100 Words You Must Know Before You Die

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Abate	Become less intense.
2.	Axiom	Self-evident principle.
3.	Benevolent	Kind and well-meaning.
4.	Brevity	Concise expression.
5.	Cacophony	Harsh, discordant sound.
6.	Catalyst	Agent that speeds change.
7.	Caveat	Warning or qualification.
8.	Coerce	Force by threats or pressure.
9.	Cogent	Clear, logical, convincing.
10.	Conundrum	Confusing, difficult problem.
11.	Deference	Respectful submission.
12.	Delineate	Describe precisely; outline.
13.	Demagogue	Leader who exploits prejudice.
14.	Despot	Tyrannical ruler.
15.	Dichotomy	Division into two opposites.
16.	Dogma	Authoritative belief, unquestioned.
17.	Dubious	Doubtful; uncertain.
18.	Eloquent	Fluent, persuasive speaking.
19.	Empathy	Understanding others’ feelings.
20.	Enigma	Mystery; puzzling thing.
21.	Ephemeral	Lasting a very short time.
22.	Equanimity	Calm under stress.
23.	Erudite	Highly learned; scholarly.
24.	Ethos	Guiding beliefs or character.
25.	Euphemism	Mild term for harsh one.
26.	Exacerbate	Make worse; intensify.
27.	Facetious	Flippant; joking inappropriately.
28.	Fallacy	Faulty reasoning.
29.	Fervor	Intense enthusiasm.
30.	Fidelity	Faithfulness; accuracy.
31.	Finesse	Skillful, subtle handling.
32.	Frugal	Avoiding waste; economical.
33.	Garrulous	Excessively talkative.
34.	Glib	Smooth but insincere.
35.	Gregarious	Sociable; enjoys company.
36.	Guile	Cunning; deceitful skill.
37.	Harbinger	Sign of what’s coming.
38.	Heresy	Belief against accepted doctrine.
39.	Hubris	Excessive pride.
40.	Hypocrisy	Claiming virtues not practiced.
41.	Iconoclast	Attacker of cherished beliefs.
42.	Idiosyncrasy	Personal peculiarity; quirk.
43.	Impetus	Driving force; momentum.
44.	Incongruous	Out of place; inconsistent.
45.	Inevitable	Certain to happen.
46.	Innuendo	Indirect, often suggestive hint.
47.	Insidious	Gradually harmful; subtle.
48.	Intrepid	Fearless; adventurous.
49.	Jargon	Specialized language of a group.
50.	Judicious	Showing good judgment.
51.	Juxtapose	Place side by side.
52.	Karma	Consequences of one’s actions.
53.	Keystone	Central, supporting element.
54.	Kinship	Family relationship; close bond.
55.	Kudos	Praise and honor.
56.	Labyrinth	Complex maze; intricate situation.
57.	Laconic	Using few words.
58.	Lament	Express sorrow or regret.
59.	Lucid	Clear and easy to understand.
60.	Magnanimous	Generous toward a rival.
61.	Metaphor	Implied comparison without “like”.
62.	Mitigate	Make less severe.
63.	Mundane	Ordinary; lacking excitement.
64.	Myriad	Countless; very many.
65.	Nihilism	Belief that life lacks meaning.
66.	Nostalgia	Longing for the past.
67.	Notorious	Famous for something bad.
68.	Nuance	Subtle difference in meaning.
69.	Obfuscate	Make unclear or confusing.
70.	Ominous	Threatening; foreboding.
71.	Onus	Burden of responsibility.
72.	Opaque	Not clear; hard to understand.
73.	Ostentatious	Showy; meant to impress.
74.	Paradigm	Model or pattern.
75.	Paradox	Seeming contradiction, yet true.
76.	Pathos	Emotional appeal.
77.	Pernicious	Highly harmful, often gradual.
78.	Pragmatic	Practical; results-focused.
79.	Precarious	Unstable; risky.
80.	Prolific	Producing much.
81.	Rancor	Deep, bitter resentment.
82.	Reconcile	Restore harmony; make consistent.
83.	Redundant	Unnecessarily repetitive.
84.	Reverence	Deep respect and awe.
85.	Rhetoric	Persuasive speaking or writing.
86.	Sanguine	Optimistic; confident.
87.	Skepticism	Doubting attitude; questioning.
88.	Solace	Comfort in distress.
89.	Sovereignty	Supreme authority; self-rule.
90.	Stoic	Enduring pain without complaint.
91.	Subterfuge	Deception to conceal intent.
92.	Sycophant	Insincere flatterer.
93.	Tacit	Understood without being stated.
94.	Tenacious	Persistent; not giving up.
95.	Tenuous	Weak; flimsy.
96.	Tranquil	Calm and peaceful.
97.	Ubiquitous	Present everywhere.
98.	Umbrage	Offense; resentment.
99.	Undermine	Weaken, often secretly.
100.	Unfathomable	Impossible to understand fully.