To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary

assuage (verb)

Example: To assuage one's grief

To make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate.

impotent (adjective)

Example: He felt impotent in the face of the overwhelming task

Lacking power or ability.

taciturn (adjective)

Example: Despite his taciturn nature, he was a great listener.

Inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.

imprudent (adjective)

Example: It was imprudent of her to spend all her savings.

Not prudent; lacking discretion; incautious; rash.

allusion (noun)

Example: The novel contains an allusion to Shakespeare.

An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

philippic (noun)

Example: His speech was a philippic against the current administration.

A bitter attack or denunciation, especially a verbal one.

umbrage (noun)

Example: She took umbrage at his remarks.

Offense or annoyance.

rectitude (noun)

Example: Maddie is a model of rectitude.

Morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness.

interdict (noun)

Example: The church issued an interdict against marriage of those of close kin.

An authoritative prohibition.

skulk (verb)

Example: Don't skulk outside the door like a spy!

Keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive.

cantankerous (adjective)

Example: He was a crusty, cantankerous old man.

Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.

garish (adjective)

Example: They wore garish shirts in all sorts of colors.

Obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.

melancholy (noun)

Example: An air of melancholy surrounded him.

A feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.

vet (verb)

Example: Proposals for vetting large takeover bids were discussed.

Make a careful and critical examination of something.

rankle (verb)

Example: The casual manner of his dismissal still rankles.

Cause annoyance or resentment that persists.

temerity (noun)

Example: No one had the temerity to question his conclusions.

Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.

rueful (adjective)

Example: She gave a rueful grin.

Expressing sorrow or regret, especially in a slightly humorous way.

stolid (adjective)

Example: He remained stolid in the face of adversity.

Calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation.

indignant (adjective)

Example: He was indignant at being the object of suspicion.

Feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment.

purloin (verb)

Example: He must have managed to purloin a copy of the key.

Steal something.