, a merry song, health drinking.

114. Weepingly: in tears.

115. Wretchedness: extreme misery or sorrow.

116. Xanthochroia: yellow discolouration of the skin.

117. Xyloid: like wood.

118. Xerotribia: dry friction.

119. Xerochastic: opening when dried.

120. Xylocarp: a hard and woody fruit.

121. Yardarm: the end of a ship’s yard.

122. Yokel: an ignorant rustic fellow.

123. Yurt: a tent of the people of the arctic region.

124. Yucca: a plant of the lily family.

125. Yulan: a beautiful flowering tree.

126. Zoiatria: veterinary surgery.

127. Zoanthropy: a monomania in which a man believes himself to be a beast.

128. Zapote: a round fruit with a hard stone.

129. Zythum: a kind of beer.

130. Zwieback: a kind of sweet biscuit.

10 Most Difficult Words to Pronounce in English

  1. Asterisk
  2. Apocryphal
  3. Anemone
  4. Colloquialism
  5. Defibrillator
  6. Explicit
  7. Massachusetts
  8. Synecdoche
  9. Schadenfreude
  10. Worcestershire

Difficult Words to Spell with Silent Letters

  • Faux
  • Subtle
  • Honest
  • Receipt
  • Asthma
  • Muscle
  • Phlegm
  • Chthonic
  • Pterodactyl
  • Mnemonic
  • Apropos
  • Knead
  • Gnaw
  • Solemn
  • Rendezvous

10 Hardest Words to Spell

  1. Gobbledegook
  2. Pochemuchka
  3. Chiaroscurist
  4. Logorrhea
  5. Handkerchief
  6. Pronunciation
  7. Intelligence
  8. Wierd
  9. Pharaoh
  10. Misspell

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are 5 difficult words?

5 difficult words are Worcestershire, Synecdoche, Pterodactyl, Rendezvous, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

What are 10 hardest word words?

10 hardest words are Jinricksha, Tenaciousness, Tautologize, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Worcestershire, Oneiromancy, Lanchrymation, Inalienability, Caoutchouc, Hereabouts.

The English language is enriched with more than a million words. There are numerous difficult words in English vocabulary. Learning an approximate count of 3000 words is enough for an individual to actively participate in an everyday English conversation. A rich vocabulary eases the trouble of expression, and it helps individuals improve their communication skills. The following article on difficult words in English will help you to build a wide and varied vocabulary.

  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letters ‘A’ to ‘Z’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘A’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘B’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘C’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘D’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘E’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘F’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘G’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘H’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘I’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘J’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘K’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘L’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘M’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘N’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘O’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘P’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Q’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘R’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘S’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘T
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘U’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘V’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘W’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘X’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Y’
  • Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Z’
  • How Can We Learn Tough English Words?
  • Frequently Asked Questions on Difficult Words

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letters ‘A’ to ‘Z’

Are you thinking of a solution to enrich your English vocabulary? Practising difficult English words and using them frequently will help you. Use the comprehensive list of words given below to learn more hard words and improve your vocabulary.

List of Difficult Words in English:

The following list of words will help you improve your reading comprehension, language knowledge, communication skills, and expression of ideas to others. Always keep in mind that everything is hard until it’s made easy.

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘A’

Difficult Words Meanings
Abandon cease to support or look after someone
Abolish formally put an end to (a system, practice, or institution)
Abscond leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft
Accelerate (of a vehicle or other physical object) begin to move more quickly
Accretion the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter
Acumen the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain
Adamant refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind
Adverse preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable
Advocate a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy
Affluent
  1. having a great deal of money; wealthy
  2. (of water) flowing freely or in great quantity

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘B’

Difficult Words Meanings
Backbite talk maliciously about someone who is not present
Baffle totally bewilder or perplex
Ballad a poem or song narrating a story in short stanzas
Banish send (someone) away from a country or place as an official punishment
Barbaric savagely cruel; exceedingly brutal
Barren too poor to produce much or any vegetation
Bedlam a scene of uproar and confusion
Benefactor a person who gives money or other help to a person or cause
Beseech ask (someone) urgently and fervently to do something

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘C’

