Grade 9 Vocabulary

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 1

Word Part of

Speech Definition Sample Sentence Your sentence

venerable adjective

worthy of respect because

of advanced age, dignity,

etc.

At family reunions our venerable

grandmother, now past eighty, is

accorded great respect.

puerile adjective foolish for a grown person

to say or do; childish

Some seniors think it's fun to throw

objects at passing cars, but I consider it

puerile.

levity noun lack of proper seriousness;

improper gaiety

During the assembly George kept

giggling; levity for which his teacher

later scolded him.

frugal adjective thrifty; not wasteful

Her frugal attitude allowed her to save

a good deal of money at the

supermarket.

antipathy noun feeling of intense dislike

Because of his bigoted remarks, the

speaker provoked the antipathy of the

audience.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

avocation noun a hobby; supplementary

occupation

Bird watching was an avocation that

gave him many hours of pleasure.

charlatan noun

one who poses as an

expert in a skill or

profession for which he is

not qualified

The Great Imposter is a movie about a

charlatan who posed successfully as a

surgeon.

doughty adjective brave; strong and able The doughty naval commander fought

against very heavy odds.

elucidate verb to make clear; explain You may elucidate what happened after

you relax for a while.

indolent adjective lazy

He was indolent by nature but still

blamed the heat wave for his inability

to do work.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 2

Word Part of


ludicrous adjective

causing laughter because

absurd or ridiculous;

laughably absurd

His answer to the question was so

ludicrous that everyone burst out

laughing.

callow adjective young and inexperienced;

immature

He was surprised when his company

hired a callow youth just out of college

for the important new position.

blithe adjective merry; cheerful; happy Our neighbor is a blithe fellow who

tells amusing stories.

nepotism noun

favoritism shown to

relatives, especially in

securing jobs

Whenever a President appoints a

relative to a government position, the

cry of nepotism is raised by the

opposing party.

malign verb to speak evil of; to

slander

I cannot bear to hear you malign such

a good man.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

posthumous adjective

occurring after death;

published after the

author's death

Only two of Emily Dickinson’s poems

were published before she died; the

rest were posthumous.

heinous adjective outrageously evil or

wicked

The convict was severely punished for

his heinous crime.

clandestine adjective

kept secret or hidden

especially for some

illegal purpose; secretive

The clandestine activities of the

terrorist group were never discovered

by the police.

refute verb

to disprove or

demonstrate the falsity of

something

The district attorney summoned many

witnesses to refute the testimony of the

defendant.

cursory adjective hasty, hurried or not

thorough

His cursory studying of the material

could not give him a full understanding

of the subject.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 3

Word Part of


reticent adjective quiet, reserved, or

uncommunicative

Because she was so reticent, very few

people got to know her well.

travail noun hard work; exhausting

labor; agony

His family found that the travail of

serving ten years in a prison camp had

changed him greatly.

opulence noun wealth, luxury, or

abundance.

She was amazed at the opulence of her

neighbors.

arduous adjective difficult, strenuous, or

hard to achieve

Climbing the tree proved to be an

arduous task but not a particularly

dangerous one.

paltry adjective practically worthless;

petty; trifling

I complained not because of the paltry

three cents that I was overcharged but

because of the principle of the thing.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

abduct verb to carry off by force The kidnappers abducted the child

from her home.

tractable adjective easily managed, taught, or

controlled

The horse was tractable as long as he

was going in the direction of the barn;

otherwise he was unmanageable.

obliterate verb

to do away with or

destroy; to blot out

completely

He tried to obliterate from his memory

any trace of that horrible day.

prodigious adjective extraordinary in size or

amount; enormous

Anyone who has orbited the Earth has

performed a prodigious task.

haughty adjective

having or showing great

pride in oneself and

disdain, contempt, or

scorn for others

He seemed at first to be rather cold and

haughty, but we came to realize that

this was due mainly to his shyness.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 4

Word Part of


equanimity

noun

Evenness of mind or

temper; calmness;

composure

When one becomes engaged in an

argument it is best to retain one’s

equanimity in order to keep the dispute

from exploding into something bigger.

exacerbate

verb

To irritate or make bitter;

to make more violent

The line of questions so exacerbated

the witness that he refused to answer.

