Grade VIII Word List

Below is a list of 200 advanced English words suitable for Grade 8 students in India. These words are challenging yet appropriate for enhancing vocabulary at this level, covering various parts of speech and contexts. They are selected to align with the linguistic development expected at this stage, encouraging students to expand their reading, writing, and comprehension skills. The words are grouped by themes for easier learning and retention.

### **Adjectives (Describing Words)**

1. **Abstruse** – Difficult to understand

2. **Acrimonious** – Bitter in tone or manner

3. **Ambivalent** – Having mixed feelings

4. **Ardent** – Passionate or enthusiastic

5. **Austere** – Severe or strict in manner

6. **Belligerent** – Hostile or aggressive

7. **Benevolent** – Kind and generous

8. **Cacophonous** – Harsh-sounding

9. **Capricious** – Unpredictable or impulsive

10. **Cerebral** – Intellectual rather than emotional

11. **Clandestine** – Secretive or hidden

12. **Cogent** – Clear and persuasive

13. **Cryptic** – Mysterious or obscure

14. **Deleterious** – Harmful or damaging

15. **Ebullient** – Cheerful and full of energy

16. **Eloquent** – Fluent and expressive

17. **Ephemeral** – Short-lived

18. **Exorbitant** – Unreasonably high (e.g., price)

