The Great Gatsby Vocabulary

The Great Gatsby Vocabulary Below you will find words and definitions found in The Great Gatsby to use as reference as you are reading. Chapter 1 Fractiousness: irritability Feign: to imitate deceptively; to make believe; pretend. Supercilious: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy. Conscientious: meticulous; careful; painstaking; particular. Incredulous: indicating or showing unbelief. Reciprocal: mutual; corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent. Wan: of an unnatural or sickly pallor; pallid; lacking color. Bantering: playful teasing Complacent: often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied. Intimation: make known subtly and indirectly; hint. Infinite: indefinitely or exceedingly large. Anon: in a short time; soon. Chapter 2 Desolate: lonely; forlorn Supercilious: arrogant Contiguous: connecting without a break; uninterrupted. Facet: aspect; phase; side. Cower: to crouch, as in fear or shame. Interpose: to step in between parties at variance; mediate. Apathetic: not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive. Languid: lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent. Imply: to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated. Strident: having a shrill, irritating quality or character. Deft: nimble; skillful; clever. Hauteur: disdainful pride Clad: dressed; covered. Chapter 3 Permeate: to pass into or through every part of; to penetrate through the pores; to be diffused through; pervade; saturate. Innuendo: an indirect comment about a person or thing, esp. of a disparaging or a derogatory nature. Erroneous: containing error; mistaken; incorrect; wrong. Prodigality: extravagance Vehement: strongly emotional; intense or passionate. Cordial: courteous and gracious; friendly; warm. Impetuous: characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive. Vacuous: lacking in ideas or intelligence. Corpulent: large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat. Provincial: having the manners, and viewpoints considered characteristic of unsophisticated inhabitants of a province; rustic; narrow or illiberal. Din: a loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor. Credulity: willingness to believe Cynical: skeptical of goodness and sincerity Ascertain: to make sure Convivial: sociable Chapter 4 Affectation: artificial behavior Knickerbocker: any New Yorker. Fluctuate: to change continually; shift back and forth. Sporadic: appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional. Divine retribution: punishment from a higher being for bad deeds or transgressions. Rajah: a king or prince in India; a minor chief or dignitary. Elicit: to draw or bring out or forth; educe; evoke. Valor: heroic courage; bravery. Somnambulatory: related to sleep walking. Denizen: an inhabitant; a resident; one that frequents a particular place. Jaunty: easy and sprightly in manner or bearing. Punctilious: precise, formal Juxtaposition: side-by-side placement Chapter 5 Abortive: unsuccessful Rout: an overwhelming defeat. Suppress: to do away with; abolish; stop. Innumerable: very numerous; incapable of being counted; countless. Ecstatic: subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous. Reproach: to find fault with (a person, group, etc.); blame. Serf: a slave. Obstinate: inflexible; stubborn; not yielding. Exult: to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice; be highly elated or jubilant. Hulking: heavy and clumsy; bulky. Nebulous: hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused. Vestige: a trace of something no longer existing Fluctuate: to vary Chapter 6 Laudable: deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable. Insidious: intended to entrap or trick. Repose: peace; tranquility; calm. Debauch: an uninhibited spree or party. Antecedent: a preceding circumstance, event, object, style, phenomenon. Ingratiate: to establish (oneself) in the favor or good graces of others by deliberate effort. Perturb: to throw into great disorder; derange; bother; annoy. Dilatory: tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy. Desolate: barren or laid waste; devastated; deprived or destitute of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; solitary; lonely. Elusive: hard to express or define; cleverly or skillfully evasive. Turgid: pompous, swollen Contingency: a possible event Profusion: abundance Oblivion: nothingness Saunter: leisurely stroll Chapter 7 Lapse: a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure. Insistent: earnest or emphatic in dwelling upon, maintaining, or demanding something; persistent. Tentative: unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant. Abrupt: sudden or unexpected. Tumult: uproar; disorder; highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling. Portentous: ominous, predictive of future bad events. Irreverent: not respectful; critical of what is generally accepted or respected. Vicarious: taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute. Rancor: resentment or ill will; hatred; malice. Formidable: of great strength; forceful; powerful. Affront: offense Abyss: bottomless pit Inviolate: sacred, intact Intermittent: periodic Presumptuous: overly bold Chapter 8 Humidor: a container or storage room for cigars or other preparations of tobacco, fitted with means for keeping the tobacco suitably moist. Indiscernible: cannot be seen or perceived clearly; imperceptible. Settee: a seat for two or more persons, having a back and usually arms, and often upholstered. In cahoots: in partnership; in league with; in conspiracy. Divot: a piece of turf gouged out with a club in making a stroke. Garrulous: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters. Incoherent: without logical or meaningful connection; disjointed; rambling. Conceivable: imaginable; believable. Forlorn: desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance. Laden: burdened; loaded down. Incessant: without stopping Ravenously: hungrily Pervaded: spread throughout Corroborate: confirm Garrulous: overly talkative Amorphous: formless Holocaust: complete destruction Chapter 9 Pasquinade: a satire or lampoon, esp. one posted in a public place. Derange: to disturb the condition, action, or function of; to make insane. Surmise: to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess. Superfluous: being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; unnecessary or needless. Elocution: a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public. Unutterable: unspeakable; beyond expression. Subtle: difficult to perceive or understand. Orgastic: at the height of emotional excitement. Borne: carried. Ceaselessly: without stopping or pausing; unendingly; incessantly. Adventitious: accidental Deferred: yielded Jaunty: stylish Distort: twist out of shape Transitory: temporary Incoherent: disordered, unconnected