SKIP TO CONTENT

Word Up: 8th Grade Word List

List of common words for 8th graders, from flocabulary.com.
208 words 123 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. abet
    assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
  2. accord
    concurrence of opinion
  3. adept
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
  4. advocate
    a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea
  5. agile
    moving quickly and lightly
  6. allot
    give out
  7. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
  8. amiss
    in an improper or mistaken manner
  9. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
  10. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
  11. antic
    act as or like a clown
  12. apprehend
    anticipate with dread or anxiety
  13. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
  14. articulate
    express or state clearly
  15. assail
    attack someone physically or emotionally
  16. assimilate
    make alike
  17. atrocity
    an act of shocking cruelty
  18. attribute
    a quality belonging to or characteristic of an entity
  19. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  20. augment
    enlarge or increase
  21. authority
    the power or right to give orders or make decisions
  22. avail
    be of use to, be useful to
  23. avid
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
  24. awry
    turned or twisted to one side
  25. balmy
    mild and pleasant
  26. banter
    light teasing repartee
  27. barter
    exchange goods without involving money
  28. benign
    kind in disposition or manner
  29. bizarre
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  30. blase
    nonchalantly unconcerned
  31. bonanza
    a sudden happening that brings good fortune
  32. bountiful
    producing in abundance
  33. cache
    a hidden storage space
  34. capacious
    large in the amount that can be contained
  35. caption
    brief description accompanying an illustration
  36. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
  37. citadel
    a stronghold for shelter during a battle
  38. cite
    make reference to
  39. clad
    having an outer covering especially of thin metal
  40. clarify
    make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating
  41. commemorate
    call to remembrance
  42. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
  43. concept
    an abstract or general idea inferred from specific instances
  44. confiscate
    take temporary possession of a security by legal authority
  45. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
  46. conscientious
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  47. conservative
    resistant to change
  48. contagious
    (of disease) capable of being spread by infection
  49. conventional
    following accepted customs and proprieties
  50. convey
    transmit or serve as the medium for transmission
  51. crucial
    of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis
  52. crusade
    a series of actions tending toward a particular end
  53. culminate
    end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
  54. deceptive
    deliberately designed to mislead
  55. decipher
    convert something hidden or secretive into ordinary language
  56. decree
    a legally binding command or decision
  57. deface
    mar or spoil the appearance of
  58. defect
    a failing or deficiency
  59. deplore
    express strong disapproval of
  60. deploy
    place troops or weapons in battle formation
  61. desist
    stop performing some action
  62. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
  63. deter
    turn away from as by fear or persuasion
  64. dialect
    the usage or vocabulary characteristic of a group of people
  65. dire
    fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
  66. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
  67. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  68. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
  69. dispatch
    the act of sending off something
  70. disposition
    your usual mood
  71. doctrine
    a belief accepted as authoritative by some group or school
  72. dub
    new sounds added to a soundtrack
  73. durable
    existing for a long time
  74. elite
    a group or class of persons enjoying superior status
  75. embargo
    a government order imposing a trade barrier
  76. embark
    go on board
  77. encroach
    advance beyond the usual limit
  78. endeavor
    attempt by employing effort
  79. enhance
    increase
  80. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
  81. epoch
    a period marked by distinctive character
  82. era
    a period marked by distinctive character
  83. eventful
    characterized by many noteworthy happenings or incidents
  84. evolve
    undergo development
  85. exceptional
    surpassing what is common or usual or expected
  86. excerpt
    a passage selected from a larger work
  87. excruciating
    extremely painful
  88. exemplify
    be characteristic of
  89. exotic
    characteristic of another place or part of the world
  90. facilitate
    make easier
  91. fallacy
    a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
  92. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
  93. feasible
    capable of being done with means at hand
  94. fend
    try to manage without help
  95. ferret
    a small domesticated mammal with a flexible, elongated body
  96. flair
    a natural talent
  97. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
  98. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
  99. forfeit
    lose the right to or lose by some error, offense, or crime
  100. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
  101. fortify
    make strong or stronger
  102. foster
    providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties
  103. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  104. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
  105. glut
    supply with an excess of
  106. grapple
    work hard to come to terms with or deal with something
