100 Words Every High School Grad Should Know Flashcards
(100 cards)
1
Q
Abjure (v)
A
To recant solemnly, renounce or repudiate; to renounce under oath; foreswear
2
Q
Abrogate (v)
A
To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
3
Q
Abstemious (adj)
A
Eating and drinking in moderation; characterized by abstinence or moderation
4
Q
Acumen (n)
A
Quickness and keenness of judgment or insight
5
Q
Antebellum (adj)
A
Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War
6
Q
Auspicious (adj)
A
Attended by favorable circumstances, propitious; marked by success, proserous
7
Q
Belie (v)
A
To give a false representation to; misrepresent; to show to be false; contradict
8
Q
Bellicose (adj)
A
Warlike or hostile in manner or temprement
9
Q
Bowdlerize (v)
A
To remove material that is considered objectionable or offensive from (a book, for example); expurgate
10
Q
Chicanery (n)
A
Deception by trickery or sophistry
11
Q
Chromosome (n)
A
A threadlike linear strand of DNA and associated proteins in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that carries the genes and functions in the transmission of hereditary information; a circular strand of DNA in bacteria that contains the hereditary information of the cell
12
Q
Churlish (adj)
A
Of, like, or befitting a churl; boorish or vulgar; having a bad disposition; surly
13
Q
Circumlocution (n)
A
The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect language; avasiveness in speech or writing; a roundabout expression
14
Q
Circumnavigate (v)
A
To proceed completely around; to go around; circumvent
15
Q
Deciduous (adj)
A
Shedding or losing foliage at the end of the growing season; falling off or shed at a specific season or stage of growth; not lasting; ephemeral
16
Q
Deleterious (adJ0
A
Having a harmful effect; injurious
17
Q
Diffident (adj)
A
Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid
18
Q
Enervate (v)
A
To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of
19
Q
Enfranchise (v)
A
To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote; to free from slavery or bondage
20
Q
Epiphany (n)
A
A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi; January 6, on which date this feast is traditionally observed; a revelatory manifestation of a divine being; a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a revelation
21
Q
Equinox (n)
A
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; either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator
22
Q
Euro (n)
A
The basic unit of currency among members of the European Monetary Union
23
Q
Evanescent (adj)
A
Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor
24
Q
Expurgate (v)
A
To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable material from (a book, for example) before publication
25
Facetious (adj)
Playfully jocular, humorous
26
Fatuous (adj)
Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way
27
Feckless (adj)
Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective; careless and irresponsible
28
Fiduciary (adj)
Of or relating to a holding of something in trust for another; of or being a trustee or trusteeship; held in trust; of or consisting of legal tender, especially paper currency, authorized by a government but not based on or convertible into gold or silver
29
Filibuster (n)
The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action; an instance of the use of such tactics
30
Gamete (n)
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 the fertilized egg
31
Gauche (adj)
Lacking grace or social polish; awkward or tactless
32
Gerrymander (v)
To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one part in election
33
Hegemony (n)
The predominant influence of a state, region, or group, over others
34
Hemoglobin (n)
The iron-containing pigment in red blood cells of vertebrates, consisting of about 6 percent heme and 94 percent globin. In vertebrates, hemoglobin caries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body and carried carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs
35
Homogeneous (adj)
Uniform in structure or composition; of the same of similar nature or kind; consisting of terms of the same degree or elements of the same dimension
36
Hubris (n)
Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance
37
Hypotenuse (n)
The side of a right triangle opposite the right andle
38
Impeach (v)
To make an accusation against (a person); to charge (a public official) with improper conduct in office before a proper tribunal; to challenge the validity of; try to discredit
39
Incognito (adj)/(advb)
With one's identity disguised or concealed
40
Incontrovertible (adj)
Impossible to dispute; unquestionable
41
Inculcate (v)
To impress (something) upon the mind of another by frequent instruction or repetition; instill; to teach (others) by frequent instruction or repetition; indoctrine
42
Infrastructure (n)
The basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water an power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons; the basic system or underlying structure of an organization
43
Interpolate (v)
To insert or introduce between other elements or parts; to insert (material) into a text; to insert into a conversation; to change or falsify with new or incorrect material; to estimate a value of (a function or a series) between two known values
44
Irony (n)
The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning; an expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning; a literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect; incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs; an occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity; the dramatic effect achieved by leading an audience to understand an incongruity between a situation and the accompanying speeches, while the characters in the play remain unaware of the incongruity; dramatic irony
45
Jejune (adj)
Not interesting; dull; lacking maturity; lacking in nutrition
46
Kinetic (adj)
