100 words

abjure
abrogate
abstemious
acumen
antebellum
auspicious

The start of a list: 100 words that "every high school graduate should know." To the extent that such lists serve as models for writers, they're dangerous stuff. ("I would not kowtow to her loquacious acumen" -- that's the kind of sentence that can result.) To the extent that such lists make for better readers, they're helpful.

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know (Houghton Mifflin)