Middle School Vocabulary Words, middle school vocabulary words

81 flashcards

Fragrance: (n.) a distinctive odor that is pleasant. The perfume she wore had a nice fragrance.
Furtive: (adj.) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen. This must be a furtive operation so that we do not get caught.
Grueling: (adj) characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion. That was a grueling workout.
Gusto: (n.) enjoyment or vigor. Doing something with zest. He plays football with gusto.
Habitation: (n.) home; place to live. The house is not suited for human habitation.
Hasten: (v.) hurry; accelerate; rush. He hastened to get to the exit.
Headway: (n.) progress toward a destination or goal. He was making headway in finishing his project.
Ignite: (v.) to set on fire, to case to burn; to heat up, excite. The chemicals caused a fire to ignite.
Illuminate: (v.) to light up or make clear. He used the flashlight to illuminate the pathway.
Impending: (adj.) about to happen, hanging over in a menacing way. The criminal waited for his impending trial.
Imperious: (adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling. He has an imperious personality.
Jabber: (v.) to talk rapidly or in a senseless manner; chatter. The children jabbered loudly.
Jargon: (n.) the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession. I did not understand the legal jargon that the lawyer used when speaking.
Jostle: (v.) To make one's way by forcing or pushing; to bump or shove. He was jostled by the crowd at the game.
Jut: (v.) to stick out. The mountain jutted into the sky.
Kindle: (v.) to set fire to or ignite; excite or inspire. Drawing the picture kindled the child's interest in art.
Knoll: (n.) small hill. The little animal lived in a knoll.
adapt: Definition: To change to fit a new situation Examples: The butterfly adapted its colors to hide better against the tree. People adapt to new situations by meeting new people and being polite. They make new friends that way.
beneficial: Definition: good for you Examples: Fruit and vegetables are beneficial to your health. They are good for you. Therapy is beneficial for better communication. It helps people communicate better.
collaborate: Definition: to work together Shelby, Anne and Whitney collaborate to help Whitney learn new words. We work together to make Whitney's vocabulary grow. It's smart to collaborate with others. When people work together, they share good ideas and produce better work.
extinct: Definition: The death of every member of a kind of animal Unfortunately, dinosaurs are extinct. We hope bees will not become extinct.
former: Definition: previous Examples: In the picture, there are former presidents of our country. Whitney's former therapists were Carolyn and Stephanie.
ignite: Definition: to catch on fire Examples: To make fireworks produce beautiful colors in the sky, people ignite them. Gasoline ignites inside cars to make the engines go.
massive: Definition: very, very big Examples: That sandwich is massive. Every New Year's Eve, Disney has a massive fireworks display. The fireworks light up the whole sky.
obstacle: Definition: Something that prevents one from moving forward Examples: That huge rock is blocking the road. People can't drive by it. It is an obstacle. Obstacles can be frustrating. They prevent people from doing what they need to do.
solar: Definition: Energy from the sun Examples: The object in the picture is a solar panel. It collects energy from the sun and turns it into electricity. Solar power is a good source of energy for electricity, because it doesn't cause pollution.
tangible: Definition: Capable of being touched Examples: Someone is touching the cat. The cat is tangible. Whitney's chair is tangible. She can touch it.
abrupt: Definition: very sudden and not expected Examples: The horse had to stop very quickly. His stop was abrupt. Abrupt stops happen a lot in traffic.
catastrophe: Definition: a large, sudden, dangerous event Examples: A hurricane can become a catastrophe if people don't go to safe places before the hurricane comes. A fire burned down the woods. It was a catastrophe for the animals that lived in the woods.
chorus: Definition: A group of people who sing songs together for performances. Choruses of students sometimes sing at school. People must practice their songs to be in a chorus so that the songs sound good.
customary: Definition: commonly done in a social group It is customary to say "hello" when you first see someone. When someone says "how are you?", it is customary to say "fine".
exuberant: Definition: very happy and enthusiastic Examples: The little girl is exuberant because she is happy and very excited to go down the slide. Whitney is usually exuberant at therapy.
hilarious: Definition: very funny Examples: These women just heard a funny joke. They are laughing because it was hilarious. Cat videos on the Internet are sometimes hilarious.
incredulous: Definition: unable to believe something Examples: When a friend told me money grew on trees, I was incredulous. He told me he knew money couldn't grow on trees, but he explained that he was talking about a computer game when he said they could. It makes sense that money could grow on trees in a game, but not in real life. When my mother said my brother was coming home this weekend, I was incredulous. My brother lives far away and he hates to travel. I thought my mother must be wrong, but she was right.
maternal: Definition: about a mother Examples: My mother's father is my maternal grandfather. Maternal love is important to every child.
murky: Definition: dark and hard to see through Murky water may have animals in it that people can't see easily, such as turtles. There was so much fog that night that the air was murky. I drove very slowly so that I could get home safely.
