9th Grade Vocabulary Worksheets

Press Print worksheet to match twelve describing words, such as adamant and subtle, to their meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Vocabularyadamantblatantdiligentdubiouselusivefeasibleformidableinevitableintricatemundanesubtletrivialdone openly, with no attempt tohide itof little importancehard to find, catch or pin downcausing fear or respect throughsize or strengthso slight that it is hard to noticesteady and careful in one's workpossible to carry out with themeans at handopen to doubt; not to be relied onordinary and dull; part ofeveryday liferefusing to change one's mindfull of fine detail and manyconnected partssure to happen, whatever anyonedoes
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.VocabularyAnswer keyadamantblatantdiligentdubiouselusivefeasibleformidableinevitableintricatemundanesubtletrivialdone openly, with no attempt tohide itof little importancehard to find, catch or pin downcausing fear or respect throughsize or strengthso slight that it is hard to noticesteady and careful in one's workpossible to carry out with themeans at handopen to doubt; not to be relied onordinary and dull; part ofeveryday liferefusing to change one's mindfull of fine detail and manyconnected partssure to happen, whatever anyonedoes
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All 96 words

Describing words 12

  • adamant Refusing to change one's mind. She was adamant that the vote be counted again.
  • blatant Done openly, with no attempt to hide it. It was a blatant attempt to change the subject.
  • diligent Steady and careful in one's work. A diligent reader checks every source.
  • dubious Open to doubt; not to be relied on. The article rests on a dubious claim.
  • elusive Hard to find, catch or pin down. The right word proved elusive.
  • feasible Possible to carry out with the means at hand. The plan is feasible if we start this week.
  • formidable Causing fear or respect through size or strength. The team faced a formidable opponent.
  • inevitable Sure to happen, whatever anyone does. After weeks of rain, a flood seemed inevitable.
  • intricate Full of fine detail and many connected parts. The clock has an intricate set of gears.
  • mundane Ordinary and dull; part of everyday life. The story turns a mundane errand into an adventure.
  • subtle So slight that it is hard to notice. There is a subtle change in the narrator's voice.
  • trivial Of little importance. Do not spend a paragraph on a trivial detail.
Show all 96 words (84 more)

Action words 12

  • bolster To support or strengthen. Two more examples bolster the claim.
  • coerce To force someone to act by threats or pressure. No one may coerce a witness.
  • comply To act as a rule or request demands. Every driver must comply with the speed limit.
  • condone To accept or overlook a wrong. A fair referee cannot condone rough play.
  • denounce To condemn openly and strongly. The mayor rose to denounce the plan.
  • deter To discourage from acting, often through fear. The fine is meant to deter littering.
  • endorse To give public support or approval to. The council voted to endorse the proposal.
  • evoke To call a feeling or memory to mind. The smell of bread can evoke a childhood kitchen.
  • forfeit To lose or give up as a penalty. A team that does not show up must forfeit the game.
  • retaliate To strike back after being wronged. The narrator fears that his rival will retaliate.
  • squander To waste something of value. Do not squander the last hour before the deadline.
  • thwart To keep a plan or effort from succeeding. A locked gate thwarted the escape.

Character words 12

  • altruistic Putting the good of others before one's own. Her altruistic act went unnoticed for years.
  • callous Showing no concern for the pain of others. His callous reply shocked the room.
  • complacent Smugly satisfied with oneself or one's success. A big lead made the team complacent.
  • cynical Believing that people act only from self-interest. A cynical voter assumes every promise is a trick.
  • defiant Boldly refusing to obey. The defiant crowd stayed in the square.
  • fickle Changing one's mind or loyalty often. The fickle crowd cheered one side, then the other.
  • haughty Proud in a way that looks down on others. The duke gave a haughty wave of his hand.
  • naive Lacking experience of the world and sound judgment. The naive traveler believed every tale he heard.
  • shrewd Clever and sharp in practical matters. A shrewd trader waits for the price to fall.
  • tenacious Holding firmly to a goal; not giving up. The tenacious reporter asked the question again.
  • vindictive Eager to get revenge. A vindictive rival kept the feud alive.
  • wary On guard against danger or tricks. Be wary of a source that names no author.

