Below are a collection of some interesting or tough words.

1) Czechoslovakia (Chek-ko-slow-vakia) The name of a country.

2) Aardvark (a large, nocturnal, burrowing mammal, of central and southern Africa, feeding on ants and termites and having a long, extensile tongue, strong claws, and long ears.)

3) Diurnal (Die-year-nal) Not nocturnal;of the day time

4) Pompous (Feeling or sowing that one feels that he is much more important than other people.) E.g. pompous language

5) Impromptu (Without preparation, rehearsal or thought in advance.) E.g. He spoke impromptu.

6) Gusto (Enthusiastic vigour in doing something.) E.g. singing the choruses with great gusto

7) Zealous (Energy or enthusiasm ; keenness) E.g. work with great zeal

8) Nonchalant (Not feeling or showing interest or enthusiasm ; calm and casual) E.g. She defeated all her rivals for the job with nonchalant ease.

9) Extraterrestrial (Of or from outside the earth and its atmosphere) E.g. extraterrestrial life forms

10) Encephalopathy (En-cep-fer-loh-pathy) Disease of the brain

11) Neurology (Scientific study of nerves and their diseases)

12) Limnology (The scientific study of bodies of fresh water, such as lakes and ponds.)

13) Waterfowl (Bird that swims and lives near or on the water, especially one of the types that are hunted for sport.)

14) Vexillology (The study of flags.)

15) Boor (rough, rude or insensitive man.) E.g. Don't be such a boor!

16) Peeved (annoyed) E.g. He was rather peeved about something.

17) Debonair (cheerful and self-assured) E.g. He strolled about, looking very debonair in his elegant new suit.

18) Reykjavik (Ray-jer-veek) The capital of Iceland.

19) Connoissieur (Con-no-sir) Person with good judgement on matters in which appreciation of fineness or beauty is needed, especially the fine arts. E.g. a connoissier of painting

20) Quiche (Keesh) Open pastry tart with a savoury filling, especially of eggs, bacon, cheese, etc.

21) Gouge (Ga-ouch) Tool with a sharp semicircular edge for cutting grooves in wood.

22) Arthritis (Ar-try-tis) Inflammation of a joint or joints of the body, causing pain and stiffness.

23) Poignant (Poi-nient) Affecting one's feelings deeply, making one sad, full of pity, etc. E.g. poignant sorrow, regret, memories

24) Illicit (Illegal) E.g. the illicit sale of drugs

25) Squalor (very dirty and unpleasant, especially because of neglect ad poverty; sordid; squalid) E.g. squalid housing, conditions.

26) Oblique (not horizontal or vertical; sloping; slanting) E.g. an oblique line

27) Clandestine (done secretly; kept secret; surreptitious) E.g. a clandestine marriage

28) Exorbitant (a price/charge that is much too high and unreasonable) E.g. The price of food here is exorbitant.

29) Puerile (pyu-rail) showing immaturity; childish and silly E.g. puerile questions, behaviour, concerns, objections

30) Fettuccine (fat-tu-chini) pasta cut in flat narrow strips

31) Quesadilla (kay-sir-dilla) a tortilla folded over a filling of shredded cheese, onions, and chilies and broiled or fried

32) Pirouette (piru-wet) rapid turn or spin made by a ballet-dancer while balanced on the point of the toe or the ball of the foot

33) Faux (fo-oh) imitation; not genuine E.g. faux leather

34) Girdle (thing that surrounds something else) E.g. a girlde of green fields round a town

35) Isthmus (Is-mas) narrow strip of land joining two larger areas of land that would otherwise be seperated by water E.g. the isthmus of Panama

36) Congenial (of a person, pleasing of similarities in temperament, interests, etc.) E.g. a congenial companion

37) Albumen (substance found in many seeds, especially the eatable part)

38) Gourmand (gore-man) lover of food; glutton

39) Gourmet (gir-mae) person who enjoys and is expert in the choice of fine foods, wines, etc. E.g. gourmet restaurants

40) Asylum (a-sai-lum) 1) place of sagety or refuge 2) hospital for the care of mentally ill or destitute people

41) Eulogy (speech or piece of writing containing high praise of a person or thing) E.g. poem of eulogy to the princess

42) Parquet (par-kay) flooring made of wooden blocks arranged in a pattern E.g. a parguet floor

43) Muesli (muse-lee) breakfast food that is a mixture of uncooked cereak, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

44) Macabre (mer-car-ber) connected with death, and thus causing fear; gruesome E.g. a macabre ghost story

45) Carburettor (car-bur-ater) apparatus in a petrol engine for mixing fuel and air to make an explosive mixture

46) Haemorrhage (hammer-age) heavy bleeding

47) Haemophilia (he-moe-filia) disease, usually inherited, that causes the sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury, because the blood fails to clot normally

48) Twaddle (nonsense or writing of low quality) E.g. I have never heard such utter twaddle!

49) Claptrap (worthless, insincere or pretentious talk; nonsense) E.g. What a load of claptrap!

50) Balderdash (ball-der-dash) (dated informal) nonsense E.g. He's talking balderdash.

