These are the 10 most confusing words in the English language

When you don't know the meaning of a word, there's one obvious place to turn: the dictionary.

Naturally, some words tend to confuse people more than others, as evidenced by Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 most looked-up words in its online dictionary.

So what are the most sought-after definitions in the English language? Probably not what you expect. You won't find hyper-obscure scientific terms, forexample, becausenot enough people know them to bother looking them up.

Rather, the most looked-up words are ones that are "middle of the road linguistically" common enough to perpetually perplexreaders, as Merriam-Webster lexicographer Kory Stamper told Business Insider .

Here are the 10 most looked-up words and their definitions:

Pretentious

Someone is pretentious if they expressunwarranted or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature. Think beer snobs or Prius drivers, as the stereotypes go.

Ubiquitous

Ubiquitous is used to describe something that is widespread and constantly encountered, liketelevision or fast food.

Cynical

Someone is cynical if they are distrustful ofpeople's motives, or believe that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest. A cynical person mightquestion why you offer to do them a favor, thinking to themselves, "whatdo theyreally want?"

Apathetic

Simply put, you're apathetic if you don't care about something. A synonym for apathetic is "indifferent."

Conundrum

A conundrum is an intricate and difficult problem. According to Merriam-Webster, it's often used to describe seemingly unanswerable questions involving ethics, sociology, and economics, but it can also refer generally to any puzzle or mystery.

Albeit

Albeit isa one-word substitute for "even though," like when you describe an extravagant, albeit expensive, night on the town.

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Ambiguous

Something that is ambiguous can be understood in two or more possible ways. For example, the sentence "the peasants are revolting" is ambiguous, because it could mean the peasants are rebelling in the streets, or that they are physically disgusting. We need more information to clear up the ambiguity.

Integrity

Integrity is the firm adherence to a code ofvalues. We expect our leaders to act with moral integrity, for example, andmusicianswho "sell out" mightget criticized for compromising their artistic integrity.

Affect/Effect

The definitions of these words aren't confusing, but remembering when to use each one can sure be tricky. A good rule of thumb is that "affect" is usually a verb and "effect" is usually a noun. The weather canaffect your mood, and a new policy can have a devastating effect.

Love

OK, so this oneisn't confusing at all, at least when taken at face value. But what exactly is love, if you had to explain it? Merriam-Webster speculates it's that exact question that drives so many people to look up "love" in the dictionary. For what it's worth, the dictionary defines love as "strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties" or"attraction based on sexual desire."

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