Mood words 12

  • bleak Cold, bare and without cheer. The novel opens on a bleak winter plain.
  • chaotic In complete disorder and confusion. The scene at the market is loud and chaotic.
  • eerie Strange and frightening in a mysterious way. An eerie silence filled the empty house.
  • frantic Wild with fear, worry or haste. There was a frantic search for the missing key.
  • jubilant Feeling or showing very great joy. The jubilant fans sang all the way home.
  • melancholy Filled with a deep, lasting sadness. A melancholy tune drifted from the window.
  • pensive Quietly lost in serious thought. She grew pensive as the train left the city.
  • serene Calm and untroubled. The lake at dawn was serene.
  • sinister Seeming to promise harm or evil. A sinister figure waits in the doorway.
  • solemn Deeply serious and formal. The oath was taken in solemn silence.
  • sullen Silent and in a bad temper. He answered with a sullen shrug.
  • whimsical Playful and fanciful in an odd way. The poem takes a whimsical turn in its last line.

Essay and research words 12

  • abstract A short summary of a longer paper. Read the abstract to see whether the study is useful.
  • annotate To add notes to a text that explain or comment. Annotate the poem as you read it.
  • appendix Extra material placed after the main text of a work. The survey questions are in the appendix.
  • bibliography A list of the works used in writing a paper. The bibliography goes on the last page of the essay.
  • citation A reference that names the source of a quotation or fact. Each quotation needs a citation.
  • footnote A note printed at the foot of a page. A footnote gives the source of the figure.
  • plagiarism Passing off another's words or ideas as one's own. Copying a paragraph without credit is plagiarism.
  • primary source A record made at the time of the events under study. A soldier's diary is a primary source.
  • proofread To check a finished text for small errors. Proofread the essay before you hand it in.
  • revise To change a draft in order to improve it. Revise the opening so that it states the claim.
  • secondary source A later work that discusses original records. A history of the war written today is a secondary source.
  • thesis The main claim that an essay sets out to prove. State the thesis in the first paragraph.

Drama and poetry terms 12

  • aside Words an actor says to the audience, unheard on stage. In an aside, the servant admits that he is lying.
  • blank verse Poetry with a regular beat but no rhyme. The nobles in the play speak in blank verse.
  • comic relief A funny scene that eases tension in a serious work. The clown's jokes give comic relief after a tense scene.
  • couplet A pair of lines of verse, often rhymed. The scene ends with a rhymed couplet.
  • dramatic irony A gap between what the audience and a character know. It is dramatic irony when we know the letter is forged and the hero does not.
  • epilogue A closing section added after the main story ends. The epilogue shows the town ten years later.
  • meter The pattern of beats in a line of verse. Clap the meter of the first line.
  • monologue A long speech delivered by one person in a play. The play opens with a monologue from the king.
  • prologue An opening part that sets up a play or novel. The prologue tells the audience how the feud began.
  • quatrain A stanza or poem of four lines. Each quatrain of the ballad tells one event.
  • stage direction A note in a script telling an actor what to do. The stage direction tells her to exit left.
  • tragic hero A main character whose own flaw causes a downfall. Pride ruins the tragic hero in the last act.

