50 Rare English Words to Enhance your Vocabulary!

English is a language that is widely spoken across the world and boasts a vast vocabulary. While it is impossible to know every single word in the English language, some have fallen out of favour and are no longer used in everyday conversations. These words may have been famous a hundred years ago but are less common today. Additionally, some words are not frequently used in informal conversations, so many people need to become more familiar with them.

Despite this, rare and lost words can be pretty fascinating to learn. These words are enjoyable to use and see in action. You can come across them while reading older books or watching classic films. Learning these rare words can add specificity to your language, enabling you to communicate more directly and precisely.

This article is a great place to start if you want to expand your vocabulary. We will introduce you to 50 rare English words you have probably never heard. We will provide their definitions and example sentences to help you understand them better. By the end of this article, you will have a much richer vocabulary and be able to communicate more effectively.

Here are our favourite rare English words:

1. Accismus (n) – pretending to refuse something that you desire. For example: ‘She said that she didn’t want a big party, but I could see through her attempts at accismus.’
2. Acumen (n) – having good insight or shrewdness; having sharp intuition about something. For example: ‘Warren Buffet is well known for his acumen in business.’
3. Anachronism (n) – an object or person that is not in their correct historical period. For example: ‘A bow and arrow are an anachronism in modern warfare.’
4. Aplomb (n) – someone who has self-confidence or assurance. For example: ‘The man walked out of the job interview with great aplomb.’
5. Anthropomorphise (v) – attributing human characteristics to nonhuman objects. For example: ‘Many authors of children’s books like to anthropomorphise the animals in their stories.’
6. Behove (v) – something necessary or worthwhile for personal gain. For example: ‘It would behove you to study English; you can apply for more jobs in you do.’
7. Cacophony (n) – a collection of loud and harsh sounds. For example: ‘As the children played, the school yard was filled with a cacophony of shouts, yells, and laughter.’
8. Capricious (adj)  –a person with an impulsive or unpredictable mood. For example: ‘Our capricious boss is nice one day and rude another day.’
9. Convivial (adj) – an atmosphere or person that is friendly or sociable. For example: ‘The convivial cocktail party last night was so fun; we have to get together again.’
10. Cryptic (adj) – mysterious or puzzling. For example: ‘His manager’s cryptic answer left him confused about his place in the company.’
11. Doppelganger (n) – two people who are not related by look very similar. For example: ‘My mom said she say my doppelganger on the street and thought it was me.’
12. Draconian (adj) – to be severely harsh or cruel. For example: ‘The draconian English teacher liked to make her students cry.’
13. Ephemeral (adj) – lasting for a very short time. For example: ‘The mayfly lives an ephemeral life; after it hatches, it lives for a few hours and then dies.’
14. Equanimity (n) – calmness or composure, especially in difficult situations. For example: ‘His equanimity always surprises me; I don’t know how he stays so contained under all of that pressure.’
15. Facetious (adj) – treating serious issues with inappropriate humour. For example: ‘His facetious comment was meant to lighten the mood, and everyone could relax after a good laugh.’
16. Fecund (adj) – fruitful or productive. For example: ‘We had a very fecund meeting and ironed out a lot of issues.’
17. Gambit (n) – a clever action, usually in a game, to get an advantage. For example: ‘He made a risky gambit, but it paid off in the end.’
18. Garrulous (adj) – excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters. For example: ‘My father is not a garrulous person; he is quiet and doesn’t say much.’
19. Heterogeneous (adj) – containing a variety of unrelated components. For example: ‘We are a heterogeneous mixture of people from all over the world.’
20. Histrionic (adj) – overly theatrical or melodramatic. For example:  ‘He always becomes histrionic when he gets hungry.’
21. Iconoclast (n) – a person who attacks or questions a set of beliefs or institutions. For example: ‘I cannot talk to her about religion because she is an iconoclast who always disagrees with me.’
22. Ineffable (adj) – too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words. For example: ‘The beauty of the Northern lights is ineffable.’
23. Inscrutable (adj) – impossible to understand or interpret. For example: ‘Her inscrutable stare was impossible to read; I didn’t know if she was happy or angry with the news.’