gratuity

noun

A tip; payment for

service for which no bill

is offered

A gratuity of 10 to 15 percent of the

check is customary in many

restaurants.

incredulous

adjective Skeptical; doubtful; too

extraordinary to be

believed

The teacher was incredulous when he

heard the amazing excuse.

loquacious

adjective

Talkative; chatty

The lawyer’s loquacious summation

annoyed his client, who could see that

the jury was losing attention.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

reprehensible

adjective

Deserving blame; wrong

The man did not find the action of his

enemy as reprehensible as he thought

he would.

stringent adjective

Strict; rigid; exacting

The Dean imposed a curfew of 7:00,

the most stringent one in the history of

the school.

taciturn

adjective

Habitually silent; not

given to conversation

John Wayne often portrays taciturn

characters in his movies.

ubiquitous adjective

Present everywhere

The ubiquitous pizza parlors seem to

be feeding America.

vapid

adjective

Having lost its spirit or

zest; spiritless

The guest speaker made one of the

most vapid speeches the audience had

ever heard.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 5

Word Part of


meticulous adjective

Overly or unduly careful

about small details;

extremely careful

She was extremely meticulous about

her clothes and spent hours dressing

for a party.

altruism

(altruist) noun

Unselfish concern for the

welfare of others;

selflessness

Altruism is a virtue that very few

people possess.

ameliorate verb To improve or make

better

Despite the Mayor's best efforts, he

could not ameliorate the situation in

the ghetto.

rustic adjective

Characteristic of the

country and country

people; simple and

unsophisticated

His rustic manners seemed out of place

in the elegant setting of the hotel

dining room.

deride verb To make fun of; to scorn The teacher told the obnoxious student

not to deride his fellow classmates.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

diffident adjective Lacking self confidence;

timid; shy

We discovered that beneath his

diffident Personality there was an

active and inquiring mind.

ostracize verb

To exclude someone from

a social group by general

consent

Although he was found innocent of

treason, Aaron Burr was ostracized by

society and left this country to live in

England.

truculent adjective Savage; cruel; fierce;

warlike

The debate, which might have been

very interesting, was marred by a

truculent exchange of personal abuse.

vindicate verb

To clear of suspicion, as

of a charge of

wrongdoing

Since he has been fully vindicated by

the investigation, he will resume his

old position in the government.

pugnacious adjective Eager and ready to fight;

quarrelsome

He became much less pugnacious after

he picked fights with boys who gave

him sound beatings.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 6

Word Part of


forbidding

adjective

looking dangerous,

threatening, disagreeable,

repellent

The glow from the distant lighthouse

cast a forbidding hue over the ocean.

inane

adjective

foolish, silly, lacking

sense or meaning

We were trying not to sound inane as

we spoke to the art historian, but we

really knew nothing about the subject.

inure

verb

to become accustomed to

something, difficult,

painful, etc.

I never became inured to running in

the early morning.

anarchy

noun

the complete absence of

government, political

disorder or violence,

disorder in any activity

“If he gets up, we’ll all get up. It’ll be

anarchy,” is a famous line from The

Breakfast Club.

enmity

noun

hostility, antagonism,

hatred; the bitter feelings

of an enemy

Many Americans cannot help but feel

enmity toward Osama Bin Laden and

his terrorist network.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

sinecure

noun

any office or position that

brings profit or advantage

without involving much

work or responsibility

No one would ever need to retire from

a job that is a sinecure.

tacit

adjective

not expressed or declared

openly, but implied or

understood

Her nod was enough tacit approval for

me to understand her message.

inveigle

verb

to trick into doing

something, to lead on

with deception

The salesman had a reputation for

inveigling his customers into buying

things they did not intend to buy.

anachronism

noun

anything that is or seems

to be out of its proper

time in history

For a girl to call her boyfriend her

“beau” is anachronistic in 2011.

avarice

noun

too great a desire to have

wealth; greed for riches

His avarice increased with age, until it

became an uncontrollable obsession

for wealth.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 7

Word Part of


condone verb

to excuse, forgive, or

pardon; to overlook an

offense

His behavior was so outrageous that I

cannot see how anyone could even try

to condone it.

