Hard word with their meaning - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

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:

Why Improve Your Vocabulary?
50 Difficult Words with Meanings and Examples
How to Learn the Unfamiliar Words with Meaning?
20 Hard Words with Meanings
Difficult English Words to Pronounce
[BONUS] 50 Simple Words with Meaning
Importance of Difficult Words in Competitive Exams
Use of English Vocabulary in GMAT
Use of English Vocabulary in GRE
Best Vocabulary Books
FAQs

Why Improve Your Vocabulary?

Here are some reasons why you must improve your vocabulary:

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.
Developing your vocabulary will sharpen your mind.
Knowing the correct word can help you express your thoughts more accurately.
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

Abnegation /abnɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/: Renouncing a belief or doctrine
Example: “I believe in the abnegation of political power”
Aggrandize /əˈɡrandʌɪz/: enhance power, wealth or status
Example: It was an action intended to aggrandize the Frankish dynasty.
Alacrity /əˈlakrɪti/: Eagerness
Example: He accepted the invitation with alacrity.
Anachronistic /ənakrəˈnɪstɪk/: misplaced chronologically
Example: He is rebelling against the anachronistic morality of his parents.
Archetypal /ˌɑːkɪˈtʌɪp(ə)l/: quintessential of a certain kind
Example: She is the archetypal country doctor.
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.
Beguile /bɪˈɡʌɪl/: influence someone in a deceptive way
Example: He beguiled the voters with his good looks.
Blandishment /ˈblandɪʃm(ə)nt/: intentional flattery for persuasion
Example: The blandishments of the travel brochure.
Cajole /kəˈdʒəʊl/: persuade by flattery or coaxing
Example: He hoped to cajole her into selling the house.
Callous (/ˈkaləs/: disregard for others
Example: Her callous comments about the murder made me shiver.
Camaraderie /kaməˈrɑːd(ə)ri/: a sense of solidarity arising out of familiarity and sociability
Example: I like the enforced camaraderie of office life.
Circumlocution /ˌsəːkəmləˈkjuːʃ(ə)n/: expressing someone in an indirect way
Example: His admission came after years of circumlocution.
Clamour/ˈklamə/: proclaim something noisily
Example: The questions rose to a clamour in the meeting.
Cognizant /ˈkɒ(ɡ)nɪz(ə)nt/: awareness or realization
Example: Politicians must be cognizant of the political boundaries within which they work.
Construe /kənˈstruː/: interpret or assign meaning
Example: His words could hardly be construed as an apology.
Convivial /kənˈvɪvɪəl/: enjoyable atmosphere or jovial company
Example: It is a convivial cocktail party.
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.
Denigrate /ˈdɛnɪɡreɪt/: belittle someone
Example: Many doom and gloom merchants denigrate their own country.
Didactic /dɪˈdaktɪk/: instructive with a moral intent
Example: It is a didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice.
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

