List of 1,092 Words You Should Know in High School
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Want to find a list of words you should know for high school? See this helpful collection of relevant terms. Here you'll find a list of essential vocabulary for secondary education.
| a capella | enunciate | matrix | quintessence |
| abash | epicure | mea culpa | quisling |
| abate | epiphany | mellifluous | quiver |
| abdicate | equanimity | mendacity | quixotic |
| aberration | equinox | mentor | quotidian |
| abet | eradicate | mercurial | raison d’être |
| abhor | ersatz | metamorphosis | rakish |
| abide | erudite | microcosm | ramification |
| abject | esoteric | microeconomics | ramshackle |
| abjure | espouse | micromanage | rancor |
| ablution | estrange | migratory | rankle |
| abnegate | etymology | milestone | rapport |
| aboriginal | euphemism | milieu | rapturous |
| abortive | evanescent | mimic | rarefied |
| abrade | evoke | mire | raucous |
| abrogate | exacerbate | misanthrope | ravenous |
| abscond | exculpate | misconstrue | ravishing |
| absolve | exhort | mishmash | recalcitrant |
| abstemious | exigency | misogyny | recapitulate |
| abstruse | exonerate | mitigate | reciprocal |
| accede | expeditious | mitosis | reciprocate |
| accentuate | expletive | mnemonic | reclamation |
| accolade | expurgate | modicum | reclusive |
| accrue | extenuate | moiety | recompense |
| acquiescence | extrapolate | mollify | reconnoiter |
| acrid | extrinsic | monograph | recoup |
| acrimonious | facet | moribund | recrimination |
| acronym | facetious | morose | rectify |
| acrophobia | facilitate | mortal | recuse |
| acumen | fait accompli | mortgage | redundancy |
| acute | fastidious | mortification | referendum |
| ad hoc | fatuous | motley | refuge |
| ad infinitum | faux pas | multifaceted | refurbish |
| adage | feckless | mundane | regress |
| adamant | felicity | myopia | regurgitate |
| addendum | feral | myriad | reiterate |
| adept | fervor | nanosecond | relinquish |
| adjudicate | fiasco | nanotechnology | remedial |
| adroit | fiduciary | narcissism | reminisce |
| aesthetic | filibuster | narcolepsy | reminiscent |
| affinity | flaunt | narrative | remittance |
| aggrandize | fledgling | nascent | remunerate |
| akin | flippant | nationalism | renaissance |
| alacrity | flout | natty | renege |
| allay | foible | navigable | renunciation |
| allude | foist | naysayer | reparation |
| altruism | foray | nebulous | repartee |
| amalgamate | fortuitous | necromancy | replete |
| ambidextrous | fractious | nefarious | reprehensible |
| ambience | fruition | negligent | reprobate |
| ambivalent | fulminate | nemesis | rescind |
| amble | funereal | neophyte | resilient |
| ameliorate | furtive | nepotism | resolute |
| amenable | fussbudget | netiquette | resonate |
| amenity | gallantry | neural | respiration |
| amiable | galumph | nexus | respite |
| amorphous | galvanize | nihilism | restitution |
| anachronism | gamete | noblesse oblige | restive |
| anagram | gamut | nocturnal | reticent |
| analogous | garner | nom de plume | retroactive |
| anarchy | garnish | nomad | retrospective |
| anathema | garrulous | nomenclature | revile |
| ancillary | gastronomy | nonsectarian | rhetorical |
| anecdote | gauche | nostalgia | ribald |
| animosity | gaudy | notarize | roguish |
| anomaly | genteel | nouveau riche | ruminate |
| antebellum | germane | noxious | sagacious |
| antecedent | gerrymander | nuance | salacious |
| antipathy | gestation | null | salience |
| antiquity | gesticulation | nullify | saline |
| antithesis | gizmo | numismatics | salutary |
| aphorism | glasnost | nuptial | salutation |
| aplomb | gloaming | obesity | sanctum |
| apocryphal | glossary | obfuscate | sanguine |
| apparition | glutton | oblique | sardonic |
| apprise | gossipmonger | oblivion | satchel |
| apropos | gradation | obsequious | saturnine |
| arbiter | graft | obsolescent | savant |
| arbitrary | grandeur | obstinate | savoir faire |
| ardent | grandiloquence | obtrusive | savory |
| arduous | grandiose | obtuse | scapegoat |
| ascribe | gratuitous | obviate | scarlet letter |
| aspersion | gravitas | odious | scathing |
| aspiration | gregarious | odoriferous | scenario |
| assiduous | grisly | odyssey | schism |
| attest | grovel | officiate | schmaltz |
| audacious | guffaw | olfaction | schmooze |
| augment | guile | oligarchy | scintilla |
| auspices | haggard | omnipotent | scintillate |
| auspicious | halcyon | omnivore | scofflaw |
| austere | hale | onerous | scrimshaw |
| autonomous | halitosis | onomatopoeia | scrip |
| avant-garde | hallmark | onslaught | semantics |
| avarice | hallow | onus | semblance |
| avowal | hamlet | opaque | seminal |
| axiom | haphazard | operatic | sentient |
| baccalaureate | hapless | optics | sequester |
| balderdash | harangue | optimal | serendipitous |
| bandy | harbinger | optimize | serene |
| baneful | hazmat | opulent | servitude |
| bedraggled | hearsay | oratory |
sesquicentennial
|
| befuddle | hegemony | orientation | severance |
| beget | heinous | ornate | simile |
| beleaguer | heirloom | ornithology | sine qua non |
| belie | hemoglobin | orthography | skulduggery |
| bellicose | heraldry | oscillate | sobriquet |
| belligerent | herbivore | osmosis | socialism |
| bemused | herculean | ossify | solace |
| benediction | herstory | ostensible | soliloquy |
| benevolent | heterogeneous | ostentatious | somnambulate |
| bequeath | heyday | ostracize | soothsayer |
| beseech | hiatus | oxidize | sophomoric |
| bilk | hierarchy | ozone layer | sordid |
| binary | hindsight | pacifist | specious |
| blasé | histrionic | pagan | speculative |
| blather | hoax | pageantry | spontaneity |
| bludgeon | holistic | paginate | spurious |
| bluster | homage | painstaking | spurn |
| bombast | hominid | palatable | squalor |
| bona fide | homogeneous | palliative | stalwart |
| boorish | homonym | palpate | stately |
| bowdlerize | hubris | palpitate | stereotype |
| braggadocio | hyperbole | paltry | stigma |
| bravado | hypotenuse | panacea | stipulate |
| brevity | hypothermia | pandemic | subjugate |
| brusque | ichthus | pandemonium | sublimate |
| bureaucracy | iconoclast | pander | sublime |
| candor | ideology | panoply | subservient |
| capitulate | idiom | panorama | subversive |
| capricious | idyllic | papal | succinct |
| captious | ignominious | paparazzo | suffix |
| caricature | ignoramus | papier-mâché | suffragist |
| carnivore | illicit | parabola | supercilious |
| carte blanche | imbibe | paradigm | superficial |
| cartel | imbroglio | paradox | surreptitious |
| caste | imbue | paragon | sycophant |
| catalyst | immigrant | paralegal | symbiosis |
| catch-22 | imminent | parameter | symmetrical |
| catharsis | immutable | paranormal | symposium |
| caustic | impalpable | parenthetical | synchronicity |
| cavalier | impart | pariah | synonym |
| cavil | impasse | parlance | synopsis |
| censure | impeach | parody | tableau |
| cessation | impeccable | parsimony | taboo |
| chagrin | imperative | partiality | tabula rasa |
| charismatic | impertinent | passé | tacit |
| charlatan | impervious | pastoral | taciturn |
| chicanery | impetuous | patent | tactful |
| chivalrous | impetus | pathological | tactile |
| chromosome | impinge | patrilineage | tandem |
| churlish | implicate | patrimony | tangential |
| circumlocution | implicit | patronage | tangible |
| circumnavigate | implore | patronize | tantalizing |
| circumvent | imprudent | paucity | tautology |
| clairvoyance | impugn | peculiarity | taxonomy |
| clandestine | impunity | pecuniary | technocrat |
| clemency | in vitro | pedagogy | tectonic |
| cogent | inane | pedantic | telekinesis |
| cognition | inarguable | pedestrian | temblor |
| cohort | inauspicious | peerless | temerity |
| colloquy | incendiary | peevish | temperance |
| collusion | incessant | pejorative | tempest |
| comely | incipient | penitence | tempestuous |
| commensurate | incisive | penultimate | template |
| commiserate | incognito | perceptive | temporal |
| compendious | incongruous | percussive | tenable |
| complaisant | incontrovertible | perennial | tenacity |
| comport | incorrigible | perfectionist | tenet |
| compunction | incredulous | perfunctory | tenuous |
| concerted | inculcate | peripatetic | tenure |
| confabulate | inculpate | peripheral | terminus |
| confluence | indefatigable | permafrost | terra firma |
| congenital | indolent | pernicious | tertiary |
| conjure | inebriate | perpetuate | testament |
| connotation | ineffable | perquisite | testimonial |
| consortium | inexorable | persecute | tête-à-tête |
| consternation | inexplicable | perspicacious | theism |
| construe | infallible | pert | theorem |
| consummate | infer | perturb | thermodynamics |
| contemptuous | infrastructure | perusal | thesaurus |
| context | ingratiate | pervade | thespian |
| contravene | inherent | pessimism | think tank |
| contrivance | innate | pestiferous | thoracic |
| convalescence | innocuous | petroglyph | throng |
| convivial | inscrutable | petulant | thwart |
| convoluted | insipid | phenom | tirade |
| copious | insolent | philanthropic | titillate |
| corroborate | insolvent | phobic | tome |
| covenant | inspiration | phonetic | tort |
| covert | insurgent | photosynthesis | totalitarian |
| credence | intercession | physiognomy | traduce |
| credulous | interpolate | piazza | trajectory |
| culminate | intransigent | pictograph | tranquil |
| culpable | intrinsic | piety | transfiguration |
| cumbersome | intuition | pilfer | transfix |
| cupidity | inundate | pinnacle | transgress |
| curative | invective | pique | transliterate |
| cyberspace | irony | pithy | transpire |
| dalliance | irreverent | pittance | travail |
| dank | iteration | pixel | treachery |
| debacle | jejune | placate | treatise |
| debilitate | jingoism | plagiarism | trepidation |
| deciduous | jobbery | plagiarize | triage |
| decorum | jocular | plaintiff | tribunal |
| decrepit | jovial | plasma | trite |
| deduce | judicious | platitude | tropism |
| defamation | juggernaut | platonic | tryst |
| deference | junta | plaudit | tumult |
| deign | jurisdiction | plausible | ubiquitous |
| delectable | jurist | plethora | ultimatum |
| deleterious | juxtapose | plutocracy | umbrage |
| delineate | kangaroo court | poignant | uncharted |
| demure | keepsake | polemic | unctuous |
| denote | kickback | politic | undaunted |
| denunciation | kinetic | polity | underhand |
| deplorable | kowtow | pollutant | underling |
| depravity | kudos | polyglot | underwrite |
| deprecate | laborious | polymer | unflinching |
| dereliction | labyrinth | pontificate | unilateral |
| derision | laconic | portend | unorthodox |
| derivation | laggard | posit | unpalatable |
| despondent | laissez-faire | potable | unrefined |
| despotism | laity | pragmatic | unsavory |
| dexterous | lambaste | precarious | uproarious |
| diatribe | languid | precedent | urban myth |
| dichotomy | languish | precipitous | urbane |
| didactic | largesse | precocious | usurp |
| diffident | lax | preconceive | utilitarian |
| diminutive | lection | precursor | utopian |
| discombobulate | leftism | prejudice | utterance |
| disconcerting | legacy | prelate | vacillate |
| disingenuous | leniency | preposition | vacuous |
| disparate | lethargic | prescience | vagary |
| disport | leviathan | pretense | vanity |
| disseminate | levity | pristine | variance |
| dissolution | lexicon | pro bono | vehement |
| dissonance | liaison | proclivity | venerable |
| dissuade | libation | procrastination | verbiage |
| docile | liberalism | prodigy | verbose |
| dogmatic | libido | profane | veritable |
| domicile | licentious | profligate | vernacular |
| dossier | litany | prognosticate | vex |
| dot-com | literate | promulgate | vicarious |
| droll | litigious | propinquity | vigilant |
| dyslexia | livid | proscribe | vilify |
| ebullient | lobby | proselytize | vindication |
| eccentric | locution | protagonist | virulence |
| eclectic | loquacious | protégé | vis-à-vis |
| edification | lucid | protocol | visceral |
| educe | ludicrous | prototype | vitriol |
| effrontery | lugubrious | proverb | vociferate |
| egalitarian | luminary | prudent | voracious |
| egocentric | luminescence | prurient | vortex |
| egregious | lurid | psychosomatic | wanton |
| elicit | lustrous | puerile | warrant |
| elocution | macabre | pugnacious | watershed |
| eloquence | machismo | purport | wayward |
| elucidate | macroeconomics | purveyance | wearisome |
| elusive | maestro | quagmire | whimsy |
| emanate | magnanimous | quaint | whodunit |
| emancipate | mainframe | qualitative | wily |
| embellish | malady | qualm | winnow |
| empathize | malaise | quandary | woebegone |
| emulate | malapropism | quantitative | wreak |
| en masse | malevolent | quantum leap | writhe |
| endemic | malign | quarantine | wunderkind |
| enervate | manic | quark | xenophobe |
| enfranchise | manifesto | quarrelsome | yeoman |
| enigma | marginal | quasar | yuppie |
| enmesh | martyr | queasy | zealous |
| enmity | masticate | quench | zenith |
| enshrine | matriculate | querulous | zero tolerance |
| enthrall | matrilineage | quicksilver | zymurgy |
