- By Ridam Sharma
- Thu, 16 Oct 2025 04:07 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Toughest Words In Dictionary: Every year on October 16, we celebrate National Dictionary Day, a tribute to the incredible world of words and the brilliance of lexicographer Noah Webster. Language is more than communication; it's a reflection of intellect, culture, and curiosity. While most words slip easily into our daily usage, some stand out for their sheer difficulty. The list of toughest words in the dictionary is hard to pronounce, spell, and even more difficult to know their spelling. Here is a list of some of the toughest words in the English dictionary, along with their meanings, as per the IDP IELTS New Zealand.
List Of 50 Toughest Words In The Dictionary With Meanings:
| Toughest Word In English | Their Meanings |
|---|---|
| Abrogate | To revoke |
| Anachronism | Something inappropriate for the given time period |
| Arrant | Complete and wholly |
| Artless | Without cunning or deceit |
| Asperity | Harsh in manner |
| Belie | To give a false representation to; misrepresent |
| Byzantine | Complex and intricate |
| Cajole | Persuaded by flattery or coaxing |
| Conciliate | To make peace with |
| Connecticutian | A native or resident of Connecticut |
| Consanguineous | Of the same blood or origin (descended from the same ancestor) |
| Demagogue | A political leader who uses rhetoric to appeal to the prejudices and desires of ordinary citizens |
| Diatribe | A verbal attack against a person |
| Dilatory | Wasting time |
| Embourgeoisement | A shift to bourgeois values and practices |
| Equivocate | To speak vaguely, with the intention of misleading someone |
| Fatuous | Devoid of intelligence |
| Gaffe | A socially awkward act |
| Garrulous | Talking too much |
| Hoi Polloi | The common people generally |
| Hubris | Overbearing pride |
| Iconoclast | Someone who criticises or attacks cherished ideas and beliefs |
| Impedimenta | Things that impede |
| Inchoate | Only partly in existence; imperfectly formed |
| Indefatigable | Showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality |
| Inundate | Flooded |
| Invective | Abusive language |
| Jackasseries | The actions of a jackass |
| Martinet | Someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms |
| Myrmecophilous | Fond of ants |
| Nonplussed | Filled with bewilderment |
| Omphaloskepsis | A lack of will to move, exert, or change |
| Panache | Distinctive and stylish elegance |
| Pillory | Ridicule or exposure to public scorn |
| Polyphiloprogenitive | Extremely prolific; tending to produce offspring, or characterised by love of offspring |
| Psychotomimetic | Psychotic alteration of behaviour and personality |
| Puissant | Powerful |
| Pulchritudinous | Physically beautiful |
| Quattuordecillion | A number equal to 1 followed by 45 zeros |
| Quisling | A traitor |
| Surreptitious | Taking pains not to be caught or detected |
| Sybarite | A person who indulges in luxury |
| Tergiversation | Evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement |
| Trichotillomania | An abnormal desire to pull out one's hair |
| Truculent | Having a fierce, savage nature |
| Unabashed | Not embarrassed |
| Uncanny | Surpassing the ordinary |
| Untoward | Inconvenient |
| Vicissitude | An unwelcome or unpleasant change in circumstances or fortune |
| Xenotransplantation | Transplantation of an organ between two different species |
Also Read: What Is The Most Common Letter Used In English? It's Not The Letter 'A'
Also Read: Which Is The Shortest English Word Containing All Five Main Vowels? Know Its Meaning And Usage
Mastering tough vocabulary not only broadens your linguistic range but also sharpens your mind. This National Dictionary Day 2025, dive into these toughest words and boost your command of English -one syllable at a time. Therefore, the next time someone uses the word 'pulchritudinous' or 'vicissitude' in conversation, you’ll confidently outshine everybody.