Adversary: (n.)An enemy, opponent. The other team is our adversary.
noteworthy: Definition: valuable to notice or remember Examples: I wrote down the noteworthy things the teacher said. I predict that they will be on the test, so I will study them carefully. I traveled to Disney World once. It was a noteworthy trip, because I enjoyed it so much.
analogy: Definition: a comparison of two things when the two things are similar in some ways and different in other ways. Examples: Oranges and apples are similar, because they are both fruit. However, the two taste very different. When people say something's "is like apples and oranges," they mean that two objects may have some things in common, but they are very different. If someone says, "that person is as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard," it means that the person is just as annoying as the sound of someone running her fingernails down a chalkboard would be.
caption: Definition: the explanation or description below a picture or a photograph that explains what is happening. Examples: I decided to write captions below the pictures from my trip. I didn't know if people would understand what was happening in the pictures without captions. The caption under this picture says my brother was the captain of the soccer team.
clarify: Definition: to make something clear by explaining Examples: I didn't understand what my teacher was talking about, so I asked her clarify what she just said. My mother clarified that we would be visiting my brother this weekend, not next weekend.
contagious: Definition: able to be passed on between people. Examples: I am sick with the flu. Don't touch me, because the flu is contagious. You might get the flu from me. You can't get allergies from another person, because they are not contagious. People just have allergies or they don't.
durable: Definition: long-lasting even when used a lot Examples: The Energizer bunny is durable. He never stops moving and beating his drum. My ball is durable. I have played basketball with it every day for five years, and it is still just as good as when I bought it.
gullible: Definition: easily lied to Examples: Snow White took the apple from the witch, because she didn't think that the witch would hurt her. Snow White was gullible. He told his little brother that it would never rain again, but the little boy did not believe him. The little boy is not gullible.
indifferent: Definition: not interested She can do math, but she doesn't do her homework, because she doesn't see a use for geometry in life. She is indifferent to it. He's a nice guy, but I don't want to date him. I'm indifferent to him.
rational: Definition: based on reason Examples: Don't make big decisions when you are upset. Make them when you are calm. That way, you can make rational decisions, not over-emotional ones.
proficient: Definition: very good at doing something especially through practice At first, I wasn't a good cook, but over time, I became very proficient at it. He thought he was ready for the test, but he wasn't as proficient at math as he thought he was.
lucrative: Definition: producing money Teaching school isn't a lucrative professional, but it does make you feel good. No one thought his business would do well, but it turned out to be very lucrative.
Aplomb: (n.) poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity. You handled it with aplomb when you scored the touchdown.
Apprehensive: (adj.) fearful or anxious, especially about the future. He was apprehensive about going to seventh grade because he did not know what to expect.
Aptitude: (n.) capacity for learning; natural ability. He has the aptitude to do that assignment.
Attentive: (adj.) paying close attention to something. He was attentive while his teacher gave the instructions.
Banish: (v.) to force someone to leave a place. He was banished from the store.
Barricade: (n.) to block. Anything that prevents people or vehicles from getting through. A barricade was set up to keep cars off of our property.
Bluff: (n.) to mislead or deceive; to fake. He called my bluff when I said I would take his toy.
Brackish: (adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink. The water tasted brackish, unlike freshwater.
Brandish: (v.) to wave or exhibit something in a dramatic or threatening way. He brandished a stapler and threatened to hit the boy with it.
Circumference: (n.) the distance around a circle. I need to find out the circumference of the table.
Commotion: (n.) a state of confused and noisy disturbance. There is so much commotion when they play together.
Concoction: (n.) a combined mixture of ingredients. What is that concoction that you are making?
Conspicuous: (adj.) easily seen or noticed. Leave my keys in a conspicuous place so that I can find them.
Contortion: (n.) twistings; distortions. She made a lot of contortions with her body when she did yoga.
Counter: (v.) against, opposite. I countered with my offer for the car.
Cunning: (adj.) marked by skill and deception. The fox was very cunning.
Debris: (n.) scattered fragments, wreckage. There was debris on the road after the accident.
Defiance: (n.) bold opposition, open challenge. We refused to go to practice as an act of defiance.
Deft: (adj.) skillful, nimble. He is a very deft mechanic.
Destination: (n.) the place to which something or someone is going. We have finally reached our destination.
Diminish: (v.) - to decrease or make smaller. He health began to diminish.
Disdain: (v.) to look upon with scorn; to refuse scornfully. He looked at the children who were not paying attention with disdain.
Dismal: (adj) depressing; dreary. The weather looks very dismal.
Dispel: (v). to scatter about, break up. He tried to dispel the rumor that he was cheating.
Eavesdrop: (v.) listen without the speaker's knowledge. He eavesdropped on our conversation.
Egregious: (adj.) outstandingly bad; shocking. It was egregious what he said to her.
Ember: (n.) a hot, smoldering fragment of wood left from a fire. The embers burned as the fire went out.
Emerge: (v.) come out into view. He emerged from the shadows.
Engross: (adj.) consume all of one's attention or time. He was so engrossed in reading his book that he did not hear the doorbell.
Exasperation: (n) irritation, frustration. His mother looked at him with exasperation when he did not listen to her.
Exhilarate: (v.) to enliven, cheer, give spirit or liveliness to. The game did not exhilarate him at all.
Falter: (v.) hesitate; delay; stumble. Do not falter when you answer the question.
Foresight: (n.) ability to foresee future happenings; prudence in providing for the future. He had the foresight to know he would get rewarded if he did the right thing.