Vocabulary from The Great Gatsby: Definitions and Contexts

Dilatory

slow to act; causing delay.

Caravansary

a large inn or hotel, often for travelers.

Bona-fide

genuine; real; done honestly.

Indiscreet

lacking good judgment; careless in revealing secrets.

Contingency

a possible future event or circumstance that cannot be predicted with certainty.

Irreverent

showing lack of respect for things usually taken seriously.

Row

a noisy quarrel or fight.

Libertine

a person (often a man) who behaves without moral principles, especially in sexual matters.

Prig

someone who is self-righteous or overly proper.

Magnanimous

generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival.

Portentous

ominous; warning of something bad to come; also pompous.

Truculent

aggressive; eager to fight.

Luminosity

brightness; the quality of giving off light.

Humidor

a container for keeping cigars or tobacco moist.

Redolent

strongly reminiscent of; filled with a pleasant odor.

Vestibule

an entryway or small hall between the outer door and the interior.

Garrulous

excessively talkative.

Pneumatic

filled with air; powered by air pressure.

Fortuitously

happening by chance, often in a lucky way.

Corrugated

shaped into ridges and grooves.

Adventitious

accidental; happening by chance.

Interminable

endless; seeming to have no end.

Inquisitions

harsh questioning or investigations.

Jauntily

in a lively, cheerful, or self-confident manner.

Pander(ed)

to cater to or exploit the weaknesses of others.

Aesthetic

concerned with beauty or artistic taste.

Commensurate

corresponding in size, degree, or proportion.

Orgastic

relating to intense excitement or climax.

Armistice

an agreement to stop fighting; a truce.

Pasquinade

a public satire or criticism.

Laudable

deserving praise.

Insidious

proceeding subtly but harmfully; treacherous.

Platonic

non-romantic, purely spiritual or ideal relationship.

Meretricious

flashy but having no real value; superficially attractive.

Ineffable

too great or extreme to be expressed in words.

Turgid

swollen, inflated; also pompous in language.

Reposing

resting; lying down.

Antecedents

things or events that came before; one's past history.

Cordial

warm and friendly.

Septic

infected; poisonous.

Euphemism

a mild or indirect word substituted for a harsher one.

Obtrusive

noticeable in an unpleasant or intrusive way.