16. Mistakes and Difficulties Vocab

shortcoming

a personal failing

drawback

a lack or failing that keeps something from being perfect

downside

something that causes problems

mishap

an unlucky accident or incident

blunder

a careless or stupid error

discrepancy

a difference between two things that should be identical

disparity

a large and sometimes unfair difference

disproportion

excessively large or small in relation to something else

incongruity

something unexpected or which does not fit

erroneous

making mistakes; being incorrect

faulty

having a fault or flaw

misguided

guided by a wrong belief or motive

go awry

away from the correct direction; amiss

backfire

to have the opposite of the intended effect

underestimate

to judge something as less capable than it is

misconstrue

to misunderstand something, often leading to confusion

conflate

to mistake one thing for another, or to combine multiple meanings or senses of a word or concept into a single meaning

inadvertent

unintentional; caused by a lack of attention or knowledge

unwitting

done unknowingly or unintentionally

rigorous

imposing great demands

arduous

requiring enormous effort

strenuous

demanding a lot of effort

onerous

unpleasant to cope with

laborious

requiring great effort

burden

a heavy load or weight, either literally or figuratively; something difficult to bear

futile

pointless or incapable of producing any useful result

fruitless

unproductive or failing to achieve a desired result

in vain

without success or without any practical result

impractical

not suitable or feasible for practical use

conundrum

something which causes confusion or difficulty

dilemma

a difficult choice, usually between undesirable alternatives

ordeal

a trying or difficult experience

plight

a difficult situation; a problem or dangerous predicament

jarring

out of place and causing an emotional shock; jolting or harsh

dire

very serious, urgent, or desperate; indicating future trouble or disaster

precarious

uncertain, unstable, and risky

hectic

characterized by a lot of activity or rush, often in a disorganized or chaotic manner

frenzied

wildly excited; uncontrolled

chaos

a state of anarchy; a complete lack of order

disarray

a state or chaos and disorder

havoc

a state of chaos and confusion

mayhem

a state or chaos or disorder

pandemonium

wild, noisy, or unrestrained disorder

turmoil

a state of great confusion

debacle

the total collapse or sudden failure of something

calamity

a disastrous event

cataclysm

a violent event or upheaval

catastrophe

a sudden and large-scale disaster, causing enormous change or damage

apocalypse

an overwhelming disaster