Difficult Words Meanings
Cajole persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery
Charisma compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others
Chasm a deep crack or opening in the earth, rock, or another surface
Chauvinist a person with a prejudiced belief in their own superiority
Cliche a phrase or opinion that is overused
Contagion the communication of disease from one person to another by close contact
Countenance a person’s face or facial expression
Cringe have a feeling of awkwardness or embarrassment
Cue a signal for action

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘D’

Difficult Words Meanings
Dauntless showing fearlessness and determination
Delicacy fineness or intricacy of texture or structure
Delicate very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality
Depict show or represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form
Desolate feeling or showing misery, unhappiness, or loneliness
Destitute without the basic necessities of life
Devote give all or a large part of one’s time or resources to (a person, activity, or cause)
Diabolical disgracefully bad or unpleasant, characteristic of the Devil
Discrepancy a lack of similarity between two or more facts
Dismantle take (a machine or structure) to pieces

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘E’

Difficult Words Meanings
Edifice a building, especially a large, imposing one
Elegy a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead
Endeavour try hard to do or achieve something
Endure suffer patiently
Enigma a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand
Enslave make (someone) a slave
Epitaph a phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an inscription on a tombstone
Extinction the process of a particular thing ceasing to exist
Extricate free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘F’

Difficult Words Meanings
Fasten close up securely
Fathom understand something after a lot of thought
Fete a celebration or festival
Fidelity faithfulness to a person
Flick a sudden sharp movement
Flip turn over with a sudden quick movement
Foresight the ability to predict or the action of predicting what will happen or be needed in the future.
Fragile easily broken or damaged
Franchise an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group enabling them to carry out specified commercial activities
Futile incapable of producing any useful result

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘G’

Difficult Words Meanings
Gale a very strong wind
Gallant brave
Gambit a device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, that is calculated to gain an advantage
Gamble play games of chance for money; bet
Garment an item of clothing
Gastronomy the practice or art of choosing, cooking, and eating good food
Gaze a steady intent look
Genial friendly and cheerful
Genre a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterised by similarities in form, style, or subject matter
Gibberish meaningless speech or writing, nonsense

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘H’

Difficult Words Meanings
Habitual done or doing constantly or as a habit
Hail call out to (someone) to attract attention
Harbinger a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another
Haughty arrogantly superior and disdainful
Havoc widespread destruction
Heathen a follower of a polytheistic religion
Hegemony leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others
Hinder create difficulties for (someone or something), resulting in delay or obstruction
Hostile unfriendly; antagonistic

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘I’

Difficult Words Meanings
Idiosyncracy a mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual
Idle lazy, inactive
Imbibe assimilate some ideas or knowledge
Imperative of vital importance; crucial
Impetus the force or energy with which a body moves
Incarnate embodied in flesh; in human form
Indigenous originating or occurring naturally in a particular place
Inevitable certain to happen; unavoidable
Insane mentally illness

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘J’

Difficult Words Meanings
Jabber talk rapidly and excitedly but with little sense
Jargon special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand
Jaunt a short journey for pleasure
Jolly happy and cheerful
Jovial cheerful and friendly
Judicious having, showing, or done with good judgement or sense
Juncture a particular point in events or time
Junk old or discarded articles that are considered useless or of little value
Jurisdiction the territory within which power can be exercised
Juxtapose place or deal with close together for contrasting effect

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘K’

Difficult Words Meanings
Kalopsia the state in which everything, and everyone, looks beautiful
Keen having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm
Keystone the central principle on which all else depends
Kickoff the start of an event or activity
Kindle light or set on fire
Kinesis movement; motion
Kinship blood relationship
Kleptomania a recurrent urge to steal, typically without regard for need or profit
Knight a man who served his sovereign or lord as a mounted soldier in armour
Kudos praise and honour received for an achievement

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘L’

Difficult Words Meanings
Labyrinth a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.
Lacuna an unfilled space or interval; a gap
Lampoon publicly criticise by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm
Languid pleasantly lazy and peaceful
Languish lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble.
Leverage the exertion of force by means of a lever
Luminary a person who inspires or influences others
Lunatic a mentally ill person

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘M’

Difficult Words Meanings
Macrocosm the whole of a complex structure
Magnanimous generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person
Malapropism the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one
Mandarin a powerful official or senior bureaucrat
Manifestation an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea
Manoeuvre a movement or series of moves requiring skill and care
Mediocre of only moderate quality; not very good
Merchandise goods to be bought and sold
Mundane lacking interest or excitement

