The Joy Luck Club Vocab

Admonish

to warn someone by reprimanding them

Adversary

someone who is against you or opposes you

Apathetic

having or showing little to no emotion, interest, concern

Benevolent

kind and generous

Careen

to move quickly and roughly, often losing control

Chastise

to criticise someone severly, often with intent to punish their behaviour

Deft

skillful and quick

Deplete

to significantly reduce the amount of something

Diligent

constant in effort to accomplish something, persistent

Docile

quiet, not aggressive

Explicit

fully revealed or expressed without vagueness

Facade

the front of a building

Haughty

arrogantly superior

Innuendo

a hint about a person in a derogatory nature

Jaunty

having or expressing a cheerful, self-confident manner

Malignant

causing harm or suffering

Penance

the act of doing a good deed to make up for past wrongs

Posterity

future generations

Procure

to obtain something especially with care or effort

Pungent

causing a sharp or irritating sensation