Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students: List 2

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 39549 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. astute
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    Here we find the words Homer applies to Ulysses, the same descriptions applied to the hero of the Odyssey: sagacious, cunning, astute, shrewd, artful, crafty, deceitful, tricky. The Guardian (Nov 26, 2020)
  2. avert
    prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
    Markets cheered the move as it will restore unemployment benefits to millions of Americans and avert a federal government shutdown in the world’s largest economy. Reuters (Dec 28, 2020)
  3. destination
    the place designated as the end, as of a race or journey
    Leading a group of investors, he also bought the national airline Air Jamaica in 1994, expanding its routes beyond the Caribbean to destinations including the United States and the United Kingdom. Washington Post (Jan 6, 2021)
  4. diminish
    decrease in size, extent, or range
    By this time she seemed to the watchers to be rapidly diminishing in size as she forged upwards. Redwall
  5. exhilarating
    thrilling or invigorating
    I found few things more exhilarating than flying high above an apparatus, tumbling through air, then landing cleanly on the dismount. Courage to Soar
  6. loathe
    dislike intensely; feel disgust toward
    I loathed that song with every fiber of my being, and getting up was the only way to silence it. Ready Player One: A Novel
  7. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
    Some of the boats shine luminous green, others glow blinding white like an alien spacecraft in a movie. The Guardian (Oct 21, 2020)
  8. quell
    overcome or allay
    He closed his eyes, not to get lost in thought, but to quell the rising anger within him. Anger Is a Gift
  9. sociable
    friendly and pleasant
    “Alone? My best friends are in the barn cellar. It is a very sociable place. Not at all lonely.” Charlotte's Web
  10. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
    The Dark Sky App tells you the weather where you are with an uncanny accuracy.  Forbes (Jun 26, 2014)
Created on Tue Jan 12 10:20:08 EST 2021 (updated Wed Jan 13 15:00:11 EST 2021)

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