hackneyed adjective

made trite and

commonplace by overuse;

stale

His writing style is weakened by

repeated use of hackneyed phrases.

imperative adjective required; absolutely

necessary; compulsory

It is imperative that you submit your

application before May 1.

mundane adjective

worldly, (as distinguished

from heavenly);

commonplace

Now that we have discussed all those

profound philosophical problems, let's

get down to the mundane job of

preparing dinner.

placid adjective calm; peaceful;

undisturbed

Although the scene was still placid, I

knew that before long we were in for

some wild excitement.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

spurious adjective

not genuine or true;

lacking in authenticity;

fake

The document on which we had

intended to base our case turned out to

be spurious--a crude counterfeit.

stealthy adjective

marked by secrecy or

concealment; furtive; sly

Creeping stealthily, through the

underbrush, the soldiers approached

their enemies.

urbane adjective

refined; polite and

courteous in a smooth,

polished way; suave

I admired the urbane ease with which

he handled the difficult situation.

pariah noun a social outcast; one

despised by society

In Lord of the Flies, Piggy quickly

became the pariah of the small society

that formed on the island.

desecrate verb

to violate the sacredness

of something; to profane;

to treat as if not sacred

Vandals had desecrated the church by

carving their initials on the large

wooden doors.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 8

Word Part of


vociferous adjective

loud, noisy, or vehement

in making one's feelings

known

The judge ordered the vociferous

spectator to be thrown out of the

courtroom

euphemism

noun

a mild or pleasant

expression substituted for

one that is harsh or blunt

Instead of calling Meredith "fat," he

tactfully employed the euphemism

"pleasingly plump."

dearth

noun

a scarcity or lack; too

small a supply or shortage

When the crops failed, there was a

dearth of grain for flour, and bread

prices skyrocketed.

harbinger

noun

a person or thing that

comes before to announce

or give an indication of

what is to follow

The first robin is a well-known

harbinger of spring. The first vulture

circling is a harbinger of something

else.

irate

adjective

angry, wrathful, incensed

He is usually even-tempered, but he

becomes irate when he encounters

rudeness.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

pinnacle

noun

the highest point, peak;

culmination

At the very pinnacle of success, he

enjoyed wealth, admiration from

others, and widespread affection.

recalcitrant

adjective

stubbornly disobedient or

rebellious; hard to handle;

unruly

We cannot allow one recalcitrant

student to disrupt the work of the entire

class.

squalid

adjective

dirty from neglect;

wretched

Jakob Riis photographed the awful

living conditions in the squalid

tenements of New York.

nebulous

adjective

unclear; vague; cloudy,

misty

His ideas were so nebulous that no one

could agree or disagree with him.

decry

verb

to speak out against

strongly and openly; to

denounce

The graduation speaker decried the

tendency of too many Americans to

seek wealth before all else.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 9

Word Part of


extol verb to praise highly; to laud The speaker extolled the doctor for his

great contributions to mankind.

innate adjective

that which seems to be

with someone from birth;

existing naturally rather

than acquired

His good taste and courtesy are not the

result of training but rather are innate.

enigma noun

a perplexing or seemingly

unexplainable matter or

person

The many aspects of his changing

personality make Tom an enigma to me.

rancor noun

a continuing and bitter

hate or ill will; deep spite

and malice.

Unfortunately, the debate between them

was marked by personal rancor rather

than honest discussion of the issues.

invective noun

a violent verbal attack;

strong criticism, insult

curses, etc.

It is possible to wage a hard-hitting

political campaign without resorting to

the use of invectives.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

acumen noun

keenness and quickness in

understanding and dealing

with a situation;

shrewdness

In the 19th century, many fortunes were

made by men with great business

acumen.

obdurate adjective

not easily moved to pity

or sympathy; hard-

hearted, stubborn or

obstinate

In spite of all our efforts to persuade

him, he remained obdurate.

pragmatic adjective

practical; concerned with

actual, everyday things

rather than with theory or

speculation

Rather than listening to the politicians

explain the theories of poverty, he had

the pragmatic problem of getting food

on the table.

audacious adjective fearlessly daring; bold;

arrogantly insolent

In this time of crisis, we need

imaginative, bold and even audacious

leadership.