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘N’

Difficult Words Meanings
Narcissist a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves
Nemesis the inescapable agent of someone’s or something’s downfall
Neophyte a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief
Nepotism the practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs
Niche a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment
Nirvana a state of perfect happiness
Nocturnal done, occurring, or active at night
Nomenclature the devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline
Nullify invalidate

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘O’

Difficult Words Meanings
Oblivion the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening.
Oblivious not aware of or not concerned about what is happening around one
Obscure uncertain
Obsolete no longer produced or used; out of date.
Odour a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one
Omen an event regarded as a portent of good or evil
Omnipotent having unlimited power
Omnipresent common or widespread
Omniscient knowing everything
Overwhelm defeat completely

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘P’

Difficult Words Meanings
Pandemonium uproar
Paramount supreme
Paranoia suspicion and mistrust of people or their actions without evidence or justification
Perplex confuse
Petrify make someone so frightened that they are unable to move
Pinnacle the most successful point
Preamble an introduction
Protocol the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions
Pseudonym a false name

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Q’

Difficult Words Meanings
Quadrilateral a four-sided figure
Qualitative relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity
Quandary uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation
Quantitative relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality
Quantum the smallest amount or unit of something
Quarantine a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed
Quench satisfy one’s thirst
Querulous complaining in a weak high voice
Quibble a slight objection or criticism about a matter of little value
Quintessence the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘R’

Difficult Words Meanings
Rampant Getting worse quickly in an uncontrolled way
Realm a kingdom
Rebuke express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone because of their behaviour or actions
Reconnaissance preliminary surveying or research
Reiterate say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity
Rejuvenate give new energy or vigour to
Relegate consign or dismiss to an inferior rank
Reminiscent tending to remind one of something
Remorse deep regret for a wrong committed
Renaissance a revival of or renewed interest in something

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘S’

Difficult Words Meanings
Sagacious having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement
Sarcasm the use of irony to mock or convey contempt
Satire the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticise people’s stupidity or vices
Scornful feeling or expressing contempt or derision
Scrutinise examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
Semantics the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning
Seminal strongly influencing later developments
Serendipity the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way
Solace comfort in a time of distress

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘T’

Difficult Words Meanings
Taboo a prohibited social practice
Tactful sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues
Tactical relating to or constituting actions carefully planned
Tangible perceptible by touch, real
Tantamount equivalent to
Taunt a remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone
Tenet a principle or belief
Tenuous very weak or slight
Termination the action of bringing something to an end
Threshold a point of entry or beginning

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘U’

Difficult Words Meanings
Ubiquitous found everywhere
Unanimous a decision held or carried by everyone involved
Unbiased showing no prejudice for or against something
Undaunted not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty
Unilateral performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a particular situation, without the agreement of another or the others
Unravel undo
Upheaval a sudden change or disruption to something
Utility the state of being useful, profitable, or beneficial
Utopian a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic
Utterance a spoken word, statement, or vocal sound

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘V’

Difficult Words Meanings
Valediction the action of saying farewell
Valiant showing courage or determination
Valour great courage in the face of danger
Vengeance punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong
Vernacular the language spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region
Versatile able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities
Versification the making of poetry
Vertigo a sensation of whirling and loss of balance
Vigilante a member of a self-appointed group of citizens who undertake law enforcement in their community without legal authority, typically because the legal agencies are thought to be inadequate
Vigorous strong, healthy, and full of energy

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘W’

Difficult Words Meanings
Wanderlust a strong desire to travel
Wardrobe a tall cabinet in which clothes may be hung or stored
Wayfarer a person who travels on foot
Whimsical playfully quaint or fanciful
Winsome appealing in appearance or character
Wither cease to flourish
Wizard a man who has magical powers, especially in legends and fairy tales.
Wrangle a long argument
Wrath extreme anger
Wretched in a very unhappy or unfortunate state

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘X’

Difficult Words Meanings
Xenophobia dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries
Xerox photocopy
Xylography the art of making woodcuts or wood engravings, especially by a relatively primitive technique

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Y’

Difficult Words Meanings
Yank pull with a jerk
Yatter endless talk

Difficult Words in English Vocabulary Starting with the Letter ‘Z’

Difficult Words Meanings
Zeal great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
Zest great enthusiasm and energy
Zippy bright, fresh, or lively

How Can We Learn Tough English Words?

