Essential Twelfth Grade Vocabulary: List 10

Learn these challenging words that you'll encounter in literature, articles, and textbooks.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ornery
    having a difficult and contrary disposition
    Sometimes I am as ornery and stubborn as an old donkey. Walk Two Moons
  2. posterity
    all future generations
    Nearby, cameras flashed, capturing the historic moment for posterity. Washington Post (Nov 7, 2021)
  3. prosaic
    not challenging; dull and lacking excitement
    How can they entertain audiences with dull, prosaic dialogue? Washington Post (May 24, 2017)
  4. redolent
    noticeably odorous
    He was so close that Malcolm could smell his skin, which was redolent of mud, and fishes, and weeds. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
  5. repose
    freedom from activity
    “The Siesta” captures the sweet repose of two peasants napping in the sunshine beneath a hay bale. Washington Post (Feb 19, 2015)
  6. sedulous
    marked by care and persistent effort
    "I am what I am because I was industrious; whoever is equally sedulous will be equally successful." Tubbs, Frank Herbert
  7. spurious
    plausible but false
    So, with all this in mind, how do you tell spurious comments and reviews from genuine ones? The Guardian (Mar 7, 2011)
  8. tacit
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    Unlike Mao, he seeks the tacit support of the people, rather than their active intervention. The Guardian (Oct 24, 2017)
  9. vacillate
    be undecided about something
    I did not dwell on the situation at Fort Hare, but life has a way of forcing decisions on those who vacillate. Long Walk to Freedom
  10. wanton
    unprovoked or without motive or justification
    He frets about the wanton vandalism at the garden. Seattle Times (Aug 9, 2021)
Created on Fri May 30 11:29:24 EDT 2025

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