9th Grade Vocabulary Practice – Fall Semester
Unit 1
- Adage Show Definition
A proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
- Bonanza Show Definition
A situation or event that creates a sudden increase in wealth, good fortune, or profits.
- Churlish Show Definition
Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
- Citadel Show Definition
A fortress, typically on high ground, protecting or dominating a city.
- Collaborate Show Definition
Work jointly on an activity or project.
- Decree Show Definition
An official order issued by a legal authority.
- Discordant Show Definition
Disagreeing or incongruous; harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony.
- Evolve Show Definition
Develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form.
- Excerpt Show Definition
A short extract from a film, broadcast, or piece of music or writing.
- Grope Show Definition
Feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with the hands.
- Hover Show Definition
Remain in one place in the air.
- Jostle Show Definition
Push, elbow, or bump against someone roughly, typically in a crowd.
- Laggard Show Definition
A person who makes slow progress and falls behind others.
- Plaudits Show Definition
Praise; the applause of an audience.
- Preclude Show Definition
Prevent from happening; make impossible.
- Revert Show Definition
Return to a previous state, practice, or belief.
- Rubble Show Definition
Waste or rough fragments of stone, brick, concrete, etc., especially as the debris from the demolition of buildings.
- Servile Show Definition
Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
- Vigil Show Definition
A period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, especially to keep watch or pray.
- Wrangle Show Definition
Have a long and complicated dispute.
Unit 2
- Antics Show Definition
Foolish, outrageous, or amusing behavior.
- Avowed Show Definition
That has been asserted, admitted, or stated publicly.
- Banter Show Definition
The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.
- Bountiful Show Definition
Large in quantity; abundant.
- Congested Show Definition
Blocked up with or too full of something, especially a body part such as a nose.
- Detriment Show Definition
The state of being harmed or damaged.
- Durable Show Definition
Able to withstand wear, pressure, or damage; hard-wearing.
- Enterprising Show Definition
Having or showing initiative and resourcefulness.
- Frugal Show Definition
Sparing or economical with regard to money or food.
- Gingerly Show Definition
In a careful or cautious manner.
- Glut Show Definition
An excessively abundant supply of something.
- Incognito Show Definition
Having one’s true identity concealed.
- Invalidate Show Definition
Make (an argument, statement, or theory) unsound or erroneous.
- Legendary Show Definition
Remarkable enough to be famous; very well known.
- Maim Show Definition
Wound or injure (someone) so that part of the body is permanently damaged.
- Minimize Show Definition
Reduce (something, especially something unwanted or unpleasant) to the smallest possible amount or degree.
- Oblique Show Definition
Not explicit or done in a direct way.
- Veer Show Definition
Change direction suddenly.
- Venerate Show Definition
Regard with great respect; revere.
- Wanton Show Definition
Deliberate and unprovoked (of a cruel or violent action).
Unit 3
- Allot Show Definition
Give or apportion (something) to someone as a share or task.
- Amass Show Definition
Gather together or accumulate (a large amount or number of valuable material or things) over a period of time.
- Audacious Show Definition
Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
- Comply Show Definition
Act in accordance with a wish or command.
- Devoid Show Definition
Entirely lacking or free from.
- Elite Show Definition
A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.
- Grapple Show Definition
Engage in a close fight or struggle without weapons; wrestle.
- Incapacitate Show Definition
Prevent from functioning in a normal way.
- Instigate Show Definition
Bring about or initiate (an action or event).
- Longevity Show Definition
Long life.
- Myriad Show Definition
A countless or extremely great number.
- Perspective Show Definition
A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.
- Perturb Show Definition
Make (someone) anxious or unsettled.
- Prodigious Show Definition
Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
- Relevant Show Definition
Closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered.
- Skittish Show Definition
Excitable or easily scared.
- Tether Show Definition
Tie (an animal) with a rope or chain so as to restrict its movement.
- Unison Show Definition
Simultaneous performance or utterance of action or speech.
- Vie Show Definition
Compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something.
- Willful Show Definition
(of an immoral or illegal act or omission) intentional; deliberate.
Unit 4
- Annul Show Definition
Declare invalid (an official agreement, decision, or result).
- Blasé Show Definition
Unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.
- Bolster Show Definition
Support or strengthen; prop up.
- Deplore Show Definition
Feel or express strong disapproval of (something).
- Frivolous Show Definition
Not having any serious purpose or value.
- Muster Show Definition
Assemble (troops), especially for inspection or in preparation for battle.
- Nonentity Show Definition
A person or thing with no special or interesting qualities; an unimportant person or thing.
- Obsess Show Definition
Preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent.
- Ornate Show Definition
Made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns.
