A Raisin in the Sun - Vocabulary

exasperated

very annoyed and upset

oppress

to treat a group of people unfairly or cruelly and prevent them from having the same rights that other people in society have; to make someone feel unhappy, worried, or uncomfortable

meddle

to deliberately try to influence or change a situation that does not concern you or that you do not understand

raucous

impolite, noisy or violent

dogged ("dogged determination")

very determined to do something, even if it is very difficult

self-righteous

believing that your ideas and behavior are morally better than those of other people

futile

(of actions) useless, having no effect or achieving nothing

indignant

angry because of something that is wrong or not fair

sober

not drunk or affected by alcohol; serious and calm

haphazard

not having an obvious order or plan

suppress

to prevent something from growing, developing, or working effectively

mutilate

to damage something severely, especially by violently removing a part

exuberant

very energetic

sullen

angry and unwilling to smile or be pleasant to people

plaintive

used to describe something that sounds slightly sad (a plaintive voice, a plaintive sound, etc.)

monologue

a long speech by one person

jubilant

feeling or expressing great happiness, especially because of success

inclined (I'm inclined to...)

likely or wanting to do something

daunt

to make someone feel slightly frightened or worried about their ability to achieve something, make less confident

melodrama

a story, play or film in which the characters show stronger emotions than real people usually do (overly dramatic)

facetious

saying things that are intended to be clever and funny but are really silly and annoying

affirm

to state something is true; to publicly show your support for an opinion or idea

genuine

real and exactly what it appears to be; authentic

oblivious

not conscious of something, especially what is happening around you

idealism

the belief that you should live your life according to high standards and principles, even when they are very difficult to achieve

wrought

caused (very formal language)

grovel

to behave with too much respect towards someone to show that you are very eager to please them

flippant

showing or having a rude attitude of not being serious, especially by trying to be funny when most people expect you to be serious

martyr

a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs and is often admired because of it

retrogression

the act of returning to an older and worse state