Difficult Words and Their Usages

Previous Page

This is a new section which will attempt to throw some light on the more
Difficult Words in the English language. If you have a suggestion for a word we should feature in this Difficult Words section then please send it using The Contact Us form. It doesn't matter whether learners or native speakers of English might find it difficult!

A


Abash| Abate| Abdicate| Aberration| Abhor| Abject| Abnegate

Abortive| Abridge| Absolute| Absolve| Abstinent| Abstract| Acrid

Acrimonious| Acumen| Acute| Adage| Adamant| Address| Adherent

Admonish| Adroit| Adulation| Adulterate| Adverse| Aesthetic| Affable

Affectation| Affinity| Affluent| Agenda| Agrarian| Aggregate| Agnostic

Alacrity| Allege| Alleviate| Allocate| Alloy| Allusion| Aloof

Altruism| Ambience| Ambiguous| Ambivalent| Ameliorate| Amenable

Amenity| Abstruse| Abysmal| Accolade| Accost| Acerbic

Acquiesce| Amiable | Amnesty | Amoral | Amorous | Amorphous

Anachronism | Analogy | Anarchy | Anecdote | Anguish | Animosity

Anomaly | Antecedent | Antipathy | Antithesis | Apartheid | Apathy

Aphorism | Apocalypse | Apocryphal | Apotheosis | Appease

Appreciate | Apprehensive | Approbation

Appropriate | Aptitude | Arbiter | Arbitrary

Arcane | Archaic | Archetype | Ardent | Arduous

Aristocratic | Artful | Artifice | Ascetic | Ascendancy | Assiduous

Assimilate | Assuage | Astute | Audacity | Attrition | Augment

Auspicious | Austere | Autocratic | Avarice | Autonomous | Avow

Avuncular | Awry | Axiom

B


Bane | Banal | Bastion | Beget | Belabor | Beleaguer

Belittle | Belie | Belligerent | Bemused | Benefactor | Benevolent | Benign

Bequest| Bereaved| Beset| Blasphemy| Blatant| Blight| Blithe

Bourgeois| Bovine| Brevity| Broach

Bucolic| Bureaucracy| Burgeon| Burlesque

C


Cacophony| Cadence| Cajole| Callow| Candor| Capitalism

Caricature| Capitulate| Capricious| Castigate| Catalyst| Categorical

Catharsis| Catholic| Caustic| Celibacy| Censure| Cerebral

Charisma| Chagrin| Charlatan| Chasm| Chastise| Chicanery

Choleric| Chimera| Chronic| Chronicle| Circuitous| Circumlocution

Circumspect| Circumscribe| Circumvent| Civil| Clandestine| Clemency

Clique| Cliche| Coalesce| Coerce| Cogent| Cognitive

Coherent| Cognizant| Colloquial| Collusion| Commensurate| Compelling

Complacent| Compendium| Complement| Complicity

Comprehensive| Conciliatory| Comprise| Concise

Concord| Concurrent| Condescend| Conducive

Condone| Confluence| Congenial| Congenital| Conjecture| Connoisseur

Conjure| Consecrate| Consensus| Consonant| Construe| Contentious

Consummate| Contiguous| Contingent| Contrite

Contrived| Conventional| Copious

Convivial| Corollary| Corroborate| Cosmopolitan| Countenance| Covenant

Coup| Covert| Covet| Credulous| Criterion| Culinary

Cryptic| Culminate| Culpable| Cursory| Curtail| Cynic

D


Daunt| Dearth| Debacle| Debauchery| Debilitate| Decimate

Decadent| Decorous| Deduce| Defame| Deference

Degenerate| Definitive| Deleterious| Delineate| Delude

Deluge| Denizen| Demagogue| Depravity| Deprecate

