Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students: List 9

Whether you're hoping to improve your comprehension of reading assignments or simply looking to increase your word knowledge, our lists of essential, high-frequency words will put you on the path to vocabulary success.

Here are links to our lists for the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, List 5, List 6, List 7, List 8, List 9, List 10
10 words 8940 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. defiance
    an act boldly resisting authority or an opposing force
    “It was an act of defiance against your leaders,” I say. Allegiant
  2. deft
    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
    Ikegwu is a deft painter with an expert eye for light and color. Washington Post (Oct 22, 2020)
  3. dismal
    causing dejection
    In one dismal locale after another, places where the birds once gathered in the thousands, there may only be a few hundred — or a few dozen — today. New York Times (Jun 15, 2015)
  4. jut
    extend out or project in space
    Beyond the fields of half-grown corn, a farmhouse jutted up against the landscape. The Season of Styx Malone
  5. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    It was like running downhill in a way; the momentum carried me through all sorts of experiments, big and small. The Darkest Minds
  6. monotonous
    tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
    His task was so small, so monotonous, and so utterly lacking in interest that he found it almost impossible to keep even part of his mind on it. The Golden Goblet
  7. naive
    lacking information or instruction
    “I don't want you to be naive. What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't try to teach my daughter about the world?” Starfish
  8. scarcity
    a small and inadequate amount
    We were especially excited about the yams, as they were a treat due to their scarcity in those days. The Guardian (Sep 24, 2018)
  9. tactic
    a plan for attaining a particular goal
    This is called a delaying tactic, and is sometimes more strategic than denial all by itself. The Wednesday Wars
  10. weather
    face and withstand with courage
    You even get subjected to ridicule, and you have to weather that storm. Los Angeles Times (Dec 10, 2014)
Created on Tue Jan 12 10:21:29 EST 2021 (updated Wed Jan 13 15:01:21 EST 2021)

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.