The Great Gatsby – Vocabulary 3-4 Study Guide
1.
Permeate- To seep through or fill
Part of Speech: V
The sweet smell of cookies permeated the walls and entered the living room, tempting me to
wander into the kitchen.
2.
Innuendo- A hint or suggestion
Part of Speech: N
The expression on my sister’s face was an innuendo to the fact that she was angry at me from
borrowing her favorite shoes without her permission.
3.
Erroneous- Flawed or inaccurate
Part of Speech- Adj.
My teacher marked all my erroneous sentences with bright green pen.
4.
Vehement- Violently intense, vigorous
Part of Speech- Adj.
He replied vehemently to all of Andy’s points in the heated debate.
5.
Cordial- Affectionate or friendly
Part of Speech- Adj.
The tour guide greeted us with a cordial welcome.
6.
Impetuous- Impulsive
Part of Speech- Adj.
Casper was a very impetuous little pony; he often would break out into a gallop without
warning.
7.
Vacuous- Empty or hollow
Part of Speech- Adj.
I stared into the vacuous room after all the moving boxes had been removed. It was hard to
believe that we were really moving.
8.
Corpulent- Plump or pudgy
Part of Speech- Adj.
Victor’s dog drooled over the juicy, corpulent steak that sat on Victor’s plate.
9.
Provincial- Unsophisticated or simple
Part of Speech: Adj.
Jonas criticized me for having a very provincial point of view because I had not traveled as
frequently as he had.
10. Din- Clamor, noise
Part of Speech: N
Every morning after about 10 am, the rush-hour din dies down in our town and all is
peaceful and quiet.
11. Knickerbockers- A descendent of the Dutch settlers of New York
Part of Speech: N
12. Fluctuate- To sway, change, or vary
Part of Speech- V
My grades seemed to fluctuate last year. Sometimes, I had A’s and other times, I had B’s or
C’s.
13. Sporadic- Intermittent or irregular
Part of Speech- Adj.
Kendall was rather sporadic in visiting us. He came at random times without warning.
14. Divine retribution- supernatural punishment of a person
Part of Speech- N.
Ms. Engel warned dramatically, “You will face a divine retribution if you chew gum in class!”
15. Rajah- Ruler or leader
Part of Speech- N.
Viewing himself as a rajah, my cat sat arrogantly on my newspaper on my kitchen table.
16. Elicit- To provoke or cause
Part of Speech- V.
Every summer, the sound of ice cream trucks elicits memories of my childhood when we
used to ride our bikes around the neighborhood on hot summer days.
17. Valor- Courage or heroism
Part of Speech- N.
The courageous soldier received a medal recognizing him for the valor that he demonstrated
in combat.
18. Somnambulatory- Carried out while sleep-walking
Part of Speech- Adj.
He often got up in the middle of the night and sleep-walked, engaging in somnambulatory
adventures that usually led to him devouring pints of ice cream unknowingly.
19. Denizen- A resident or citizen
Part of Speech- N.
All the denizens of our town were required to pay a tax.
20. Jauntily- Briskly or cheerfully
Part of Speech- Adv.
The students went to class jauntily because they were excited about the vocabulary quiz.