Deride| Derogatory| Despondent| Desiccate| Despot

Destitute| Desultory| Dialectical| Didactic| Dictum

Diffident| Digress| Dilettante| Discern| Discrete

Discreet| Discriminate| Disdain| Disinterested| Disparage

Disseminate| Disparate| Dissipate| Dissolution| Distend

Distinguish| Docile| Dogmatic| Doctrinaire| Domestic| Dormant

Dubious| Duplicity


E


Eccentric| Ebullient| Eclectic| Edify| Efface| Effusion| Egocentric

Egalitarian| Egregious| Elicit| Elliptical| Elusive| Eminent| Emigrate

Empirical| Emulate| Encroach| Endemic| Enfranchise| Enervate| Engender

Enigma| Enormity| Ephemeral| Epitome| Epigram| Equanimity| Equitable

Equivocal| Erudite| Esoteric| Espouse| Euphemism| Ethereal| Evanescent

Exacerbate| Exacting| Exalt| Exemplify| Exasperate| Exhaustive| Exhort

Exigency| Existential| Expatriate| Exonerate| Expedient| Expedite| Explicit

Extol| Extrapolate| Extraneous| Extricate| Extrovert| Exult

F


Facetious| Fabrication| Facile| Farcical| Fastidious| Fatalist

Fauna| Fatuous| Fecund| Felicity| Fervor| Fetter

Figurative| Fidelity| Finesse| Flagrant| Flout| Flaunt

Foment| Foible| Forbear| Forgo| Forsake| Fortuitous

Fraternal| Founder| Frenetic| Frugal| Furtive| Futile

G


Genre| Garrulous| Genteel| Gesticulate| Glut| Grandiloquent

Gratuitous| Grandiose| Gravity| Gregarious| Guile

H


Hapless| Hackneyed| Harbinger| Hedonism| Hegemony| Heresy

Heyday| Hermetic| Hiatus| Hierarchy| Histrionic| Homily

Husbandry| Homogeneous| Hyperbole| Hypothetical

I


Ideology| Iconoclast| Idiosyncrasy| Idyllic| Ignominy| Illicit

Immutable| Imminent| Impartial| Impeccable| Imperial| Impervious

Implement| Impetuous| Impotent| Impugn| Inane| Incandescent

Inaugurate| Incense| Incantation| Incessant| Incipient| Incisive

Incongruous| Increment| Incorrigible| Indifferent

Indigenous| Indigent| Indolent

Indulgent| Indignant| Ineffable| Inept| Inexorable| Inert

Infatuated| Infamous| Infer| Infinitesimal| Ingenuous| Inherent

Innate| Injunction| Innocuous| Inordinate| Insatiable| Insidious

Insipid| Insinuate| Insolent| Instigate| Insular| Insurgent

Intractable| Integral| Intransigent| Intrinsic| Introspective| Inundate

Inveterate| Invective| Irascible| Ironic| Irrevocable| Itinerant


J


Judicious| Juxtapose


K


Kinetic

L


Laconic| Labyrinth| Lament| Lampoon| Languish

Latent| Largess| Laud| Legacy| Lethargy| Levity| Libel

Loquacious| Litigate| Lucid| Lugubrious| Luminous

M


Magnanimous| Machination| Magnate| Malaise| Malfeasance| Malinger

Mandate| Malleable| Manifest| Manifesto| Marshal| Martial

Martyr| Matriculate| Maudlin| Maverick| Maxim| Mediate

Mendacious| Mellifluous| Mendicant| Mentor

Mercenary| Mercurial| Metamorphosis| Microcosm

Milieu| Minuscule| Misanthropic| Mitigate

Mollify| Monolithic| Moribund| Morose

Mortify| Mundane| Myopia| Myriad| Munificent

N


Narcissism| Nebulous| Nefarious| Neologism

Nepotism| Nominal| Nihilism| Nostalgia

Notorious| Novel| Noxious| Nuance

O


Obdurate| Obfuscate| Oblivion| Oblique| Obsequious| Obscure| Obtuse

Officious| Onerous| Opaque| Opulent| Orthodox| Ostensible| Ostentatious

