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 or 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, usu. 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