Of, relating to, or produced by motion; relating to or exhibiting kinesis (movement or activity of an organism in response to a stimulus such as light)
47
Kowtow (v)
To kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in expression of deep respect, worship, or submission, as formerly done in China; to show servile deference
48
Laissez faire (n)
An economic doctrine that opposes governmental regulation of or interference in commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to its own economic laws; noninterference in the affairs of others
49
Lexicon (n)
A dictionary; a stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary
50
Loquacious (adj)
Very talkative; garrulous
51
Lugubrious (adj)
Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
52
Metamorphosis (n)
A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function; a transformation; change in the form and often habits of an animal during normal development after the embryonic stage. Metamorphosis includes, in insects, the transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and a caterpillar into a butterfly, and, in anphibians, the changing of a tadpole into a frog
53
Mitosis (n)
The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in to new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental chromosomes. Division of the cytoplasm follows the division of the nucleus, resulting in the formation of two distinct cells
54
Moiety (n)
A half; a part, portion, or share; either of two kinship groups based on unilateral descent that together make up a tribe or society
55
Nanotechnology (n)
The science and technology of building devices, such as electronic circuits, from individual atoms and molecules
56
Nihilism (n)
An extreme form of skepticism that denies that existence is real; the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated; the rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief; the belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement; a movement of mid-19th-century Russia that scorned authority and believed in reason, materialism, and radical change in society through terrorism and assassination; a delusion that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist
57
Nomenclature (n)
A system of names used in an art or science; the procedure of assigning names to organisms listed in a taxonomic classification
58
Nonsectarian (adj)
Not limited to or associated with a particular religious denomination
59
Notarize (v)
To certify or attest (the validity of a signature on a document, for example) as a notary public
60
Obsequious (adj)
Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning
61
Oligarchy (n)
Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families; those making up such a government; a state governed by a few persons
62
Omnipotent (adj)
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful
63
Orthography (n)
The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage; the aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words; a method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling
64
Oxidize (v)
To combine with oxygen; make into an oxide; to increase the positive charge of valence of (an element) by removing electrons; to coat with oxide
65
Parabola (n)
A plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the cone or by the locus of points equidistant from a fixed line and a fixed point not on the line
66
Paradigm (n)
One that serves as pattern or model; a set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or one of its grammatical categories; a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline
67
Parameter (n)
A constant in an equation that varies in other equations of the same general form, especially such a constant in the equation of a curve or surface that can be varied to represent a family of curves or surfaces; one of a set of independent variables that express the coordinates of a point; one of a set of measurable factors, such as temperature and pressure, that define a system and determine its behavior and are varied in an experiment; a factor that restricts what is possible or what results; a factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary; a quantity, such as a mean, that is calculated from data and describes a population; a distinguishing characteristic or feature
68
Pecuniary (adj)
Of or relating to money; requiring payment of money
69
Photosynthesis (n)
The process by which green plants and certain other organisms synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms oh photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct
70
Plagiarize (v)
To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own; to appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another)
71
Plasma (n)
The clear yellowish fluid portion of blood or lymph in which cells are suspended. It differs from serum in that it contains fibrin and other soluble clotting elements. Blood plasma that has been sterilized and from which all cells have been removed, used in transfusions; the protoplasm or cytoplasm of a cell; the fluid portion of milk from which the curd has been separated by coagulation; whey; an electrically neutral sate of matter similar to a gas but consisting of positively charged ions with most or all of their detached electrons moving freely about. Plasmas are produced by the ionization resulting from exposure to an electric current, as in a neon sign. Plasmas are distinct from solids, liquids, and normal gases
72
Plolymer (n)
Any of numerous or synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight consisting of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule
73
Precipitous (adj)
Resembling a precipice; extremely steep; having several precipices; extremely rapid or abrupt; precipitate
74
Quasar (n)
An extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand times that of the entire Milky Way galaxy. Some quasars are more than ten billion light years away from earth.