Have you heard the term ‘Semantics’ before? Semantics is the study of meanings. English is not our mother tongue, so it requires effort to learn. There are numerous difficult words in the English language. It is hard to acquire knowledge and apply it in day to day conversations. But by practising semantics, even the most difficult words in English can be learnt quickly. Mastering the English language will not be a Himalayan task if you are ready to learn new vocabulary on a regular basis. Start practising on simpler words and gradually step into difficult vocabulary words. Prepare a list of complex words with meaning and try to learn at least five new words from the list regularly to improve your wisdom in the English language.

Frequently Asked Questions on Difficult Words

List 20 hard words in English.

Labyrinth
Nirvana
Nomenclature
Pandemonium
Patriarchy
Pseudonym
Malapropism
Omniscient
Rejuvenate
Sagacious
Serendipity
Solace
Tangible
Tenet
Unbiased
Unilateral
Utopian
Valediction
Overwhelm
Whimsical
Xenophobia

List 10 difficult words starting with the letter ‘I’.

Iconoclast
Idiosyncrasy
Idle
Imbibe
Imperative
Impetus
Incarnate
Indigenous
Inevitable
Insane

What is semantics?

Semantics is the study of meanings.

50 Difficult Words With Meaning in English: Well, we all have at least once gone through the examinations where an enhanced vocabulary plays a vital role. Even in prominent examinations like TOEFL and others, this is something that matters a lot, and this is a significant reason behind understanding and learning some difficult words with their meanings. But have you ever given it much focus and practiced enough for the same?

Vocabulary List provided helps in the competitive examinations and also in various stages of life. This article on 50 difficult words with their meanings is essential for better preparation for the students as well as for the adults. Experts precisely curate this article to help serve various needs. Read on 50 Difficult Words with Meanings for Class 4, 5, Different English Words With meanings and sentences.

Also, Read: Non-Technical Topics for Group Discussions

50 Difficult Words With Meanings, Pronunciation and Sentences

Here is the List of Hard Words and Meanings in English. Improve your Vocabulary and also how to Pronounce the most difficult words provided. Most of the Words which we use while interacting are synonyms and we never use them. However, they will be quite useful when you face any competitive exams. Good Vocabulary will always take you ahead in life. Below List of 50 Most Difficult Words and Meanings carefully organized will enhance your English Vocabulary for sure.

1. Abnegation 

Pronounced as /abnɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/.

Meaning – Renouncing any belief or doctrine.

Example – I have a strong belief in the abnegation of religions and cultures.

2. Aggrandize 

Pronounced as /əˈɡrandʌɪz/

Meaning – An enhanced wealth, status or power

Example – This act intended to aggrandize the British community.

3. Alacrity

Pronounced as /əˈlakrɪti/

Meaning – Eagerness

Example – He is too influenced by her that he accepted the invitation with alacrity.

4. Anachronistic

Pronounced as /ənakrəˈnɪstɪk/

Meaning – Chronologically misplaced

Example – He rebels with his parents, and it seems that he is against society’s anachronistic moralities.

5. Archetypal

Pronounced as /ˌɑːkɪˈtʌɪp(ə)l/

Meaning – quintessential of a specific kind

Example – He is the country’s archetypal doctor.

6. Ascetic

Pronounced as /əˈsɛtɪk/

Meaning – A person who practices self-denial as a part of spiritual discipline

Example – She recently adopted an ascetic life of fasting, prayer, and manual labour after watching some influential sessions.

7. Beguile

Pronounced as /bɪˈɡʌɪl/

Meaning – Influencing someone in a deceptive manner

Example – He succeeds to beguile the voters with his charming personality along with the good agendas.

8. Blandishment

Pronounced as /ˈblandɪʃm(ə)nt/

Meaning – Intentional flattery for persuasion

Example – He does not seem any stranger to blandishments.

9. Cajole

Pronounced as /kəˈdʒəʊl/

Meaning – Persuade by flattery or coaxing

Example – He hoped that he might succeed to cajole her into giving up her book.

