Hardest words in high school

Jun B. (South Korea)
Although I'm an international student, these are the vocabularies that I found most difficult when I went to American high school.
40 words 67 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. terminus
    a place where something ends or is complete
  2. gracious
    characterized by kindness and warm courtesy
  3. linger
    remain present although waning or gradually dying
  4. monastery
    the residence of a religious community
  5. subside
    wear off or die down
  6. abstain
    refrain from doing, consuming, or partaking in something
  7. depose
    force to leave an office
  8. insinuate
    suggest in an indirect or covert way; give to understand
  9. feign
    make believe with the intent to deceive
  10. confiscate
    take temporary possession of a security by legal authority
  11. convoy
    the act of escorting while in transit
  12. exterminate
    kill on a large scale
  13. invincible
    incapable of being overcome or subdued
  14. astray
    away from the right path or direction
  15. improvise
    manage in a makeshift way; do with whatever is at hand
  16. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
  17. protract
    lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer
  18. unscrupulous
    without principles
  19. desist
    stop performing some action
  20. demoralize
    lower someone's spirits; make downhearted
  21. dissect
    cut open or cut apart
  22. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  23. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
  24. nocturnal
    belonging to or active during the night
  25. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
  26. proscribe
    command against
  27. terse
    brief and to the point
  28. exponent
    notation of how many times to multiply a quantity by itself
  29. contort
    twist and press out of shape
  30. rectify
    make right or correct
  31. hydraulic
    moved or operated or effected by liquid
  32. extenuate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or degree of
  33. hearse
    a vehicle for carrying a coffin to a church or a cemetery
  34. facade
    the front of a building
  35. deportment
    the way a person behaves toward other people
  36. pliable
    capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
  37. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  38. intermittently
    in a manner of stopping and starting at irregular intervals
  39. berserk
    frenzied as if possessed by a demon
  40. faze
    disturb the composure of
Created on Tue Sep 10 08:42:04 EDT 2013

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.