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6th Grade Spelling and Vocabulary
List 9

acquaint: to bring into social contact; to become somewhat familiar with
“Let me acquaint you with my rich cousin Emma.”

adamant: completely unwilling to change attitude or opinion
“The salesman was adamant that he would take nothing less than $10,000 for the car.”

diminutive: small, little, tiny; a small thing or person
“The diminutive frog looked harmless, but it contained a deadly poison.”

heathen: someone who does not share my religious beliefs
“The heathen tribesmen played drums and danced around the idol all night.”

humorous: being funny or comical
“The situation was humorous because everyone kept falling down.”

immediately: without delay; instantly; at once
“I expect you to come home immediately after the movie and not go anywhere else.”

knowledge: knowing facts or truths
“Someone once said that ‘knowledge is power.’ ”

acknowledge: to admit to being real or true
“She finally had to acknowledge that I knew what I was talking about.”

meander: to go by a winding or indirect course
“The river meandered through the valley.”

variegated: varied in appearance or color; marked with patches or spots of different colors
“I really like plants with variegated leaves for indoor plants.”

Easily Confused Words
accept: to take or receive
“Please accept this invitation to my party.”

except: excluding; but
“We were all in agreement to go to the movie, except for Jose who wanted to go bowling.”

Shades of Meaning
anxious: having mental disress due to fear; (anxiety)
“The students were anxious because they had not studied for the test.”

eager: showing great interest, desire, or feeling
“We were eager to get started on our vacation to Mexico.”

were: past tense of “to be”
“Were you there when the teacher gave everyone candy?”

we’re: contraction of the words “we are”
“We’re going to go to the park this afternoon.”

where: in or at what place?
“Where did you go last night?”
“Where were you when we went to the movie? We’re going again on Saturday.”

frenzied: wildly excited or enthusiastic
“The mob was frenzied and in danger of becoming violent.”
“The crowd was in a frenzy when the team scored the winning goal.”

mascot: an animal, person, or thing to symbolize a group of people
“The jaguar is the mascot of Adelante school.”

coaxed: to try to influence by gentle persuasion
“We coaxed the dog to bring us the car keys.”

console: to lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of someone
“We went to console her after her dog died.”

Einstein: Albert Einstein was a scientist in the early 20th century, and one of the most intelligent persons who ever lived.
“She’s a real Einstein; she always gets A’s on her report card.”

science: a body of knowledge dealing with facts of how the world works
“The topic of science is huge, ranging from study of the earth, planets, stars, animals, plants, chemistry, metals, and atoms.”

scientist: a person who works in the field of science
“We are hoping that a scientist will discover a cure for cancer.”

drone: to make a dull, low, monotonous, boring sound
“I almost fell asleep as the speaker droned on at the lecture.”

exhaust: to drain of strength or energy; to be greatly tired
“After hiking all day, we were exhausted.”

instinctive: doing something naturally without learning
“It’s instinctive that many kinds of birds weave intricate nests.”