Words from Greek myths 12

  • Achilles heel A weak point in someone or something strong. Free throws were the team's Achilles heel.
  • atlas A volume of maps. Find the river in the atlas.
  • labyrinth A maze of twisting paths. The basement of the library is a labyrinth of shelves.
  • mentor An experienced person who advises and guides another. A retired coach became his mentor.
  • Midas touch The ability to succeed at whatever one tries. The producer seemed to have the Midas touch.
  • muse A source of inspiration for an artist. The sea was the painter's muse.
  • nemesis An enemy, especially one who brings a downfall. The detective meets her nemesis in the last chapter.
  • odyssey A long wandering journey with many adventures. The trip home became a three-week odyssey.
  • Pandora's box A source of many unforeseen troubles. The new rule opened a Pandora's box of complaints.
  • panic Sudden, overwhelming fear. Panic spread when the lights went out.
  • tantalize To tease with something kept just out of reach. The smell of dinner tantalized the hungry hikers.
  • Trojan horse A person or thing placed inside to undermine an enemy. The spy joined the rival firm as a Trojan horse.

World history words 12

  • abdicate To give up a throne or high office. The king chose to abdicate in favor of his son.
  • amnesty A pardon that a government grants to a whole group. The government offered amnesty to the rebels.
  • anarchy A state with no government or law. After the ruler fled, the capital fell into anarchy.
  • aristocracy A ruling class of nobles. Seats in the upper chamber were held by the aristocracy.
  • armistice A formal agreement between sides to halt combat. The two armies signed an armistice in the fall.
  • bureaucracy Government run by many appointed officials. The empire relied on a large bureaucracy to collect taxes.
  • diplomacy The work of managing relations between nations. The dispute was settled by diplomacy, not war.
  • embargo An official order that bans trade with a country. The embargo stopped the sale of grain.
  • exile Forced absence from one's own country. The poet wrote her best work in exile.
  • oligarchy Government by a few powerful people. A few rich families ran the city as an oligarchy.
  • regime A government in power, often a harsh one. The new regime closed the newspapers.
  • theocracy Government under the control of a religion. In a theocracy, religious law is the law of the state.

How this list was compiled: Word list chosen for this site on 2026-10-09; the grade is our suggestion and the list follows no published program, exam or standard. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: it gives a sense the entry lists, in shorter words. The example sentence after each meaning is our own. No list was copied from a test-preparation book or an exam. For the set Words from Greek myths, the origin of each word in a figure or story of Greek myth was read in the etymology or the mythology sense of its Wiktionary entry the same day. Licence: own work

How it works

These 9th grade vocabulary worksheets are matching sheets: twelve words on the left, twelve meanings in another order on the right. The eight sets suit a first year of high school English, from essay terms to drama, poetry and myth.

Read the full guide

Eight sets of twelve words

Set opens on Describing words, such as adamant, dubious and mundane. The others are Action words, Character words, Mood words, Essay and research words, Drama and poetry terms, Words from Greek myths and World history words.

Words from Greek myths

Twelve everyday words that began as names or stories: odyssey, nemesis, mentor, tantalize, atlas, panic, muse, labyrinth, Achilles heel, Pandora's box, Midas touch and Trojan horse. The sheet asks for the meaning each has today.

Words from the text you teach

The box above the sheet takes one pair a line, word = meaning: banish = to send away and forbid to return. Your pairs then print in place of ours.

  • The list under the sheet gives every word a sentence: The right word proved elusive.

Questions and answers

What vocabulary words should a 9th grader know?

No list is official. Ours suggests words a ninth grader meets in essays, novels, plays and world history, such as thesis, plagiarism, cynical, melancholy, dramatic irony and armistice. Any of them can be swapped for your own.

Is there a 9th grade vocabulary worksheets PDF?

Yes, one you make. Press Print worksheet and pick Save as PDF where the print window asks for a printer. The file holds the sheet and, as its last page, the answer key.

How is this list different from the 10th grade one?

No word repeats. These ninth grade vocabulary worksheets have mood words, essay terms, drama and poetry terms and words from Greek myths; the 10th grade vocabulary worksheets move on to argument words, tone words and easily confused pairs.

Where do the definitions come from?

Each is in our own words and gives a sense that Wiktionary lists for the word, read on 9 October 2026. The origins of the myth words were read in the same entries.

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