24. Intrepid (adj) – fearless or adventurous. For example: ‘The intrepid cat managed to get onto the roof of the house but could not get down.’
25. Juggernaut (n) – a large, powerful, or destructive force. For example: ‘He is a political juggernaut, and many people are afraid of him.’
26. Juxtaposition (n) – the act of placing two things close together for comparison. For example: ‘The story was an interesting juxtaposition of poverty and wealth.’
27. Kismet (n) – something that has happened by chance or fate. For example: ‘It was kismet that we met in Malta instead of France, where we both are from.’
28. Lackadaisical (adj) – lazy, lethargic or without interest. For example: ‘The teacher was tired of the student’s lackadaisical attitude towards their assignments.’
29. Mellifluous (adj) – something or someone who is sweet-sounding or melodious. For example: ‘The woman’s mellifluous voice was so calming I almost fell asleep.’
30. Mendacious (adj) – someone who is dishonest or untruthful. For example: ‘The mendacious landlord told them they did not pay rent for the month even though they sent a cheque.’
31. Mettle (n) – someone who has courage or fortitude. For example: ‘Firefighters are known for their great mettle.’
32. Nefarious (adj) – a person or thing that is wicked or criminal. For example: ‘Their nefarious plot to rob a bank was foiled by police.’
33. Obsequious (adj) – excessively eager to please or obey. For example: ‘He always acts obsequiously around authority figures.’
34. Paragon (n) – a person or thing that is regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality. For example: ‘No politician is a paragon of honesty.’
35. Pareidolia (n) – a phenomenon where the mind sees a pattern or image that does not exist. For example: ‘The child thought there was a ghost in his room, but it was probably a pareidolia.’
36. Penultimate (n) – second to last. For example: ‘In our penultimate class, we will cover the final piece of new material before we review everything we learned over the year.’
37. Perfidious (adj) – being deceitful or treacherous. For example: ‘The company was betrayed by a perfidious employee.’
38. Pernicious (adj) – harmful or destructive. For example: ‘The pernicious woman uses gossip to spread lies about someone.’
39. Platitude (n) – a trite or dull remark, especially one offered as if it were original or profound. For example: ‘Even though he speaks in cliches and platitudes, he is the most unique person in the room.’
40. Precipitous (adj) – something that falls dangerously high; something that is steep. For example: ‘The has been precipitous increases in inflation rates over the last year.’
41. Puerile (adj) – acting childishly silly or immature. For example: ‘Their mother put an end to their puerile argument about the game.’
42. Querulous (adj) – complaining or irritable. For example: ‘If he doesn’t eat at the right time, he becomes very querulous and will pick a fight with anyone.’
43. Riposte (n)- having a quick or sharp response; a counterattack. For example: ‘My friend has an excellent riposte to any dig someone throws at her.’
44. Sanctimonious (adj) – to be hypocritical, especially in a religious context. For example: ‘My sanctimonious uncle told us off for drinking, even though I know he drinks too.’
45. Sanguine (adj) – optimistic or confident. For example: ‘He has a sanguine personality, and always looks on the bright side of life.’
46. Serendipity (n) – something that happened by accident or chance that benefits someone. For example: ‘Some of the best moments in life are a result of serendipity.’
47. Tidbit (n) – a small amount of something. For example: ‘He gave me an upsetting tidbit of information about the test results.’
48. Verisimilitude (n) – something that seems real or genuine. For example: ‘The finding of a rare artefact gave verisimilitude to his theory.’
49. Vagabond (n) – a transient person who moves from place to place. For example: ‘He is a bit of a vagabond; he never stays in the same place for a long time.’
50. Zephyr (n) – a gentle breeze coming from the west. For example: ‘After a humid summer, that zephyr was much needed and very refreshing.’

These are just a few examples of rare English words that are worth knowing. They might not come up in everyday conversation. However, they are still exciting and valuable English words to have in your vocabulary.

How to Memorise and Use These Rare English Words

Now that you have a list of rare English words and their meanings, it’s time to start memorising and using them in your daily life, when appropriate. You can use our guide on how to improve your English vocabulary and witness a significant improvement in your language abilities.

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