Eclectic /ɪˈklɛktɪk/: deriving the best ideas and styles from a diverse range of sources
Example: My university is offering an eclectic mix of courses.
Egregious /ɪˈɡriːdʒəs/: reprehensible or outrageously bad
Example: It is an egregious abuse of copyright.
Embezzlement /ɛmˈbɛzlm(ə)nt/: misappropriation of funds
Example: He has charges of fraud and embezzlement.
Enervate /ˈɛnəveɪt/: lacking in vitality or mentally/ morally drained
Example: The weather has an enervating heat today.
Ephemeral /ɪˈfɛm(ə)r(ə)l/: lasting for a short duration
Example: Fads are ephemeral: new ones regularly drive out the old.
Equanimity /ˌɛkwəˈnɪmɪti/: maintaining composure in stressful situations
Example: He accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity.
Fatuous /ˈfatjʊəs/: devoid of intelligence
Example: It was a fatuous comment.
Gratuitous /ɡrəˈtjuːɪtəs/: uncalled for or unwarranted
Example: Gratuitous violence was reported.
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.
Idiosyncratic /ˌɪdɪə(ʊ)sɪŋˈkratɪk/: something peculiar to an individual
Example: He emerged as one of the great, idiosyncratic talents of the nineties.
Incumbent /ɪnˈkʌmb(ə)nt/: something that is morally binding
Example: The government realized that it was incumbent on them to act.
Inveterate /ɪnˈvɛt(ə)rət/: habitual
Example: She is an inveterate gambler.
Libertarian /ˌlɪbəˈtɛːrɪən/: someone who cherishes ideas of free will
Example: He is studying libertarian philosophy.
Licentious /lʌɪˈsɛnʃəs/: someone who is promiscuous
Example: The ruler’s tyrannical and licentious behaviour.
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
Multifarious /ˌmʌltɪˈfɛːrɪəs/: multifaceted or diverse
Example: The university offers multifarious activities.
Obdurate /ˈɒbdjʊrət/: being stubborn and refusing to change one’s opinion
Example: I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate.
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”
Pejorative /pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv/: showing disapproval
Example: Permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term.
Pertinacious /ˌpəːtɪˈneɪʃəs/: someone who is stubbornly unyielding
Example: She worked with a pertinacious resistance to interruptions.
Phlegmatic /flɛɡˈmatɪk/: expressing little or no emotion
Example: He portrays the phlegmatic British character on the show.
Promulgate /ˈprɒm(ə)lɡeɪt/: to broadcast or announce
Example: These objectives have to be promulgated within the organization.
Quotidian /kwɒˈtɪdɪən/: something that is of daily occurrence
Example: The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic.
Recalcitrant /rɪˈkalsɪtr(ə)nt/: resistant to authority
Example: A class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds raided the store.
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?
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.
Travesty /ˈtravɪsti/: distorting facts or imitation
Example: The absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice.
Ubiquitous /juːˈbɪkwɪtəs/: omnipresent or existing everywhere
Example: His ubiquitous influence was felt by the family.
Vicissitude /vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/: an unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune
Example: Her husband’s sharp vicissitudes of fortune.
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?

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:

Abject /ˈabdʒɛkt/: Experienced or present to the maximum degree
“The result plunged her into abject misery”
Abscond /əbˈskɒnd,abˈskɒnd/: Leave hurriedly and secretly
“After her secret was revealed she absconded from the party”
Bereft /bɪˈrɛft/: Deprived of or lacking“
The house bereft of colours and painting”
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”
Capitulate /kəˈpɪtjʊleɪt/: Cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand
“Our forces were prepared to capitulate enemies”
Umbrage /ˈʌmbrɪdʒ/: Annoyance or offence
“She took umbrage of his rude comment.”
Emollient /ɪˈmɒlɪənt/: Having the quality of softening or soothing the skin
“I prefer using an emollient shampoo over others”
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”
Dispel /dɪˈspɛl/: make doubt disappear
“The calmness of the morning dispel Ross’s disappointment”
Epistolary /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌləri/: In the form of letters
“My grandparent’s college times epistolary collection is very interesting.”
Epistolary /ɪˈpɪst(ə)ˌləri/: In the form of letters or documents
Example: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a perfect example of Epistolary.
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.
Forbearance /fɔːˈbɛːr(ə)ns/: Self-control, Patience, Tolerance
Example: Without forbearance, Ray wouldn’t have cleared his house loan.
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.
Heterogeneous /ˌhɛt(ə)rə(ʊ)ˈdʒiːnɪəs/: Diverse in content or character
Example: I gave him heterogeneous ideas for his master’s thesis topics.
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.
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.
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.
Protean /ˈprəʊtɪən,prəʊˈtiːən/: Frequently changing, Trending, Versatile
Example: Vicky Kaushal is a protean actor who is capable of performing any kind of role.
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:

Otorhinolaryngologist: oh-toh-RYE-noh-LAR-ən-GOL-ə-jee
Anemone: uh·neh·muh·nee
Anathema: uh·na·thuh·muh
Worcestershire: vu·stuh·shuh
Balmoral: bal·maw·ruhl
Antidisestablishmentarianism: an·tee·dis·uh·sta·bluhsh·muhnt·euh·ree·uhn·i·zm
Asterisk: a·stuh·ruhsk
Brewery: broo·uh·ree
Defibrillator: duh·fi·bruh·lei·tuh
February: feh·bruh·ree
Rural: roo·ruhl
Floccinaucinihilipilification: Flok-si-no-si-ny-hil-i-pil-i-fi-kay-shuhn
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: Hi-poh-po-toh-mon-stroh-ses-kwee-peh-dah-leejoh-foh-beeja
Colonel: kuh·nuhl
Choir: kvai·uh
Chores: chawz
Isthmus: is·muhs
Library: lai·bruh·ree
Strait: streit
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:

Back: The rear surface of the human body from the shoulders to the hips.
Base: The lowest part or edge of something, especially the part on which it rests or is supported.
Behaviour: How one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
Belief: An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof.
Birth: The emergence of a baby or other young from the body of its mother; the start of life as a physically separate being.
Answer: A thing that is said, written, or done as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation.
Approval: The belief that someone or something is good or acceptable.
Bread: Food made of flour, water, and yeast mixture and baked.
Breath: An inhalation or exhalation of air from the lungs.
Brother: A man or boy concerning other sons and daughters of his parents.
Building: It is a structure with a roof and walls, such as a house or factory.
Burn: (Of a fire) produces flames and heat while consuming a material such as coal or wood.
Business: It refers to a person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade.
Butter: It is a pale yellow edible fatty substance made by churning cream and used as a spread or in cooking.
Current: Belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now.
Damage: Physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.
Danger: The possibility of suffering harm or injury.
Daughter: A girl or woman concerning either or both of her parents.
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.
Death: The action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism.
Decision: A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
Detail: An individual fact or item
Development: The process of developing or being developed.
Direction: A course along which someone or something moves.
Comparison: A consideration or estimate of the similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people.
Competition: The activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.
Connection: A relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.
Cook: To prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by mixing, combining, and heating the ingredients.
Country: A nation with its government, occupying a particular territory.
Cover: To put something on top of or in front of (something), especially to protect or conceal it.
Credit: A customer can obtain goods or services before payment, based on the trust that payment will be made in the future.
Cry: To shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow.
Care: The provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.
Cause: A person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition.
Chance: It is the probability of something desirable happening.
Change: Make (someone or something) different; alter or modify.
Cloth: A woven or felted fabric made from wool, cotton, or a similar fibre.
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.
Comfort: A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.
Company: A commercial business.
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.
Attack: Take aggressive military action against (a place or enemy forces) with weapons or armed force.
Attention: When a notice is taken of someone or something; the regarding of someone or something as interesting or important.
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.
Blow: (Of wind) move creating an air current.
Body: The physical structure, including the bones, flesh, and organs, of a person or an animal.
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.
Air: The invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
Amount: A quantity of something, especially the total of a thing or things in number, size, value, or extent.
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 ____________.

Original
Orthodox
Eccentric
Conventional
Innovative
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.

Источник

Vocabulary is the core of English study. To master difficult words, you need to know definitions and meanings, as well as sentences and examples. The list of 200 hard words with meaning and sentence offers excellent contexts for each word to enrich your vocabulary skill. Especially for SAT or ACT test-takers, these hard words and sentences are a great resource to enhance college admission test skills.

Vocabulary capability plays a vital role in all English language tests. No matter what sort of questions, either reading or writing, a high score relies on strong vocabulary skills. It may not ensure a good score, but the reverse is true: a weak vocabulary will lead to a bad result. So don’t miss this difficult word list.

Students have various ways to study difficult words. One method is to learn new words from sentences and contexts. When you study or review difficult words, good example sentences help very much. These sentences not only let you understand new words precisely but also push you to use new words confidently.

Here we list 200 hard words with meaning, sentence, and practice. Most of the sentences are from the media or the Internet. The real and alive English sentences give you actual context meanings, which help to memorize difficult words by context and to trigger inspiration to use them in writing.

1. Handy Tools to Study Words when sentences

The high light of this small difficult word list is its sentences, which are excellent examples to demonstrate word’s meaning. As long as you bind words with their context sentences, both words and sentences can improve your performance in all aspects of English; especially these sentences should be a handy resource in writing. In addition, we build some handy tools to help you getting

The printable PDF worksheets are common tools to study vocabulary. We offer nice PDF format to export words, meanings, and sentences as word list and cards. Click below picture to print your own PDF files.

We also offer flexible online exercises for each word, including word-to-definition match quiz and spelling. Try them from below demo pictures.

To help memeroizing these hard words, we offer two exclusive tools to mark and manage these words. Click below picture to try how to manage hard words. (To save your words’ statuses to server, you need to have an examword.com account.)

2. Definitions in ESL Users’ Home Language

This word list also includes meanings in multiple non-English languages to help ESL users speed up their vocabulary building. When you sign on, you can select a home language. After setting, you will see definitions of these difficult words in your own language.

Try the below demo. If you sign on, your setting has a higher priority.

