Hundred Words for High School Graduates

abjure

(verb) to recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate

abrogate

(verb) to abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority

abstemious

(adj) eating or drinking in moderation

acumen

(noun) quickness and keenness or judgment or insight

antebellum

(adj) belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War

auspicious

(adj) attended by favorable circumstances; propitious; marked by success; prosperous

belie

(verb) to give a false representation to; misrepresent

bellicose

(adj) warlike or hostile in manner or temperament

bowdlerize

(verb) to remove material considered improper or offensive (from a text)

chicanery

(noun) the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose

chromosome

(noun) a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes

churlish

(adj) mean in a mean-spirited or surly way

circumlocution

(noun) the use of many words when fewer would do

circumnavigate

(verb) to proceed complete around

deciduous

(adj) (of a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually

deleterious

(adj) causing harm or damage

diffident

(adj) modest or shy due to a lack of self confidence

enervate

(verb) to cause someone to feel drained or energy or vitality; weaken

enfranchise

(verb) to give someone the right to vote to; to free, as from slavery or bondage

epiphany

(noun) a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a revelation

equinox

(noun) either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the length of day and night are approximately equal

Euro

(noun) the basic unit of currency among members of the European Monetary Union

Evanescenct

(adj) vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor

expurgate

(verb) remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable (from a book or account)

facetious

(adj) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant

fatuous

(adj) foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way

feckless

(adj) lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible

fiduciary

(adj) involving a trust; having to do with money

filibuster

(noun) the use of obstructionist tactics to delay legislative action in the Senate

gamete

(noun) a reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the opposite sex to produce a fertilized egg