C1 Level Wordlist - Struggles and Setbacks

Here you will learn some English words about struggles and setbacks, such as "disastrous", "doom", "neglect", etc. prepared for C1 learners.

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destructive [adjective]

causing a lot of damage or harm

Ex: The destructive force of the earthquake toppled buildings and infrastructure .

disastrous [adjective]

very harmful or bad

Ex: The invasive species had a disastrous effect on the local ecosystem .

elusive [adjective]

difficult to grasp mentally

Ex: The answer to the riddle remained elusive , despite their best efforts to solve it .

grave [adjective]

very bad or worrisome

Ex: It was a grave mistake to trust the unreliable contractor with such an important project .

ineffective [adjective]

not achieving the desired outcome or intended result

Ex: The marketing campaign was ineffective , as it failed to attract new customers .

undesirable [adjective]

not wanted or considered unpleasant

Ex: The undesirable weather conditions forced the cancellation of the outdoor event .

overwhelming [adjective]

too intense or powerful to resist or manage effectively

Ex: The overwhelming sense of pride filled the room as the team celebrated their victory .

in vain [adverb]

without success or achieving the desired result

Ex: The team struggled to score a goal , but all their attempts were in vain as the opposing defense remained impenetrable .

to doom [verb]

to intentionally cause something or someone to fail or experience a negative outcome by creating specific conditions

Ex: Deliberate misinformation campaigns can doom a person 's reputation .

to neglect [verb]

to fail to do something, particularly as a result of carelessness

Ex: The company neglected to update its cybersecurity measures , leading to a data breach .

to overshadow [verb]

to cause a person or thing to come across as less significant

Ex: The grandeur of the ancient temple overshadowed the smaller shrines nearby .

breakdown [noun]

a failure in the progress or effectiveness of a relationship or system

Ex: Many factors contributed to the breakdown of the company 's finances .

burden [noun]

a responsibility or task that causes hardship, stress, etc.

Ex: The responsibility of managing a large team became too much of a burden for him .

catastrophe [noun]

a horrible event that causes much suffering and damage

Ex:

dead end [noun]

a situation that shows no signs of progress or improvement

Ex: The negotiations have reached a dead end , with no progress made on either side .

deficiency [noun]

a flaw, weakness, or shortcoming that reduces the effectiveness, quality, or completeness of something

Ex: The audit uncovered several deficiencies in the company 's records .

fail [noun]

a mistake or unsuccessful act

Ex: The recipe turned out to be a fail when the cake did n't rise .

fall [noun]

a reduction in size, amount, number, etc.

Ex: The company reported a fall in profits for the second quarter .

fault [noun]

a wrong move or act

Ex: The teacher pointed out the fault in his reasoning during the debate .

hurdle [noun]

a difficulty or problem that must be overcome in order to achieve something

Ex: Despite the language barrier , she managed to overcome this hurdle and excel in her new job .

inconvenience [noun]

the state or quality of being not useful, suitable, or convenient

Ex: The lack of parking caused inconvenience for customers .

malfunction [noun]

a failure to function or work properly

Ex: A malfunction in the engine forced the pilot to make an emergency landing .

mess [noun]

a situation with many problems or difficulties, caused particularly by someone who is careless

Ex: The unplanned changes to the schedule turned the event into a logistical mess .

mishap [noun]

a minor accident that has no serious consequences

Ex: The camping trip went smoothly , except for a minor mishap when the tent zipper got stuck .

odds [noun]

circumstances that make it difficult to achieve something

Ex: He overcame the odds of growing up in a rough neighborhood to become a successful lawyer .

oversight [noun]

a mistake made because of forgetting to do or not noticing something

Ex: The project 's failure to meet the deadline was attributed to an oversight in scheduling key milestones .

setback [noun]

a problem that gets in the way of a process or makes it worse

Ex: His injury was a setback to his training schedule for the upcoming competition .

underdog [noun]

an individual, team, etc. who is regarded as weaker compared to others and has little chance of success as a result

Ex: The underdog candidate won the election against all odds .

to give {sb} trouble [phrase]

to cause someone problems

Ex:

to no effect [phrase]

not yielding the expected result

Ex: The company increased advertising spending , but it was to no effect as sales continued to decline .

up against [phrase]

in a challenging, confrontational, or adversarial situation

Ex: She was up against several obstacles in her career .

in the face of [preposition]

despite a challenging or difficult situation

Ex: The company achieved record profits in the face of a tough economic climate .

at the expense of [preposition]

causing a negative consequence or cost to someone or something in order to benefit another

Ex: The company prioritized profit margins at the expense of employee satisfaction .

to evacuate [verb]

to leave a place to be safe from a dangerous situation

Ex: In anticipation of the approaching hurricane , coastal communities were urged to evacuate .

Murphy's law [phrase]

a principle stating that if there is a possibility for a bad thing to happen, it will happen

Ex:

to [walk|tread] a tightrope [phrase]

to be in a situation where one has to be careful about every decision they make because even one mistake can pose a great risk

Ex: The CEO had to walk a tightrope when announcing layoffs , trying to maintain employee morale while addressing budget constraints .

C1 Level Wordlist
Animals	Appearance	Digital Communication	Movies
Foods and Ingredients	Advice and Suggestion	The Human Anatomy	Buildings and Construction
Human Attributes	Time	Fundamental Verbs	Shapes and Colors
Computer Science	Bonds and Relationships	Fashion and Attire	Writing and Narrative
Language Components	News and Network	Weather Conditions	Shopping
Education	Integral Verbs	Business and Management	Achievement and Progress
Agreement and Disagreement	Personal Traits	Music	Law and Order
The Environment	Sickness	Struggles and Setbacks	Politics
Essential Verbs	Feelings	Science	Transportation
Stationery and Office Supplies	Working Life	Dialogue and Discourse	Hobbies and Activities
Identity and Society	Religion	Dishes and Dinning	Vital Verbs
Adjectives	Permission or Obligation	Job Titles	Scholarly Research
Geography	Cooking	Military	Persuasion and Discourse
Plants and Vegetation	Art	Crucial Verbs	Trust and Uncertainty
Health	Decisions and Accountability	Risks	Money and Finance
Changes and Impacts	Astronomy	Law and Criminality	Mathematics
Adverbs	Travel	History and Artifacts