10th Grade Word List

By the time students reach 10th grade, they are expected to analyze complex texts, write persuasive essays, and express themselves with clarity. A strong vocabulary is the foundation for success in academics, competitive exams, and effective communication. That’s why a 10th grade word list is essential for students who want to sharpen their reading, writing, and speaking skills.

10th Grade Word List with the meaning

Word	Meaning
Abnegation (n.)	The act of renouncing or rejecting something; self-denial.
Acrimony (n.)	Bitterness or ill feeling.
Adulation (n.)	Excessive admiration or praise.
Alacrity (n.)	Brisk and cheerful readiness; eagerness.
Anachronistic (adj.)	Belonging to a period other than that being portrayed; out-of-date.
Antediluvian (adj.)	Ridiculously old-fashioned; from before the biblical flood.
Apathy (n.)	Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
Ascetic (n.)	A person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention.
Assiduous (adj.)	Showing great care and perseverance.
Audacious (adj.)	Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; disrespectful.
Bombastic (adj.)	High-sounding language with little meaning; inflated.
Boorish (adj.)	Rough and bad-mannered; coarse.
Burgeon (v.)	To begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.
Cacophony (n.)	A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Capricious (adj.)	Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
Castigate (v.)	To reprimand (someone) severely.
Caustic (adj.)	Sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.
Chicanery (n.)	The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.
Cogent (adj.)	Clear, logical, and convincing.
Convoluted (adj.)	Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
Corroborate (v.)	To confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding).
Decorous (adj.)	In keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained.
Deference (n.)	Humble submission and respect.
Demagogue (n.)	A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices.
Deride (v.)	To express contempt for; ridicule.
Desiccate (v.)	To remove the moisture from (something); to drain of energy or vitality.
Despot (n.)	A ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it cruelly.
Diatribe (n.)	A forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.
Didactic (adj.)	Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
Diffident (adj.)	Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.
Dilatory (adj.)	Slow to act; intended to cause delay.
Dilettante (n.)	A person who cultivates an area of interest without real commitment or knowledge.
Dissonance (n.)	Lack of harmony among musical notes; a tension or clash resulting from disharmonious elements.
Dupe (v.)	To deceive or trick.
Egregious (adj.)	Outstandingly bad; shocking.
Elocution (n.)	The skill of clear and expressive speech.
Endemic (adj.)	(Of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.
Enervate (v.)	To cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken.
Engender (v.)	To cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition).
Enigma (n.)	A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
Ephemeral (adj.)	Lasting for a very short time.
Equanimity (n.)	Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
Equivocate (v.)	To use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.
Erudite (adj.)	Having or showing great knowledge or learning.
Esoteric (adj.)	Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge.
Eulogy (n.)	A speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly, typically someone who has just died.
Euphemism (n.)	A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt.
Exacerbate (v.)	To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse.
Exculpate (v.)	To show or declare that (someone) is not guilty of wrongdoing.
Exigent (adj.)	Pressing; demanding.
Expatiate (v.)	To speak or write at length or in detail.
Extradite (v.)	To hand over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of the foreign state.
Fastidious (adj.)	Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.
Fatuous (adj.)	Silly and pointless.
Fecund (adj.)	Producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile.
Garrulous (adj.)	Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
Gregarious (adj.)	Fond of company; sociable.
Harangue (n.)	A lengthy and aggressive speech.
Hedonist (n.)	A person who believes that the pursuit of pleasure is the most important thing in life.
Idiosyncratic (adj.)	Relating to idiosyncrasy; peculiar or individual.
Impetuous (adj.)	Acting or done quickly and without thought or care.
Impinge (v.)	To have an effect or impact, especially a negative one.
Inchoate (adj.)	Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
Indefatigable (adj.)	(Of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly.
Indolent (adj.)	Wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy.
Ineffable (adj.)	Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
Inert (adj.)	Lacking the ability or strength to move; lacking vigor.
Ingenuous (adj.)	(Of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting.
Inimical (adj.)	Tending to obstruct or harm; unfriendly.
Inscrutable (adj.)	Impossible to understand or interpret.
Insipid (adj.)	Lacking flavor; lacking vigor or interest.
Intractable (adj.)	Hard to control or deal with.
Intransigent (adj.)	Unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree about something.
Inundate (v.)	To overwhelm someone with things or people to be dealt with; to flood.
Irascible (adj.)	Having or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
Jocular (adj.)	Fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful.
Laconic (adj.)	(Of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words.
Lampoon (v.)	To publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.
Languid (adj.)	Displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed.
Loquacious (adj.)	Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
Magnanimous (adj.)	Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful.
Mendacious (adj.)	Not telling the truth; lying.
Mercurial (adj.)	Subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
Meticulous (adj.)	Showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.
Misanthrope (n.)	A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
Mitigate (v.)	To make less severe, serious, or painful.
Mollify (v.)	To appease the anger or anxiety of (someone).
Nefarious (adj.)	(Typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.
Negligible (adj.)	So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant.
Obfuscate (v.)	To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
Ostentatious (adj.)	Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.
Paragon (n.)	A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
Pejorative (adj.)	Expressing contempt or disapproval.
Perfidious (adj.)	Deceitful and untrustworthy.
Perfunctory (adj.)	Carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.
Permeate (v.)	To spread throughout (something); pervade.
Philanthropy (n.)	The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed by generous donation.
Placate (v.)	To make (someone) less angry or hostile.
Platitude (n.)	A remark or statement, especially one with a moral content
Pragmatic (adj.)	Dealing with things sensibly and realistically.
Precipitous (adj.)	Dangerously high or steep; (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration.
Profligate (adj.)	Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.
Proliferate (v.)	To increase rapidly in numbers; multiply.
Prolix (adj.)	(Of speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.
Pugnacious (adj.)	Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.
Quixotic (adj.)	Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
Recalcitrant (adj.)	Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.
Recant (v.)	To say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical.
Recondite (adj.)	(Of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse.
Refractory (adj.)	Stubborn or unmanageable.
Repudiate (v.)	To refuse to accept or be associated with; to deny the truth or validity of.
Reticent (adj.)	Not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
Sagacious (adj.)	Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd.
Salient (adj.)	Most noticeable or important.
Sardonic (adj.)	Grimly mocking or cynical.
Soporific (adj.)	Tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
Stoic (adj.)	Enduring pain and hardship without showing feelings or complaining.
Supercilious (adj.)	Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.
Tacit (adj.)	Understood or implied without being stated.
Taciturn (adj.)	(Of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
Terse (adj.)	Sparing in the use of words; abrupt.
Tirade (n.)	A long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
Torpor (n.)	A state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy.
Tractable (adj.)	Easy to control or influence.
Ubiquitous (adj.)	Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Umbrage (n.)	Offense or annoyance.
Vapid (adj.)	Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland.
Venerate (v.)	To regard with great respect; to revere.
Veracious (adj.)	Speaking or representing the truth.
Verbose (adj.)	Using or expressed in more words than are needed.
Vilify (v.)	To speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.
Vindicate (v.)	To clear (someone) of blame or suspicion.
Vitiate (v.)	To spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.
Vociferous (adj.)	(Especially of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous.
Wanton (adj.)	(Of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked; sexually unrestrained.
Zealot (n.)	A person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

This list is essential for 10th graders aiming to excel in Honors/AP courses and standardized tests like the PSAT, SAT, and ACT. Mastery of these words will significantly enhance analytical writing and reading comprehension skills.

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