51) Blather (blad-er) to talk for a long time about unimportant things

52) Gibberish (nonsense) E.g. Don't talk gibberish!

53) Poppycock (old fashioned) nonsense E.g. He dismissed the official explanation as complete poppycock.

54) Bilge (slang) worthless ideas or talk; nonsense E.g. Don't give me that bilge!

55) Hogwash (stupid or untrue talk; nonsense) E.g. That's a load of hogwash!

56) Hooey (hoe-yi) false or foolish talk E.g. What hooey!

57) Tripe (nonsense) E.g. Don't talk tripe!

58) Blasé (blah-say) bored or not impressed by things because one has already seen or experienced them so often E.g. Jean is very blasé about parties. a blasé attitude, manner

59) Passé (pass-say) out of date; old-fashioned E.g. I'm beginning to find her novels rather
passé.

60) Prattle (unimportant chatter; gossip)

61) Flibbertigibbet (irresponsible, silly and gossipy person)

62) Teeter-totter (see-saw)

63) Gobbledygook (also gobbledegook) (difficult or pompous language used by specialists; jargon) E.g. Civil Service documents are often written in gobbledygook that ordinary people cannot understand.

64) Hodgepodge (also hotchpotch) (number of things mixed together without order; confused jumble) E.g. His essay was a hodgepodge of other people's ideas.

65) Hoick (to lift or pull something up with a sudden movement; jerk) E.g. She hoicked her skirt up and began to dance.

66) Hombre (om-bray) man; fellow; guy E.g. That sheriff is a mean hombre.

67) Aeon (also eon) (ee-yearn) period of time so long that it cannot be measured E.g. The earth was formed aeons ago.

68) Spurious (spill-rious) not genuine or authentic E.g. spurious coins, credentials, documents, evidence

69) Concierge (con-xie-sh) (especially in France) a person who has charge of the entrance of a building and is often the owner's representative; doorkeeper

70) Haphazard (ha-pear-zard) without plan or order; random E.g. books piled on the shelves in a haphazard fashion

71)Pedagogy (the art or science of teaching)

72) Arrant (to the highest degree; utter) E.g. an arrant fool, arrant nonsense

73) Ricochet (rick-oh-shay) strike a surface and rebound at an angle E.g. The stone ricocheted off the wall and hit a passer-by.

74) Clavicle (collar bone)

75) Expatriate (ex-pay-tree-iads) (verb) cause someone to leave his native country E.g. expatriated on suspicion of spying for the enemy (noun) person living outside his own country E.g. American expatriates in Paris

76) Prospector (person who explores a region looking for gold, ores, etc.)

77) Derelict (deserted and allowed to fall into ruins; dilapidated) E.g. a derelict house, derelict areas

78) Broach (begin a discussion of a topic) E.g. He broached the subject of a loan with his bank manager.

79) Circuitous (sir-kill-eat-tous) long and indirect; roundabout E.g. a circuitous route

80) Kirsch (kay-earsh) colourless liqueur made from cherries

81) Blancmange (bler-marsh) jelly like pudding made with milk in a mould

82) Maisonette (may-zen-et) an apartment, usually of two floors connected by an internal staircase

83) Pasteurise (paster-ize) heat (a liquid, especially milk) to a certain temperature and then chill it, in order to kill harmful bacteria

84) Melancholy (melon-cally) deep sadness which lasts for some time; depression

85) Rendezvous (run-the-voo) place where people often meet E.g. This cafe is a rendezvous for writers and artists.

86) Plethora (quantity greater than what is needed; over-abundance) E.g. The report contained a plethora of detail.

87) Aorta (ei-or-ta) main artery through which blood is carried from the left side of the heart

88) Crouton (crew-torn) (French) cube of toasted or fried bread, usually served with soup

89) Albeit (all-beard) although E.g. I tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to contact him.

90) Avarice (ever-is) greed for wealth or gain E.g. Avarice makes rich people want to become even richer.

91) Petits pois (petite-puar) small green peas

92) Dachshund (dash-en-d) type of small dog with a long body and short legs

93) Tercentenary (300th anniversary) E.g. tercententary celebrations

94) Piffle (meaningless or worthless talk; nonsense) E.g. You are talking piffle!

95) Brazen (shameless; insolent) E.g. brazen rudeness

96) Terra firma (firm or solid earth; dry land (as opposed to water or air)) E.g. glad to be on terra firma again (after a trip by boat or plane)

97) Rehabilitate (restore somebody to a normal life by retraining, medical treatment, etc., especially after imprisonment or illness) E.g. rehabilitate the mentally disabled into the community

98) Heathen (wild or bad-mannered person) E.g. Some young heathens has vandalised the bus shelther.

99) Heist (verb) (rob or steal) / (noun) (robbery; burglary)

100) Divulge (make something secret known) E.g. divulge a confidential report, identity, age, etc. I cannot divulge how much it costs.

101) Haberdasher (British) (shopkeeper who sells small articles for sewing such as pins, cotton, buttons, zips, etc.) / (American) (shopkeeper who sells men's clothing)

102) Harum-scarum (of a person or his behaviour) wild and reckless

103) Pusillanimous (cowardly; timid)

104) Obliterate (destroy something completely) E.g. The hurricane obliterated the nearby village.