10. Callous

Pronounced as (/ˈkaləs/

Meaning – Cruel disregard for others

Example – His callous statements can scare anyone off and made them shiver.

11. Camaraderie

Pronounced as /kaməˈrɑːd(ə)ri/

Meaning – A sense of solidarity that arises out of sociability and familiarity

Example – All my friends admire the camaraderie of military life.

12. Circumlocution

Pronounced as /ˌsəːkəmləˈkjuːʃ(ə)n/

Meaning – Unnecessary usage of more words to express something

Example – The politicians deliberately use circumlocution for influencing the public to vote for them.

13. Clamor

Pronounced as /ˈklamə/

Meaning – Proclaiming something noisily

Example – The questions turned to a clamour in the parliament meeting.

14. Cognizant

Pronounced as /ˈkɒ(ɡ)nɪz(ə)nt/

Meaning – Awareness or realization

Example – One must be cognizant of the legal boundaries while taking any action or starting any business.

15. Construe

Pronounced as /kənˈstruː/

Meaning – Interpreting or assigning a meaning

Example – None of his words ever construes like an apology, even if he tries harder.

16. Convivial

Pronounced as /kənˈvɪvɪəl/

Meaning – An enjoyable atmosphere or a jovial company

Example – The party that I attended last night turned out to be a convivial one; thus, I had a perfect time.

17. Demagogue

Pronounced as /ˈdɛməɡɒɡ/

Meaning – A political leader who makes use of rhetoric to appeal to the desires of the citizens

Example – The current PM is a demagogue who always succeeds in manipulating the press.

18. Denigrate

Pronounced as /ˈdɛnɪɡreɪt/

Meaning – Criticize someone unfairly

Example – Several people denigrate their nation due to some petty issues.

19. Didactic

Pronounced as /dɪˈdaktɪk/

Meaning – Instructive with some moral intent

Example – Most of the novels exposing social injustice are highly didactic.

20. Disparate

Pronounced as /ˈdɪsp(ə)rət/

Meaning – Belonging to a distinct kind

Example – My phone storage has a disparate list of songs from various singers and producers.

21. Eclectic

Pronounced as /ɪˈklɛktɪk/

Meaning – Deriving the best ideas and styles from diverse sources

Example – The museum had an eclectic collection of antiques and ancient scriptures; thus, visiting it is highly fascinating.

22. Egregious

Pronounced as /ɪˈɡriːdʒəs/

Meaning – Shocking or outrageously bad

Example – Any statesman showing such behavior is an egregious act.

23. Embezzlement

Pronounced as /ɛmˈbɛzlm(ə)nt/

Meaning – misappropriation of funds

Example – The Company’s previous finance head got fired after being charged for fraud and embezzlement.

24. Enervate

Pronounced as /ˈɛnəveɪt/

Meaning – Lacking in vitality or morally drained

Example – Due to the hot sunny day, she enervated and fainted.

25. Ephemeral

Pronounced as /ɪˈfɛm(ə)r(ə)l/

Meaning – Lasting for a short period

Example – This is an ephemeral plant that brings immense beauty to the surrounding.

List of 50 Difficult Words With Meanings

26. Equanimity

Pronounced as /ˌɛkwəˈnɪmɪti/

Meaning – Maintaining composure when stressful

Example – He was highly admired due to gentler behavior with sufficient equanimity.

27. Fatuous

Pronounced as /ˈfatjʊəs/

Meaning – Lacking intelligence or silly

Example – Her actions seem fatuous many times.

28. Gratuitous

Pronounced as /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/

Meaning – Uncalled for or unwarranted

Example – A 24 –year-old working woman reported gratuitous violence in the office.

29. Iconoclast

Pronounced as /ʌɪˈkɒnəklast/

Meaning – Someone who criticizes or attacks cherished ideas and beliefs of people

Example – He broke into the church with an iconoclast mob and planted reformation in the city.

30. Idiosyncratic

Pronounced as /ˌɪdɪə(ʊ)sɪŋˈkratɪk/

Meaning – Something peculiar to an individual

Example – Tesla’s new car model seems idiosyncratic to the older ones.

31. Incumbent

Pronounced as /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/

Meaning – Someone who holds a position

Example – To run the congress, one must beat the incumbent first.

