vocab 3 😭

feigned

pretend, false, insincere, poser

levity

excessive humor and unseriousness especially during a serious matter

suppressions

keeping something from happening or stopping it (pushing it down)

scorn

open dislike, disrespect and mockery and the feeling that something/someone is worthless/despicable

temporarily

(being there) for a limited amount of time,

superficial

lacking depth and only existing on the surface

acute

sharp or severe

wistfully

The feeling of longing or regret (thinking of something impossible or in the past)

pungent

sharp smell or taste

compulsion

urge to do something not knowing what's pushing you, force

irrelevantly

not important or not connected to the situation

incredulously

disbelief, unwilling to accept something

reciprocal

given/done in return of something

wan

pale, weak, looking ill or exhausted

imperatively

in an urgent or important way

bantering

teasing, of good humor

extemporizing

short amount of time on the spot, out of time or not putting a lot of time into something

peremptorily

Final, not up for discussion/refusal

libel

false information that harms a person's reputation

assuaged

to lessen the intensity of (something that pains or distresses) : to ease : to pacify, quiet : to put an end to by satisfying quench as in thirst (When it healed, and Jem's fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self

ancestor

forefather : ante=prior to : earlier than (Being Southerners, it was a source of shame to some members of the family that we had no recorded ancestors on either side of the Battle of Hastings.)

antediluvian

of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible : made, evolved, or developed a long time ago : extremely primitive or outmoded

piety

religiosity (All we had was Simon Finch, a fur

impiety

the quality or state of being impious : irreverence : an impious act

impious

not pious, religious : lacking in reverence or proper respect

taciturn

disinclined to talk (Their sister Alexandra was the Finch who remained at the Landing: she married a taciturn man who spent most of his time lying in a hammock by the river wondering if his trot lines were full.)

synonymous

—syn=with, together with, at the same time—“words with the same name/meaning” (Atticus had urged them to accept the state's generosity in allowing them to plead Guilty to second degree murder and escape with their lives, but they were Haverfords, in Maycomb County a name synonymous with jackass).

idiosyncrasy

a mental quality or habit peculiar to an individual : eccentricity—“one’s [peculiar] blend”

synopsis

a condensed statement or outline—“to see together”

imprudent

rash, not showing card for consequences (Haverfords had dispatched Maycomb's leading blacksmith in a misunderstanding arising from the alleged wrongful detention of a mare, were imprudent enough to do it in the presence of three witnesses, and insisted that the son of

prudent

marked by wisdom or judiciousness : shrewd in the management of practical affairs

vapid

having lost sparkling quality and flavor : lacking liveliness : flat, dull (By the end of August our repertoire was vapid from countless reproductions…)

malevolent

having intense ill will or hatred : productive of harm or evil (Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom).

stealthy

the act of proceeding furtively, secretly, unobtrusively (Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work).

subterfuge

deception by stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade : evade

morbid

gloomy or unwholesome feelings : grisly, gruesome (Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events; people’s chickens and household pets were found mutilated…What a morbid question. But I suppose it’s a morbid subject…Aunt Alexandra, in underlining the moral of young Sam Merriweather's suicide, said it was caused by a morbid streak in the family).

probate

official proving of the will : establishing as genuine and valid (So the boys came before the probate judge on charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, assault and battery, and using abusive and profane language in the presence of a hearing of a female.)

reprobate

morally corrupt : depraved : (archaic—rejected as worthless—see the connection folks?)

effect

to cause to come into being : to bring about an outcome (He walked to the corner of the lot, then back again, studying the simple terrain as if deciding how best to effect an entry, frowning and scratching his head…He looked suspiciously down the middle aisle and waited, I suppose, for Mr. Link Deas to effect total departure).

indigenous

native : belonging to a particular place or area (The class murmured apprehensively should she prove to harbor her share of the peculiarities indigenous to that region).

illicitly

unlawfully : not permitted (But somehow I had been wallowing illicitly in the daily papers.)

contemptuous

feeling or expressing disapproval ([Burris Ewell] gave a short contemptuous snort.)

