The Suffix -ish: The Suffix -ish, Part 1

The lists in this collection are arranged from easiest to most challenging. Distinguish yourself by learning them all, and relish the accomplishment!

Here are links to our lists in the collection: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
11 words 910 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. publish
    prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
    Then he had fun writing the letters that were published by newspapers, and watching the public’s reaction. Chasing Vermeer
    Publish has the same root as public, which makes sense since once a book is published it becomes available to the public.
  2. establish
    set up or found
    Under MacLean’s direction, the college also established a US naval training school, effectively turning the campus into an active military base. Hidden Figures
    Establish comes from the Old French establir, which is also the root of stable. If you establish something, you build it on a stable foundation, either literal or figurative.
  3. distinguish
    mark as different
    The main building was called “the house,” to distinguish it from the cottages. The Awakening
  4. accomplish
    achieve with effort
    I would do just about anything to accomplish the goal she failed to achieve. Insurgent
  5. furnish
    provide with objects or articles that make a room usable
    His two rooms were furnished only with an upright piano, a straight chair, a small table and an unmade double bed. Black Like Me
    Furnish originated in the Old High German frummen, meaning "to supply" or "to accomplish." So a furnished room — one full of furniture — is one that has been supplied or provided for occupancy.
  6. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    The sunset diminished and disappeared, until Kendra had only the light reflected from half a moon to guide her. Fablehaven
    Diiminuere means "to cut into pieces" or "to make smaller" in Latin. In music, a diminished chord is made up of minor thirds and a diminuendo is a passage that gets quieter.
  7. flourish
    grow vigorously
    Everywhere lawns and gardens flourished—residents promised to keep weeds pulled, to grow only flowers, never vegetables. Little Fires Everywhere
    Flourish shares a root with flower.
  8. banish
    expel, as if by official decree
    Some say that Theseus had gone there because Athens had banished him. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
  9. anguish
    suffer great pains or distress
    Her joints were swollen and stiff, making her crooked, and it anguished her to walk. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
    Anguish is intense pain and suffering, either physical or mental, or both.
  10. extinguish
    put out, as of fires, flames, or lights
    We extinguish our fire and head upstream until it's almost nightfall. The Hunger Games
  11. demolish
    destroy completely
    Ivy’s favorite pizza place, Vesuvio’s, was demolished, only one brick wall still standing at the corner of Second and Main Streets. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World
Created on Mon Oct 19 22:27:35 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Apr 21 09:57:36 EDT 2022)

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.