32. Inveterate

Pronounced as /ɪnˈvɛt(ə)rət/

Meaning – Habitual

Example – She is an inveterate gossip lover.

33. Libertarian

Pronounced as /ˌlɪbəˈtɛːrɪən/

Meaning – someone who advocates civil liberty

Example – A libertarian seeks to ensure political freedom and maximize it for various benefits.

34. Licentious

Pronounced as /lʌɪˈsɛnʃəs/

Meaning – Someone who is promiscuous

Example – He was a mean ruler who exhibited licentious behaviour.

35. Mendacious

Pronounced as /mɛnˈdeɪʃəs/

Meaning – Deceitful

Example – Instead of giving many mendacious stories, one must try to be honest for once.

36. Multifarious

Pronounced as /ˌmʌltɪˈfɛːrɪəs/

Meaning – Multifaceted or diverse

Example – This is a fantastic university with multifarious study and learning options.

37. Obdurate

Pronounced as /ˈɒbdjʊrət/

Meaning – Being stubborn and refusing to change the opinion

Example – We argued for an hour, but he was obdurate in his belief.

38. Ostracism

Pronounced as /ˈɒstrəsɪz(ə)m/

Meaning – Excluding a person or some group from the society by majority consent

Example – After his shameful crime, his entire family suffered Ostracism from the village.

39. Pejorative

Pronounced as /pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv/

Meaning – Showing disapproval

Example – Most of his words were pejorative.

40. Pertinacious

Pronounced as /ˌpəːtɪˈneɪʃəs/

Meaning – Someone who is stubbornly unyielding

Example – The pertinacious little girl kept trying to sell cookies to a toothless man.

41. Phlegmatic

Pronounced as /flɛɡˈmatɪk/

Meaning – Expressing little or no emotion

Example – In earlier days, many phlegmatic British members ruled over India.

42. Promulgate

Pronounced as /ˈprɒm(ə)lɡeɪt/

Meaning – Broadcast or announce

Example – This is an urgent notice thus is promulgated instantly all across the institute.

43. Quotidian

Pronounced as /kwɒˈtɪdɪən/

Meaning – Something that occurs daily

Example – For the owners of pet dogs, taking them to a walk becomes a quotidian event.

44. Recalcitrant

Pronounced as /rɪˈkalsɪtr(ə)nt/

Meaning – Resistant to authority

Example – A group of some recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds indulged in rash driving.

45. Sanctimonious

Pronounced as /ˌsaŋ(k)tɪˈməʊnɪəs/

Meaning – Exhibiting moral superiority

Example – Rubina is known to reflect a sanctimonious personality in the show.

46. Solipsism

Pronounced as /ˈsɒlɪpsɪz(ə)m/

Meaning – Quality of being selfish and self-centred

Example – In the modern era, society is full of people with a solipsism mentality.

47. Travesty

Pronounced as /ˈtravɪsti/

Meaning – Distorting facts or imitation

Example – Michael travestied his family in his plays for his selfish causes.

48. Ubiquitous

Pronounced as /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/

Meaning – Omnipresent or existing everywhere

Example – God has a ubiquitous influence in the entire world.

49. Vicissitude

Pronounced as /vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/

Meaning – An unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune

Example – Even after having many vicissitudes in life, nothing could stop him from being the CEO of a prominent MNC and gaining success in life.

50. Vociferous

Pronounced as /və(ʊ)ˈsɪf(ə)rəs/

Meaning – Something or someone who is offensively/ conspicuously loud.

Example – He was known to be a vociferous opponent of the takeover.

Importance of Learning 50 Difficult English Words

There are many difficult words in every language, especially in English, that are unknown to even many of the native speakers of the language. These words are troublesome and are very problematic in various instances. Thus, getting hold of such words becomes a difficult task and is significantly more difficult for the ones preparing for any competitive examination. As the students ease some more contemporary techniques for learning and understanding the difficult words with their meanings, and thus it gets easier for them to have a better vocabulary.

For all the people wishing to pursue an education in foreign universities or clearing some prominent entrance examinations, it is essential to fare well in the verbal ability section. For that, it is necessary to have a good grasp of vocabulary. The list of 50 difficult words with their meanings is beneficial for all the students as well as the adults.

Conclusion

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