CHS Animal Farm

TW (United States of America)
50 words 8 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. hindquarter
    the back half of a side of meat
    While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him.
  2. foreleg
    the forelimb of a quadruped
    Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep.
  3. disinter
    dig up for reburial or for medical investigation
    The skull of old Major, now clean of flesh, had been disinterred from the orchard and set up on a stump at the foot of the flagstaff, beside the gun.
  4. unassisted
    unsupported by other people
    And in his spare moments, of which there were not many nowadays, he would go alone to the quarry, collect a load of broken stone, and drag it down to the site of the windmill unassisted.
  5. cryptic
    having a secret or hidden meaning
    Only old Benjamin refused to grow enthusiastic about the windmill, though, as usual, he would utter nothing beyond the cryptic remark that donkeys live a long time.
  6. cog
    tooth on the rim of gear wheel
    Gradually the plans grew into a complicated mass of cranks and cog-wheels, covering more than half the floor, which the other animals found completely unintelligible but very impressive.
  7. intermediary
    a negotiator who acts as a link between parties
    A Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Willingdon, had agreed to act as intermediary between Animal Farm and the outside world, and would visit the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions.
  8. ensconce
    fix firmly
    At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam.
  9. gambol
    play or run boisterously
    In the ecstasy of that thought they gambolled round and round, they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps of excitement.
  10. daintily
    in a refined manner
    At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar.
  11. paddock
    a pen for horses
    Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never speaking.
  12. unalterable
    not capable of being changed
    These Seven Commandments would now be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after.
  13. restive
    in a very tense state
    They had all the more reason for doing so because the news of their defeat had spread across the countryside and made the animals on the neighbouring farms more restive than ever.
  14. vivacious
    vigorous and animated
    Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character.
  15. unforeseen
    not anticipated
    Nevertheless, as the summer wore on, various unforeseen shortages began to make themselves felt.
  16. nestled
    drawn or pressed close to someone or something for or as if for affection or protection
    Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep.
  17. clime
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
    The words ran: Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings Of the golden future time.
  18. expulsion
    the act of forcing out someone or something
    In spite of the shock that Snowball’s expulsion had given them, the animals were dismayed by this announcement.
  19. mince
    cut into small pieces
    At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar.
  20. chaff
    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem
    This would light the stalls and warm them in winter, and would also run a circular saw, a chaff-cutter, a mangel-slicer, and an electric milking machine.
  21. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.
  22. hearken
    listen; used mostly in the imperative
    The words ran: Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings Of the golden future time.
  23. tempered
    made hard or flexible or resilient especially by heat treatment
    Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered.
  24. feebly
    in a faint and feeble manner
    The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on.
  25. nimble
    moving quickly and lightly
    The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice.
  26. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark--for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.
  27. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    Only Napoleon held aloof. He had declared him¬self against the windmill from the start.
  28. rubbish
    worthless material that is to be disposed of
    The reins, the halters, the blinkers, the degrading nosebags, were thrown on to the rubbish fire which was burning in the yard.
  29. reconciled
    made compatible or consistent
    Nevertheless, the sight of Napoleon, on all fours, delivering orders to Whymper, who stood on two legs, roused their pride and partly reconciled them to the new arrangement.
  30. quarry
    a surface excavation for extracting stone or slate
    There was a good quarry of limestone on the farm, and plenty of sand and cement had been found in one of the outhouses, so that all the materials for building were at hand.
  31. confinement
    the state of being enclosed
    In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?
  32. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
    I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways.
  33. laborious
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short.
  34. universally
    everywhere
    A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work.
  35. majestic
    having or displaying great dignity or nobility
    He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut.
  36. faction
    a dissenting clique
    The animals formed themselves into two factions under the slogans, “Vote for Snowball and the three-day week” and “Vote for Napoleon and the full manger.”
  37. tidings
    information about recent and important events
    The words ran: Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings Of the golden future time.
  38. falter
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    "And remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter.
  39. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
    He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut.
  40. preliminary
    preceding or in preparation for something more important
    And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison.
  41. tyrant
    a cruel and oppressive dictator
    Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England Shall be trod by beasts alone.
  42. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others.
  43. succession
    the action or process of taking over an office or position
    They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession, and might have continued singing it all night if they had not been interrupted.
  44. leisure
    time available for ease and relaxation
    No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old.
  45. tread
    crush as if by stepping on
    The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on.
  46. advocate
    push for something
    When the animals had assembled in the big barn, Snowball stood up and, though occasionally interrupted by bleating from the sheep, set forth his reasons for advocating the building of the windmill.
  47. procure
    get by special effort
    (How these were to be procured, Snowball did not say.)
  48. acquired
    gotten through environmental forces
    I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired.
  49. pronounce
    cast judgment upon
    Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball
  50. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep--and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining.
Created on Thu Jan 03 10:07:19 EST 2019

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.