Volume 3
Vocabulary List - Grades 5 and 6
Word
1. Adversary (noun)
Meaning
One who opposes or resists
2.Absolve (verb)
To forgive; to free from guilt
3.Accentuate (verb)
To emphasize
4. Benefactor (noun)
One who offers financial help
5.Prodigy(noun)
A person, especially a child or
young person, having
extraordinary talent or ability
Foolish behavior
6. Buffoonery (noun)
7. Animosity(noun)
8. Censure (verb)
A feeling of strong dislike, ill
will, or enmity that tends to
display itself in action
To find fault with
9. Civility (noun)
Politeness
10. Quaint (adj)
Having an old-fashioned
attractiveness or charm, oddly
picturesque
Eager to fight
11. Combative (adj)
12. Commemorate
(verb)
To mark by a ceremony
13. Condone (verb)
To treat as acceptable
14. Indignant
Feeling, characterized by, or
expressing strong displeasure
at something considered
unjust, offensive, insulting, or
base
15. Disconsolate
very unhappy and unable to be
comforted
16. Curtail (verb)
To make less
17. Scrawled(verb)
To write or draw carelessly or
illegibly
To lower status
18. Demean (verb)
Usage
Franklin hoped to defeat his adversary
in the afternoon's tennis match.
Marta felt greatly relieved after her
mother absolved her for breaking the
vase.
Carla used red ribbons to accentuate
the coppery tones in her hair.
Michael's aunt and benefactor paid his
college tuition.
My neighbor claimed her son was a
prodigy.
Synonym
opponent, enemy
Clarence, an irrepressible comic, was
held after class for his buffoonery.
Everybody in the party was talking
about the animosity between the
sisters.
The critical teacher was quick to
censure her students for even small
mistakes.
The usually unruly Thomas acted with
great civility when his favorite uncle
visited.
The area is populated with outlets,
quaint shops, lodging venues and
restaurants.
The teacher suggested the combative
student channel his aggression into
boxing.
jocularity, clowning
Each year, the Franklins
commemorate their anniversary by
visiting the site of their first date.
Crystal condoned her friend's late
arrival because she found it hard to be
on time herself.
The indignant remarks by my boss at
work spoiled my day
observe,
remember
Loss of her pet dog made her
disconsolate
Doreen decided to curtail her spending
after she bounced a check.
He scrawled his name hastily across
the blackboard
The embarrassing photograph
demeaned the candidate in the eyes of
the voters.
Dejected, gloomy
exculpate, pardon
highlight, stress
patron
whiz
Hatred
blame, criticize
courtesy,
consideration
charmingly oldfashioned
Aggressive,
belligerent
excuse, sanction
Angry,
acrimonious
shorten, reduce
Untidy,
Indecipherable
humble, degrade
19. Demeanor(noun)
Behavior towards others
Carlos was well liked because of his
charming demeanor.
disposition,
comportment
20. Derelict (adj)
Abandoned
destitute, forsaken
21. Diffident (adj)
Lacking self-confidence
22. Disconcert (verb)
To throw into confusion
23. Drab (adj)
Dull, monotonous
24. Naïve(adj)
25. Profusion(noun)
Having or showing unaffected
simplicity of nature or absence
of artificiality
Great quantity
The derelict house was condemned as
a public hazard.
The diffident student never raised her
hand in class, even when she knew
the answer.
Jennifer's outspoken criticism of the
meal disconcerted the waiter.
The drab winter scene made Keisha
long for the vibrant colors of spring.
The naïve teenagers are unaware of
the realities of life.
Abundance,
ampleness
26. Ecstatic (adj)
Overwhelmingly emotional
27. Elate (verb)
To fill with joy
The boy stopped before a florist’s
window where a profusion of greenery
bloomed
They were ecstatic when their team
won the championship game in the last
second.
It elated Margaret to be awarded first
place in the science fair.
28. Eloquent (adj)
Fluent, expressive
articulate,
persuasive
29. Elusive (adj)
Hard to grasp
Kim, an eloquent speaker, was the
best choice to make the presentation
for the group.
The words to the song are elusive, as
the singer tends to mumble.
30.Menace(verb)
Something that threatens to
cause evil, harm, injury, etc; a
threat
Feeling of great happiness
Nowadays air pollution is a menace to
our health.
Hazard, jeopardy
Cassandra was overcome with
euphoria when she met her long-lost
sister.
The peevish boy started yelling when
the mother asked him to study.
Unlike her fickle friend Ben, May Belle
was known for her fidelity.
elation, ebullience
She was sitting in a chair watching her
bed ridden grandmother with rapt
silence
The gargantuan monster towered over
the ten-story building.
Absorbed,
fascinated
31. Euphoria (noun)
32.Peevish(adj)
timid, bashful
unnerve, bewilder
dreary, colorless
Unsophisticated,
ingenuous
overjoyed,
rapturous
delight, thrill
evasive, obscure
33. Fidelity (noun)
Having or showing an irritable
disposition
State of being faithful
Cantankerous
34. Rapt (adj)
Deeply engrossed or absorbed
35. Gargantuan (adj)
Gigantic
36. Garish (adj)
Offensively bright
The garish wallpaper offended Jerome,
who preferred subtle colors.
gaudy, loud
37. Gruff (adj)
Rough or stern in manner or
speech
Heidi's grandfather was gruff, barking
stern orders and hardly smiling.
surly, brusque
loyalty, devotion
enormous,
colossal
38.Disdain(verb)
To look upon or treat with
contempt
He sat for a second, then looked at me
with total disdain
Despise, scorn
39.Quizzical(adj)
Odd, queer, or comical,
questioning or puzzled
It was the quizzical expression on her
face which made me realize that she
had no clue about the party.
Puzzled,
perplexed
40. Implausible (adj)
Unbelievable
Claudia's implausible excuse failed to
convince her teacher.
improbable,
doubtful
41. Incisive (adj)
Impressively direct and
decisive
Samir's incisive leadership made him
the natural choice for president of the
company.
keen, acute
42. Frantic(adj)
Desperate or wild with
excitement, passion, fear, pain,
etc.
Full of fury, violent passion, or
rage; extremely angry
She was frantic with worry a day
before the result was declared.
Frenzied
He was furious about the accident
which led to his brother’s death.
enraged
44. Interminable(adj)
Never ending, or seemingly
endless
The impatient Zoe found the
longwinded lecture interminable.
ceaseless,
monotonous
45. Iridescent (adj)
Having a lustrous or attractive
quality
The movie star's iridescent presence
charmed even the hardened reporter.
shimmering,
sparkling
46. Lurid (adj)
Causing horror, shocking
The lurid photos of the crime scene
upset the jury.
gruesome,
sensational
47. Mandate (noun)
a command or authorization to
act in a particular way on a
public issue given by the
electorate to its representative
A tumultuous fight among
several people
Martha reluctantly obeyed the mandate
to vacate her apartment.
command, decree
After the game, a melee broke out
between fans of the opposing teams.
brawl, skirmish
49. Mundane (adj)
Practical, ordinary
The flighty Caroline could not be
troubled with mundane tasks such as
paying her bills.
commonplace,
earthly
50. Opportune (adj)
Suitable or convenient
Stan stepped onto the platform at the
most opportune time, just as the train
pulled in.
propitious,
fortunate
43.Furious(adj)
48. Melee (noun)