100 Words Every College Student Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Abate	To reduce in intensity.
2.	Abstract	Existing as a concept rather than a concrete object.
3.	Accessible	Easily reached or understood.
4.	Accommodate	To provide space or meet needs.
5.	Accumulate	To gather or collect over time.
6.	Affinity	A natural liking or attraction.
7.	Ambiguous	Open to more than one interpretation.
8.	Anomaly	Something unusual or out of place.
9.	Arbitrary	Based on random choice or personal whim.
10.	Archae	Old-fashioned or outdated.
11.	Articulation	Clear and effective expression of ideas.
12.	Assimilation	Process of taking in and integrating.
13.	Augment	To increase or make larger.
14.	Brevity	Concise and exact use of words.
15.	Camaraderie	Mutual trust and friendship among a group.
16.	Capricious	Prone to sudden mood or behavior changes.
17.	Catalyst	Something that sparks or speeds up change.
18.	Chronology	Arrangement of events in time order.
19.	Clarity	To make something easier to understand.
20.	Coherent	Logically connected and consistent.
21.	Cohesion	Unity or sticking together.
22.	Coincide	To occur at the same time or agree.
23.	Collaborate	To work together toward a common goal.
24.	Colloquial	Informal or conversational in tone.
25.	Commencement	A beginning or start; graduation ceremony.
26.	Compile	To gather information from various sources.
27.	Compliance	Adherence to rules or standards.
28.	Comprehensive	Covering all or nearly all aspects.
29.	Conceptualize	To form a concept or idea.
30.	Condescending	Showing a patronizing or superior attitude.
31.	Conform	To comply with standards or norms.
32.	Consensus	General agreement among a group.
33.	Contextualize	To place in an appropriate setting or context.
34.	Continuum	A continuous sequence or range.
35.	Contingency	A possible but uncertain event.
36.	Convergence	Coming together from different directions.
37.	Convoluted	Extremely complex or difficult to follow.
38.	Correlate	To show a relationship or connection.
39.	Critique	To analyze and evaluate critically.
40.	Decipher	To interpret or make sense of something complex.
41.	Deficit	A shortage or lack of something.
42.	Delineate	To describe or outline precisely.
43.	Derivative	Unoriginal; derived from another source.
44.	Discourse	Written or spoken communication.
45.	Discrepancy	A difference or inconsistency.
46.	Disparage	To belittle or speak down about.
47.	Disseminate	To spread widely (e.g., information).
48.	Distort	To twist out of a natural or normal shape or meaning.
49.	Elaborate	To provide more detail or expand.
50.	Elusive	Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.
51.	Empathy	The ability to understand and share another’s feelings.
52.	Encompass	To include or contain within.
53.	Equivocal	Open to multiple interpretations; ambiguous.
54.	Ethos	Characteristic spirit or ideals of a community or culture.
55.	Evaluate	To assess or judge the value or quality of something.
56.	Expository	Intended to explain or describe.
57.	Feasible	Possible and practical to do.
58.	Fidelity	Faithfulness or accuracy.
59.	Flux	Continuous change or movement.
60.	Formative	Influential in developing or shaping.
61.	Frenetic	Fast, energetic, and often uncontrolled.
62.	Futile	Having no useful result; pointless.
63.	Holistic	Considering the whole rather than individual parts.
64.	Ideation	The process of forming ideas or concepts.
65.	Impetus	A driving force or motivation.
66.	Implicit	Implied rather than explicitly stated.
67.	Incentive	Something that encourages action or effort.
68.	Incremental	Describing small, step-by-step increases.
69.	Infer	To derive a conclusion from evidence.
70.	Inherent	Existing in something as a permanent attribute.
71.	Innovate	To introduce new ideas or methods.
72.	Integrity	Adherence to moral and ethical principles.
73.	Interdisciplinary	Involving two or more academic fields.
74.	Jargon	Specialized or technical language.
75.	Kinetic	Relating to motion or movement.
76.	Legitimate	Lawful or valid; also genuine.
77.	Lexicon	A specialized vocabulary or dictionary.
78.	Methodology	A system of methods or principles.
79.	Nuance	A subtle distinction or variation.
80.	Objective	Unbiased; based on facts rather than feelings.
81.	Obligation	A duty or commitment.
82.	Obscure	Unclear, partially hidden, or little known.
83.	Optimal	Most favorable or desirable.
84.	Parameter	A measurable factor defining a system.
85.	Paradigm	A typical pattern or model.
86.	Periphery	The outer limits or edge of an area or object.
87.	Plausible	Appearing truthful or reasonable.
88.	Pragmatic	Practical, concerned with usefulness.
89.	Precedent	An earlier event that may serve as an example.
90.	Preface	An introductory statement.
91.	Premise	A previous statement from which a conclusion is drawn.
92.	Provoke	To stimulate or incite action or emotion.
93.	Quantitative	Relating to or measured by quantity.
94.	Qualitative	Relating to or measured by quality.
95.	Rationale	Reasoning or justification for something.
96.	Rectify	To correct or make right.
97.	Redundancy	Repetition that is no longer necessary.
98.	Refute	To prove wrong or disprove.
99.	Rhetorical	Related to effective speaking or writing techniques.
100.	Salient	Most noticeable or important.