100 words every high school senior should know

Abjure

to recant or renounce solemnly

Abrogate

to abolish, do away with, or annul

Abstemious

eating and drinking in moderation

Acumen

quickness or keenness of thought or insight

Affectation

behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress; a studied display of real or pretended feeling

Auspicious

attended by good fortune; propitious

Belie

to give a false representation; misrepresent

Bellicose

warlike or hostile in temperment

Bowdlerize

to remove material that is considered offensive; to expurgate

Chicanery

deception by trickery or deceit

chortle

laugh in a breathy, gleeful way: chuckle

churlish

having a bad disposition; surly

circumlocution

the use of unnecessarily indirect or wordy language

cognizance

knowledge, awareness, or notice

deciduous

shedding leaves at the end of the season

deleterious

having a harmful effect

diffident

marked by a lack of self- confidence

enervate

to weaken or destroy the stregth and vitality of

enfranchise

to endow with the rights of citizenship, especially voting

epiphany

a sudden revelation

Equinox

when the sun crosses the celestial equator and night and day are equal

Ethereal

extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world

Evanescent

vanishing like vapor

Expurgate

to remove offensive material; to bowdlerize

Facetious

playfully humorous

Fatuous

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

Feckless

lacking initative or strength of character; irresponsible

Fiduciary

of or related to a holding of something in trust; a trustee

Forbear

politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something; refrain

Gambol

run or jump about playfully

Gauche

lacking grace or social polish

Gerrymander

to divide an area into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage

Hegemony

the predominant influence of a state, region, or group over others

Histrionics

exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention

Homage

special honor or respect shown publicaly; formal public acknowledgment of feudal allegiance

Hubris

overbearing pride or arrogance

Idolatry

the worship of religious objects; extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone

Imbue

inspire or permeae with (a feeling or quality)

Incognito

with one’s identity disguised or concealed

Incontrovertible

impossible to dispute; unquestionable

Inculcate

to instruct through constant repetition; to indoctrinate

Ingress

the action or fact of going in or entering

Interpolate

to insert or introduce between other elements or parts; to insert material into text

Irascible

having or showing a tendency to be easily angered

Jejune

not interesting; dull; childish or immature

Kinetic

of, relating to, or producing motion

Kowtow

to bow or show servile deference

Lackey

a servant, especially a liveried footman or manservent

Lexicon

dictionary or vocabulary

Loquacious

talkative; garrulous

Lugubrious

mournful, dismal, gloomy to an exaggerated degree

Macabre

disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury

Miasma

a highly unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor; an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which sounds or emanates from something

Misanthrope

a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.

Negligible

so small or unimportant as to not be worth considering

Nihilism

the belief that life is meaningless and rejects established moral principles.

Nomenclature

the system of naming, especially in the sciences, that establishes a standardized set of terms.

Nonentity

a person or thing with no significance or existence.

Notarize