105) Ubiquitous (seeming to be present everywhere or in several places at the same time) E.g. Is there no escape from the ubiquitous cigarette smoke in restaurants?

106) Menial (men-ear) suitable to be done by servants; unskilled E.g. a menial task, job, etc, menial chores like dusting and washing up

107) Contentious (likely to cause disagreement) a contentious book, law, speech

108) Altruism (principle of considering the welfare and happiness of others before one's own; unselfishness) E.g. an altruist

109) Impertinent (not respectful; rude) E.g. impertinent remarks, an impertinent child, It would be impertinent to suggest that he was always wrong.

110) Higgledy-piggledy (without order; completely mixed up) E.g. Files were scattered higgledy-piggledy about the office.

111) Onslaught (a fierce attack) E.g. They survived an onslaught by tribesmen.

112) Assiduous (showing constant and careful attention) E.g. be assiduous in one's duties, The book was the result of ten years' assiduous research.

113) Octogenarian (person between 80 and 89 years of age) E.g. She is very active for an octogenarian.

114) Elucidate (make something clear; explain) E.g. elucidate a problem, mystery, etc. The notes helped to elucidate the most difficult parts of the text.

115) Accentuate (to give emphasis or prominence to) E.g. The tight jumper only accentuated his fat stomach.

116) Doughty (brave and strong) E.g. a doughty warrior

117) Whereat (at which) E.g. a reception whereat many were present

118) Mien (me-en) person's appearance or bearing, especially as an indication of mood, etc. E.g. a man of proud mien

119) Despoil (rob a place of something valuable) E.g. Museums have despoiled India of many priceless treasures.

120) Forthwith (immediately; at once) E.g. Mr Jones will be dismissed forthwith.

121) Hovel (small house that is unfit to live in; very poor and squalid dwelling) E.g. live in a hovel

122) Espy (catch sight of) E.g. Was it you I espied jogging in the park this morning?

123) Lest (used after fear, be afraid, be anxious, etc.) E.g. She was afraid lest he might drown.

124) Affright (sudden fear or terror) E.g. Upon seeing the bandits, in affright he began to run.

125) Therein (in that place) E.g. the house and all the possessions therein

126) Whence (from where) E.g. They have returned whence they came.

127) Descry (see something especially a long way away; catch sight of) E.g. I descry a sail on the horizon.

128) Whilst (while)

129) Wholly (completely; entirely) E.g. I'm not wholly convinced by your argument.

130) Berate (scold sharply)

131) Extempore (spoke or done without previous thought or preparation; impromptu) E.g. an extempore speech

132) Extemporize (speak or perform extempore) E.g. He had to extemporise because he had forgotten to bring his notes.

133) Coccyx (cock-six) small bone at the bottom of the spine

134) Phonograph [dated] record player

135) Impeccable (free from mistakes; excellent or flawless) E.g. Your English is impeccable! OR impeccable behaviour, manners, style, etc.

136) Cantankerous (quarrel-some; bad-tempered)

137) Curmudgeon (bad-tempered person) E.g. You're such a curmudgeon!

138) Doctorate (highest university degree) E.g. She's studying for her doctorate.

139) Insinuate (suggest something to somebody unpleasantly and indirectly) E.g. Are you insinuating that I am a liar?

140) Deprecate (feel and express disapproval of something) E.g. He deprecates changing the party's policy.

141) Filch (steal, especially something of small value) E.g. Who filched my pencil?

142) Succour (suk-er) help given to somebody in need or in danger E.g. bring succour to the sick and wounded

143) Ignominious (shameful or humiliating; causing disgrace) E.g. an ignominious defeat

144) Valour (bravery, especially in war) E.g. soldiers who displayed great valour

145) Irate (angry) E.g. an irate customer

146) Cur (cowardly or worthless man) E.g. You treacherous cur!

147) Blood-bath (indiscriminate killing of many people;massacre) E.g. The battle was a blood bath.

148) Banter (playful, good-humoured teasing) E.g. players exchanging light-hearted banter with the crowd

149) Unbidden (volutary or spontaneous) E.g. memories coming unbidden to one's mind

150) Irreparable [of a loss, an injury, etc.] (cannot be put right, restored or repaired) E.g. irreparable damage, harm, etc.

151) Concur (agree;express agreement) E.g. She has expressed her opposition to the plan, and I fully concur.

152) Allay (make something less;relieve) E.g. allay trouble, fears, suffering, doubt, suspicion, etc.
153) Pyyrhic Victory (pier-ic victory) [victory that was not worth winning as the winner has lost so much in winning it]

154) Victual (supply something with food and stores) E.g. victual a ship

155) Hitherto (hee-der-to) [until now] E.g. a hitherto unknown species of moth

156) Risque (ris-kay) [of a story, remark, item of clothing, etc.] slightly indecent

157) Hearken (listen)

158) Hearse (vehicle for carrying the coffin at a funeral)

More words will be added.