75
Quotidian (adj)
Commonplace or ordinary, as from everyday experience
76
Recapitulate (v)
To repeat in concise form; to appear to repeat (the evolutionary stages of the species) during the embryonic development of the individual organism
77
Reciprocal (adj)
Existing, done, or experienced on both sides; done, given, felt, or owed in return; interchangeable; complementary; expressing mutual action of relationship. Used of some verbs and compound pronouns; of or relating to the reciprocal of a quantity; of or relating to a neuromuscular phenomenon in which the inhibition of one group of muscles accompanies the excitation of another; of or being a pair of genetic crosses in which the male or female parent in one cross is of the same genotype or phenotype as the complementary female or male parent in the other cross
78
Reparation (n)
The act or process of making amends for a wrong; something done or money paid to compensate or make amends for a wrong; compensation or remuneration required from a defeated nation as indemnity for damage or injury during a war; the act or process of reparing or the condition of being repaired
79
Respiration (n)
The act or process of inhaling and exhaling; breathing; the act of process by which an organism without lungs, such as a fish or a plant, exchanges gases with its environment; the oxidative process in living cells by which the chemical energy of organic molecules is released in metabolic steps involving the consumption of oxygen and the liberation of carbon dioxide and water; any of various analogous metabolic processes by which certain organisms, such as fungi and anaerobic bacteria, obtain energy from organic molecules
80
Sanguine (adj)
Cheerfully confident; optimistic; in medieval physiology, having blood as the dominant humor; having the temperament and ruddy complexion once though to be the characteristic of this humor; passionate
81
Soliloquy (n)
A dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts when alone or unaware of the presence of other characters; a specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse
82
Subjugate (v)
To bring under control; conquer; to make subservient or submissive; subdue
83
Suffragist (n)
An advocate of the extension of political voting rights, especially to women
84
Supercilious (adj)
Feeling or showing haughty disdain
85
Tautology (n)
Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy; an instance of such repetition; an empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example: "either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow"
86
Taxonomy (n)
The classification of organisms in an ordered system that indicates natural relationships; the science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics; division into ordered groups or categories
87
Tectonic (adj)
Of or relating to the forces involved in forming the geological features, such as mountains, continents, and oceans, of the earth's lithosphere. The processes of plate tectonics, such as mountain building, are tectonic events; relating to construction of building; architectural
88
Tempestuous (adj)
Of, relating to, or resembling a tempest; characterized by violent emotions or actions; tumulttous; stormy
89
Thermodynamics (n)
The branch of physics that deals with the relationships and conversions between heat and other forms of energy; thermodynamic phenomena and pocesses
90
Totalitarian (adj)
Of, relating to, being, or imposing a form of government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life, the individual is subordinated to the state, and opposing political and cultural expression is suppressed
91
Unctuous (adj)
Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness; having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery; containing or composed of oil or fat
92
Usurp (v)
To seize and hold (the power or rights of another, for example) by force and without legal authority; to take over or occupy without right
93
Vacuous (adj)
Lacking intelligence; stupid; devoid of substance or meaning; inane; devoid of expression; vacant; devoid of matter; empty
94
Vehement (adj)
Forceful or intense in expression, emotion, or conviction; fervid
95
Vortex (n)
A spiral motion of fluid, especially a whirling mass of water or air that sucks everything near it toward its center. Eddies and whirlpools are examples of vortexes; a place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it
96
Winnow (v)
To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air; to blow (chaff) off or away; to examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift; to separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate; to sort of select (a desirable part); extract; to blow on; fan
97
Wrought (v)/(adj)
A past tense and a past participle of work; put together; created; shaped by hammering with tools; used chiefly of metals or metalwork
98
Xenophobe (n)
A person unduly fearful or contemptuous of that which is foreign, especially of strangers or foreign peoples
99
Yeoman (n)
An attendant, servant, or lesser official in a royal or noble household; a yeoman of the guard; a petty officer performing chiefly clerical duties in the US Navy; an assistant or other subordinate, as of a sheriff; a diligent, dependable worker; a farmer who cultivates his own land, especially a member of a former class of small freeholders in England
100
Ziggurat (n)
A temple tower of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, having the form of a terraced pyramid with successively receding stories