banal adjective common, unoriginal,

drearily predictable

The lecturer’s banal comments bored

the audience to tears.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 10

Word Part of


culpable adjective

Responsible for doing

something wrong;

deserving blame; guilty

Anyone who took any part in the

conspiracy was considered equally

culpable.

ignominious adjective

Deserving disgrace or

shame; dishonorable;

despicable

The traitor spent the last years of his

life in ignominious exile.

ostentatious adjective showing off boastfully;

boastful

The man displayed his expensive new

suit in a very ostentatious manner.

vicissitudes noun

changes in fortune; ups

and downs in

circumstances

You must learn to face the many

vicissitudes of life.

alacrity noun cheerful willingness or

eagerness

Since Bob needed a job to pay for his

college expenses, he accepted with

alacrity the offer.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

decadent adjective in a state of decline or

decay; deteriorating

When people lose interest in literature,

it's a sign that the society is becoming

decadent.

garrulous adjective Talkative

The garrulous cab driver kept up a

steady stream of chatter.

temerity noun

Reckless, boldness;

foolish disregard for

danger

In 1941, Japanese militarists had the

temerity to risk the future of their

country on the wild gamble of a

knockout blow on Pearl Harbor.

eclectic adjective

composed of materials

gained from many

sources, systems, etc.

The statesman did no believe in only

one political philosophy, but rather

took a more eclectic view of world

affairs.

anathema noun

a thing or person

accursed or damned; a

thing or person greatly

detested; a formal curse

After almost 200 years, the name of

Benedict Arnold is still anathema to

Americans.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 11

Word Part of


magnanimous adjective

noble in mind; high-souled;

generous in overlooking

injury or insult; rising

above pettiness or

meanness

Churchill emphasized that we should be

firm in war, defiant in defeat, and

magnanimous in victory.

misanthrope noun a person who hates or

mistrusts all people

Because of his hateful stares and habitual

silence, the man had the reputation of

being a misanthrope.

parsimonious adjective unreasonably cheap or

stingy

He had become so accustomed to a

parsimonious way of living that he denied

himself even the simplest comforts.

pundit noun

a person who has or

professes to have great

learning; actual or self-

professed authority

During the week of the Super Bowl, many

so-called pundits are always telling you

in advance which team will win the game.

officious adjective

offering unnecessary or

unwanted advice or

services; meddlesome,

especially in an

To disguise the fact that he was

performing no useful function, he

developed an officious manner of

intruding into everyone else’s work

Grade 9 Vocabulary

overbearing way

intrepid adjective bold; fearless; dauntless;

very brave

All honors should go to the intrepid and

highly trained men who are exploring

outer space.

lugubrious adjective

very sad or mournful,

especially in a way that

seems exaggerated or

ridiculous

His lugubrious expression was intended

to suggest that he, more than anyone else,

understood the sadness of the occasion.

esoteric adjective

intended for or understood

by only a chosen few

beyond the knowledge and

understanding of most

people

The lecture was too esoteric to be

appreciated by most people in the

audience.

imperious adjective arrogant; haughty; seeking

to dominate; overbearing

He is so inflated with the sense of his own

importance that he adopts an imperious

manner toward his subordinates.

poignant adjective distressing to the feelings;

touching; appealing to the

emotions; affecting

Who can remain unmoved by the

poignant scene in which Sidney Carton

sacrifices his life for the woman he loves.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 12

Word Part of


repugnant adjective distasteful; offensive;

repulsive

I find his horrible manners utterly

repugnant.

tacit adjective implied but not expressed

Since mother raised no objection to my

idea, I assumed that I had her tacit

consent to go ahead with the plan.

vicarious adjective

involving sympathetic

participation by a

person in the experiences

of another; experienced

or endured or enjoyed

through imaginative

participation in the

experiences of another

Having been too frail to participate in

competitive sports, he took vicarious

pleasure in his younger brother's

football heroics.

prevaricate verb

to evade or conceal the

truth; to deviate from

the truth; to lie

Although you may be tempted to

prevaricate, in the long run it will be

better off if you own up to what you

did.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

supercilious adjective contemptuously proud;

haughty; disdainful

In spite of his supercilious attitude, I

refuse to concede that he is our social

superior.

