August
1. abate (verb) to lesson in violence or intensity
2. abet (verb) to assist or encourage, especially in wrongdoing
3. abhor (verb) to detest, loathe, hate strongly
4. acquit (verb) to find not guilty of a fault or crime
5. acrimony (noun) harsh temper or bitter feeling
6. adamant (adj.) unyielding; firm in opinion
7. adulation (noun) excessive praise or admiration
8. affable (adj.) friendly: courteous; agreeable in manner; easy to
talk to
9. agnostic (noun) one who believes that the existence of God is
unknown and unknowable
10. agrarian (adj.) having to do with farms, farmers, or the use of
land
11. altercation (noun) a heated argument
12. ambivalent (adj.) to be uncertain; to be unable to decide
between two opposing points of view
13. amicable (adj.) friendly; peaceable
14. anathema (noun) a greatly disliked, hated person or thing; a
curse or a person cursed
15. apathy (noun) lack of interest
16. appease (verb) to make calm or quiet; to give in to the
demands of
17. arduous (adj.) difficult; requiring much effort; strenuous
18. audacity (noun) insolence; rude boldness
19. augment (verb) to enlarge; to increase in amount or intensity
20. austere (adj.) stern, severe, plain, “no frills”
September
1. avarice (noun) excessive greed; desire for wealth
2. avid (adj.) eager; extremely interested
3. bacchanalian (adj.) wild with drunkenness
4. balk (verb) to stop short and refuse to continue; to obstruct
5. banter (noun) teasing; good-natured joking
6. barrister (noun) lawyer
7. bask (verb) to lie in or be exposed to warmth
8. bastion (noun) a strong defense; a fort
9. bawdy (adj.) indecent; humorously obscene
10. befuddle (verb) to confuse; to perplex
11. bigot (noun) one who is intolerant of another's beliefs,
opinions, or values
12. cajole (verb) to persuade with false promises and flattery
13. candid (adj.) outspoken, blunt; informal, unposed
14. canine (noun or adj.) having to do with dogs
15. capricious (adj.) guided by whim rather than reason;
changing one's mind suddenly
16. castigate (verb) to criticize or punish for the purpose of
correction
17. caustic (adj.) biting, burning, severe; sharp or sarcastic
18. chaos (noun) complete disorder
19. charlatan (noun) one who pretends to have more knowledge
or skill than he really has, especially in the field of medicine
20. chastise (verb) to punish severely
ELA 5-6 Fall Vocab
Words
October
1. circumspect (adj.) careful. watchful; attentive to all points
2. circumvent (verb) to get around; to beat or defeat by trickery;
to prevent an occurrence
3. clandestine (adj.) secret
4. clement (adj.) 1. merciful; lenient 2. mild, as weather
5. cliché (noun) a worn-out idea or overused expression
6. coerce ( verb) to compel by force; to force a person to do
something against his will
7. collaborate (verb) 1. to work with another toward a goal; 2. to
cooperate with an enemy invader
8. comely (adj.) attractive or handsome; pleasing to the sight
9. complacent (adj.) pleased with oneself or one's deeds
10. concur (verb) to be of the same opinion; to agree with
11. condone (verb) to forgive or overlook an offense by treating
the wrongdoer as if he had done nothing wrong
12. connive (verb) to cooperate secretly in a wrongdoing
13. connoisseur (noun) an expert; a critical judge in matters of
culture, food or wine
14. contrite (adj.) showing a deep regret and sorrow, usually for
having committed some wrongdoing
15. copious (adj.) abundant; large in number or quantity
16. crass (adj.) coarse, stupid, tasteless
17. credence (noun) belief or trust
18. culinary (adj.) having to do with the kitchen or cooking
19. culmination (noun) attainment by anything of its highest
point or degree
20. cult (noun) a fad-like devotion to a person, thing or idea; a
group of people with such a devotion
November
1. cynical (adj.) inclined to distrust or deny the goodness or
sincerity of human motive
2. decorum (noun) conformity to accepted standards of conduct;
proper behavior
3. demure (adj.) quietly modest
4. destitute (adj.) extremely poor; lacking necessities like food
and/or shelter
5. diffident (adj.)lacking in self-confidence; shy
6. disparity (noun) inequality; difference
7. divulge (verb) to tell, to reveal (as a secret)
8. docile (adj.) easy to teach or manage
9. dogmatic (adj.) stating an opinion in an authoritative or
arrogant manner
10. dour (adj.) gloomy, sullen
11. droll (adj.) amusing in an odd way
12. duplicity (noun) intentional deceit in speech or conduct
13. effigy (noun) an image of a person or thing; usually a crude
image of a hated person
14. emulate (verb) to try to be equal to or better than; to imitate
15. enamored (verb) to be in love with
16. enigma (noun) a puzzling or seemingly inexplicable situation,
person, etc.
17. enraptured (verb) to be delighted beyond measure
18. enunciate (verb) to pronounce words clearly and distinctly
19. exodus (noun) a departure, especially in a large group
20. expatriate (noun) one who chooses to leave his native
country
December
Your Choice! Choose any words from any lesson!
January
1. extradite (verb) to turn a prisoner over to the jurisdiction of
another country or state where the crime was allegedly
committed
2. extraneous (adj.) not belonging; foreign; nonessential
3. extrovert (noun) one who is outgoing, friendly; one who is
more interested in what is going on around him than in his own
inner being or thoughts
4. fallacy (noun) a false or mistaken idea
5. feasible (adj.) reasonable, likely; capable of being carried out
6. fiasco (noun) a complete, ridiculous failure
7. fickle (adj.) likely to change without reason
8. fluctuate (verb) to move up and down; to vary irregularly
9. frowzy (adj.) dirty, unkempt
10. frugal (adj.) not wasteful; thrifty
11. gadfly (noun) a person who annoys others, esp. by rousing
them from complacency
12. galvanize (verb) to startle into sudden activity
13. genial (adj.) warm, friendly
14. grandiloquent (adj.) speaking in a pompous style
15. gregarious (adj.) fond of the company of others; belonging to
a flock
16. grimace (verb) a facial expression of fear disapproval, or pain
17. harangue (noun) a long, noisy speech or lecture
18. harry (verb) to torment another
19. hearth (noun) a fireplace
20. heinous (adj.) hatefully or shockingly evil
February
1. heresy (noun) a religious belief opposed to the established
doctrine
2. hue (noun) that quality which makes one color differ from
other colors; a particular shade or tint of a given color
3. humility (noun) absence of vanity
4. hurtle (verb) to dash; to move swiftly and with great force
5. hypercritical (adj.) over critical; too severe in judgment
6. ignominy (noun) public shame, disgrace or dishonor
7. impeccable (adj.) faultless; without sin or blemish
8. implacable (adj.) cannot be appeased or pacified
9. incognito (adj.) hiding one's name, rank, position; disguised
10. indiscreet (adj.) not wise or judicious; imprudent, as in
speech or action
11. inert (adj.) having no power to act or move; inactive
12. inscrutable (adj) cannot be easily understood; mysterious
13. insipid (adj.) without flavor; tasteless; dull; lifeless
14. intrepid (adj.) without fear; brave
15. irascible (adj.) easily angered
16. jaunty (adj.) fashionable, stylish; carefree
17. jettison (verb) to throw goods overboard
18. jingoism (noun) extreme patriotism; favoring an aggressive,
warlike foreign policy
19. juggernaut (noun) a terrible destructive or irresistible force
20. laudable (adj.) worthy of praise; commendable
ELA 5-6 Spring Vocab
Words
March
1. levity (noun) lightness or gaiety of disposition; lack of
seriousness
2. lexicon (noun) a dictionary; a special vocabulary
3. libation (noun) an alcoholic drink
4. marital (adj.) having to do with marriage
5. mercenary (noun/adj.) one who works only for money,
especially a hired soldier
6. meticulous (adj.) extremely careful about small details
7. murky (adj.) gloomy, dark, cloudy
8. naive (adj.) simple in nature; not affected; innocent simplicity;
childlike
9. nocturnal (adj.) having to do with the night
10. novice (noun) a beginner; one who is new or inexperienced
11. noxious (adj.) harmful to the health
12. obese (adj.) extremely fat
13. odium (noun) hatred; the state of being hated
14. omniscient (adj.) having unlimited knowledge; knowing
everything
15. ostracize (verb) to banish; to shut out from a group by
common consent
16. pandemonium (noun) a wild disorder, noise or confusion
17. parsimonious (adj.) too economical; stingy
18. penitent (adj.) expressing sorrow for having sinned or done
wrong
19. pernicious (adj.) causing injury; evil or wicked
20. pertinent (adj.) having to do with what is being considered;
relevant
April
1. plagiarism (noun) taking another's thoughts or words and
using them as one's own
2. precocious (adj.) developed earlier than usual, especially
mentally
3. predatory (adj.) inclined to rob or prey on others
4. prowess (noun) unusual skill or ability; heroism in battle
5. pugnacious (adj.) eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome
6. purloin (verb) to steal
7. quixotic (adj.) extremely idealistic; not practical
8. rabble (noun) a disorderly crowd, a mob; the lowest class of
people
9. rabid (adj.) intense; furious or raging, mad
10. raillery (noun) good-humored ridicule
11. remorse (noun) deep regret for a sin or wrongdoing
12. renegade (noun) one who deserts a cause and goes over to
the other side; a traitor
13. retribution (noun) a just or deserved punishment
14. sanction (noun/verb) permission, support; to give approval
to
15. taciturn (adj.) not fond of talking; usually silent
16. terse (adj.) brief, to the point
17. uncanny (adj.) weird, strange; mysterious; acute
18. verbose (adj.) using more words than are needed; wordy
19. vindicate (verb) to clear of guilt or blame
20. vindictive (adj.) seeking revenge; bearing a grudge
May
Your Choice! Choose any words from any lesson!