3. Sample Difficult Words

The hard list has 200 words, below 50 words and their definitions and examples are from Group 2.

obdurate /’ɒbdjʊrɪt/;/’ɑbdərɪt/ a. Syn. stubborn; inflexible
hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; not giving in to persuasion
He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints. obfuscate /’ɒbfʌskeɪt/ v. Syn. confuse; muddle
confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex
Was the president’s spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery, or was he trying to obfuscate the issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?. oblique /ə’bli:k/ a. Syn. inclined
having slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; inclined
Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to march. obsequious /əb’si:kwɪəs/ a.
slavishly attentive; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Helen liked to be served by people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk. obstreperous /əb’strɛpərəs/ a.
noisily aggressive; making great noise or outcry
What do you do when an obstreperous horde of drunken policemen goes carousing through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing vulgar songs?. obtuse /əb’tju:s/;/əb’tu:s/ a. Syn. stupid
lacking in insight or discernment; stupid
What can you do with somebody who’s so obtuse that he can’t even tell that you’re insulting him?. odious /’oʊdɪəs/ a. Syn. hateful; vile
hateful; arousing strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure
Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits in public. officious /ə’fɪʃəs/ a.
marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others
Judy wanted to look over the new computer models on her own, but the officious salesman kept on butting in with «helpful» advice until she was ready to walk out of the store. ostensible /ɒ’stɛnsɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. apparent
put forth or held out as real, actual, or intended; proper or intended to be shown
Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products. palliate /’pælɪeɪt/ v.
lessen violence of disease; moderate intensity; gloss over with excuses
Not content merely to palliate the patient’s sores and cankers, the researcher sought a means of wiping out the disease. pallid /’pælɪd/ a. Syn. pale; wan
abnormally pale; lacking intensity of color or luminousness
Because his job required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion. panacea /pænə’sɪə/ n.
remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all
The rich youth cynically declared that the panacea for all speeding tickets was a big enough bribe. paragon /’pærəgən/;/’pærəgɒn/ n. Syn. model
model of excellence or perfection; peerless example
Mr. Brumby’s paragon is shocked at the other’s inaptitude for examination. pariah /’pærɪə/ n. Syn. untouchable
social outcast; person who is rejected from society or home
Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village, Huckleberry Finn, son of the town drunkard. parsimony /’pɑrsɪmənɪ/;/-moʊnɪ/ n.
extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily
Because her father wouldn’t let her buy a new iPhone, Annie accused him of parsimony. pathos /’peɪθɒs/ n. Syn. pity
tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings
The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly sentimental. paucity /’pɔ:sɪtɪ/ n. Syn. scarcity
scarcity; smallness of number; fewness
They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate. pejorative /pɪ’dʒɒrətɪv/ a.
tending to make or become worse; disparaging or belittling
Instead of criticizing Clinton’s policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character. pellucid /pɪ’lju:sɪd/ a. Syn. transparent; limpid
transparent; limpid; easy to understand
After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find Bertrand Russell’s pellucid style very enjoyable. perfidious /pə’fɪdɪəs/ a. Syn. treacherous; disloyal
tending to betray; disloyal; faithless
When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend. perfunctory /pə’fʌŋktərɪ/ a. Syn. superficial
done routinely and with little interest or care; acting with indifference; showing little interest or care
I introduced myself, and at my name his perfunctory manner changed; I knew he heard me before. pernicious /pə’nɪʃəs/ a. Syn. deadly
very destructive; tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly
Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society: it has destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes. pertinacious /pɜrtɪ’neɪʃəs/;/-tn’eɪʃəs/ a. Syn. stubborn; persistent
stubbornly or perversely persistent; unyielding; obstinate
He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit. pithy /’pɪθɪ/ a. Syn. concise
precisely meaningful; forceful and brief
While other girls might have gone on and on about how un-cool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark: «He’s bogus!» platitude /’plætɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n.
dullness; insipidity of thought; commonplace statement; lack of originality
In giving advice to his son, old Polonius expressed himself only in same platitude; every word out of his mouth was a commonplace. plethora /’plɛθərə/ n. Syn. excess; overabundance
excess; over-fullness in any respect; superabundance
She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings. portent /’pɔ:tɛnt/ n. Syn. sign; omen; forewarning
