Ninth Grade Vocabulary List
 
Vocabulary Word Definition Second Definition
1. engender   to bring into existence;  give rise to cause to exist
2. vitiate  to reduce the value or impair the quality of make impure
3. pacify  to ease the anger or agitation of  calm someone down
4. dearth a scarce supply; a lack lack
5. indolence being disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy lazy
6. marred  damaged, especially disfiguring damage damaged or bruised
7. indolent disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy lazy
8. supercilious feeling or showing haughty disdain haughty
9. squander to spend wastefully or extravagantly; dissipate waste
10. ardent expressing or characterized by warmth of feeling; passionate  passionate
11. beset to trouble persistently; harass harass
12. countenance appearance-especially the expression of the face face
13. cursory performed with haste and scant attention to detail  hasty
14. charisma a rare personal quality attributed to leaders who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm  magical attractiveness
15. demagogue a leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace rabble-rousing leader
 
16. placate to allay the anger of, especially by making concessions; appease pacify
17. indigenous intrinsic; innate native
18. labyrinth an intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one's way maze
19. exacerbate to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate make worse
20. incense to cause to be extremely angry; infuriate make very angry
21. daunt to abate the courage of; discourage   make fearful
22. rudimentary of or relating to basic facts or principles; elementary  basic
23. credulous disposed to believe too readily; gullible eager to believe
24. lucid easily understood; intelligible easy to understand
25. sacrosanct regarded as sacred and inviolable sacred
26. docile ready and willing to be taught; teachable easily taught
27. impartial not partial or biased; unprejudiced fair
28. precedent an act of instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances earlier example
29. figurative based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical based on figures of speech
30. reiterate to say or do again or repeatedly say again
31. prudent careful in regard to one's own interest; provident careful
32. negligence failure to exercise the degree of care considered reasonable under the circumstances; carelessness carelessness
33. innocuous having no adverse effect; harmless harmless
34. lax lacking in rigor, strictness, or firmness; careless  not diligent
35. precipitate to cause to happen, especially suddenly or prematurely cause to happen abruptly
36. equivocate to avoid making an explicit statement say confusing things
37. assiduous constant in application or attention; diligent hard working
38. aptitude an inherent ability, as for learning; a talent natural ability
39. circumspect heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent cautious
40. metamorphosis a transformation, as by magic or sorcery  magical change in form
41. substantive not imaginary; actual; real having substance
42. nepotism favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business favoritism
43. solicitous marked by or given to anxious care and often hovering attentiveness eager and attentive
44. inclement stormy; showing no clemency; unmerciful bad, as in weather
45. obscure  not clearly understood or expressed; ambiguous or vague hard to understand
46. jeopardy risk of loss or injury; peril or danger danger
47. nebulous acking definite form or limits; vague vague
48. diverse differing one from another varied
49. stratum a horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers  arranged one on top of another layer
50. anarchy absence of any form of political authority  lawlessness
51. acrimonious bitter, sharp, ill-natured animosity, especially as it is exhibited in speech or behavior harsh
52. abstruse difficult to understand; recondite hard to understand
53. elusive difficult to define or describe hard to pin down
54. taciturn habitually untalkative naturally untalkative
55. ephemeral lasting for a markedly brief time lasting very short time
56. quantitative of or relating to number or quantity having to do with quantity
57. relegate to send to a place of exile; banish banish
58. conciliatory to make or attempt to make compatible; reconcile making peace
59. appropriate to take possession of or make use of exclusively for oneself, often without permission take without permission
60. concurrent happening at the same time parallel
61. complicity involvement as an accomplice in a questionable act or a crime participation in wrongdoing
62. lampoon  a broad satirical piece that uses ridicule to attack a person, a group or an institution satirize
63. reparation the act or process of making amends paying back
64. parochial narrowly restricted in scope or outlook; provincial narrow in point of views
65. monolithic something suggestive of a large block of stone, as in immovability, massiveness, or uniformity  massive and unyielding
66. patriarch a man who rules a family, or tribe male head of family
67. sensory of or relating to the senses or sensation having to do with the senses
68. qualitative of, relating to, or concerning quality having to do with quality
69. misanthropic hating or mistrusting humankind hating mankind
70. felicity great happiness; bliss happiness
 
71. obsequious full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning fawning
72. equitable marked by or having equity; just and impartial fair
73. expropriate  to deprive of possession officially take property officially
74. noxious harmful to living things; injurious to health harmful
75. chivalrous  demonstrating the qualities idealized by knighthood, bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women gallant