Just Mercy Vocabulary Study

A comprehensive vocabulary review set covering key legal, social, and descriptive terms from the Just Mercy unit.

Adamant

Unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of objections; firmly resolute

Assert

To state or declare positively and often forcefully; to maintain or defend (a claim)

Carceral

Relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

Condemned

Declared to be wrong or evil; sentenced to a particular punishment

Degrade

To treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect; to lower in dignity

Disillusioned

Disappointed in someone or something one discovers to be less good or true than one previously believed

Explicit

Fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated; leaving nothing implied

Hierarchy

A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority

Hostile

Having or showing unfriendly or antagonistic behavior; opposed in feeling, action, or character

Institutionalized

Placed or confined in an institution, especially one for long-term care or confinement; made a formal and established part of a system or culture

Litigation

The process of taking legal action; the act of process of carrying out a lawsuit

Meager

Lacking in quantity or quality; deficient

Misconduct

Improper, unethical, or unlawful behavior by a professional or official person in a role of authority

Prosecute

To initiate legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge; to conduct legal action to prove guilt in court

Testimony

A formal written or spoken statement given in a court of law, especially one that is given under oath

Tribulations

Severe trials or suffering; distress or trouble resulting from hardship or adversity

Unprecedented

Never done or known before; without previous example

Vagrant

A person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place, often lives by begging or doing casual labor

Vexed

Irritated, annoyed, or distressed; difficult and much debated (of a problem/issue)

Vindictive

Having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge