The Great Gatsby Vocabulary
1. asunder – adv. 1. into parts or pieces. 2. in different directions; apart. 3. separated; not close;
apart.
2. benediction – n. 1. a blessing. 2. an invocation of divine blessing. 3. a giving of thanks; grace. 4.
blessedness 5. in the Roman Catholic Church, a special ritual of blessing.
3. blasé – adj. Uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence; nonchalant.
4. borough – n. A self-governing incorporated town in some U.S. states, such as New Jersey.
5. ceaselessly – adv. unceasing; continual, ongoing.
6. colossal – adj. like a colossus in size; huge; gigantic: used loosely, as in the motion-picture
industry, to denote approval.
7. complacency – n. 1. quiet satisfaction; contentment. 2. self-satisfaction; smugness.
8. contiguous – adj. sharing an edge or boundary, neighboring, adjacent.
9. corpulent – adj. fat; fleshy; stout; obese.
10. echolalia – n. The immediate and involuntary repetition of words or phrases just spoken by
others, often a symptom of autism or some types of schizophrenia or an infant's repetition of the
sounds made by others, a normal occurrence in childhood development.
11. elude – v. 1. to avoid or escape from by quickness: cunning, etc. 2. to escape detection by;
evade; baffle: as in, the point that you're trying to make eludes me.
12. ennui – n. listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom.
13. ether – n. a substance used as a general anesthetic in hospitals, or, sometimes, a description of
the heavens and space (where your mind goes when they give you ether).
14. extemporizing – v. to speak, perform, or compose extempore; improvise.
15. façade – n. the face of a building, or an artificial or deceptive front.
16. feigned – adj. 1. fictitious; imagined. 2. pretended; simulated; sham.
17. florid – adj. 1. rosy; ruddy; highly colored; said of the complexion. 2. highly decorated; gaudy;
showy; ornate: as, a florid passage on music, etc. 3. [Rare], decorated with flowers; flowery.
18. gold-digger – n. a woman who is just with a man to get at his money.
19. grail – n. the Holy Grail, a cup from which Jesus allegedly drank at The Last Supper, or, the
object of a prolonged quest or endeavor.
20. hauteur – n. haughty manner or spirit; haughtiness; pride; arrogance.
21. idealize – v. to regard or consider as ideal or perfect
22. implore – v. 1. to ask or beg earnestly for; beseech. 2. to ask or beg (a person) to do something;
entreat.
23. infinitesimal – adj. too small to be measured; infinitely small.
24. innuendo – n.
insinuation.
an indirect hint, a subtle, usually derogatory implication in expression; an
25. jaunty – adj. 1. stylish; chic. 2. easy and careless; swaggering; sprightly; perky.
26. languidly – adv. 1. without vigor or vitality; drooping; weak. 2. without interest or spirit; listless;
indifferent. 3. sluggish; dull; slow.
27. laudable – adj. worthy of being lauded; praiseworthy; commendable.
28. levity – n. lightness or gaiety of disposition, conduct or speech; lack of seriousness; frivolity. 2.
fickleness; instability.
29. meretricious – adj. 1. originally, of, like, or character of a prostitute. 2. alluring by false, showy
charms, seriously attractive; flashy; tawdry.
30. modish – adj. in the current fashion or style; being in or conforming to the prevailing or current
fashion; stylish.
31. oculist – n. an eye doctor or optometrist.
32. peremptory – adj. Not allowing contradiction or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial.
33. prodigality – n. 1. reckless wastefulness 2. abundant generosity or liberality; lavishness. 3.
extreme abundance.
34. punctilious – adj. 1. careful in the observance of the nice points of behavior and ceremony. 2.
very exact; scrupulous.
35. receded – v. 1. to go or move back. 2. to withdraw. 3. to slope backward. 4.to become more
distant.
36. reproach – v. 1. to accuse of and blame for a fault; rebuke; reprove; censure; upbraid. 2. to bring
shame and disgrace upon; be a cause of discredit to.
37. supercilious – adj. disdainful or contemptuous; full of or characterized by pride or scorn;
haughty; arrogant.
38. vacuous – adj. 1. empty 2. having or showing lack of intelligence. interest or thought; stupid;
senseless; inane. 3. characterized by lack of purpose; idle.
39. vinous – adj. of, having the nature of, or characteristic of wine. 2. addicted to drinking wine.
40. wan – adj. 1. sickly pale; pallid; colorless. 2. indicative or suggestive of a sickly condition or great
wariness, grief. 3. dark; gloomy; sad.