High school-level vocabulary
words
1. Aberration - a departure from what
is normal
2. Abridge - to shorten or condense
3. Bellicose - eager to fight or engage
in warfare
4. Cacophony - a harsh, discordant
mixture of sounds
5. Deleterious - causing harm or
damage
6. Egregious - outstandingly bad or
shocking
7. Facetious - treating severe issues
with inappropriate humor
8. Garrulous - excessively talkative,
especially on trivial matters
9. Hapless - unfortunate or unlucky
10. Iconoclast - a person who
challenges established beliefs or
institutions
11. Juxtapose - to place or deal with
things side by side for comparison
12. Kindle - to ignite or arouse a
feeling
13. Luminous - emitting light, or full of
light; shining
14. Meticulous - showing great
attention to detail; very careful and
precise
15. Nebulous - unclear, vague, or hazy
16. Obstinate - stubbornly refusing to
change one's opinion or course of
action
17. Paragon - a person or thing
regarded as a perfect example of a
particular quality
18. Quandary - a state of uncertainty
or perplexity
19. Recalcitrant - stubbornly resistant
to authority or control
20. Surreptitious - kept secret, mainly
because it would not be approved of
21. Trepidation - a feeling of fear or
anxiety about something that may
happen
22. Ubiquitous - present, appearing, or
found everywhere
23. Vehement - showing strong
feelings; forceful, passionate, or
intense
24. Wistful - having a feeling of vague
or regretful longing
25. Xenophobia - a strong dislike or
fear of people from other countries or
cultures
26. Yearn - have an intense feeling of
longing for something
27. Zealot - a person who is fanatical
and uncompromising in pursuit of their
beliefs
28. Alacrity - brisk and cheerful
readiness
29. Belligerent - hostile and
aggressive
30. Capitulate - to surrender or give in
31. Desultory - lacking a plan,
purpose, or enthusiasm; random
32. Eloquent - fluent or persuasive in
speaking or writing
33. Fortuitous - happening by chance,
often in a positive way
34. Haughty - arrogantly superior and
disdainful
35. Impetuous - acting or done quickly
and without thought or care
36. Juxtaposition - the fact of two
things being seen or placed close
together for contrasting effect
37. Kinetic - relating to or resulting
from motion
38. Lethargic - affected by lethargy;
sluggish and apathetic
39. Malleable - easily influenced or
changed; pliable
40. Nebulous - unclear, vague, or illdefined
41. Obfuscate - to render unclear,
confusing, or difficult to understand
42. Paragon - a person or thing viewed
as a model of excellence
43. Quixotic - exceedingly idealistic,
unrealistic, and impractical
44. Resilient - able to recover quickly
from difficult conditions
45. Sycophant - a person who acts
obsequiously towards someone
important to gain advantage
46. Taciturn - reserved or
uncommunicative in speech; saying
little
47. Ubiquitous - present, appearing, or
found everywhere
48. Vacillate - to alternate or waver
between different opinions or actions
49. Wane - to decrease gradually in
size, intensity, or power
50. Xenophile - a person who is
attracted to foreign cultures or people
51. Yearn - have an intense feeling of
longing or desire
52. Zenith - the highest point or peak
53. Abscond - to leave hurriedly and
secretly, typically to avoid detection or
arrest
54. Bombastic - high-sounding but
with little meaning; inflated
55. Cantankerous - bad-tempered,
argumentative, and uncooperative
56. Diatribe - a forceful and bitter
verbal attack against someone or
something
57. Effervescent - bubbly, lively, or
enthusiastic
58. Fervent - having or displaying a
passionate intensity
59. Gregarious - fond of company;
sociable
60. Harangue - a lengthy and
aggressive speech or lecture
61. Ineffable - too great or extreme to
be expressed or described in words
62. Juxtaposition - the fact of two
things being seen or placed close
together for contrasting effect
63. Kindle - to ignite or arouse a
feeling
64. Laconic - using very few words;
concise
65. Mellifluous - pleasing to the ear;
melodious
66. Nefarious - wicked, villainous, or
criminal
67. Obfuscate - to render unclear,
confusing, or difficult to understand
68. Pernicious - having a harmful
effect, especially in a gradual or subtle
way
69. Quixotic - exceedingly idealistic,
unrealistic, and impractical
70. Reticent - not revealing one's
thoughts or feelings readily
71. Superfluous - unnecessary,
especially through being more than
enough
72. Taciturn - reserved or
uncommunicative in speech; saying
little
73. Ubiquitous - present, appearing, or
found everywhere
74. Vex - to make someone feel
annoyed, frustrated, or worried
75. Wane - to decrease gradually in
size, intensity, or power
76. Xenophile - a person who is
attracted to foreign cultures or people
77. Yield - to produce or provide; give
way to pressure or force
78. Zealous - having or showing great
energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a
cause or objective
79. Abrogate - to repeal or do away
with
80. Belligerence - aggressive or
warlike behavior
81. Cacophonous - involving or
producing a harsh, discordant mixture
of sounds
82. Deleterious - causing harm or
damage
83. Egregious - outstandingly bad or
shocking
84. Facetious - treating serious issues
with inappropriate humor
85. Garrulous - excessively talkative,
especially on trivial matters
86. Harrowing - extremely distressing
or disturbing
87. Immutable - unchanging over time;
unable to be changed
88. Juxtaposition - the fact of two
things being seen or placed close
together for contrasting effect
89. Kowtow - to act in an excessively
subservient manner
90. Lucid - expressed clearly; easy to
understand
91. Malinger - to pretend to be ill,
injured, or otherwise unable to work as
an excuse to avoid duty or work
92. Nebulous - unclear, vague, or hazy
93. Obsequious - overly obedient or
attentive in a servile manner
94. Parsimonious - unwilling to spend
money or use resources; stingy or
frugal
95. Quandary - a state of uncertainty
or perplexity
96. Resilient - able to recover quickly
from difficult conditions
97. Sycophant - a person who acts
obsequiously towards someone
important to gain advantage
98. Taciturn - reserved or
uncommunicative in speech; saying
little
99. Ubiquitous - present, appearing,
or found everywhere
100. Vindictive - having or showing a
strong desire for revenge