Vocabulary Grade 9 — Set 2: Meanings flashcards
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The next 100 of the 300 Grade 9 words, from rampant and intuition to regenerate and avert: pronunciation, a plain definition and three example sentences, the most common use first.
Learn deck · part of Vocabulary Level 4 · Grade 9 · written against: Our own grade placement (VOCABULARY-PLAN.md): word frequency (wordfreq, CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced. Updated 2026-10-10.
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despicable (adj.) · dih-SPIK-uh-buhlso cruel, mean or dishonest that it deserves strong dislike and disgustCharacter & Behavior
Stealing from the food bank was a despicable thing to do.
In the movie, the despicable villain lies to everyone who trusts him.
Students found the online rumors about their classmate despicable. -
avid (adj.) · AV-idso excited about a hobby or interest that you can't get enough of it; greatly wanting somethingFeelings & Attitudes
Priya is an avid reader who finishes two novels a week.
Avid fans camped outside the store to buy the new game.
The young reporter was avid for news of the championship. -
intuition (n.) · in-too-ISH-uhnthe power to grasp something at once by gut feeling, without working it out step by step; one such feelingThinking & Knowing
Trusting her intuition, Lena chose the path along the river.
Good goalies seem to know by intuition where the shot will go.
My intuition that the quiz would be on Friday turned out to be right. -
provoke (v.) · pruh-VOHKto trigger a strong reaction, most often anger; to push someone's buttons on purpose until they get angrySpeaking & Arguing
The surprise quiz provoked groans from everyone in the room.
Don't provoke the dog by pulling its tail.
His rude comment was meant to provoke the other team. -
aspire (v.) · uh-SPIGHRto set your heart on a big achievement or on a future role, such as a dream careerActions & Effort
Lucas aspires to become a marine biologist.
The club aspires to a spot in the state finals.
The workshop helps aspiring writers publish their first stories. -
rampant (adj.) · RAM-puhntspreading quickly and out of control, usually something badChange & Growth
Cheating was rampant until the school changed its testing rules.
Rampant weeds took over the empty lot.
Rumors ran rampant after the coach suddenly left.
Watch out: on a coat of arms, a lion rampant is pictured reared up on two legs. -
staggering (adj.) · STAG-uh-ringamazingly huge or shocking, almost beyond beliefSize & Amount
The new stadium cost a staggering amount of money.
The number of stars in the universe is staggering.
The team lost by a staggering forty points. -
appalling (adj.) · uh-PAW-lingbad enough to shock people; terrible in qualityQuality & Judgment
Factory workers in the 1800s often faced appalling conditions.
The food at the camp was appalling.
Our team's appalling defense gave up six goals. -
tariff (n.) · TAIR-uhfa tax paid to bring products in from abroad; now and then, a government charges one on exports tooSociety & Power
The new tariff made imported steel more expensive.
In 1930, Congress raised tariffs on many foreign goods.
Farmers worried that a tariff war would hurt their sales abroad. -
celestial (adj.) · suh-LES-chuhlhaving to do with the sky and what lies out in space; heavenly or divineNature & Time
Before GPS, sailors navigated by celestial bodies like the North Star.
The planetarium shows celestial events like eclipses.
The choir's voices had an almost celestial sound.
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Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and sense order checked against Merriam-Webster.com, the American Heritage Dictionary and the frequency-ordered Oxford, Longman and Cambridge learner's dictionaries; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
- Grade placement is our own, from wordfreq frequency data (CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced.
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