enervate verb to weaken; to deprive of

force

The long stretch of hot, humid weather

enervated all of us.

plethora noun an excess; an

overabundance

The boy has a plethora of energy and

inventiveness, which he sometimes

directs into mischief.

prototype noun

an original that serves as

a model on which later

stages are based or

judged; an early and

typical example

Salinger's brilliant Catcher in the Rye

has served as the prototype for many

novels about confused teenagers.

askew adverb to one side; crookedly In my efforts to straighten the picture,

I knocked the lampshade askew.

abrogate verb to cancel or repeal by

authority; to annul

Since the treaty had proved

unworkable, the two nations decided to

abrogate it.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 13

Word Part of


bequeath

verb

to leave to another in a

will; to hand down

My father bequeathed to his children a

little money and the glorious example

of a life well spent in the service of his

country.

laud

verb to praise highly

At the testimonial dinner, he was

lauded by community leaders for his

service to the school.

crass adjective grossly stupid or dull;

coarse

His attempts to argue about a subject

far beyond his depth seemed only to

reveal his crass ignorance and conceit.

complacent adjective smug; self satisfied;

pleased with oneself

He had the complacent attitude of a

man who considers himself superior to

the "common herd."

tribulation noun great misery or distress;

great trouble

The tribulations which he suffered and

overcame have made him a wiser,

more compassionate person.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

cajole verb

to coax or persuade with

insincere or false

words; to wheedle

Using rather far-fetched promises, I

finally

cajoled her into accompanying us to

the fair

chagrin noun

mental distress due to

disappointment or

humiliation

When he did not receive an invitation,

he tried unsuccessfully to conceal his

deep-seated chagrin.

docile

adjective

easily taught; responsive;

tractable

Since I expected him to be unruly, I

was pleasantly surprised by his gentle,

docile behavior.

vacillate verb to waver in mind or

opinion

When you have considered all the

factors carefully and have decided

what is right, act without vacillating.

sage adjective marked by wisdom and

good judgment

His sage advice has helped thousands

of people deal with their problems.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 14

Word Part of


dupe verb to deceive

Only an inexperienced and naive

person could be duped into investing

money in such a hairbrained scheme.

acme noun highest point; pinnacle Election to the Presidency was the

acme of his long and brilliant career.

deter verb to restrain or discourage

from action through fear

Once he had decided where his duty

lay, nothing could deter him.

homily noun

a sermon; a discourse

emphasizing moral

principles

Instead of those high-flown homilies,

we need some good practical plans.

epicure noun

one who cultivates refined

tastes, especially in eating

and drinking

The store specializes in delicacies that

will please even the most demanding

epicures.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

surfeit noun excessive amount I have had my surfeit of excuses and

evasions; I want action!

itinerant adjective traveling from place to

place

Peter became an itinerant folk singer,

traveling to college campuses all over

the land.

cache noun a hiding place The conspirators had set up a cache of

firearms in the old farmhouse.

incite verb to instigate; to spur on Only intolerable living conditions could

have incited the peasants to rebellion.

appease verb

to bring to a state of peace

or quiet; to satisfy by

making concessions or

giving in to

The tyrant can be appeased only by

absolute submission to his will.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

List 15

Word Part of


impetuous adjective impulsive; done hastily or

rashly

Because he is impetuous by nature,

John often has cause to regret his rash

actions.

perfidy noun treachery; breach of trust

or faith

Because he betrayed our country,

Benedict Arnold's name has become a

symbol of perfidy in American history.

hovel noun a dirty, wretched dwelling

place

It is shocking that the families of the

migratory workers had to live in such

hovels.

advent noun coming into view or

being; arrival

The advent of winter brings thoughts of

sleds, ice-skates, and skis.

Grade 9 Vocabulary

indigent adjective needy; poor

The purpose of this new program is to

help those indigent people who can't

help themselves.

effrontery noun impudence; shameless

boldness

How does he have the effrontery to ask

me for help when he ignored my

requests during my time of need.

rectify verb to correct; to set right It is good to rectify a mistake; it is

better not to make it in the first place.

amass verb to accumulate; to gather

together

By saving systematically over the years,

he amassed a large fortune.

Documents

Grade 9 Vocabulary