To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary
1. Sojourn
“My sojourn in the corner was a
short one. Saved by the bell, Miss
Caroline watched the class file out
for lunch”(Lee 29).
1. Sojourn
(Noun)
A temporary stay
2. predilection
“The Radleys, welcome anywhere
in town, kept to themselves, a
predilection unforgivable in
Maycomb” ( Lee 11).
2. predilection
(Noun)
a thought or bias
3. simultaneous
“With movements so swift they
seemed simultaneous, Atticus’s
hand yanked a ball-tipped lever as
he brought the gun to his shoulder”
(Lee 127).
3. simultaneous
(Adjective)
existing, occurring, or operating at
the same time; concurrent:
4. assuaged
“When it healed, and Jem’s fears of
never being able to play football
were assuaged, he was seldom
self-conscious about his injury”(
Lee 3).
4. assuaged
(Verb)
to soothe, calm, at ease
5. benevolence
“Miss Maudie’s benevolence
extended to Jem and Dill,
whenever they paused in their
pursuits: we reaped the benefits of
a talent Miss Maudie had hitherto
kept hidden from us” (Lee 57).
5. benevolence
(Noun)
desire to do good to others; an act
of kindness; a charitable gift.
6. vehemently
“’Atticus shook his head
vehemently: “Don’t just stand there,
Heck! He won’t wait all day for you”’( Lee 127).
6. vehemently
(Adjective)
strongly emotional; intense or
passionate:
7. malevolent
“Inside the house lived a
malevolent phantom”(Lee 10).
7. malevolent
(Adjective)
• wishing evil or harm to another or
others;
• evil; harmful
8. jubilantly
“Jem picked up a rock and threw it
jubilantly at the carhouse”
(Lee 131).
8. jubilantly
(adjective)
showing great joy, satisfaction, or
triumph; rejoicing; exultant
9. auspicious
“The remainder of my schooldays
were no more auspicious than the
first” ( Lee 43).
9. auspicious
( Adjective)
favored by fortune; prosperous;
fortunate
10. taciturn
“Their sister Alexandra was the
Finch who remained at the
Landing: she married a taciturn
man who spent most of his time
lying in a hammock by the river
wondering if his trot-lines were full”(
Lee 5)
10. taciturn
(Adjective)
inclined to silence; reserved in
speech; reluctant to join in
conversation
11. obstreperous
“It was obstreperous, disorderly
and abusive-”(Lee 113).
11. obstreperous
( Adjective)
noisy, clamorous, or boisterous
12. inconspicuous
“With theses attributes, however,
he would not remain inconspicuous
as we wished him to: that year, the
school buzzed with talk about
defending Tom Robinson, none of
which was complimentary”
(Lee 119).
12. inconspicuous
( Adjective)
not conspicuous, noticeable, or
prominent.
13. perplexity
“She must have seen my perplexity.
She said, “’Only thing I worried
about last night was all the danger
and commotion it caused’”
(Lee 97-98).
13. perplexity
( Noun)
the state of being perplexed;
confusion; uncertainty
14. illicitly
“I never deliberately learned to
read, but somehow I had been
wallowing illicitly in the daily
papers” (Lee 23).
14. illicitly
(Adverb)
• not legally permitted or
authorized; unlicensed; unlawful
• disapproved of or not permitted
for moral or ethical reasons