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100 Words Every High School Graduate should know

Terms

undefined, object
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orthography
a method of representing the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols
metamorphosis
a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft, a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances, the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals
hubris
overbearing pride or presumption
filibuster
a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches, a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes, obstruct deliberately by delaying
nihilism
complete denial of all established authority and institutions, a revolutionary doctrine that advocates destruction of the social system for its own sake, the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist
unctuous
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
respiration
the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic moelcules, the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation, a single complete act of breathing in and out
gamete
a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes
kinetic
supplying motive force, characterized by motion, relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces associated therewith
winnow
treat by exposure to a current of air so that waste matter is eliminated, the act of separating grain from chaff, remove by a current of air, separate from chaff, blow on
polymer
a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers
deciduous
(of plants and shrubs) shedding foliage at the end of the growing season, (of teeth, antlers, etc.) being shed at the end of a period of growth
notarize
authenticate as a notary
evanescent
tending to vanish like vapor
auspicious
attended by favorable circumstances, tending to favor or bring good luck
interpolate
insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby, estimate the value of
ziggurat
a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians
lugubrious
excessively mournful
oligarchy
a political system governed by a few people
euro
the basic monetary unit of most members of the European Union (introduced in 1999)
hegemony
the domination of one state over its allies
abstemious
sparing in consumption of especially food and drink, marked by temperance in indulgence
quotidian
found in the ordinary course of events
expurgate
edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
reciprocal
hybridization involving a pair of crosses that reverse the sexes associated with each genotype, (mathematics) one of a pair of numbers whose product is 1: the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2, something (a term or expression or concept) that has a reciprocal relation to something else, of or relating to the multiplicative inverse of a quantity or function, concerning each of two or more persons or things, of or relating to or suggestive of complementation
loquacious
full of trivial conversation, full of trivial conversation
chromosome
a threadlike body in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order
wrought
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
facetious
cleverly amusing in tone
impeach
bring an accusation against, charge with a crime or misdemeanor, charge with an offense or misdemeanor, challenge the honesty or credibility of
plagiarize
take without referencing from someone else's writing or speech
hypotenuse
the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle
subjugate
put down by force or intimidation, make subservient
precipitous
extremely steep, characterized by precipices, done with very great haste and without due deliberation
irony
incongruity in between what might be expected and what actually occurs, witty language used to convey insults or scorn, a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs
nonsectarian
not restricted to one sect or school or party
infrastructure
the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area, the basic structure or features of a system or organization
deleterious
harmful to living things
fiduciary
a person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary, relating to or of the nature of a legal trust (i.e. the holding of something in trust for another)
sanguine
inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life, confidently optimistic and cheerful
epiphany
a divine manifestation, [Epiphany] Twelve days after Christmas; celebrates the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus
belie
represent falsely, be in contradiction with
chicanery
the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
bowdlerize
edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
paradigm
a standard or typical example, the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time, the class of all items that can be substituted into the same position (or slot) in a grammatical sentence (are in paradigmatic relation with one another), systematic arrangement of all the inflected forms of a word
enervate
weaken mentally or morally, disturb the composure of
oxidize
add oxygen to or combine with oxygen, enter into a combination with oxygen or become converted into an oxide
feckless
generally incompetent and ineffectual, not fit to assume responsibility
equinox
1. (astronomy) either of two points on the celestial sphere at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator 2. either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when day and night are approximately equal length
incognito
with your identity concealed, without revealing one's identity
lexicon
a language user's knowledge of words, a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
circumnavigate
travel around, either by plane or ship
moiety
one of two basic subdivisions of a tribe, one of two (approximately) equal parts
acumen
shrewdness shown by keen insight, a tapering point
yeoman
in former times was free and cultivated his own land, officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
photosynthesis
synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants)
omnipotent
having unlimited power
inculcate
teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
tempestuous
(of the elements) as if showing violent anger
vortex
a powerful circular current of water (usually the resulting of conflicting tides), the shape of something rotating rapidly
kowtow
a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission, try to gain favor by cringing or flattering, bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
tautology
(logic) a statement that is necessarily true, useless repetition
recapitulate
summarize briefly, repeat an earlier theme of a composition, repeat stages of evolutionary development during the embryonic phase of life
nanotechnology
the branch of engineering that deals with things smaller than 100 nanometers (especially with the manipulation of individual molecules)
hemoglobin
a hemoprotein composed of globin and heme that gives red blood cells their characteristic color
nomenclature
a system of words used in a particular discipline
suffragist
an advocate of the extension of voting rights (especially to women)
supercilious
expressive of contempt, having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
pecuniary
relating to or involving money
circumlocution
an indirect way of expressing something, a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
quasar
a starlike object that may send out radio waves and other forms of energy
fatuous
complacently or inanely foolish
taxonomy
practice of classifying plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships, (biology) study of the general principles of scientific classification, a classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure or origin etc
abjure
formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
churlish
having a bad disposition; surly, rude and boorish
bellicose
having or showing a ready disposition to fight
totalitarian
characterized by a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control, of or relating to the principles of totalitarianism according to which the state regulates every realm of life
abrogate
revoke formally
homogeneous
all of the same or similar kind or nature
vehement
marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions, characterized by great force or energy
xenophobe
an irrational fear of foreigners or strangers
gauche
lacking social polish
diffident
lacking self-confidence, showing modest reserve
incontrovertible
necessarily or demonstrably true, impossible to deny or disprove
thermodynamics
the branch of physics concerned with the conversion of different forms of energy
mitosis
cell division in which the nucleus divides into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes
vacuous
devoid of significance or point, complacently or inanely foolish
laissez faire
the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs
enfranchise
grant voting rights, grant freedom to; as from slavery or servitude
obsequious
attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner, attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
tectonic
of or pertaining to construction or architecture, pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust
soliloquy
a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections, speech you make to yourself
gerrymander
an act of gerrymandering (dividing a voting area so as to give your own party an unfair advantage), divide unfairly and to one's advantage
parabola
a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the curve
plasma
colorless watery fluid of blood and lymph containing no cells and in which erythrocytes and leukocytes and platelets are suspended, (physical chemistry) a fourth state of matter distinct from solid or liquid or gas and present in stars and fusion reactors, a green slightly translucent variety of chalcedony used as a gemstone
jejune
displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity, lacking interest or significance, lacking in nutritive value
usurp
seize and take control without authority and possibly with force, take the place of
reparation
compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury, something done or paid in expiation of a wrong, the act of putting something in working order again, (usually plural) compensation exacted from a defeated nation by the victors
antebellum
belonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War
parameter
a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves, a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data, any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance

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