omen; forewarning; something that portends an event about to occur, especially unfortunate or evil event
He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil. precocious /prɪ’koʊʃəs/ a.
advanced in development; appearing or developing early
Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn’t help remarking how precocious she was. primeval /praɪ’mi:v(ə)l/ a. Syn. ancient; primitive
ancient; primitive; belonging to the first or earliest age; original or ancient
The archaeologist claimed that the skeleton was primeval origin, though in fact it was the remains of a modern day monkey. proclivity /prə’klɪvɪtɪ/ n. Syn. inclination
inclination; natural tendency; readiness; facility of learning
Watching the two-year-old boy voluntarily put away his toys, I was amazed by his proclivity for neatness. promulgate /’prɒməlgeɪt/ v. Syn. announce
proclaim doctrine or law; make known by official publication
During an interview with ABC News, Barack Obama said Republican attempted to promulgate, falsely, his Muslim connections. propensity /prə’pɛnsɪtɪ/ n. Syn. tendency; predilection
natural inclination; tendency or preference; predilection
Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others. propitious /prə’pɪʃəs/ a. Syn. favorable; fortunate; advantageous
presenting favorable circumstances; fortunate; advantageous
Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether Tuesday would be a propitious day to dump her boyfriend. prosaic /proʊ’zeiɪk/ a. Syn. factual
dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual
Though the ad writers came up with an original way to publicize the product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, ordinary slogan. proscribe /proʊ’skraɪb/;/proʊ-/ v. Syn. banish; outlaw
command against; banish; outlaw
Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus united to proscribe all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar. protean /’proʊtɪɛn, ‘proʊti:n/ a. Syn. versatile
versatile; able to take on many shapes; readily taking on varied shapes
A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role. prurient /’prʊərɪənt/ a.
having or causing lustful thoughts and desires; having eager desire for something
Aroused by his prurient impulses, the dirty old man leered at the sweet young thing and offered to give her a sample of his «prowess.». puerile /’pjʊəraɪl/;/-rəl/ a. Syn. childish
childish; belonging to childhood; immature
His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends. pulchritude /’pʌlkrɪtju:d/ n. Syn. beauty; comeliness
great physical beauty and appeal; attractive moral excellence; moral beauty
I do not envy the judges who have to select this year’s Miss America from this collection of female pulchritude. punctilious /pʌŋk’tɪlɪəs/ a.
marked by precise accordance with details
Percy is punctilious about observing the rules of etiquette whenever Miss Manners invites him to stay. quagmire /’kwɒgmaɪə(r)/ n.
soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself
Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire. querulous /’kwɛrʊləs/ a. Syn. fretful; whining
habitually complaining; expressing complaint or grievance
Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap. quixotic /kwɪk’sɒtɪk/ a.
idealistic without regard to practicality
Constantly coming up with quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head somewhere in the clouds. rancor /’ræŋkə(r)/ n. Syn. enmity; hatred
bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will; hatred
Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with rancor against the foe. rebuke /rɪ’bju:k/ v. Syn. admonish; scold
scold harshly; criticize severely
No matter how sharply I rebuke Huck for his misconduct, he never talks back but just stand there like a stump. recalcitrant /rɪ’kælsɪtrənt/ a.
obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority
Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?. rectitude /’rɛktɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n. Syn. uprightness
uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment
The Eagle Scout was a model of rectitude. replete /rɪ’pli:t/ a.
filled to brim or to point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied
The movie star’s memoir was replete with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood. reprobate /’rɛproʊbeɪt/ n.
person hardened in sin; person without moral scruples
I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is. reprove /rɪ’pru:v/ v. Syn. censure; rebuke
voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke; find fault with
The principal would severely reprove the students whenever they talked in the halls.

4. Other Difficult Words Resources

Learn difficult vocabulary by both definition and example sentence may cost more time; however, it sharpens your reading and writing, kills two birds with one stone.

A list of 200 words is relatively small. It’s far away from any test demand. None can rely on such a shortlist only to pass SAT, ACT, or similar test. Tutors and students usually use it to evaluate vocabulary level quickly. Some also use it as a supplement material in short training.

For those who prefer to read ebooks, we have some vocabulary ebooks to recommend:

3000 Common SAT Vocabulary List
Available at:

Kobo

5000 GRE Words
Available at:

Kobo

Источник

abjure Speak

/æb’dʒʊə(r)/ v. Syn. renounce; abandon
renounce upon oath; abandon forever
He will abjure his allegiance to the king.