125 Words Every 8th Grader Should Know: List 1

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. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    She crouched on the floor for some time until the headache abated. The Girl Who Drank the Moon
  2. assimilate
    become like one's environment
    I barely recognized myself, as I tried to assimilate into the team. Proud
  3. concede
    admit or acknowledge, often reluctantly
    Interviewed later, one of the men conceded that the painting was nice, saying, "Sure, I liked it okay." Me Talk Pretty One Day
  4. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    “You forgot the bit about clouds dissipating and vanishing into nothing,” said Yvaine. Stardust
  5. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    He is erratic and unpredictable; he is captivating and he is capricious. The Guardian (Aug 13, 2018)
  6. flourish
    a showy gesture
    Miss Love brought in the hot pound cake on Granny’s best china plate, holding it high over her head, and set it down in front of Grandpa with a grand flourish. Cold Sassy Tree
  7. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    “But such a temper is always an unfortunate variable. It can lead to impulsive behavior.” The Night Circus
  8. longevity
    the property of having lived for a considerable time
    You see an elderly person you want to congratulate them on their longevity, ask the secret of survival. The Hunger Games
  9. malleable
    capable of being shaped or bent
    She made the decorated pins herself, melting and molding malleable plastic into interesting shapes, seated at a picnic table in her backyard a few weekends ago. Saints and Misfits
  10. obstruct
    shut out from view
    There are tall trees obstructing most of my view, but I can see the occasional plane, and I send it my love. Ask the Passengers
  11. render
    show in, or as in, a picture
    For a long time, in order to create a realistic virtual reality environment, you had to render as detailed a world as possible. Warcross
  12. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    As she passed, the woman gave a lopsided smile of rueful apology. Atonement
  13. subordinate
    subject or submissive to authority or the control of another
    The data showed that any baboon might start moving away from the others as if to draw them on a new course — male or female, dominant or subordinate. New York Times (Mar 2, 2020)
  14. tarry
    stay longer than you should
    May the next traveler not tarry and keep moving up the line, all the way to liberty. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
  15. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    To be caught in some small transgression—missing a day of work, speaking harshly of his rule, failing to attend mass— brought an unforgiving penalty. Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Created on Thu Dec 02 08:58:26 EST 2021 (updated Tue Dec 07 09:59:38 EST 2021)

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