Essential Sixth Grade Vocabulary: List 8

Learn these essential words that you'll encounter in literature, textbooks, class discussions, and more.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. circumstance
    a condition that accompanies some event or activity
    He wondered how things might have turned out differently for him if he’d had more faith, a different name, or been born to different circumstances. The Serpent King
  2. commence
    begin or get started
    We passed a few sad hours until eleven o’clock, when the trial was to commence. Frankenstein
  3. current
    occurring in or belonging to the present time
    Former Emperor Akihito, the father of the current emperor, was the first member of the imperial family to marry a commoner. Seattle Times (Nov 13, 2021)
  4. desperate
    showing extreme urgency or intensity because of great need
    Was I so desperate to survive that I would steal bread from a sick boy? Prisoner B-3087
  5. extensive
    broad in scope or content
    My vocabulary is just not as extensive, and sometimes I get stuck. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
  6. glum
    moody and sorrowful
    She looked glum after that, and I felt sorry that I’d crushed her hopes. Made You Up
  7. grimace
    a contorted facial expression
    He stilled, then slowly curled into a ball, his face set in a fierce grimace of pain. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)
  8. inferior
    of or characteristic of low rank or importance
    The author, Mary Wollstonecraft, argued that women weren’t naturally inferior to men but lacked educational opportunities that allowed them to achieve equality. Votes for Women!
  9. parched
    dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
    “Pa, try to take some water,” she’d say, lifting his head and holding a glass to his cracked, parched lips. Cold Sassy Tree
  10. plummet
    drop sharply
    Then the rotten old floor collapsed, and the boys plummeted into the basement. October Sky
Created on Mon Jun 09 10:43:19 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Jun 09 10:43:53 EDT 2025)

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