9th Grade Word List: Language Arts

Words for students of 9th Grade, the page is for arts words (Difficult Words 1), which are important supplementary words for 9th Grade academic classes.
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 9th Grade: 9th Grade Word List: Language Arts (Difficult Words 1)
absolve
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v. let off hook; relieve of requirement or obligation
abstinent
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a. self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink
accolade
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n. award of merit; expression of approval; praise
adamant
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a. extremely hard; inflexible; stubbornly unyielding
aesthetics
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n. the branch of philosophy dealing with beauty and taste, emphasizing the evaluative criteria that are applied to art
ameliorate
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v. make or become better; improve; grow better
amiable
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a. good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly
atypical
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a. not normal; unusual or irregular; not representative of a group, class, or type
blithe
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a. joyous; showing a lack of proper thought or care; not caring or worrying
caustic
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a. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action
concise
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a. brief and compact; expressing much in few words
connoisseur
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n. specialist; person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts
depravity
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n. extreme corruption or degradation; wickedness
depreciation
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n. devaluation; decrease in price or value
dogma
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n. something held as an established opinion, especially a definite authoritative tenet; doctrine
emergent
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a. occurring unexpectedly and requiring urgent action; coming into existence
ephemeral
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a. short-lived; enduring a very short time
equitable
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a. marked by or having equity; just and impartial
evanescent
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a. fleeting; vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor
expediency
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n. the quality of being convenient and practical despite possibly being improper or immoral
fecund
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a. capable of producing offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive
fiduciary
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a. involving trust, especially with regard to the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary
flimsy
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a. weak; feeble; limp; slight; vain; without strength or solidity
furtively
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ad. in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively
gesticulate
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v. show, express or direct through movement
guile
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n. skillful deceit; disposition to deceive or cheat; disguise cunningly
hierarchy
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n. arrangement by rank or standing; series in which each element is graded or ranked
ideology
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n. study of origin and nature of ideas
ignominy
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n. deep disgrace; shame or dishonor
impetuous
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a. marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate
incense
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v. enrage; infuriate; cause to be extremely angry
indigenous
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a. native; originating where it is found
indulgence
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n. the practice of allowing enjoyment of whatever is desired
infinitesimal
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a. very small; immeasurably or incalculably minute
infusion
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n. act or process of infusing; introduction of a solution into person through vein for therapeutic purposes
inordinate
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a. exceeding reasonable limits; excessive; not regulated; disorderly
insipid
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a. lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; dull
instigator
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n. a person who initiates a course of action; someone who deliberately foments trouble
interdict
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n. a court order prohibiting a party from doing a certain activity
inversion
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n. turning upside down; a reversal of position, order, form, or relationship
jurisprudence
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n. philosophy or science of law; division or department of law
latency
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n. the time that elapses between a stimulus and the response to it; the state of being not yet evident or active
levee
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n. a pier that provides a landing place on a river; a formal reception of visitors or guests , as at a royal court
lugubrious
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a. mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to exaggerated degree
malleable
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a. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
mayhem
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n. offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person; state of violent disorder; havoc; physical disturbance
militia
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n. civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army
monsieur
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n. used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English 'Mr'
mortify
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v. cause to experience shame or humiliation; embarrass
myriad
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a. of very large or indefinite number; of ten thousand
nepotism
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n. favoring of relatives or friends because of their relationship rather than their abilities
nostalgia
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n. homesickness; bittersweet longing for things of past.
nuance
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n. subtle or slight degree of difference; small difference in meaning
occult
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a. hidden from the eye or the understanding; invisible; secret; concealed; unknown
orthodox
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a. traditional; conservative in belief; adhering to established faith, especially in religion
palette
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n. board on which painter mixes pigments
panacea
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n. remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all
parity
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n. equality in status or amount; similarity or close
patriarch
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n. father and ruler of family or tribe
peccadillo
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n. slight offense; small sin or fault
pedigree
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n. a line of ancestors; descent; lineage; register or record of a line of ancestors
penitent
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a. feeling or expressing deep regret for misdeeds
peripatetic
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a. traveling especially on foot
perturb
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v. disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious; throw into great confusion
plenary
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a. full in all respects; attended by all the people who have the right to attend
posse
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n. a large group often with a common interest; a group of people temporarily organized to make a search
potency
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n. capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects; the power or right to give orders or make decisions
preeminent
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a. outstanding; superior to or notable above all others
profuse
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a. in great quantity or abundance; bountiful; exceedingly liberal
putative
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a. purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds
recalcitrant
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a. obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority
refute
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v. disprove; prove to be false or incorrect
relinquish
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v. give up something with reluctance; retire from; give up or abandon
reticent
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a. inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative.
salutary
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a. tending to improve; beneficial; favorable to health
sanguine
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a. cheerfully confident; optimistic; of healthy reddish color; ruddy
secular
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a. worldly rather than spiritual; not specifically relating to religion; lasting from century to century
serendipity
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n. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck
sordid
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a. filthy; unethical or dishonest; dirty; foul; morally degraded
staunch
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a. firm and dependable especially in loyalty; loyal and committed in attitude
surrogate
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n. one that takes position of another; substitute
tenable
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a. capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as against an assailant or objector, or against attempts to take or process
touchstone
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n. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; excellent quality used to test excellence or genuineness of others
vapid
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a. dull and unimaginative; lacking taste or flavor
viable
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a. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life; capable of continuing effectiveness
virulent
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a. extremely poisonous or harmful in its effects; bitterly hostile