Things Fall Apart Chapters 1-6 Vocabulary
1. Wily (3) - adjective – sly; crafty; cunning
Amalinze was a wily craftsman, but Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water.
2. Haggard (4) –adjective – having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance
He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his
flute.
3. Mirth (7) – noun – amusement or laughter
At the end, Unoka was able to give an answer between fresh outbursts of mirth.
4. Uncanny (9) – adjective – mysterious; arousing superstitious fear or dread;
uncomfortably strange
Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark.
5. Capricious (13) – adjective – impulsive; unpredictable
It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious god and of magic,
the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.
6. Malevolent (13) – adjective – productive of harm or evil
It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious god and of magic,
the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw.
7. Incipient (13) – adjective – beginning to exist or appear
Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his
father great anxiety for his incipient laziness.
8. Abomination (18 and 31)- noun - extreme disgust or hatred
He died of the swelling which was an abomination to the earth goddess.
9. Malicious (21) – adjective – having or showing a desire to cause harm to someone
“Whoever has a job in hand,” said Idigo, looking at Nwakibie’s elder son Igwelo with a
malicious twinkle in his eye.
10. Brusqueness (26) – adjective - abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
But he was struck, as most people were, by Okonkwo’s brusqueness in dealing with less
successful men.
11. Benevolent (26) – adjective – desiring to help others; charitable
The oldest man present said sternly that those whose palm-kernels were cracked for
them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble.
12. Atone (27) – verb – to make up, as for errors or deficiencies
That was why Okonkwo had been chosen by the nine villages to carry a message of war
to their enemies unless they agreed to give up a young man and virgin to atone for the
murder of Udo’s wife.
13. Repentant (31) - adjective – to feel sorry for; regret
Inwardly, he was repentant.
14. Valediction (32) – noun – an act of bidding farewell or taking leave
As the smoke rose into the sky kites appeared from different directions and hovered
over the burning field in silent valediction.
15. Arduous (34) – adjective – requiring or using much energy; strenuous
It was a brief period between the exacting and arduous planting season and the equally
exacting but light-hearted month of harvests.
16. Poignant (34) – adjective – affecting or moving the emotions
But he and Nwoye had become so deeply attached to each other that such moments
became less frequent and less poignant.
17. Splendor (35) – noun – brilliant or gorgeous appearance, color, etc.
In the end he decided that Nnadi must live in that land of Ikemefuna’s favorite story
where the ant holds his court in splendor and the sands dance forever.
18. Deity (36) – noun – god or goddess
Ani played a greater part in the life of the people than any other deity.
19. Deft (40) – adjective – nimble; skillful
The water began to boil, and in one deft movement she lifted the pot from the fire and
poured the boiling water over the fowl.