supercilious

exhibiting haughty and careless contempt : showing snobbish and careless disrespect

mortification

great embarrassment and shame : humiliation (I would have saved myself some inconvenience and Miss Caroline subsequent mortification…“‘I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a _____lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family…’”)

irk

to make weary, irritated, or bored : to annoy or anger (Jem’s free dispensation of my pledge irked me, but precious noontime minutes were ticking away.)

erratic

strange : deviating from what is standard : characterized by lack of regularity (She was furious, and when she was furious Calpurnia's grammar became erratic.)

persevere

push through something even if it’s difficult (Apparently [Miss Caroline] had revived enough to persevere in her profession).

sedulous

persevering in effort or endeavor; to continue in the face of difficulty for gain.

discern

to recognize/understand or detect something through observation. (...gravely reading columns of print about a man who sat on a flagpole for no discernible reason…)

acumen

keenness in grasping, comprehending : to perceive or recognize quickly

auspicious

favorable : characterized by good fortune : promising (The remainder of my schooldays were no more auspicious than the first.)

unanimous

being of one mind : agreeing (Neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old women who ever lived.)

pusillanimous

lacking courage and resolution : L. very small spirit *animus—basic attitude or governing spirit

melancholy

expressive of sadness or depression : causing sadness or depression : dejected : sad (It was a melancholy little drama, woven from bits and scraps of gossip and neighborhood legend: Mrs. Radley had been beautiful until she married Mr. Radley and lost all her money.)

aloof

removed or distant either physically or emotionally (But I kept aloof from their more fool hardy schemes for a while…)

benign

kind and gentle (... [Miss Maudie] was only another lady in the neighborhood, but a relatively benign presence).

benevolence

act of goodness : marked by doing good : L. bene=good (Miss Maudie’s benevolence extended to Jem and Dill, whenever they paused in their pursuits. We reaped the benefits of a talent Miss Maudie had hitherto kept hidden from us.)

tacit

unspoken : silent but implied : expressed without words or speech (Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn’t jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot, terms so generous we seldom spoke to her…Jem went in grinning, and Calpurnia nodded tacit consent to having Dill in for supper.)

peril

exposure to the risk of being injured : something that imperils or endangers (How so reasonable a creature (Miss Maudie) could live in peril of everlasting torment was incomprehensible…I thought I’d better warn you. You’re in considerable peril.)

precarious

uncertain : lack of stability that threatens with danger

bewilderment

being bewildered, perplexed or confused (Sometimes I did not understand him, but my periods of bewilderment were short lived…One corner of the yard, though, bewildered Maycomb)

burdensome

something oppressive, worrisome : troublesome load (When the new wore off his grandfather’s watch, and carrying it became a day’s burdensome task, Jem no longer felt the necessity of ascertaining the hour every five minutes.)

aberrations

deviating or being aberrant from the normal or usual course or state (Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature, thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and discomfort to ourselves.)

libel

defamatory statement that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression ("Son, I can't tell what you're going to be an engineer, a lawyer, or a portrait painter. You've perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard.”)

grieve

distress : to feel distress, suffering ("You ain't grievin', Miss Maudie?")

grievous

causing affliction or suffering,

ingenuous

showing candid or frank childlike simplicity : L. ingenuus=native, freeborn (“…[Francis] enjoyed everything I disapproved of, and disliked my ingenuous diversions.”)

wary

marked by caution and watchfulness especially in detecting danger. (“We were never wary of [Uncle Jack’s] sharp nose and chin.”)

chary

hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risk).

guileless

innocence, naïve, artless, ingenuous (“The internal arrangements of the Finch house were indicative of Simon’s guilelessness, and the absolute trust with which he regarded his offspring.”)

deportment

how one conducts him/herself : behavior (“Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets, and wearing the Add)

comportment

behave in a manner conformable to what is right or proper : to be fitting

obstreperous

unruly or aggressive noiseness (“Such conduct as yours required little understanding. It was obstreperous, disorderly, and abusive…”)

invective

insulting or abusive language : vituperative (“Her use of bathroom invective leaves nothing to the imagination.”)

muddles

to make muddy : to make a mess of (“Children are children, but they can spot an evasion quicker than adults, an evasion simply muddles ‘em.”)

turbid

deficient in clarity : producing obscurity : muddy