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100 Words All High School Seniors Should Know

100 words 367 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

  1. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
  2. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
  3. afflict
    cause physical pain or suffering in
    Melanoma globally afflicts nearly 160,000 new people each year.
  4. ambiguity
    unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning
  5. antithesis
    exact opposite
  6. ascertain
    learn or discover with confidence
    Health care providers and manufacturers can ascertain alternative treatment more effectively by tackling predicted drug shortage incidences early in the process.
  7. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  8. blatant
    without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
    There was no blatant display of wealth, and every article of furniture bore signs of long though careful use.
  9. cede
    relinquish possession or control over
    Some militia chiefs say they will only cede command of their fighters once an organized military and security apparatus is in place.
  10. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  11. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
  12. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
  13. cognitive
    relating to or involving the mental process of knowing
  14. collaborate
    work together on a common enterprise or project
  15. connotation
    an idea that is implied or suggested
    In Arabic, the word “bayt” translates literally as house, but its connotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home.
  16. conspicuous
    obvious to the eye or mind
    Its bright scarlet fruits are conspicuous in late autumn.
  17. contrived
    showing effects of planning or manipulation
  18. conundrum
    a difficult problem
  19. correlation
    a reciprocal connection between two or more things
  20. credible
    appearing to merit belief or acceptance
    Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged receiving the memo but said he ignored it as not credible.
  21. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  22. dense
    permitting little if any light to pass through
    Dense black smoke rose in the distance as demonstrators burned tires in Shiite villages.
  23. derived
    formed or developed from something else; not original
    Modern kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi are all members of the same species, derived from a single prehistoric plant variety.
  24. discriminating
    showing or indicating careful judgment and discernment
    Jobs’ Apple specializes in delighting the most discriminating, hard-to-please customers.
  25. divergent
    tending to move apart in different directions
  26. egregious
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  27. eloquence
    powerful and effective language
  28. empathy
    understanding and entering into another's feelings
  29. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
  30. epiphany
    an inspiration or divine manifestation
  31. epitaph
    an inscription in memory of a buried person
  32. epitome
    a standard or typical example
  33. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  34. exploit
    draw from; make good use of
    As humans increasingly exploit the deep seas for fish, oil and mining, understanding how species are dispersed is crucial, Copley said.
  35. exponentially
    in a manner of rapid growth
  36. facetious
    cleverly amusing in tone
  37. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
    As one teacher remarks about a troubled student, “There is no facile solution.”
  38. faction
    a dissenting clique
    One faction declared it would begin an armed struggle against the government of the United States.
  39. flourish
    grow vigorously
    His business had been all along steadily flourishing, his patrons had been of high social position, some most illustrious, others actually royal.
  40. formative
    capable of molding or fashioning
  41. heed
    pay close attention to
    But Cain was already too far gone to heed the warning voice.
  42. holistic
    emphasizing the organic relation between parts and the whole
  43. humiliate
    cause to feel shame
    The letter claims pensioners are too often patronised, humiliated, denied privacy or even medical treatment.
  44. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
    One of his well-known idiosyncrasies was that he would never allow himself to be photographed.
  45. illustrious
    widely known and esteemed
    She will be joining an illustrious list of recipients that include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Princess Diana.
  46. imposed
    set forth authoritatively as obligatory
    The Arab League has already suspended Syria and imposed economic sanctions.
  47. inclusive
    encompassing much or everything
    We are going to adhere to our basic programing strategy of nonpartisan information inclusive of all different points of view.
  48. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
  49. indication
    something that serves to suggest
    Authorities said an autopsy found no indications of foul play or obvious signs of trauma on Houston.
  50. infamy
    a state of extreme dishonor
  51. initiation
    the act of starting something for the first time
  52. innate
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
  53. irony
    incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
  54. juxtaposition
    the act of positioning close together
  55. kindle
    catch fire
    Then a match was kindled and fire applied.
  56. kinetic
    relating to the motion of material bodies and their forces
  57. latitude
    freedom from normal restraints in conduct
    Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.
  58. lofty
    of imposing height; especially standing out above others
    He found himself in an enormous hall with a lofty ceiling.
  59. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
  60. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
  61. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    He viewed the moths with malice, their fluttering wings fanning his resentment.
  62. mentor
    a wise and trusted guide and advisor
  63. metaphor
    a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity
  64. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  65. mnemonic
    of or relating to the practice of aiding the memory
  66. monologue
    a dramatic speech by a single actor
  67. multitude
    a large indefinite number
    Department store chains in general have been strained in recent years as a " multitude" of alternatives has emerged, all competing for customers.
  68. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Musing about the Big Picture may be a lot more gratifying than focusing on the details of the specific policies that aren’t working.
  69. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  70. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
  71. objective
    the goal intended to be attained
    The objective was to mobilize students from 18 high schools across the city to provide community services and inspire others.
  72. obtuse
    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
  73. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
    Robbe-Grillet responds that his work is in fact far less objective than the godlike, omniscient narrator who presides over so many traditional novels.
  74. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  75. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
  76. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
  77. paraphrase
    express the same message in different words
  78. partial
    being or affecting only a segment
    Generalizations of this sweeping order are apt to contain only partial truth.
  79. partisan
    devoted to a cause or political group
    But given the bitter partisan divide in an election year, Democrats said they would never be able to get such legislation passed.
  80. perish
    pass from physical life
    Simon Wiesenthal's parents are long since deceased, with his father dying in World War I and his mother perishing in the Holocaust.
  81. perpetual
    continuing forever or indefinitely
    The river is a perpetual enjoyment, always something going on.
  82. perusal
    the act of examining or reading carefully
  83. philosophical
    relating to the investigation of existence and knowledge
    His arguments, like Einstein’s, were qualitative, verging on highly philosophical.
  84. pious
    having or showing or expressing reverence for a deity
    Mother, you see, is a very pious woman, and she attributes it all to Providence, saying that it was the Divine interference in her behalf.
  85. plagiarism
    taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own
  86. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
    But details are fuzzy and rebel leaders often resort to platitudes when dismissing suggestions of discord, saying simply that "Libya is one tribe."
  87. plethora
    extreme excess
  88. posthumous
    occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
  89. precipitous
    extremely steep
  90. provoke
    provide the needed stimulus for
    It provoked a bigger reaction than we could ever have anticipated.
  91. reciprocal
    concerning each of two or more persons or things
  92. sanction
    give authority or permission to
    The Securities and Exchange Commission said last year it had sanctioned 39 senior officers for conduct related to the housing market meltdown.
  93. subjugate
    make subservient; force to submit or subdue
  94. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  95. tempestuous
    characterized by violent emotions or behavior
  96. thesis
    an unproved statement advanced as a premise in an argument
  97. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    Deafening cheers rent the air as he landed; hundreds thronged around him to clasp his hand.
  98. toil
    work hard
    He toiled in the sweat of his brow, tilling the stubborn ground, taking out stones, building fences.
  99. validity
    the quality of being legitimate and rigorous
  100. vehement
    marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
Created on January 24, 2014 (updated December 6, 2021)

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