19. **Fastidious** – Very attentive to detail

20. **Formidable** – Inspiring fear or respect

21. **Garrulous** – Excessively talkative

22. **Gregarious** – Sociable, fond of company

23. **Hapless** – Unfortunate or unlucky

24. **Impeccable** – Flawless or perfect

25. **Incandescent** – Glowing with heat or passion

26. **Incongruous** – Out of place or inappropriate

27. **Indomitable** – Impossible to subdue

28. **Insidious** – Stealthily harmful

29. **Intrepid** – Fearless and adventurous

30. **Luminous** – Bright or radiant

31. **Magnanimous** – Generous or forgiving

32. **Meticulous** – Showing great attention to detail

33. **Nebulous** – Vague or unclear

34. **Obstreperous** – Noisy and difficult to control

35. **Ostentatious** – Showy to attract attention

36. **Pernicious** – Having a harmful effect

37. **Perspicuous** – Clearly expressed, easy to understand

38. **Phlegmatic** – Calm and unemotional

39. **Prodigious** – Remarkably large or impressive

40. **Propitious** – Favorable or auspicious

41. **Pungent** – Sharp in taste or smell

42. **Rancorous** – Deeply bitter or resentful

43. **Resplendent** – Splendid or dazzling

44. **Reticent** – Reserved, not revealing thoughts

45. **Sagacious** – Wise or shrewd

46. **Serendipitous** – Occurring by happy chance

47. **Strident** – Loud and harsh

48. **Tenacious** – Persistent or stubborn

49. **Turbulent** – Chaotic or disorderly

50. **Ubiquitous** – Present everywhere

### **Nouns (Things, Ideas, People)**

51. **Aberration** – Deviation from the norm

52. **Acumen** – Keen insight or judgment

53. **Admonition** – Gentle warning or reproof

54. **Alacrity** – Eager willingness

55. **Anomaly** – Something unusual or irregular

56. **Apathy** – Lack of interest or emotion

57. **Apex** – The highest point

58. **Arbitration** – Mediation to settle a dispute

59. **Axiom** – Universally accepted principle

60. **Bane** – Cause of great distress

61. **Behemoth** – Something enormous

62. **Catalyst** – Something that triggers change

63. **Chagrin** – Distress caused by disappointment

64. **Clemency** – Mercy or leniency

65. **Conundrum** – A puzzling problem

66. **Credence** – Belief in something as true

67. **Debacle** – Sudden collapse or failure

68. **Diatribe** – Bitter verbal attack

69. **Dogma** – Set of rigid beliefs

70. **Echelon** – Level or rank in an organization

71. **Edifice** – Large, imposing building

72. **Efficacy** – Ability to produce results

73. **Enigma** – Mysterious person or thing

74. **Epitome** – Perfect example

75. **Equanimity** – Calmness under pressure

76. **Exigency** – Urgent need or demand

77. **Fiasco** – Complete failure

78. **Fortitude** – Strength in adversity

79. **Gambit** – Strategic move or risk

80. **Harbinger** – Sign of something to come

81. **Hiatus** – Break or gap

82. **Ignominy** – Public shame or disgrace

83. **Impetus** – Force that encourages action

84. **Innuendo** – Indirect or subtle hint

85. **Lethargy** – Lack of energy or enthusiasm

86. **Litany** – Long, repetitive list

87. **Morass** – Complicated or messy situation

88. **Nadir** – Lowest point

89. **Panacea** – Solution for all problems

90. **Paradox** – Contradictory statement

91. **Pinnacle** – Highest point of success

92. **Proclivity** – Natural tendency

93. **Quandary** – State of uncertainty

94. **Reprieve** – Temporary relief

95. **Ruse** – Trick or deception

96. **Stigma** – Mark of disgrace

97. **Tenet** – Core belief or principle

98. **Tirade** – Long, angry speech

99. **Vestige** – Trace of something gone

100. **Zenith** – Highest point

### **Verbs (Action Words)**

101. **Abate** – To reduce or lessen

102. **Abdicate** – To renounce a position

103. **Abscond** – To leave secretly

104. **Acquiesce** – To agree reluctantly

105. **Adjudicate** – To settle a dispute

106. **Ameliorate** – To improve or make better

107. **Assuage** – To ease or relieve

108. **Attenuate** – To weaken or reduce

109. **Augment** – To increase or enlarge

110. **Beguile** – To charm or deceive

111. **Bolster** – To support or strengthen

112. **Cajole** – To persuade with flattery

113. **Castigate** – To criticize severely

114. **Coalesce** – To unite or merge

115. **Corroborate** – To confirm or support

116. **Decipher** – To interpret or decode

117. **Delineate** – To describe precisely

118. **Denigrate** – To criticize unfairly

119. **Deprecate** – To express disapproval

120. **Deride** – To mock or ridicule

121. **Disseminate** – To spread widely

122. **Divulge** – To reveal something secret

123. **Elicit** – To draw out or evoke

124. **Emulate** – To imitate or match

125. **Encumber** – To burden or hinder

126. **Engender** – To cause or produce

127. **Exacerbate** – To make worse

128. **Exculpate** – To clear from blame

129. **Exhort** – To urge strongly

130. **Expunge** – To erase completely

131. **Extol** – To praise highly

132. **Facilitate** – To make easier

133. **Foment** – To stir up or incite

134. **Galvanize** – To shock into action

135. **Impede** – To obstruct or hinder

136. **Inculcate** – To instill through repetition

137. **Indict** – To formally accuse

138. **Mitigate** – To make less severe

139. **Obfuscate** – To confuse or obscure

140. **Placate** – To calm or appease

141. **Preclude** – To prevent or make impossible

142. **Proliferate** – To grow rapidly

143. **Propagate** – To spread or promote

144. **Relegate** – To assign to a lower position

145. **Repudiate** – To reject or disown

146. **Rescind** – To cancel or repeal

147. **Substantiate** – To provide evidence for

148. **Supplant** – To replace or take over

149. **Venerate** – To regard with great respect

150. **Vindicate** – To clear of blame

### **Adverbs (Describing Actions)**

151. **Adamantly** – In a stubborn manner

152. **Audaciously** – Boldly or daringly

153. **Clandestinely** – In a secretive way

154. **Cognizantly** – With awareness

155. **Deftly** – Skillfully and quickly

156. **Disdainfully** – With contempt

157. **Egregiously** – Outstandingly bad

158. **Emphatically** – With strong emphasis

159. **Fervently** – With intense passion

160. **Flagrantly** – In an obvious way

161. **Inadvertently** – Unintentionally

162. **Indelibly** – In a permanent way

163. **Inevitably** – As expected, unavoidably

164. **Insidiously** – In a stealthy, harmful way

165. **Languidly** – In a slow, relaxed manner

166. **Meticulously** – With great care

167. **Ostensibly** – Apparently, but not really

168. **Pervasively** – Spreading widely

169. **Profoundly** – Deeply or intensely

170. **Sporadically** – Occasionally, irregularly

171. **Steadfastly** – In a loyal manner

172. **Stridently** – In a loud, harsh way

173. **Surreptitiously** – Secretly or stealthily

174. **Tacitly** – Without being spoken

175. **Vehemently** – With strong feeling

### **Miscellaneous (Mixed Parts of Speech)**

176. **Altruism** – Selfless concern for others

177. **Ambiguity** – Uncertainty in meaning

178. **Anachronism** – Something out of its time

179. **Antithesis** – Direct opposite

180. **Aplomb** – Confidence and poise

181. **Candid** – Honest and straightforward

182. **Catharsis** – Emotional release

183. **Chicanery** – Deception or trickery

184. **Circumspect** – Cautious and careful

185. **Complacency** – Self-satisfaction

186. **Contrite** – Deeply regretful

187. **Demagogue** – Leader who manipulates emotions

188. **Euphemism** – Mild phrase for something harsh

189. **Hyperbole** – Exaggeration for effect

190. **Iconoclast** – One who challenges tradition

191. **Juxtapose** – To place side by side

192. **Metaphor** – Figure of speech implying comparison

193. **Pragmatic** – Practical rather than idealistic

194. **Rhetoric** – Persuasive speech or writing

195. **Sarcasm** – Mocking irony

196. **Skepticism** – Doubt about truth

197. **Stoic** – Unaffected by emotions

198. **Sycophant** – Flatterer seeking favor

199. **Vanguard** – Leading position in a movement

200. **Zealot** – Fanatically committed person