Great Gatsby Vocab words - G11

Conscientious

Wishing to do what is right, especially to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly.

Complacent

Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

Anon

Soon; shortly.

Fractiousness

The quality of being irritable or quarrelsome.

Feign

To pretend to be affected by a feeling, state, or injury.

Supercilious

Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.

Incredulous

Unwilling or unable to believe something.

Reciprocal

Given, felt, or done in return; mutual.

Wan

Pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.

Bantering

The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.

Infinite

Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate.

Desolate

Deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.

Contiguous

Sharing a common border; touching.

Facet

One side of something many-sided, especially of a cut gem.

Cower

To crouch down in fear.

Interpose

To place or insert between one thing and another.

Apathetic

Showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Languid

Weak or faint from illness or fatigue.

Imply

To suggest or express indirectly.

Strident

Loud and harsh; grating.

Deft

Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements.

Hauteur

Haughty manner or spirit; arrogance.

Clad

Clothed or covered.

Permeate

To spread throughout something; to pervade.

Innuendo

An indirect or subtle reference, especially one made maliciously or indicating criticism.

Erroneous

Wrong; incorrect.

Prodigality

Wasteful extravagance in spending.

Vehement

Showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.

Cordial

Warm and friendly.

Impetuous

Acting or done quickly and without thought or care.

Vacuous

Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless.

Corpulent

Fat; having a large, bulky body.

Provincial

Of or concerning a province of a country or empire; lacking sophistication.

Din

A loud, unpleasant, and prolonged noise.

Credulity

A tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true.

Cynical

Believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.

Ascertain

To find out or learn with certainty.

Convivial

Friendly, lively, and enjoyable.

Affectation

Behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress.

Knickerbocker

A New Yorker; originally a term for the early Dutch settlers of New York.

Fluctuate

To rise and fall irregularly in number or amount.

Sporadic

Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.

Divine retribution

Punishment from a higher power for wrongdoing.

Rajah

A prince or king in India.

Elicit

To draw out a response, answer, or fact from someone.

Valor

Great courage in the face of danger.

Somnambulatory

Related to sleepwalking.

Denizen

An inhabitant or occupant of a particular place.

Jaunty

Having or expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner.

Punctilious

Showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.

Juxtaposition

The fact of two things being seen or placed close together for contrasting effect.

Abortive

Failing to produce the intended result.

Rout

A disorderly retreat of defeated troops.

Suppress

To put an end to the activities of a person or group.

Innumerable

Too many to be counted.

Ecstatic

Feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.

Reproach

To express disapproval or disappointment.

Serf

An agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.

Obstinate

Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action.

Exult

To show or feel elation or jubilation, especially as the result of a success.

Nebulous

In the form of a cloud or haze; unclear or vague.

Vestige

A trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.

Laudable

Deserving praise and commendation.

Insidious

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

Repose

A state of rest, sleep, or tranquility.

Debauch

To destroy or debase the moral purity of; to corrupt.

Antecedent

A thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another.

Ingratiate

To bring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them.

Dilatory

Slow to act; intended to cause delay.

Elusive

Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

Turgid

Swollen and distended or congested.

Contingency

A future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty.

Profusion

An abundance or large quantity of something.

Oblivion

The state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening.

Saunter

To walk in a slow, relaxed manner, without hurry or effort.

Lapse

A temporary failure of concentration, memory, or judgment.

Insistent

Demanding something firmly and persistently.

Tentative

Not certain or fixed; provisional.

Abrupt

Sudden and unexpected.

Tumult

A loud, confused noise, especially one caused by a large mass of people.

Portentous

Of or like a portent; ominous.

Irreverent

Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously.

Vicarious

Experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.

Formidable

Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.

Affront

An action or remark that causes outrage or offense.

Abyss

A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm.

Inviolate

Free or safe from injury or violation.

Intermittent

Occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady.

Presumptuous

Failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate.

Humidor

A container or storage room for cigars or tobacco, designed to keep them moist.

Indiscernible

Impossible to see or clearly distinguish.

In cahoots

In partnership or in league with someone.

Divot

A piece of turf dug out of a lawn or golf course.

Garrulous

Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

Incoherent

Expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way.

Conceivable

Capable of being imagined or grasped mentally.

Forlorn

Pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely.

Incessant

Continuing without pause or interruption.

Ravenously

In a very hungry manner.

Pervaded

To spread through and be perceived in every part of.