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American Literature Vocabulary
The Crucible Vocabulary
Part A:
ameliorate: to improve -- especially a bad situation
anarchy: the complete absence of political authority; or more generally, complete
absence of order
apprehensive: worried over possible misfortune
arbiter: someone who settles disputes -- often because of reputation
blasphemy: something said or done that is disrespectful of something considered
sacred -- especially God or religion
Conciliatory: intended to end bad feelings or build trust
confound: to confuse or cause to be unable to think clearly
contempt: lack of respect -- often accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike or
disgust
covet: to strongly want (something, especially the property of another person)
Defer: submit or yield
Part B:
denounce: to strongly criticize or accuse publicly
effrontery: impolite boldness
Evade: to avoid or try to avoid either a responsibility or telling the whole truth
formidable: arousing fear or admiration due to impressiveness or challenge
guile: cunning (shrewdness and cleverness) and deceitful
incredulous: unbelieving; or having difficulty accepting something so unexpected
indignant: angered or annoyed at something unjust or wrong
ingratiate: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
iniquity: an immoral or unjust act, sin
Innate: a quality present at birth
Part C:
malevolent: of a person: wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
manifest: obvious or to make obvious or show
penitent: feeling or expressing sorrow for having done wrong; or a person who
does such
perplex: to confuse
pious: behaving in a highly moral or religious manner
propriety: socially correct or appropriate behavior
prudent: sensible and careful
reproach: a criticism; or to express criticism
scrutiny: careful examination of something
Trepidation: fear or anxiety
Into the Wild Vocabulary
Part A:
1. aesthetic: (adj.) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty
2. arcane: (adj.) mysterious, secret, known only by a few
3. astute: (adj.) clever
4. austere: (adj.) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury,
simple, plain
5. banal: (adj.) commonplace; trite; obvious and dull, repeated too often
6. candid: (adj.) characterized by directness in manner or speech
7. conjecture: (n.) a guess, often one based on inadequate or faulty evidence
8. contrite: (adj.) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of
guilt; thoroughly penitent
9. cryptic: (adj.) mysterious; puzzling; enigmatic
10. destitute: (adj.) extremely poor; lacking necessities like food and shelter
Part B:
11. doleful: (adj) sad; dreary
12. dubious: (adj.) doubtful; questionable
13. elated: (adj.) in high spirits, jubilant; extremely pleased
14. elusive: (adj.) difficult to catch or to hold; hard to explain or understand
15. emulate: (v.) to strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation
16. ephemeral: (adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived, momentary,
fleeting
17. garrulous: (adj.) pointlessly or annoyingly talkative
18. gregarious: (adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable
19. indolent: (adj.) lazy
20. inundate: (v.) to flood, overflow; to overwhelm by numbers or size
Part C:
21. lethargic: (adj.) unnaturally sleepy, dull, slow moving, indifferent
22. obsequious: (adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively
submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons
23. paucity: (n.) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth
24. perfunctory: (adj.) done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without
interest or enthusiasm
25. resilient: (adj) quick to recover, bounce back
26. taciturn: (adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
27. tenacious: (adj) determined, keeping a firm grip on
28. terse: adj. using only the words that are needed to make the point; very
concise, sometimes to the point of rudeness
29. virulent: (adj.) extremely poisonous; full of malice; spiteful
30. zeal: (n.) intense passion or enthusiasm
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The Great Gatsby Vocabulary
Part A:
abstract:(adj.) describes concepts or ideas rather than concrete images
ambiguous:(adj.) unclear or doubtful in meaning
apathy:(n.) a lack of feeling, emotion, or interest
coherent:(adj.) making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
complacent:(adj.) pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages,
situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect;
self-satisfied
condescending:(adj.) showing a snobbish or superior attitude
corroborate:(v.) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify
discern:(v) to see clearly, recognize
disdain:(n.) lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
dissent:(v) to disagree; (n) disagreement
Part B:
11. euphemism:(n.) an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is
considered unpleasant
12. exasperated:(adj. or v.) greatly annoyed
13. fortuitous:(adj.) accidental, occurring by a happy chance
14. haughty:(adj) arrogant and condescending
15. impetuous:(adj) rash, impulsive, acting without thinking
16. incessant:(adj) never stopping, going on all the time
17. indifferent:(adj.) having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
18. inevitable:(adj.) sure to happen, unavoidable
19. insolent:adj. boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude
20. magnanimous:(adj.) - generous, noble
Part C:
21. obliterate:(v.) to blot out completely, destroy utterly
22. obstinate:(adj.) stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
23. pervasive:(adj.) - to spread throughout
24. poignant:(adj.) deeply affecting, touching; keen or sharp in taste or smell
25. profuse:(adj.) very abundant; given or flowing freely
26. provincial:(adj.) lacking sophistication, narrow-minded
27. revere:(v.) to love and respect deeply, honor greatly
28. superficial:(adj) shallow, lacking in depth
29. superfluous:(adj) exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess
30. tangible:(adj.) capable of being touched; real, concrete
In Cold Blood Vocabulary
Part A:
1. admonish: (v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to
remind of a duty
2. advocate: (v.) To speak in favor of
3. ambivalent: (adj.) having opposing feelings
4. amiable: (adj.) friendly, good-natured
5. anathema: (n.) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation
6. chagrin: (n.) irritation or humiliation caused by disappointment or
frustration
7. clemency: (n.) mercy
8. conspicuous: (adj.) easy to notice; obvious; apparent
9. deride: (v.) to ridicule, laugh at with contempt
10. deter: (v.) to discourage, scare off, or prevent through fear or doubt
Part B:
11. disconcerting: (adj.) upsetting, frustrating
12. divert: (v) entertain; distract; cause a detour
13. emaciated: (adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking
14. expedient: (n.) a means to an end; (adj.) advantageous, useful
15. impartial: (adj.) just, unbiased, fair, not taking sides
16. innocuous: (adj.) harmless, inoffensive; insignificant
17. meticulous: (adj) taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy
18. nonchalant: (adj.) cool and confident, unconcerned
19. perturb: (v.) to trouble, make uneasy; to disturb greatly; to throw into
confusion
20. precipitate: (v. or adj.) Cause to happen suddenly or prematurely
Part C:
21. pretentious: (adj.) done for show, striving to make a big impression;
claiming merit or position unjustifiably
22. profound: (adj) very insightful, penetrating deeply into a subject;
23. provocative: (adj.) tending to produce a strong feeling or response
24. querulous: (adj.)inclined to find fault; complaining; full of complaint
25. relevant: (adj.) connected with or related to the matter at hand
26. remorse: (n.) deep and painful regret for one's past misdeeds; pangs of
conscience
27. ruminate: (v.) to meditate, think about at length
28. spontaneous: (adj.) arising naturally; not planned or engineered in advance
29. spurious: (adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid
30. staid: (adj.) serious and dignified; quiet or subdued in character or conduct