Want to learn about challenging terms and their definitions? Look through the list of 100 challenging or most complicated words in this article and their meanings.
Understanding tricky words will help you communicate better and write better. Students are typically recommended to learn challenging terms because doing so can help them become more fluent in English and writing. Additionally, it might be beneficial in both general and competitive tests.
Let's proceed to the list of challenging words with meaning now.
- Abstemious - sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
- Accolade - an expression of praise or admiration; a mark of recognition
- Agglutinate - to cause to stick together; to unite or combine
- Aggrandise - to make larger or greater; to increase in power or wealth
- Alleluia - an expression of joy or praise, especially in a religious context
- Anachronism - something out of place in time; a chronological error
- Anathema - something or someone that is hated or reviled; a curse
- Anodyne - something that soothes or relieves pain; a remedy
- Antithesis - the direct opposite; a contrast or opposition
- Apocryphal - of doubtful authenticity; not genuine or true
- Arduous - difficult and requiring a lot of effort; demanding
- Arrant - absolute; complete; thoroughgoing
- Artifice - a clever trick or stratagem, a deceptive device
- Ataraxy - a state of freedom from emotional disturbance or turmoil; tranquillity
- Atavism - the reversion to an earlier type or characteristic, especially in a biological context
- Autarky - the state of being self-sufficient, especially in economic terms
- Avuncular - of or relating to an uncle; kindly and benevolent
- Axiom - a self-evident truth that requires no proof
- Baleful - harmful or malicious; ominous or foreboding
- Banal - lacking originality or freshness; overused and trite
- Bedlam - a place or situation characterised by chaos or uproar; confusion
- Beguile - to deceive or mislead through charm or appeal; to distract or divert
- Beleaguer - to surround and harass; to trouble or beset
- Blandishment - flattery or persuasion intended to persuade or coax
- Bombastic - pompous or grandiloquent; characterised by pomp or grandeur
- Bombinate - to make a humming or buzzing sound; to drone on
- Bombination - a humming or buzzing sound; a continuous noise
- Boorish - rude or uncivilised in behaviour or manners
- Byzantine - complicated or intricate; characterised by convoluted scheming or plotting
- Cadence - the rhythmic flow of a sequence of words or sounds; the rise and fall of pitch in speech or song
- Calumny - the act of making false and malicious statements about someone; slander
- Capricious - changeable or unpredictable; prone to sudden mood swings
- Carapace - a hard, protective outer shell or covering
- Castigate - to criticise or punish severely; to reprimand or chastise
- Catechize - to instruct or examine (someone) in the principles of a religion
- Cavalcade - a procession of people or vehicles, especially one with a festive or ceremonial character
- Debacle - a complete or ignominious failure; a collapse
- Debauch - to corrupt or seduce, especially morally; to indulge in excess or decadence
- Debilitate - to weaken or enfeeble; to drain strength or vitality
- Debunk - to expose the falseness or hollowness of; to discredit or dismiss as untrue
- Defenestrate - to throw out of a window; to eject or expel forcibly
- Fastidious - demanding or particular about details; meticulous
- Fecund - productive or fertile; able to produce offspring or fruit in abundance
- Felicitous - well-suited or appropriate; fortunate or lucky
- Fervid - characterised by intense enthusiasm or passion; ardently eager
- Garrulous - excessively talkative; prone to talking at length and in great detail
- Gourmand - a person who takes great pleasure in eating and drinking to excess; a glutton
- Grandiloquent - using pompous or extravagant language; showy or bombastic
- Halcyon - calm, peaceful, and happy; prosperous and carefree
- Haughty - arrogant or disdainful; haughty
- Hegemony - dominance or leadership, especially by one country or group over others
- Herculean - extremely difficult or challenging, requiring great strength or effort.
- Hieroglyphic - a writing system in which characters represent ideas or sounds rather than words
- Histrionic - overly dramatic in behaviour; attention-seeking
- Homogenise - to make uniform or consistent in composition; to blend or mix
- Hyperbole - extreme exaggeration or overstatement, often for emphasis or effect
- Iconoclast - someone who challenges or attacks traditional beliefs or institutions
- Idiosyncrasy - a peculiar or unique characteristic or habit; a quirk
- Jettison - to discard or throw overboard, especially in an emergency
- Jocular - said or done in jest; humorous or playful
- Jocund - happy or jolly in disposition; cheerful or joyous
- Jugulate - to cut the throat of; to kill by cutting the jugular vein
- Jugulum - the front of the neck, especially the area of the throat below the chin
- Knavery - dishonest or fraudulent behaviour; trickery or deceit
- Kudzu - a fast-growing vine native to Japan, known for its rapid spread and ability to smother other plants
- Languid - lacking energy or vitality; slow or sluggish
- Lassitude - a feeling of weariness or tiredness; a lack of energy or enthusiasm
- Laudable - worthy of praise; commendable
- Legerdemain - the use of trickery or deception, especially in performing magic or illusions
- Lenitive - having a soothing effect; relieving pain or discomfort
- Lethargy - a state of sluggishness or lack of energy; a feeling of apathy or indifference
- Levity - a lack of seriousness or responsibility; a tendency to make light of serious matters
- Libertine - a person who is sexually promiscuous or lacks moral restraint; a freethinker or nonconformist
- Licentious - lacking moral discipline or control; lacking constraints or limitation
- Limn - to depict or describe in detail; to outline or portray
- Limpid - clear and transparent; without clouds or blemishes
- Lissome - agile and graceful; flexible and lithe
- Machination - a plot or scheme, especially one that is sinister or deceitful
- Magnanimous - generous or forgiving; unselfish
- Malevolent - having or showing a desire to do harm or evil; malicious
- Malleable - capable of being shaped or moulded; pliable
- Malediction - a curse or a wish for harm or evil to befall someone
- Neologism - a new word or phrase, especially one coined to describe a new concept
- Nihilism - the belief that nothing has any meaning or value; a rejection of all moral and religious principles
- Nonplussed - perplexed or bewildered; at a loss for what to do or say
- Obsequious - overly eager to please or obey; servile or sycophantic
- Obviate - to prevent or make unnecessary; to render something unnecessary
- Odious - evoking strong dislike or disgust; repugnant
- Officious - intrusive or overly eager to help; presumptuously offering unwanted services or advice
- Paregoric - a medication used to relieve pain or calm the stomach
- Peculate - to embezzle or misappropriate funds or resources; to steal from one's place of trust
- Penultimate - next to the last; second to the last
- Perfidious - disloyal or faithless; treacherous or deceitful
- Peripatetic - moving or travelling from place to place; itinerant
- Quandary - a state of uncertainty or doubt; a predicament
- Querulous - prone to complaining or whining; grumbling
- Quixotic - idealistic or romantic to a fault; impractical or unrealistic
- Rebuke - to criticise or reprimand sharply; to express strong disapproval
- Recalcitrant - resistant to authority or control; rebellious or obstinate
- Cavil - to raise petty or frivolous objections; to quibble or nitpick
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