Difficult Word List

Roy Dupius (India)
381 words 9 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abortive
    failing to accomplish an intended result
  2. abnegate
    deny or renounce
  3. abject
    of the most contemptible kind
  4. acerbic
    sour or bitter in taste
  5. abstruse
    difficult to understand
  6. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
  7. accost
    approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently
  8. adage
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact
  9. acrid
    strong and sharp, as a taste or smell
  10. acrimonious
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
  11. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
  12. aphorism
    a short pithy instructive saying
  13. apocryphal
    being of questionable authenticity
  14. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
  15. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  16. assimilate
    make alike
  17. archetype
    something that serves as a model
  18. avarice
    reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth
  19. belabor
    beat soundly
  20. belie
    be in contradiction with
  21. blithe
    carefree and happy and lighthearted
  22. brevity
    the attribute of being short or fleeting
  23. bucolic
    devoted to raising sheep or cattle
  24. burlesque
    a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor
  25. bourgeoisie
    a socioeconomic group that is neither wealthy nor poor
  26. candour
    the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech
  27. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  28. cadence
    the accent in a metrical foot of verse
  29. castigate
    inflict severe punishment on
  30. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
  31. charlatan
    a flamboyant deceiver
  32. choleric
    characterized by anger
  33. cogent
    powerfully persuasive
  34. commensurate
    corresponding in size or degree or extent
  35. compendium
    a publication containing a variety of works
  36. collusion
    secret agreement
  37. coherent
    marked by an orderly and consistent relation of parts
  38. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
  39. condescend
    behave in a patronizing manner
  40. congenial
    suitable to your needs
  41. conjecture
    believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
  42. contiguous
    having a common boundary or edge
  43. contingent
    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow
  44. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  45. contrived
    showing effects of planning or manipulation
  46. corroborate
    give evidence for
  47. countenance
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
  48. covenant
    an agreement between a god and the people
  49. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  50. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  51. debauchery
    a wild gathering
  52. debilitate
    make weak
  53. decadent
    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable
  54. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  55. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  56. deluge
    a heavy rain
  57. depravity
    moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles
  58. deprecate
    express strong disapproval of; deplore
  59. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
  60. desiccate
    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless
  61. despondent
    without or almost without hope
  62. destitute
    poor enough to need help from others
  63. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  64. dialectical
    relating to reasoning by the exchange of logical arguments
  65. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  66. dilettante
    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
  67. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
  68. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  69. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  70. disseminate
    cause to become widely known
  71. distend
    cause to expand as if by internal pressure
  72. doctrinaire
    a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions
  73. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  74. ebullient
    joyously unrestrained
  75. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  76. election
    a vote choosing the winner of a position or political office
  77. egalitarian
    favoring social equality
  78. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  79. elliptical
    rounded like an egg
  80. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
  81. emigrate
    leave one's country of residence for a new one
  82. empirical
    derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
  83. endemic
    native to or confined to a certain region
  84. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
  85. enfranchise
    grant freedom to, as from slavery or servitude
  86. engender
    call forth
  87. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  88. enormity
    the quality of extreme wickedness
  89. epigram
    a witty saying
  90. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  91. equitable
    fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience
  92. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
  93. espouse
    choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.