  107. grope
    feel about uncertainly or blindly
  108. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
  109. Haggard
    British writer noted for romantic adventure novels
  110. haven
    a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo
  111. heritage
    that which is inherited
  112. hindrance
    any obstruction that impedes or is burdensome
  113. hover
    hang in the air; fly or be suspended above
  114. humane
    marked by concern with the alleviation of suffering
  115. imperative
    requiring attention or action
  116. inaugurate
    commence officially
  117. incense
    make furious
  118. indifferent
    marked by a lack of interest
  119. infinite
    having no limits or boundaries in time or space
  120. instill
    impart gradually
  121. institute
    set up or lay the groundwork for
  122. intervene
    be placed or located between other things
  123. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
  124. inventive
    marked by independence and creativity in thought or action
  125. inventory
    a detailed list of all the items in stock
  126. irascible
    quickly aroused to anger
  127. jurisdiction
    the territory within which power can be exercised
  128. languish
    become feeble
  129. legendary
    so celebrated as to having taken on the nature of a myth
  130. liberal
    showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
  131. loll
    be lazy or idle
  132. lucrative
    producing a sizeable profit
  133. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  134. memoir
    an account of the author's personal experiences
  135. mercenary
    a person hired to fight for another country than their own
  136. mien
    a person's appearance, manner, or demeanor
  137. millennium
    a span of 1000 years
  138. minimize
    make small or insignificant
  139. modify
    cause to change; make different
  140. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
  141. muster
    summon up, call forth, or bring together
  142. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
  143. ovation
    enthusiastic recognition
  144. overt
    open and observable; not secret or hidden
  145. pang
    a sudden sharp feeling
  146. panorama
    the visual perception of a region
  147. perspective
    a way of regarding situations or topics
  148. phenomenon
    any state or process known through the senses
  149. pioneer
    one the first colonists or settlers in a new territory
  150. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  151. pivotal
    being of crucial importance
  152. plausible
    apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful
  153. plunder
    steal goods; take as spoils
  154. porous
    full of holes
  155. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
  156. principal
    main or most important
  157. prodigy
    an unusually gifted or intelligent person
  158. proficient
    having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
  159. profound
    situated at or extending to great depth
  160. pseudonym
    a fake name used to engage in some activity
  161. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  162. rankle
    make resentful or angry
  163. rational
    consistent with or based on or using reason
  164. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
  165. reception
    the act of taking in
  166. recourse
    act of turning to for assistance
  167. recur
    happen or occur again
  168. renounce
    turn away from; give up
  169. renown
    the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
  170. revenue
    the entire amount of income before any deductions are made
  171. rubble
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
  172. rue
    feel sorry for; be contrite about
  173. sage
    a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics
  174. sedative
    tending to soothe or tranquilize
  175. serene
    not agitated
  176. servile
    submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
  177. shackle
    a restraint that confines or restricts freedom
  178. sleek
    having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
  179. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
  180. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  181. stamina
    enduring strength and energy
  182. stance
    a rationalized mental attitude
  183. staple
    material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing
  184. stint
    supply sparingly and with restricted quantities
  185. strident
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
  186. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  187. subside
    wear off or die down
  188. succumb
    give in, as to overwhelming force, influence, or pressure
  189. surpass
    be or do something to a greater degree
  190. susceptible
    yielding readily to or capable of undergoing a process
  191. swelter
    be uncomfortably hot
  192. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
  193. teem
    be full of or abuzz with
  194. theme
    the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
  195. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
  196. tract
    an extended area of land
  197. transition
    the act of passing from one state or place to the next
  198. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
  199. turbulent
    characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
  200. tycoon
    a very wealthy or powerful businessperson
  201. ultimate
    furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme
  202. ungainly
    lacking grace in movement or posture
  203. vice versa
    with the order reversed
  204. vie
    compete for something
  205. vilify
    spread negative information about
  206. voracious
    devouring or craving food in great quantities
  207. wage
    payment for work
  208. wrangle
    quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively
Created on Mon Jul 30 19:41:05 EDT 2012 (updated Tue Aug 14 13:46:25 EDT 2012)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.