P


Pacify| Painstaking| Palliate| Palpable

Paltry| Panacea| Paradigm| Paradox| Parochial| Parody| Parsimonious

Partisan| Patent| Paternal| Pathology| Patriarch| Patrician

Patronize| Paucity| Peccadillo| Pedantic| Pedestrian| Pejorative| Penchant

Penitent| Pensive| Peremptory| Perennial| Perfidy| Perfunctory

Peripatetic| Periphery| Pernicious| Perquisite| Perjury| Permeate

Pertinent | Perturb| Peruse| Pervade| Petulant| Philanthropy

Philistine| Pious| Pivotal| Placate| Plaintive| Platitude| Plebian

Plethora| Poignant| Polarize| Polemic| Ponderous| Portent

Postulate| Pragmatic| Precedent| Precept| Precipitate| Precipitous

Preclude| Precursor| Predilection| Preeminent

Preempt | Premise| Prepossess| Prerogative| Prevail| Pristine

Prodigal| Prodigious| Prodigy| Profane| Profess| Proficient

Profligate| Profound| Profuse| Proletariat| Proliferate| Prolific

Promulgate| Propensity| Propitious| Proponent| Proprietary| Propriety

Prosaic| Proscribe| Proselytize| Protagonist| Protract| Provident

Provincial| Provisional| Proximity| Prudent| Purported| Putative

Q



Qualify| Qualitative| Querulous| Quixotic

R


Ramification| Rancor| Rapacious| Rebuke| Rebut| Recalcitrant

Recant| Reciprocal| Reclusive| Recondite| Recrimination| Redolent

Redundant| Refute| Reiterate| Relegate| Relentless| Relinquish

Remonstrate| Renaissance| Renounce| Reparation

Repercussion| Replenish

Replete| Reprehensible| Reprisal| Reproach| Reprove| Repudiate

Requisite| Resolute| Respite| Reticent| Revere| Rhetoric

Rigorous| Robust| Rogue| Rudimentary| Ruminate| Rustic

S


Saccharine| Sacrilege| Sacrosanct| Sagacious| Salient| Salutary

Sanctimonious| Sanguine| Sardonic| Scintillate| Scrupulous| Scrutinize

Secular| Sedition| Sensory| Sentient| Sequester| Serendipity

Servile| Singular| Slander| Sloth| Sobriety| Solicitous

Solvent| Soporific| Sordid| Spawn| Specious| Sporadic

Spurious| Squalor| Squander| Stagnation| Static| Staunch

Steadfast| Stigmatize| Stipulate| Stoic| Stratum| Stricture

Strife| Stringent| Stymie| Subjugate| Sublime| Subordinate

Substantive| Subtle| Subversive| Succinct| Succumb| Supercilious

Superficial| Superfluous| Surfeit| Surreptitious

Surrogate| Sycophant| Synthesis

T


Tacit| Taciturn| Tangential| Tangible| Tantamount| Tautological| Temerity

Temperate| Tenable| Tenacious| Tenet| Tentative| Tenuous

Terse| Theology| Tirade| Torpor| Touchstone| Tout

Transcend| Transgress| Transient| Trepidation| Turpitude

U


Ubiquitous| Unconscionable| Unctuous| Uniform| Unremitting| Unwitting

Urbane| Usurp| Utilitarian| Utopia

V


Vacillate| Vapid| Vehement| Venal| Venerate| Veracity

Verbose| Verisimilitude| Vernacular| Vestige| Vex| Viable

Vicarious| Vicissitude| Vilify| Vindicate| Vindictive| Virtuoso

Virulent| Visionary| Vitiate| Vitriolic

Vocation| Vociferous| Volatile| Volition

W


Wanton| Willful| Wistful

X


Xanthic| Xanthous

Y


Yawn

Z


Zealous



Difficult Words Index




Your English Teacher| Etymology| Vocabulary| Synonyms & Antonyms


From Difficult Words to HOME PAGE

Share
Additional Info