Scarlet Letter Vocabulary

Petrify

To make someone so frightened that they are unable to move or think.

Transgressor

A person who violates a law, command, or moral code.

Purport

To claim or appear to be something, often falsely; also means the meaning or substance of something.

Visage

A person’s facial expression or the surface appearance of something.

Iniquity

Gross injustice or wickedness; a sinful act.

Rankle

To cause lasting irritation or resentment.

Fervor

Intense and passionate feeling.

Exhort

To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.

Efficacy

The ability to produce a desired or intended result.

Retribution

Punishment inflicted as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act.

Progenitors

Ancestors or parents; someone who originates or creates something.

Emolument

Compensation or profit derived from employment or office.

Concoct

To create or devise something, especially a story or plan.

Insidious

Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.

Inopportune

Occurring at an inconvenient or inappropriate time.

Procure

To obtain something, especially with effort.

Attire

Clothing, especially fine or formal wear.

Revile

To criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

Enmity

A state of active hostility or opposition.

Preternatural

Beyond what is normal or natural; extraordinary.

Caper

A playful skip or movement; a wild or reckless escapade.

Extant

Still in existence; surviving.

Pestilence

A fatal epidemic disease, especially the plague.

Vista

A pleasing view, especially one seen through a long, narrow opening.

Depravity

Moral corruption or wickedness.

Mountebank

A person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.

Profane

Showing disrespect toward sacred things; secular, not religious.

Scrupulous

Extremely attentive to details or moral principles.

Sagacity

Wisdom or keen perception and judgment.

Vilify

To speak or write about someone in an abusively disparaging manner.

Decorous

In keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained.

Bestow

To give or present something, typically an honor or gift.

Repose

A state of rest or tranquility.

Machination

A plot or scheme, typically with evil intent.

Abase

To degrade or humiliate someone.

Pristine

In its original condition; unspoiled.

Accost

To approach and address someone boldly or aggressively.

Propinquity

Nearness in space, proximity, or close kinship.

Dexterity

Skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.

Petulant

Childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

Cadence

A modulation or inflection of the voice; rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds.

Mollify

To appease the anger or anxiety of someone.

Vex

To irritate, annoy, or frustrate someone.

Requite

To make appropriate return for a favor, service, or wrongdoing.

Mien

A person's appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their mood or character.

Fortitude

Courage in pain or adversity.

Auditor

A person who officially examines and verifies accounts or listens carefully, especially to judge the quality of something.

Venerable

Accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.

Necromancer

A person who practices necromancy; a wizard or magician who communicates with the dead.