2023 Gatsby Vocab List

feign

to fake or pretend something that you don’t feel

wistful

feeling nostalgic longing for the past

extemporaneous

made up on the spot; not pre-planned or rehearsed

haughty

stuck up, arrogant

incredulous

completely shocked, in disbelief

deplorable

shockingly bad, wrong and immoral behavior

contingency

a back-up plan in case something goes wrong

contingent

dependent on something else happening (like you don’t get to go out with your friends unless your chores are done)

unprecedented

something that’s never happened before

incarnation

in the flesh; a physical embodiment of an idea

affront

to offend someone in a disrespectful way

inexplicable

something that can’t be explained or understood

vicariously

experiencing something second-hand through someone else

portentous

a sign that something bad will happen

discern

to be able to look at something and understand what it means

unscrupulous

a person who has no morals or ethics; they do what they need to get ahead without caring about others

scruples

a sense of right and wrong that warns you when something doesn’t seem right

feign

When my nephew talks about Pokemon, I ____ interest even though I couldn’t care less.

wistful

When it snows, I feel _____ for the days when my friends and I would meet at the sledding hill and play all day.

extemporize

I didn’t have a rain jacket, so I had to ____ one out of plastic bags when I got caught in a downpour.

haughteur

I was expecting _____ and rudeness from Lady Bixbury due to her rank and title, but she was surprisingly down-to-earth.

incredulity

I had never seen my sister run more than a mile without getting winded, so I could not hide my ____ when she said that she was joining the Cross Country team.

deplorably

The middle schoolers behaved _____ on the field trip, so our school was banned from visiting the Science Museum again.

contingent

Whether or not my car gets fixed soon is _____ on how fast the insurance company processes my claim.

precedent

My parents set the ____ with my older sister that we could get our ears pierced when we turned 12, so my sister was upset when I got mine pierced at 10. She said that it wasn’t fair.

incarnate

My dog is goofiness ____; he makes everyone laugh with his silly antics.

affront

I did not mean it as a(n) ____ when I came late to class; I’m so sorry that you felt disrespected.

inexplicably

My computer ____ turned off right in the middle of the quiz; I swear this thing is possessed or something.

vicariously

It’s not healthy for a parent to try to live _____ through their kids; children should be able to choose what activities bring them joy.

discern

Because the sky was cloudy, I could not ____ which direction was north.

scruples

My ____ about joining the group were justified when it came out later that it was a cult!

portentous

I had a(n) _____ feeling as I walked up to the large, creepy building.