  94. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
  95. euphemism
    an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
  96. exacerbate
    make worse
  97. exalt
    praise, glorify, or honor
  98. exasperate
    make furious
  99. exonerate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  100. expedient
    appropriate to a purpose
  101. extol
    praise, glorify, or honor
  102. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  103. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
  104. farcical
    broadly or extravagantly humorous
  105. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
  106. fatalist
    someone who feels powerless to change his or her destiny
  107. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  108. fecund
    capable of producing offspring or vegetation
  109. fetter
    a shackle for the ankles or feet
  110. foible
    a minor weakness or peculiarity in someone's character
  111. felicity
    pleasing and appropriate manner or style
  112. foment
    try to stir up
  113. flagrant
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  114. forbear
    refrain from doing
  115. forgo
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
  116. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  117. frenetic
    fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way
  118. frugal
    avoiding waste
  119. furtive
    secret and sly
  120. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  121. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
  122. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
  123. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
  124. grandiose
    impressive because of unnecessary largeness or magnificence
  125. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  126. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  127. harbinger
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  128. hedonism
    an ethical system that values the pursuit of pleasure
  129. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
  130. heresy
    a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
  131. hermetic
    completely sealed or airtight
  132. hiatus
    an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
  133. histrionic
    overly dramatic or emotional
  134. homily
    a sermon on a moral or religious topic
  135. hyperbole
    extravagant exaggeration
  136. iconoclast
    someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions
  137. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
  138. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
  139. ignominy
    a state of dishonor
  140. illicit
    contrary to accepted morality or convention
  141. imminent
    close in time; about to occur
  142. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
  143. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  144. impugn
    attack as false or wrong
  145. inane
    devoid of intelligence
  146. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
  147. incense
    make furious
  148. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  149. incipient
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  150. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
  151. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
  152. indigent
    poor enough to need help from others
  153. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
  154. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  155. ineffable
    defying expression or description
  156. inept
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
  157. inexorable
    impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
  158. infatuated
    marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness
  159. indulgent
    given to yielding to the wishes of someone
  160. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
  161. injunction
    a judicial remedy to prohibit a party from doing something
  162. innate
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
  163. innocuous
    not injurious to physical or mental health
  164. insatiable
    impossible to fulfill, appease, or gratify
  165. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  166. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
  167. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  168. insolent
    marked by casual disrespect
  169. insular
    relating to or characteristic of or situated on an island
  170. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  171. intransigent
    impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason
  172. intrinsic
    belonging to a thing by its very nature
  173. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
  174. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
  175. inveterate
    habitual
  176. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  177. itinerant
    traveling from place to place to work
  178. juxtapose
    place side by side
  179. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
  180. lampoon
    ridicule with satire
  181. laconic
    brief and to the point
  182. languish
    become feeble
  183. largess
    liberality in bestowing gifts
  184. levity
    a manner lacking seriousness
  185. libel
    a false and malicious publication
  186. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  187. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
  188. machination
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
  189. malfeasance
    wrongful conduct by a public official
  190. malinger
    avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
  191. matriculate
    enroll as a student
  192. manifest
    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
  193. maudlin
    very sentimental or emotional
  194. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
  195. maxim
    a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
  196. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
  197. mendacious
    given to lying
  198. mendicant
    a pauper who lives by begging
  199. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  200. microcosm
    a miniature model of something
  201. milieu
    the environmental condition
  202. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  203. moribund
    being on the point of death
  204. munificent
    given or giving freely, generously, or without restriction
  205. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  206. nefarious
    extremely wicked
  207. narcissism
    an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself
  208. nebulous
    lacking definite form or limits
  209. neologism
    a newly invented word or phrase
  210. nepotism
    favoritism shown to relatives or friends by those in power
  211. novel
    an extended fictional work in prose
  212. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
  213. nihilism
    complete denial of established authority and institutions
  214. obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
  215. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  216. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  217. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  218. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  219. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  220. ostensible
    appearing as such but not necessarily so
  221. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  222. palliate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  223. palpable
    capable of being perceived
  224. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
  225. panacea
    hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
  226. parochial
    relating to or supported by or located in a parish
  227. parody
    a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
  228. parsimonious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  229. patent
    a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention
  230. patrician
    a person of refined upbringing and manners
  231. patronize
    provide support for
  232. peccadillo
    a petty misdeed
  233. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  234. pedestrian
    a person who travels by foot
  235. pejorative
    expressing disapproval
  236. penchant
    a strong liking or preference
  237. penitent
    feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
  238. peremptory
    putting an end to all debate or action
  239. perennial
    lasting an indefinitely long time
  240. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
  241. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  242. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  243. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  244. perquisite
    an incidental benefit for certain types of employment
  245. perturb
    disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried
  246. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
  247. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
  248. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
  249. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  250. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  251. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  252. plebeian
    of or associated with the great masses of people
  253. poignant
    keenly distressing to the mind or feelings
  254. polemic
    a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma
  255. ponderous
    having great mass and weight and unwieldiness
  256. portent
    a sign of something about to happen
  257. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  258. percept
    the representation of what is perceived
  259. precipitous
    extremely steep
  260. preclude
    make impossible, especially beforehand
  261. penitent
    feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
  262. preempt
    acquire for oneself before others can do so
  263. preeminent
    greatest in importance, degree, or significance
  264. prerogative
    a right reserved exclusively by a person or group
  265. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  266. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  267. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  268. proletariat
    a social class comprising those who do manual labor
  269. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  270. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  271. profane
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
  272. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  273. propensity
    a natural inclination
  274. propitious
    presenting favorable circumstances
  275. proselytize
    convert or try to convert someone to another religion
  276. protract
    lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer
  277. provident
    giving something useful for the future
  278. propriety
    correct behavior
  279. proponent
    a person who argues for a cause or puts forward an idea
  280. proscribe
    command against
  281. purportedly
    allegedly but not definitely true
  282. putative
    purported
  283. querulous
    habitually complaining
  284. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  285. qualify
    prove capable or fit; meet requirements
  286. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  287. rancor
    a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
  288. rapacious
    living by preying on other animals
  289. rebut
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  290. recalcitrant
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  291. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  292. reciprocal
    concerning each of two or more persons or things
  293. recondite
    difficult to understand
  294. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
  295. redolent
    having a strong pleasant odor
  296. remonstrate
    argue in protest or opposition
  297. reparation
    something done or paid in expiation of a wrong
  298. replete
    filled to satisfaction with food or drink
  299. reprehensible
    bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
  300. reprisal
    a retaliatory action against an enemy
  301. reproach
    express criticism towards
  302. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
  303. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  304. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  305. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
  306. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  307. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
  308. sacrilege
    blasphemous behavior
  309. sacrosanct
    treated as if holy and kept free from violation or criticism
  310. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  311. sanctimonious
    excessively or hypocritically pious
  312. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  313. sedition
    an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority
  314. sentient
    endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness
  315. sequester
    keep away from others
  316. scrupulous
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  317. serendipity
    good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries
  318. servile
    submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
  319. sobriety
    the state of being unaffected or not intoxicated by alcohol
  320. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
  321. solvent
    capable of meeting financial obligations
  322. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  323. specious
    plausible but false
  324. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  325. squalor
    sordid dirtiness
  326. stigma
    a symbol of disgrace or infamy
  327. stricture
    a principle that restricts the extent of something
  328. strife
    bitter conflict; heated or violent dissension
  329. stymie
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
  330. subjugate
    make subservient; force to submit or subdue
  331. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
  332. subversive
    in opposition to an established system or government
  333. succinct
    briefly giving the gist of something
  334. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  335. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  336. surfeit
    indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
  337. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  338. surrogate
    someone or something that takes the place of another
  339. sycophant
    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
  340. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
  341. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
  342. tautological
    characterized by unnecessary repetition
  343. temerity
    fearless daring
  344. tenable
    based on sound reasoning or evidence
  345. tenet
    a basic principle or belief that is accepted as true
  346. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
  347. terse
    brief and to the point
  348. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  349. torpor
    a state of motor and mental inactivity
  350. touchstone
    a basis for comparison
  351. tout
    advertise in strongly positive terms
  352. transgress
    act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
  353. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
  354. turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
  355. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  356. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
  357. unremitting
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  358. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  359. utilitarian
    having a useful function
  360. utopia
    ideally perfect state
  361. unconscionable
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
  362. vacillate
    be undecided about something
  363. vapid
    lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
  364. venal
    capable of being corrupted
  365. venerate
    regard with feelings of respect and reverence
  366. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  367. verbose
    using or containing too many words
  368. verisimilitude
    the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true
  369. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
  370. vicarious
    experienced at secondhand
  371. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  372. vilify
    spread negative information about
  373. virtuoso
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
  374. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  375. vitiate
    make imperfect
  376. vitriolic
    harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
  377. vocation
    the particular occupation for which you are trained
  378. volition
    the act of making a choice
  379. wanton
    a lewd or immoral person
  380. willful
    done by design
  381. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
Created on Sat Aug 17 04:46:09 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Feb 19 11:07:58 EST 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.