- Oust Show Definition
Drive out or expel (someone) from a position or place.
- Peruse Show Definition
Read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way.
- Porous Show Definition
Having minute spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass.
- Promontory Show Definition
A point of high land that juts out into a large body of water; a headland.
- Prone Show Definition
Likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something, typically something regrettable or unwelcome.
- Qualm Show Definition
An uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one’s own conduct; a misgiving.
- Recourse Show Definition
A source of help in a difficult situation.
- Residue Show Definition
A small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used.
- Solicitous Show Definition
Characterized by or showing interest or concern.
- Staid Show Definition
Sedate, respectable, and unadventurous.
- Sustain Show Definition
Strengthen or support physically or mentally.
Unit 5
- Aghast Show Definition
Filled with horror or shock.
- Ample Show Definition
Enough or more than enough; plentiful.
- Apparition Show Definition
A ghost or ghostlike image of a person.
- Assert Show Definition
State a fact or belief confidently and forcefully.
- Cower Show Definition
Crouch down in fear.
- Disdain Show Definition
The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt.
- Epitaph Show Definition
A phrase or statement written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an inscription on a tombstone.
- Ethical Show Definition
Relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.
- Facetious Show Definition
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
- Inaudible Show Definition
Unable to be heard.
- Indiscriminate Show Definition
Done at random or without careful judgment.
- Intrigue Show Definition
Arouse the curiosity or interest of; fascinate.
- Jurisdiction Show Definition
The official power to make legal decisions and judgments.
- Plausible Show Definition
Seeming reasonable or probable.
- Plebeian Show Definition
Of or belonging to the commoners of ancient Rome; a commoner.
- Prodigal Show Definition
Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.
- Proximity Show Definition
Nearness in space, time, or relationship.
- Pulverize Show Definition
Reduce to fine particles.
- Sequel Show Definition
A published, broadcast, or recorded work that continues the story or develops the theme of an earlier one.
- Volatile Show Definition
Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse.
Unit 6
- Abashed Show Definition
Embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed.
- Aloof Show Definition
Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
- Anguish Show Definition
Severe mental or physical pain or suffering.
- Articulate Show Definition
Having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
- Bask Show Definition
Lie exposed to warmth and light, typically from the sun, for relaxation and pleasure.
- Defect Show Definition
A shortcoming, imperfection, or lack.
- Finesse Show Definition
Intricate and refined delicacy.
- Flaunt Show Definition
Display (something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance.
- Forthright Show Definition
(Of a person or their manner or speech) direct and outspoken; straightforward and honest.
- Genial Show Definition
Friendly and cheerful.
- Instill Show Definition
Gradually but firmly establish (an idea or attitude, especially a desirable one) in a person’s mind.
- Ostracize Show Definition
Exclude (someone) from a society or group.
- Premonition Show Definition
A strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.
- Pseudonym Show Definition
A fictitious name, especially one used by an author.
- Purge Show Definition
Rid (someone or something) of an unwanted quality, condition, or feeling.
- Rehabilitate Show Definition
Restore (someone) to health or normal life by training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness.
- Repercussion Show Definition
An unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.
- Resolute Show Definition
Admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.
- Retentive Show Definition
(Of a person’s memory) having the ability to remember facts and impressions easily.
- Scapegoat Show Definition
A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency.
Unit 7
- Acme Show Definition
The point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful.
- Attribute Show Definition
A quality or feature regarded as a characteristic or inherent part of someone or something.
- Belittle Show Definition
Make (someone or something) seem unimportant.
- Convey Show Definition
Transport or carry to a place.
- Doctrine Show Definition
A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.
- Excise Show Definition
A tax levied on certain goods and commodities produced or sold within a country and on licenses granted for certain activities.
- Exotic Show Definition
Originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country.
- Haggard Show Definition
Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
- Jaunty Show Definition
Having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner.
- Juncture Show Definition
A particular point in events or time.
- Menial Show Definition
Not requiring much skill and lacking prestige.
- Parry Show Definition
Ward off (a weapon or attack), especially with a countermove.
- Predatory Show Definition
Relating to or denoting an animal or animals preying naturally on others.
- Ravage Show Definition
Cause severe and extensive damage to.
- Stance Show Definition
The way in which someone stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in baseball, golf, and other sports); a person’s posture.
- Tawdry Show Definition
Showy but cheap and of poor quality.
- Turncoat Show Definition
A person who deserts one party or cause in order to join an opposing one.
- Unassuming Show Definition
Not pretentious or arrogant; modest.
- Wallow Show Definition
(Of a person) indulge in an unrestrained way in (something that creates a pleasurable sensation).
- Waver Show Definition
Shake with a quivering motion.
